WASHINGTON (AP) — Those binders full of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/what-has-trump-done-trump-executive-orders-f061fbe7f08c08d81509a6af20ef8fc0">executive orders</a>&nbsp;that President&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">Donald Trump</a>&nbsp;has been signing with a flourish and a wide-tipped Sharpie during his first week in office don’t just magically appear before him.

White House staff secretary Will Scharf has been a prominent part of the tableau, standing at Trump’s side and teeing up the leather-bound folders, one by one, for the president. With the cameras rolling, Scharf provides running narration on what Trump is signing, at times leaning into a nearby microphone at the president’s direction.

He was by Trump’s side Thursday as the president signed orders and memoranda at the Resolute Desk in the Oval Office. And in the first hours of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-inauguration-scene-rotunda-republicans-second-term-618e452b9e8fe294095937b27816d21a">Trump’s return to power</a>, he was there with Trump at the Capitol, at a nearby rally and the White House as the president scrawled his name on stacks of orders implementing his agenda.

Scharf doesn’t just act the straight man as Trump talks up his orders, cracks jokes and fields questions from reporters. He also plays a key role in the White House, overseeing the flow of information and business coming to and from the president.

The staff secretary’s job has traditionally involved managing the papers that cross the president’s desk. It serves almost as air traffic control for the West Wing — tracking the drafting and approval of memos and statements as they work their way to the president’s desk and then out to the world.

The “StaffSec” coordinates the work of the White House policy, communications and legal teams as information flows around the building, and traditionally is a neutral arbiter in policy debates.

The staff secretary has nearly unparalleled visibility to the goings-on of the West Wing and leads one of the least-known but most impactful teams in a well-functioning White House.

Scharf was a member of Trump’s legal team before joining the new administration. He previously worked as&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/bailey-scharf-missouri-attorney-general-donors-raga-3d37564d77ded4169c9c523119bde97c">a policy director</a>&nbsp;for former Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens and on the campaign of 2016 Republican gubernatorial candidate Catherine Hanaway.

He graduated from Princeton and Harvard Law School before moving to Missouri in 2011 to clerk for Judge Raymond Gruender on the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals. He also worked as an assistant U.S. attorney.

Trump tapped Scharf to be his staff secretary in November, citing his experience as a lawyer on the future president’s criminal cases and Scharf’s work during the first Trump presidency getting judges and justices confirmed. They included U.S. Supreme Court Justices&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/brett-kavanaugh">Brett Kavanaugh</a>&nbsp;— who himself served as White House staff secretary for President George W. Bush — and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/amy-coney-barrett">Amy Coney Barrett</a>.

Scharf joined Trump’s legal team in October 2023 and was one of the president’s lawyers in the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-special-counsel-report-election-interference-4ef4ba2508baf3bb269abd4bcdc8e102">election interference case</a>&nbsp;brought by special counsel Jack Smith. The case went before the Supreme Court, which ruled that presidents enjoy sweeping immunity from criminal prosecution for official acts.

Scharf is among several of Trump’s lawyers who have been rewarded with spots in his new administration. Todd Blanche and Emil Bove, who defended Trump at his&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-hush-money-sentencing-stormy-daniels-33e070bd3c1acb609bba13f23d784a3a">hush money criminal trial</a>&nbsp;in New York, both got high-ranking Justice Department posts.

“Will Scharf is a brilliant legal mind who has extensive experience defending President Trump from the witch-hunts against him,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement. “Will is perfectly suited to help execute President Trump’s agenda in this important role.”

It’s not Scharf’s first time in the public eye

Scharf’s spot by Trump’s side as he rolled out his Day One executive actions was not his first time in public view. He has appeared on cable news and has written opinion columns discussing Trump’s legal cases.

In 2023, Scharf and Newsweek senior editor Josh Hammer co-founded a group called Jews Against Soros, launching a campaign arguing that criticism of George Soros, the billionaire Democratic donor and philanthropist, is not antisemitic.

Scharf ran unsuccessfully for Missouri attorney general in 2024, losing to incumbent Andrew Bailey. His campaign included&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/willscharf/status/1810661099764690975" target="_blank">a memorable ad</a>&nbsp;in which the mild-mannered lawyer appears to use a grenade launcher to fire on a pile of boxes that were labeled to look like they contained legal documents related to Trump’s criminal cases.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/1/1737729381217.png" alt="Image courtesy CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>Image courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — Those binders full of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/what-has-trump-done-trump-executive-orders-f061fbe7f08c08d81509a6af20ef8fc0">executive orders</a>&nbsp;that President&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">Donald Trump</a>&nbsp;has been signing with a flourish and a wide-tipped Sharpie during his first week in office don’t just magically appear before him.White House staff secretary Will Scharf has been a prominent part of the tableau, standing at Trump’s side and teeing up the leather-bound folders, one by one, for the president. With the cameras rolling, Scharf provides running narration on what Trump is signing, at times leaning into a nearby microphone at the president’s direction.He was by Trump’s side Thursday as the president signed orders and memoranda at the Resolute Desk in the Oval Office. And in the first hours of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-inauguration-scene-rotunda-republicans-second-term-618e452b9e8fe294095937b27816d21a">Trump’s return to power</a>, he was there with Trump at the Capitol, at a nearby rally and the White House as the president scrawled his name on stacks of orders implementing his agenda.Scharf doesn’t just act the straight man as Trump talks up his orders, cracks jokes and fields questions from reporters. He also plays a key role in the White House, overseeing the flow of information and business coming to and from the president.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/1/1737729569047.png" alt="Photo by Taylor Budowich, Assistant to the President" />
 <figcaption>Photo by Taylor Budowich, Assistant to the President</figcaption>
 </figure>A look at Scharf and his new job:<h2>The presidential in-box</h2>The staff secretary’s job has traditionally involved managing the papers that cross the president’s desk. It serves almost as air traffic control for the West Wing — tracking the drafting and approval of memos and statements as they work their way to the president’s desk and then out to the world.The “StaffSec” coordinates the work of the White House policy, communications and legal teams as information flows around the building, and traditionally is a neutral arbiter in policy debates.The staff secretary has nearly unparalleled visibility to the goings-on of the West Wing and leads one of the least-known but most impactful teams in a well-functioning White House.<h2>Who is Will Scharf?</h2>Scharf was a member of Trump’s legal team before joining the new administration. He previously worked as&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/bailey-scharf-missouri-attorney-general-donors-raga-3d37564d77ded4169c9c523119bde97c">a policy director</a>&nbsp;for former Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens and on the campaign of 2016 Republican gubernatorial candidate Catherine Hanaway.He graduated from Princeton and Harvard Law School before moving to Missouri in 2011 to clerk for Judge Raymond Gruender on the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals. He also worked as an assistant U.S. attorney.Trump tapped Scharf to be his staff secretary in November, citing his experience as a lawyer on the future president’s criminal cases and Scharf’s work during the first Trump presidency getting judges and justices confirmed. They included U.S. Supreme Court Justices&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/brett-kavanaugh">Brett Kavanaugh</a>&nbsp;— who himself served as White House staff secretary for President George W. Bush — and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/amy-coney-barrett">Amy Coney Barrett</a>.<h2>He helped Trump fight his legal battles</h2>Scharf joined Trump’s legal team in October 2023 and was one of the president’s lawyers in the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-special-counsel-report-election-interference-4ef4ba2508baf3bb269abd4bcdc8e102">election interference case</a>&nbsp;brought by special counsel Jack Smith. The case went before the Supreme Court, which ruled that presidents enjoy sweeping immunity from criminal prosecution for official acts.Scharf is among several of Trump’s lawyers who have been rewarded with spots in his new administration. Todd Blanche and Emil Bove, who defended Trump at his&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-hush-money-sentencing-stormy-daniels-33e070bd3c1acb609bba13f23d784a3a">hush money criminal trial</a>&nbsp;in New York, both got high-ranking Justice Department posts.“Will Scharf is a brilliant legal mind who has extensive experience defending President Trump from the witch-hunts against him,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement. “Will is perfectly suited to help execute President Trump’s agenda in this important role.”<h2>It’s not Scharf’s first time in the public eye</h2>Scharf’s spot by Trump’s side as he rolled out his Day One executive actions was not his first time in public view. He has appeared on cable news and has written opinion columns discussing Trump’s legal cases.In 2023, Scharf and Newsweek senior editor Josh Hammer co-founded a group called Jews Against Soros, launching a campaign arguing that criticism of George Soros, the billionaire Democratic donor and philanthropist, is not antisemitic.Scharf ran unsuccessfully for Missouri attorney general in 2024, losing to incumbent Andrew Bailey. His campaign included&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/willscharf/status/1810661099764690975" target="_blank">a memorable ad</a>&nbsp;in which the mild-mannered lawyer appears to use a grenade launcher to fire on a pile of boxes that were labeled to look like they contained legal documents related to Trump’s criminal cases.

Who’s the guy handing Trump those binders of executive orders? Meet Will Scharf

BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — The United States and Colombia, long close partners in anti-narcotics efforts, clashed Sunday over the deportation of migrants and imposed tariffs on each other’s goods in a show of what countries could face if they intervene in the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/immigration-detention-trump-costs-5c6c59afdb8fa79a7ca74848bd3b7cc8">Trump administration’s crackdown</a>&nbsp;on illegal immigration.

Presidents&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/video/daniel-ortega-joe-biden-ireland-nicaragua-tom-homan-da9c7381d97e4a2db0e49533bfdb379f">Donald Trump</a>&nbsp;and Gustavo Petro, in a series of social media posts, defended their views on migration, with the latter accusing&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/deportation-trump-immigration-ice-border-ba586dc760a5ffab73c0611fbf924df9">Trump</a>&nbsp;of not treating immigrants with dignity during deportation and announcing a retaliatory 25% increase in Colombian tariffs on U.S. goods.

Earlier, the U.S. president had ordered visa restrictions, 25% tariffs on all Colombian incoming goods, which would be raised to 50% in one week, and other retaliatory measures sparked by Petro's decision to reject two Colombia-bound U.S. military aircraft carrying migrants.

Trump said the measures were necessary because Petro's decision “jeopardized” national security in the U.S.

“These measures are just the beginning,” Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth Social. “We will not allow the Colombian Government to violate its legal obligations with regard to the acceptance and return of the Criminals they forced into the United States.”

Later Sunday, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced he was authorizing the visa restrictions on Colombian government officials and their families “who were responsible for the interference of U.S. repatriation flight operations." They were being imposed on top of the State Department's move to suspend the processing of visas at the U.S. Embassy in Colombia’s capital, Bogota.

The restrictions will continue, Rubio said, "until Colombia meets its obligations to accept the return of its own citizens.”

Earlier in the day, Petro said his government would not accept flights carrying migrants deported from the U.S. until the Trump administration creates a protocol that treats them with “dignity.” Petro made the announcement in two X posts, one of which included a news video of migrants reportedly deported to Brazil walking on a tarmac with restraints on their hands and feet.

“A migrant is not a criminal and must be treated with the dignity that a human being deserves,” Petro said. “That is why I returned the U.S. military planes that were carrying Colombian migrants... In civilian planes, without being treated like criminals, we will receive our fellow citizens."

After Trump's announcement, Petro said in a post on X that he had ordered the “foreign trade minister to raise import tariffs from the U.S. by 25%.”

Colombia has traditionally been the U.S.’s top ally in Latin America. But their relationship has strained since Petro, a former guerrilla, became Colombia’s first leftist president in 2022 and sought distance from the U.S.

Colombia accepted 475 deportation flights from the U.S. from 2020 to 2024, fifth behind Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico and El Salvador, according to Witness at the Border, an advocacy group that tracks flight data. It accepted 124 deportation flights in 2024.

Colombia is also among the countries that last year began accepting U.S.-funded deportation flights from Panama.

The U.S. government didn't immediately respond to a request for comment from The Associated Press regarding aircraft and protocols used in deportations to Colombia.

“This is a clear message we are sending that countries have an obligation to accept repatriation flights," a senior administration official told AP. The official spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss issue publicly.

Rubio in a statement said Petro “canceled his authorization” for the flights when the aircraft were in the air.

Colombians emerged in recent years as a major presence on the U.S. border with Mexico, aided in part by&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/immigration-arizona-united-states-mexico-colombia-fb4f913f2c43c48c0f4ecade8b2c1913">a visa regime</a>&nbsp;that allows them to easily fly to Mexico and avoid trekking though the treacherous Darien Gap. They ranked fourth with 127,604 arrests for illegal crossings during a 12-month period through September, behind Mexicans, Guatemalans and Venezuelans.

Mexico hasn't imposed visa restrictions on Colombians, as&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mexico-peru-visa-immigration-border-asylum-0d4206bbb002318b9e0fd2bbf22ab48c">they have on Venezuelans, Ecuadoreans and Peruvians</a>.

Petro's government in a statement later announced that the South American country's presidential aircraft had been made available to facilitate the return of migrants who were to arrive hours earlier on the U.S. military airplanes and guarantee them “dignified conditions."

As part of a flurry of actions to make good on Trump's campaign promises to crack down on illegal immigration, his government is using active-duty military to help secure the border and carry out deportations.

Two U.S. Air Force C-17 cargo planes carrying migrants removed from the U.S. touched down early Friday in Guatemala. That same day, Honduras received two deportation flights carrying a total of 193 people.

In announcing what he called “urgent and decisive retaliatory measures,” Trump explained that he ordered the tariffs and “A Travel Ban and immediate Visa Revocations” on Colombian government officials, allies and supporters.

“All Party Members, Family Members, and Supporters of the Colombian Government,” Trump wrote will be subject to “Visa Sanctions.” He did not say to which party he was referring to or provide any additional details on the visa and travel restrictions.

Trump added that all Colombians will face enhanced customs inspections.

Trump’s actions would seem to undercut his goal to reduce his country's trade deficit. Unlike Mexico or China, Colombia is one of the few countries with a trade deficit with the U.S., of around $1.4 billion, according to U.S. trade data.

Colombia is the U.S.’s second biggest buyer of corn and corn feed, according to the U.S. grains council, helping boost U.S. commodity exports from farm belt states like Iowa, Indiana and Nebraska to more than $733 million last year.

The U.S. export boom has been driven by a two-decade-old free trade agreement between the two countries, which have for long been close partners in the war on drugs. It is unclear if Trump’s tariffs are allowed under the agreement, which contains a dispute mechanism to resolve trade fights.

Colombia is the U.S.’s fourth-largest overseas supplier of crude oil, shipping about 209,000 barrels of oil per day last year, although booming domestic production has reduced the U.S.’ dependence on foreign oil. The South American country is also the U.S.’s largest supplier of fresh cut flowers.

Regina Garcia Cano reported from Caracas, Venezuela. Jill Colvin in New York, Joshua Goodman in Miami, and Elliot Spagat in San Diego contributed to this report.

BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — U.S. President Donald Trump said Sunday that he was ordering tariffs, visa restrictions and other retaliatory measures to be taken against Colombia after its government rejected two U.S. military flights carrying migrants.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/immigration-self-deportation-trump-0a8d8371cf7e22a5809db40ebbecf42d">Trump</a>&nbsp;said the measures were necessary because the decision of Colombian President Gustavo Petro “jeopardized” national security in the U.S.

Earlier Sunday, Petro said his government would not accept flights carrying migrants deported from the U.S. until the Trump administration creates a protocol that treats them with “dignity.” Petro made the announcement in two X posts, one of which included a news video of migrants reportedly deported to Brazil walking on a tarmac with restraints on their hands and feet.

After Trump's announcement, Petro announced in a post on X that he had ordered the “foreign trade minister to raise import tariffs from the U.S. by 25%.”

Colombia accepted 475 deportation flights from the United States from 2020 to 2024, fifth behind Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico and El Salvador, according to Witness at the Border, an advocacy group that tracks flight data. It accepted 124 deportation flights in 2024.

Last year, Colombia and other countries began accepting U.S.-funded deportation flights from Panama.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio in a statement said Petro “canceled his authorization” for the flights when the aircraft were in the air.

No official order had been issued as of Sunday afternoon that would allow for the implementation of the measures Trump announced.

“This is a clear message we are sending that countries have an obligation to accept repatriation flights," a senior administration official told the AP. The official spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss issue publicly.

The government of Petro, a former leftist guerrilla, in a statement later announced that the South American country's presidential aircraft had been made available to facilitate the return of migrants who were to arrive hours earlier on the U.S. military airplanes and guarantee them “dignified conditions."

In announcing what he called “urgent and decisive retaliatory measures,” Trump explained that he ordered “25% tariffs on all goods coming into the United States,” which would be raised to 50% in one week. He said he also ordered “A Travel Ban and immediate Visa Revocations” on Colombian government officials, allies and supporters.

Trump said the measures were necessary because the decision of Colombian President Gustavo Petro “jeopardized” national security in the U.S.

These measures are just the beginning,” Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth Social. “We will not allow the Colombian Government to violate its legal obligations with regard to the acceptance and return of the Criminals they forced into the United States.”

Colombia is the U.S.’s fourth-largest overseas supplier of crude oil, shipping about 209,000 barrels of oil per day last year, although booming domestic production has reduced the U.S.’ dependence on foreign oil. Other imports include coal, coffee and gold.

Colombia is also the U.S.’ largest supplier of fresh cut flowers, and with Valentine’s Day just weeks away, the price of saying “I love you” could be impacted.

Trump, Columbian President fight over military deportation flights

ABOARD AIR FORCE ONE (AP) —President&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">Donald Trump</a>&nbsp;hasn’t been shy about sharing his thoughts since taking office, and he added a 20-minute Q&amp;A with reporters aboard Air Force One to the mix. He held forth on everything from the color of the presidential plane to the fate of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/tiktok-ban-trump-supreme-court-36c3c3b42f743a35c69e1c74341f1f30">TikTok</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/greenland">Greenland</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/canada-trump-us-state-131dcff58a8f56116765f160d9f35460">Canada</a>.

Trump popped in to the plane's press cabin Saturday night while flying from&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-las-vegas-taxes-tips-hospitality-workers-92da0193df89d1773b8f7dcc84ea7e3d">Las Vegas</a>&nbsp;to Florida, where he was staying at his Doral golf club through Monday evening, though he insisted he'd be too busy to hit the links.

The new president scoffed at reporters getting “a bit more access” than under his predecessor, Joe Biden, and joked it was “like 5,000%” different — meaning he was willing to answer a lot more questions. Trump called Air Force One a “special plane” but observed that it hasn’t changed much from his last term. And, yes,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-air-force-one-boeing-8810bbdb8f0d31a7cced6f84c8b60f5f">he still wants to change the plane’s exterior colors</a>.

“We want power blue, not baby blue,” Trump said. “Everything has its time and place. We’ll be changing the colors.”

Here are some highlights from the conversation:

Trump says he still wants Greenland, and Canada ‘should be a state’

 President Trump reiterated his desire to somehow purchase Greenland from Denmark, despite that country insisting it's not for sale.

“I do believe Greenland, we’ll get because it really has to do with freedom of the world,” he said. “It has nothing to do with the United States, other than we’re the one that can provide the freedom.”

The president also made some of his most extensive comments about his recent suggestions that Canada could become part of the U.S.

“I love Canada,” he said. “I have so many friends up in Canada. And they like us, and they like me. But Canada’s been taking advantage of the United States for years, and we’re not going to let that happen.”

He suggested that the U.S. is losing hundreds of millions annually to Canada in trade deficits while Canada does “almost 90% of their business with the United States.”

“I don’t want to spend hundreds of millions of dollars on supporting the country unless that country is a state. And, if it’s a state, the people of Canada will pay a much lower tax.”

He said Canadians would also “have no military problems, they’d be much more secure in every way, and I think it’s a great thing for Canada.”

“I view it as, honestly, a country that should be a state,” he said. “Then, they’ll get much better treatment, much better care and much lower taxes and they’ll be much more secure.”

Trump said he would like to see Jordan, Egypt and other Arab nations increase the number of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-trump-gaza-egypt-jordan-c6bedbd6ca0702c22b80f1bf07cd4326">Palestinian refugees</a>&nbsp;they are accepting from the Gaza Strip, potentially moving out enough of the population to “just clean out” the war-torn area to create a virtual clean slate.

Trump also said he has ended his predecessor’s hold on sending 2,000-pound bombs to Israel. That lifts a pressure point meant to reduce civilian casualties during&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war">Israel's war with Hamas</a>&nbsp;in Gaza, which is now halted by a tenuous ceasefire.

“We released them today," Trump said of the bombs. “They’ve been waiting for them for a long time." Asked why he lifted the ban on those bombs, Trump responded, “Because they bought them.”

Trump has built his political career around being unapologetically pro-Israel. On his larger vision for Gaza, Trump said he had call earlier in the day with&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/abdullah-ii">King Abdullah II</a>&nbsp;of Jordan and would speak Sunday with President&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/abdel-fattah-el-sissi">Abdel Fattah el-Sissi</a>&nbsp;of Egypt.

“I’d like Egypt to take people, and I’d like Jordan to take people,” Trump said. “You’re talking about probably a million and a half people, we just clean out that whole thing."

Trump said he complimented Jordan for having successfully accepted Palestinian refugees and that he told the king, “I’d love for you to take on more, cause I’m looking at the whole Gaza Strip right now, and it’s a mess. It’s a real mess.”

Such a drastic displacement of people would openly contradict Palestinian identity and deep connection to Gaza. Still, Trump said the part of the world that encompasses Gaza, has “had many, many conflicts” over centuries. He said resettling “could be temporary or long term.”

“Something has to happen," Trump said. “But it’s literally a demolition site right now. Almost everything’s demolished, and people are dying there.” He added: “So, I’d rather get involved with some of the Arab nations, and build housing in a different location, where they can maybe live in peace for a change.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in a statement Sunday, thanked Trump for “keeping your promise to give Israel the tools it needs to defend itself.” He did not mention Trump's suggestion on Palestinian refugees.

Trump says he’s talking with potential investors about the future of TikTok

Trump said he’s considering several possible investors who are looking to purchase TikTok, which faces the prospect of a U.S. ban if it isn't sold by its Chinese parent company.

“Numerous people are talking to me," he said. “Very substantial people.” He said he expects to decide what happens next “probably over the next 30 days.”

The president said he'd not been in contact with Oracle about buying TikTok, despite reports that he had, and that he'd not spoken to Oracle's billionaire co-founder&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/larry-ellison">Larry Ellison</a>, whom he called a friend. He noted Ellison lives “right down the road” from his Mar-a-Lago club in Florida.

But he said there are many other potential buyers.

“We have a lot of interest in it, and the United States will be a big beneficiary,” Trump said of a potential sale. “I’d only do it if the United States benefits.”

He added that, “I have a warm spot in my heart for TikTok” because he felt like it improved his standing with young voters in November’s presidential election.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/1/1737908838710.png" alt="President Trump speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One Saturday-photo by Margo Martin, Assistant to the President" />
 <figcaption>President Trump speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One Saturday-photo by Margo Martin, Assistant to the President</figcaption>
 </figure>ABOARD AIR FORCE ONE (AP) —President&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">Donald Trump</a>&nbsp;hasn’t been shy about sharing his thoughts since taking office, and he added a 20-minute Q&amp;A with reporters aboard Air Force One to the mix. He held forth on everything from the color of the presidential plane to the fate of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/tiktok-ban-trump-supreme-court-36c3c3b42f743a35c69e1c74341f1f30">TikTok</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/greenland">Greenland</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/canada-trump-us-state-131dcff58a8f56116765f160d9f35460">Canada</a>.Trump popped in to the plane's press cabin Saturday night while flying from&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-las-vegas-taxes-tips-hospitality-workers-92da0193df89d1773b8f7dcc84ea7e3d">Las Vegas</a>&nbsp;to Florida, where he was staying at his Doral golf club through Monday evening, though he insisted he'd be too busy to hit the links.The new president scoffed at reporters getting “a bit more access” than under his predecessor, Joe Biden, and joked it was “like 5,000%” different — meaning he was willing to answer a lot more questions. Trump called Air Force One a “special plane” but observed that it hasn’t changed much from his last term. And, yes,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-air-force-one-boeing-8810bbdb8f0d31a7cced6f84c8b60f5f">he still wants to change the plane’s exterior colors</a>.“We want power blue, not baby blue,” Trump said. “Everything has its time and place. We’ll be changing the colors.”Here are some highlights from the conversation:<h2>Trump says he still wants Greenland, and Canada ‘should be a state’</h2> President Trump reiterated his desire to somehow purchase Greenland from Denmark, despite that country insisting it's not for sale.“I do believe Greenland, we’ll get because it really has to do with freedom of the world,” he said. “It has nothing to do with the United States, other than we’re the one that can provide the freedom.”The president also made some of his most extensive comments about his recent suggestions that Canada could become part of the U.S.“I love Canada,” he said. “I have so many friends up in Canada. And they like us, and they like me. But Canada’s been taking advantage of the United States for years, and we’re not going to let that happen.”He suggested that the U.S. is losing hundreds of millions annually to Canada in trade deficits while Canada does “almost 90% of their business with the United States.”“I don’t want to spend hundreds of millions of dollars on supporting the country unless that country is a state. And, if it’s a state, the people of Canada will pay a much lower tax.”He said Canadians would also “have no military problems, they’d be much more secure in every way, and I think it’s a great thing for Canada.”“I view it as, honestly, a country that should be a state,” he said. “Then, they’ll get much better treatment, much better care and much lower taxes and they’ll be much more secure.”<h2>Trump floats plan to 'clean out' Gaza</h2>Trump said he would like to see Jordan, Egypt and other Arab nations increase the number of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-trump-gaza-egypt-jordan-c6bedbd6ca0702c22b80f1bf07cd4326">Palestinian refugees</a>&nbsp;they are accepting from the Gaza Strip, potentially moving out enough of the population to “just clean out” the war-torn area to create a virtual clean slate.Trump also said he has ended his predecessor’s hold on sending 2,000-pound bombs to Israel. That lifts a pressure point meant to reduce civilian casualties during&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war">Israel's war with Hamas</a>&nbsp;in Gaza, which is now halted by a tenuous ceasefire.“We released them today," Trump said of the bombs. “They’ve been waiting for them for a long time." Asked why he lifted the ban on those bombs, Trump responded, “Because they bought them.”Trump has built his political career around being unapologetically pro-Israel. On his larger vision for Gaza, Trump said he had call earlier in the day with&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/abdullah-ii">King Abdullah II</a>&nbsp;of Jordan and would speak Sunday with President&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/abdel-fattah-el-sissi">Abdel Fattah el-Sissi</a>&nbsp;of Egypt.“I’d like Egypt to take people, and I’d like Jordan to take people,” Trump said. “You’re talking about probably a million and a half people, we just clean out that whole thing."Trump said he complimented Jordan for having successfully accepted Palestinian refugees and that he told the king, “I’d love for you to take on more, cause I’m looking at the whole Gaza Strip right now, and it’s a mess. It’s a real mess.”Such a drastic displacement of people would openly contradict Palestinian identity and deep connection to Gaza. Still, Trump said the part of the world that encompasses Gaza, has “had many, many conflicts” over centuries. He said resettling “could be temporary or long term.”“Something has to happen," Trump said. “But it’s literally a demolition site right now. Almost everything’s demolished, and people are dying there.” He added: “So, I’d rather get involved with some of the Arab nations, and build housing in a different location, where they can maybe live in peace for a change.”Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in a statement Sunday, thanked Trump for “keeping your promise to give Israel the tools it needs to defend itself.” He did not mention Trump's suggestion on Palestinian refugees.<h2>Trump says he’s talking with potential investors about the future of TikTok</h2>Trump said he’s considering several possible investors who are looking to purchase TikTok, which faces the prospect of a U.S. ban if it isn't sold by its Chinese parent company.“Numerous people are talking to me," he said. “Very substantial people.” He said he expects to decide what happens next “probably over the next 30 days.”The president said he'd not been in contact with Oracle about buying TikTok, despite reports that he had, and that he'd not spoken to Oracle's billionaire co-founder&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/larry-ellison">Larry Ellison</a>, whom he called a friend. He noted Ellison lives “right down the road” from his Mar-a-Lago club in Florida.But he said there are many other potential buyers.“We have a lot of interest in it, and the United States will be a big beneficiary,” Trump said of a potential sale. “I’d only do it if the United States benefits.”He added that, “I have a warm spot in my heart for TikTok” because he felt like it improved his standing with young voters in November’s presidential election.

Trump's Q&A on Air Force One: From purchase of Greenland to fate of TikTok 

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Ellie Kam and Danny O'Shea made a fairly emphatic statement on Thursday night that they belong on the American team for next year's Winter Olympics, putting together a near-flawless short program at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships.

The defending national champions scored 77.19 points for their skate, set to “Rain, in Your Black Eyes” by the Italian composer Ezio Bosso. It was more than four points better than their best in international competition, and it put Kam and O'Shea more than eight points ahead of second-place Emily Chan and Spencer Howe heading into Saturday night's free skate.

“Very proud to go out there and put together a strong performance like we train at home,” O'Shea said. “Lot of pressure coming back after we won last year and I was pretty happy with how we handled that as a team today.”

The women's short program was later Thursday night with Amber Glenn returning as the defending champion.

This year’s nationals, which comes just over a year before the Milano-Cortina Games, should help identify the front-runners for the team that the U.S. will send to Italy. It also should go a long way toward deciding the U.S. team for the world championships, which are returning to American soil for the first time in nine years this March in Boston.

Kam and O'Shea, who were fifth at the Grand Prix Final last month, opened with a clean triple twist before landing their side-by-side triple salchow. But it was their throw triple loop that highlighted the program, and Kam and O'Shea both knew it when their music came to an end — she punched both of her fists and he punched one of his own.

And their moms, who had clenched hands while watching from the stands, finally exhaled and celebrated themselves.

“My mom and I share some high anxiety in pressure moments. I think she knows what I feel,” Kam said, “but being able to see them on the big screen, it's just really special for them to come to these events with us.”

Chan and Howe, the 2023 silver medalists at nationals, scored 69.10 points for their program set to a cover of “Je Suis Malade," their score dragged down by a noticeable wobble going into their lift midway through.

Alisa Efimova and Misha Mitrofanov, the reigning silver medalists, were right behind Chan and Howe with 69.03 points.

“We were both really happy with how we felt out there,” said Chan, who dealt with a concussion earlier this season. “We put our heads together and really made a lot of improvement and felt we were really happy with our training, and we wanted to put it out here tonight.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/1/1737687208394.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Ellie Kam and Danny O'Shea made a fairly emphatic statement on Thursday night that they belong on the American team for next year's Winter Olympics, putting together a near-flawless short program at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">First championship event is in the books! 🔥 Results after the championship pairs short program at <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/PrevagenUSChamps?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#PrevagenUSChamps</a>: 1. Ellie Kam and Danny O’Shea, 77.19 2. Emily Chan and Spencer Howe, 69.10 3. Alisha Efimova and Misha Mitrofanov, 69.03&mdash; U.S. Figure Skating (@USFigureSkating) <a href="https://twitter.com/USFigureSkating/status/1882615893571858618?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 24, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>The defending national champions scored 77.19 points for their skate, set to “Rain, in Your Black Eyes” by the Italian composer Ezio Bosso. It was more than four points better than their best in international competition, and it put Kam and O'Shea more than eight points ahead of second-place Emily Chan and Spencer Howe heading into Saturday night's free skate.“Very proud to go out there and put together a strong performance like we train at home,” O'Shea said. “Lot of pressure coming back after we won last year and I was pretty happy with how we handled that as a team today.”The women's short program was later Thursday night with Amber Glenn returning as the defending champion.This year’s nationals, which comes just over a year before the Milano-Cortina Games, should help identify the front-runners for the team that the U.S. will send to Italy. It also should go a long way toward deciding the U.S. team for the world championships, which are returning to American soil for the first time in nine years this March in Boston.Kam and O'Shea, who were fifth at the Grand Prix Final last month, opened with a clean triple twist before landing their side-by-side triple salchow. But it was their throw triple loop that highlighted the program, and Kam and O'Shea both knew it when their music came to an end — she punched both of her fists and he punched one of his own.And their moms, who had clenched hands while watching from the stands, finally exhaled and celebrated themselves.“My mom and I share some high anxiety in pressure moments. I think she knows what I feel,” Kam said, “but being able to see them on the big screen, it's just really special for them to come to these events with us.”Chan and Howe, the 2023 silver medalists at nationals, scored 69.10 points for their program set to a cover of “Je Suis Malade," their score dragged down by a noticeable wobble going into their lift midway through.Alisa Efimova and Misha Mitrofanov, the reigning silver medalists, were right behind Chan and Howe with 69.03 points.“We were both really happy with how we felt out there,” said Chan, who dealt with a concussion earlier this season. “We put our heads together and really made a lot of improvement and felt we were really happy with our training, and we wanted to put it out here tonight.”___

Kam and O'Shea dazzle in pairs at US Figure Skating Championships in Wichita

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden won't enforce a ban on the social media app TikTok that is set to take effect a day before he leaves office on Monday, a U.S. official said Thursday, leaving its fate in the hands of President-elect Donald Trump.

Congress last year, in a law signed by Biden, required that TikTok's China-based parent company ByteDance divest the company by Jan. 19, a day before the presidential inauguration. The official said the outgoing administration was leaving the implementation of the law — and the potential enforcement of the ban — to Trump.

The official spoke on condition of anonymity in order to discuss internal Biden administration thinking.

Trump, who once called to ban the app, has since pledged to keep it available in the U.S., though his transition team has not said how they intend to accomplish that.

TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew is expected to attend&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">Trump’s</a>&nbsp;inauguration and be granted a prime seating location on the dais as the president-elect's national security adviser signals that the incoming administration may take steps to "keep TikTok from going dark.”

Incoming national security adviser Mike Waltz on Thursday told Fox News Channel's “Fox &amp; Friends” that the federal law that could ban TikTok by Sunday also “allows for an extension as long as a viable deal is on the table.”

The push to save TikTok, much like the move to ban it in the U.S., has crossed partisan lines. Senate Democratic Leader&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/charles-schumer">Chuck Schumer</a>&nbsp;said he spoke with Biden on Thursday to advocate for extending the deadline to ban TikTok.

“It’s clear that more time is needed to find an American buyer and not disrupt the lives and livelihoods of millions of Americans, of so many influencers who have built up a good network of followers,” Schumer said Thursday on the Senate floor.

Democrats had tried on Wednesday to pass legislation that would have extended the deadline, but Republican Sen.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/tom-cotton">Tom Cotton</a>&nbsp;of Arkansas blocked it. Cotton, chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said that TikTok has had ample time to find a buyer.

“TikTok is a Chinese Communist spy app that addicts our kids, harvests their data, targets them with harmful and manipulative content, and spreads communist propaganda,” Cotton said.

TikTok CEO's is expected to be seated on the dais for the inauguration along with tech billionaires Elon Musk, who is CEO of SpaceX, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, OpenAI CEO&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/sam-altman">Sam Altman</a>&nbsp;and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, according to two people with the matter. The people spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal planning.

Last week, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in a legal challenge to the statute brought by TikTok, its China-based parent company ByteDance, and users of the app. The Justices seemed likely to uphold the law, which requires ByteDance to divest TikTok on national security grounds or face a ban in one of its biggest markets.

“If the Supreme Court comes out with a ruling in favor of the law, President Trump has been very clear: Number one, TikTok is a great platform that many Americans use and has been great for his campaign and getting his message out. But number two, he’s going to protect their data,” Waltz said on Wednesday.

“He’s a deal maker. I don’t want to get ahead of our executive orders, but we’re going to create this space to put that deal in place," he added.

Separately on Wednesday, Pam Bondi, Trump’s pick for attorney general, dodged a question during a Senate hearing on whether she’d uphold a TikTok ban.

Trump has reversed his position on the popular app, having tried to ban it during his first term in office over national security concerns. He joined TikTok during his 2024 presidential campaign and his team used it to connect with younger voters, especially male voters, by pushing content that was often macho and aimed at going viral. He pledged to “save TikTok” during the campaign and has credited the platform with helping him win more youth votes.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/2/1708714541315.png" alt="President Biden from his TikTok account" />
 <figcaption>President Biden from his TikTok account</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden won't enforce a ban on the social media app TikTok that is set to take effect a day before he leaves office on Monday, a U.S. official said Thursday, leaving its fate in the hands of President-elect Donald Trump.Congress last year, in a law signed by Biden, required that TikTok's China-based parent company ByteDance divest the company by Jan. 19, a day before the presidential inauguration. The official said the outgoing administration was leaving the implementation of the law — and the potential enforcement of the ban — to Trump.The official spoke on condition of anonymity in order to discuss internal Biden administration thinking.Trump, who once called to ban the app, has since pledged to keep it available in the U.S., though his transition team has not said how they intend to accomplish that.TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew is expected to attend&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">Trump’s</a>&nbsp;inauguration and be granted a prime seating location on the dais as the president-elect's national security adviser signals that the incoming administration may take steps to "keep TikTok from going dark.”Incoming national security adviser Mike Waltz on Thursday told Fox News Channel's “Fox &amp; Friends” that the federal law that could ban TikTok by Sunday also “allows for an extension as long as a viable deal is on the table.”The push to save TikTok, much like the move to ban it in the U.S., has crossed partisan lines. Senate Democratic Leader&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/charles-schumer">Chuck Schumer</a>&nbsp;said he spoke with Biden on Thursday to advocate for extending the deadline to ban TikTok.“It’s clear that more time is needed to find an American buyer and not disrupt the lives and livelihoods of millions of Americans, of so many influencers who have built up a good network of followers,” Schumer said Thursday on the Senate floor.Democrats had tried on Wednesday to pass legislation that would have extended the deadline, but Republican Sen.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/tom-cotton">Tom Cotton</a>&nbsp;of Arkansas blocked it. Cotton, chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said that TikTok has had ample time to find a buyer.“TikTok is a Chinese Communist spy app that addicts our kids, harvests their data, targets them with harmful and manipulative content, and spreads communist propaganda,” Cotton said.TikTok CEO's is expected to be seated on the dais for the inauguration along with tech billionaires Elon Musk, who is CEO of SpaceX, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, OpenAI CEO&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/sam-altman">Sam Altman</a>&nbsp;and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, according to two people with the matter. The people spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal planning.Last week, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in a legal challenge to the statute brought by TikTok, its China-based parent company ByteDance, and users of the app. The Justices seemed likely to uphold the law, which requires ByteDance to divest TikTok on national security grounds or face a ban in one of its biggest markets.“If the Supreme Court comes out with a ruling in favor of the law, President Trump has been very clear: Number one, TikTok is a great platform that many Americans use and has been great for his campaign and getting his message out. But number two, he’s going to protect their data,” Waltz said on Wednesday.“He’s a deal maker. I don’t want to get ahead of our executive orders, but we’re going to create this space to put that deal in place," he added.Separately on Wednesday, Pam Bondi, Trump’s pick for attorney general, dodged a question during a Senate hearing on whether she’d uphold a TikTok ban.Trump has reversed his position on the popular app, having tried to ban it during his first term in office over national security concerns. He joined TikTok during his 2024 presidential campaign and his team used it to connect with younger voters, especially male voters, by pushing content that was often macho and aimed at going viral. He pledged to “save TikTok” during the campaign and has credited the platform with helping him win more youth votes.

Biden won't enforce TikTok ban

Crew members aboard the International Space Station celebrate the holiday season in a unique way while living and working at the orbiting laboratory. Each crew member, including the current Expedition 72, spends time enjoying the view of Earth from the space station, privately communicating with their friends and families, and sharing a joint meal with their expedition crewmates, while continuing experiments and station maintenance.

As the first crew to spend Christmas in space and leave Earth orbit, Apollo 8 astronauts Frank Borman, James Lovell, and William Anders, celebrated while circling the Moon in December 1968. The crew commemorated Christmas Eve by reading opening verses from the Bible’s Book of Genesis as they broadcast scenes of the lunar surface below. An estimated one billion people across 64 countries tuned in to the crew’s broadcast.

In 1973, Skylab 4 astronauts Gerald Carr, Edward Gibson, and William Pogue celebrated Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s in space, as the first crew to spend the harvest festival and ring in the new year while in orbit. The crew built a homemade tree from leftover food containers, used colored decals as decorations, and topped it with a cardboard cutout in the shape of a comet. Carr and Pogue conducted a seven-hour spacewalk to change out film canisters and observe the passing Comet Kohoutek on Dec. 15, 1973. Once back inside the space station, the crew enjoyed a holiday dinner complete with fruitcake, communicated with their families, and opened presents.

After NASA launched the agency’s Hubble Space Telescope into Earth’s orbit in 1990, NASA sent a space shuttle crew on a mission, STS-61, to service the telescope. In 1993, NASA astronaut Jeffrey Hoffman celebrated Hanukkah after completing the third spacewalk of the servicing mission. Hoffman celebrated with a traveling menorah and dreidel.

As NASA continued to support another Hubble Space Telescope servicing mission, the STS-103 crew celebrated the first space shuttle Christmas aboard Discovery in 1999. NASA astronauts Curtis Brown, Scott Kelly, Steven Smith, John Grunsfeld, and Michael Foale, along with ESA (European Space Agency) astronauts Jean-François Clervoy and Claude Nicollier enjoyed duck foie gras on Mexican tortillas, cassoulet, and salted pork with lentils. Smith and Grunsfeld completed repairs on the telescope during a spacewalk on Dec. 24, 1999, and at least one American astronaut has celebrated Christmas in space every year since.

In November 2000, the arrival of Expedition 1 crew members, NASA astronaut William Shepherd and Roscosmos cosmonauts Yuri Gidzenko and Sergei Krikalev, aboard the International Space Station, marked the beginning of a continuous presence in space. As the first crew to celebrate the holiday season at the laboratorial outpost, they began the tradition of reading a goodwill message to those back on Earth. Shepherd honored a naval tradition of writing a poem as the first entry of the new year in the ship’s log.

For more than 24 years, NASA has supported a continuous U.S. human presence aboard the International Space Station, through which astronauts have learned to live and work in space for extended periods of time. As NASA supports missions to and from the station, crew members have continued to celebrate the holidays in space.

Expedition 70 flight engineer NASA astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli’s husband and daughters made a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.facebook.com/AstroJaws/videos/3198100310494925/">felt menorah</a>&nbsp;for her to celebrate Hanukkah during her mission. Since astronauts can’t light real candles aboard the space station, Moghbeli pinned felt “lights” for each night of the eight-day holiday. A dreidel spun in weightlessness will continue spinning until it comes in contact with another object but can’t land on any of its four faces. Expedition 70 crew members recorded a holiday&nbsp;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vUYcQ_ehArw">message for those back on Earth.</a>

The International Space Station is a convergence of science, technology, and human innovation that enables research not possible on Earth. The orbiting laboratory is a springboard for developing a low Earth economy and NASA’s next great leaps in exploration, including missions to the Moon under the Artemis campaign and, ultimately, human exploration of Mars.

For more holiday memories aboard the International Space Station, visit:

<a href="https://www.nasa.gov/gallery/holidays-on-the-space-station/">https://www.nasa.gov/gallery/holidays-on-the-space-station/</a>

To learn more about the International Space Station, its research, and its crew, at:

<a href="https://www.nasa.gov/station">https://www.nasa.gov/station</a>

NASACrew members aboard the International Space Station celebrate the holiday season in a unique way while living and working at the orbiting laboratory. Each crew member, including the current Expedition 72, spends time enjoying the view of Earth from the space station, privately communicating with their friends and families, and sharing a joint meal with their expedition crewmates, while continuing experiments and station maintenance.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">To everyone on Earth, Merry Christmas from our <a href="https://twitter.com/NASA_Astronauts?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NASA_Astronauts</a> aboard the International <a href="https://twitter.com/Space_Station?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Space_Station</a>. <a href="https://t.co/GoOZjXJYLP">pic.twitter.com/GoOZjXJYLP</a>&mdash; NASA (@NASA) <a href="https://twitter.com/NASA/status/1871298123777101835?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 23, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>As the first crew to spend Christmas in space and leave Earth orbit, Apollo 8 astronauts Frank Borman, James Lovell, and William Anders, celebrated while circling the Moon in December 1968. The crew commemorated Christmas Eve by reading opening verses from the Bible’s Book of Genesis as they broadcast scenes of the lunar surface below. An estimated one billion people across 64 countries tuned in to the crew’s broadcast.In 1973, Skylab 4 astronauts Gerald Carr, Edward Gibson, and William Pogue celebrated Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s in space, as the first crew to spend the harvest festival and ring in the new year while in orbit. The crew built a homemade tree from leftover food containers, used colored decals as decorations, and topped it with a cardboard cutout in the shape of a comet. Carr and Pogue conducted a seven-hour spacewalk to change out film canisters and observe the passing Comet Kohoutek on Dec. 15, 1973. Once back inside the space station, the crew enjoyed a holiday dinner complete with fruitcake, communicated with their families, and opened presents.After NASA launched the agency’s Hubble Space Telescope into Earth’s orbit in 1990, NASA sent a space shuttle crew on a mission, STS-61, to service the telescope. In 1993, NASA astronaut Jeffrey Hoffman celebrated Hanukkah after completing the third spacewalk of the servicing mission. Hoffman celebrated with a traveling menorah and dreidel.As NASA continued to support another Hubble Space Telescope servicing mission, the STS-103 crew celebrated the first space shuttle Christmas aboard Discovery in 1999. NASA astronauts Curtis Brown, Scott Kelly, Steven Smith, John Grunsfeld, and Michael Foale, along with ESA (European Space Agency) astronauts Jean-François Clervoy and Claude Nicollier enjoyed duck foie gras on Mexican tortillas, cassoulet, and salted pork with lentils. Smith and Grunsfeld completed repairs on the telescope during a spacewalk on Dec. 24, 1999, and at least one American astronaut has celebrated Christmas in space every year since.In November 2000, the arrival of Expedition 1 crew members, NASA astronaut William Shepherd and Roscosmos cosmonauts Yuri Gidzenko and Sergei Krikalev, aboard the International Space Station, marked the beginning of a continuous presence in space. As the first crew to celebrate the holiday season at the laboratorial outpost, they began the tradition of reading a goodwill message to those back on Earth. Shepherd honored a naval tradition of writing a poem as the first entry of the new year in the ship’s log.For more than 24 years, NASA has supported a continuous U.S. human presence aboard the International Space Station, through which astronauts have learned to live and work in space for extended periods of time. As NASA supports missions to and from the station, crew members have continued to celebrate the holidays in space.Expedition 70 flight engineer NASA astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli’s husband and daughters made a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.facebook.com/AstroJaws/videos/3198100310494925/">felt menorah</a>&nbsp;for her to celebrate Hanukkah during her mission. Since astronauts can’t light real candles aboard the space station, Moghbeli pinned felt “lights” for each night of the eight-day holiday. A dreidel spun in weightlessness will continue spinning until it comes in contact with another object but can’t land on any of its four faces. Expedition 70 crew members recorded a holiday&nbsp;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vUYcQ_ehArw">message for those back on Earth.</a>The International Space Station is a convergence of science, technology, and human innovation that enables research not possible on Earth. The orbiting laboratory is a springboard for developing a low Earth economy and NASA’s next great leaps in exploration, including missions to the Moon under the Artemis campaign and, ultimately, human exploration of Mars.For more holiday memories aboard the International Space Station, visit:<a href="https://www.nasa.gov/gallery/holidays-on-the-space-station/">https://www.nasa.gov/gallery/holidays-on-the-space-station/</a>To learn more about the International Space Station, its research, and its crew, at:<a href="https://www.nasa.gov/station">https://www.nasa.gov/station</a>

Christmas Aboard the International Space Station

UPDATE: The Great Bend Police Department reported that 84-year-old Donna L. Kimber was located overnight and is now safe, according to the KBI. The Silver Alert was canceled.

&nbsp;BARTON COUNTY —The Kansas Bureau of Investigation has issue a statewide Silver Alert for a missing Great Bend woman.

The whereabouts of 84-year-old Donna L. Kimber, are unknown, and the public’s assistance is requested to help locate her.

Kimber was last seen on Thursday around 10 p.m., on foot near 906 Main St. in Great Bend. 

She was last seen wearing blue jeans and a denim shirt.

Kimber is a white female who is 5 feet 5 inches tall and weighs around 125 pounds. She has grey hair and blue eyes. Kimber has Alzheimer’s, and wears a metal bracelet with her name and phone number.

If you see Donna Kimber, please call 911 immediately. If you have other information about her whereabouts, call the Great Police Department at (620) 793-1920.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/11/1732275213274.png" alt="Donna Kimber courtesy photo" />
 <figcaption>Donna Kimber courtesy photo</figcaption>
 </figure>UPDATE: The Great Bend Police Department reported that 84-year-old Donna L. Kimber was located overnight and is now safe, according to the KBI. The Silver Alert was canceled.-------------&nbsp;BARTON COUNTY —The Kansas Bureau of Investigation has issue a statewide Silver Alert for a missing Great Bend woman.The whereabouts of 84-year-old Donna L. Kimber, are unknown, and the public’s assistance is requested to help locate her.Kimber was last seen on Thursday around 10 p.m., on foot near 906 Main St. in Great Bend. She was last seen wearing blue jeans and a denim shirt.Kimber is a white female who is 5 feet 5 inches tall and weighs around 125 pounds. She has grey hair and blue eyes. Kimber has Alzheimer’s, and wears a metal bracelet with her name and phone number.If you see Donna Kimber, please call 911 immediately. If you have other information about her whereabouts, call the Great Police Department at (620) 793-1920.

Silver Alert canceled; missing Kansas woman found

BARBER COUNTY —The Silver Alert issued August 3, for 73-year-old David Reese remains active, according to the Kansas Bureau of Investigation.

On November 10, the Barber County Sheriff’s Office was notified that a white Chevrolet pickup truck was located in a creek bed in rural Barber County near Little Mule and Hardtner Shortcut, according to a media release.

Deputies with the Barber County Sheriff’s Office confirmed the vehicle is owned by David Reese.

The Barber County Sheriff’s Office contacted Great Plains Search and Rescue K9 and they plan search of the area.&nbsp;

On October 4, the Harper Police Department reported that Reese’s chocolate lab, that had accompanied him when he disappeared, was found in good health. She was returned to his family. The dog was found not far from the last sighting of Reese near Little Mule and Hardtner Shortcut in Barber County. Police searched over 50 square miles again but still did not locate him.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/10/1728310557814.png" alt="The missing pickup -photo KBI" />
 <figcaption>The missing pickup -photo KBI</figcaption>
 </figure>BARBER COUNTY —The Silver Alert issued August 3, for 73-year-old David Reese remains active, according to the Kansas Bureau of Investigation.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/10/1728310404447.png" alt="David Reese courtesy photo" />
 <figcaption>David Reese courtesy photo</figcaption>
 </figure>On November 10, the Barber County Sheriff’s Office was notified that a white Chevrolet pickup truck was located in a creek bed in rural Barber County near Little Mule and Hardtner Shortcut, according to a media release.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/8/1722706150273.png" alt="David Reese courtesy photo" />
 <figcaption>David Reese courtesy photo</figcaption>
 </figure>Deputies with the Barber County Sheriff’s Office confirmed the vehicle is owned by David Reese.The Barber County Sheriff’s Office contacted Great Plains Search and Rescue K9 and they plan search of the area.&nbsp;On October 4, the Harper Police Department reported that Reese’s chocolate lab, that had accompanied him when he disappeared, was found in good health. She was returned to his family. The dog was found not far from the last sighting of Reese near Little Mule and Hardtner Shortcut in Barber County. Police searched over 50 square miles again but still did not locate him.

Silver Alert continues: Kansas man’s pickup found in creek bed

WASHINGTON (AP) — Donald Trump was on the verge of clinching the presidency Wednesday after winning Pennsylvania, putting him just three electoral votes shy of defeating Kamala Harris to secure his return to the White House.

Trump has 267 of the 270 electoral votes needed to win the Oval Office. A win in Alaska or any of the outstanding battleground states — Michigan, Wisconsin, Arizona or Nevada — would send the Republican former president back to the Oval Office.

Trump is leading in Michigan and Wisconsin, where his two clearest paths to victory rely on Harris not winning enough of the outstanding votes in Wayne and Milwaukee counties. The Associated Press is waiting on the next updates from both locations to determine whether Harris has any path to overtake Trump in either state.

Pennsylvania, a part of the once-reliable Democratic stronghold known as the “blue wall” with Michigan and Wisconsin, was carried by Trump when he first won the White House in 2016 and then flipped back to Democrats in 2020. Trump also flipped Georgia, which had voted for Democrats four years ago, and retained the closely contested state of North Carolina.

Trump’s gains sharply curtailed Harris’ path to victory.

Addressing his supporters early Wednesday from his campaign’s watch party in Florida, Trump said, “Every citizen, I will fight for you, for your family and your future.”

Trump added he was going to make people “very happy” and “very proud” of their vote.

“We have a country that needs help, and it needs help very badly,” Trump said. “We’re going to fix our borders. We’re going to fix everything about our country.”

Trump would be the first former president to return to power since Grover Cleveland regained the White House in the 1892 election. He also stands to be the first person convicted of a felony to be elected president and, at 78, would be the oldest person elected to the office. His vice presidential nominee, 40-year-old Ohio Sen. JD Vance, would become the highest-ranking member of the millennial generation in the U.S. government.

Trump survived one assassination attempt by millimeters at a July rally. Secret Service agents foiled a second attempt in September.

If he is elected, there would be far fewer checks on Trump in the White House as he planned to swiftly enact a sweeping agenda that would transform nearly every aspect of American government. His onetime-GOP critics in Congress have largely been defeated or retired. Federal courts are now filled with judges he appointed. The U.S. Supreme Court, which includes three Trump-appointed justices, issued a ruling earlier this year affording presidents broad immunity from prosecution.

Harris, 60, would be the first woman, Black woman and person of South Asian descent to serve as president. She also would be the first sitting vice president to win the White House in 36 years.

The crowd at Harris’ watch party at her alma mater, Howard University in Washington, began to file out after midnight after a top Harris ally sent supporters home, with no plans for the Democratic vice president to speak.

“We will continue overnight to fight to make sure that every vote is counted. That every voice has spoken,” Cedric Richmond, co-chair of the Harris campaign said. “So you won’t hear from the vice president tonight, but you will hear from her tomorrow. She will be back here tomorrow.”

Trump also won Florida, a one-time battleground that has shifted heavily to Republicans in recent elections. He also notched early wins in reliably Republican states such as Texas, South Carolina and Indiana. Harris won Virginia, a state Trump visited in the final days of the campaign, and took Democratic strongholds like New York, New Mexico and California.

The Trump campaign bet that it would cut into Democrats' traditional strength with Black and Latino voters, with the former president going on male-centric podcasts and making explicit racial appeals to both groups. Nationally, Black and Latino voters appeared slightly less likely to support Harris than they were to back Joe Biden four years ago, and Trump’s support among those voters appeared to rise slightly compared to 2020, according to AP VoteCast.

The fate of democracy appeared to be a primary driver for Harris’ supporters, a sign that the Democratic nominee’s persistent messaging in her campaign’s closing days accusing Trump of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-john-kelly-nazis-hitler-87d672e1ec1a6645808050fc60f6b8bc">being a fascist</a>&nbsp;may have broken through, according to the expansive survey of more than 110,000 voters nationwide. It also found a country mired in negativity and desperate for change. Trump’s supporters were largely focused on immigration and inflation — two issues that the former Republican president has been hammering since the start of his campaign.

In another positive sign for the GOP, the party took control of the Senate, with Trump-backed Bernie Moreno flipping a seat in Ohio held by Democrat Sherrod Brown since 2007. They picked up another when Republican Jim Justice won a West Virginia seat that opened up with Sen. Joe Manchin’s retirement.

Those casting Election Day ballots mostly encountered a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/election-2024-voting-turnout-election-day-a8ae22f34417dcda060b430dac89bdbc">smooth process</a>, with isolated reports of hiccups that regularly happen, including long lines, technical issues and ballot printing errors. Federal election security officials said there were minor disruptions throughout the day but there was no evidence of any impact to the election system. Officials determined that bomb threats that were reported in multiple states were all not credible and did not impact the ability of voters to cast their ballots.

Voters nationwide also were deciding thousands of other races that will decide everything from control of Congress to state ballot measures on abortion access in response to the Supreme Court’s vote in 2022 to overturn Roe v. Wade.

In Florida, a ballot measure that would have protected abortion rights in the state constitution failed after not meeting the 60% threshold to pass, marking the first time a measure protecting abortion rights failed since Roe was overturned. Earlier Tuesday, Trump refused to say how he voted on the measure and snapped at a reporter, saying, “You should stop talking about that."

In reliably Democratic New York, Colorado, Nevada and Maryland, voters approved ballot measures aimed at protecting abortion rights in their state constitutions.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/11/1730885802091.png" alt="Image Associated Press" />
 <figcaption>Image Associated Press</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — Donald Trump was on the verge of clinching the presidency Wednesday after winning Pennsylvania, putting him just three electoral votes shy of defeating Kamala Harris to secure his return to the White House.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Former President Trump: &quot;We overcame obstacles that nobody thought possible. It is now clear that we&#39;ve achieved the most incredible political -- Hey! Look what happened! Is this crazy?!?&quot; <a href="https://t.co/M3AZkFe3vh">pic.twitter.com/M3AZkFe3vh</a>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1854065386922119560?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 6, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Trump has 267 of the 270 electoral votes needed to win the Oval Office. A win in Alaska or any of the outstanding battleground states — Michigan, Wisconsin, Arizona or Nevada — would send the Republican former president back to the Oval Office.Trump is leading in Michigan and Wisconsin, where his two clearest paths to victory rely on Harris not winning enough of the outstanding votes in Wayne and Milwaukee counties. The Associated Press is waiting on the next updates from both locations to determine whether Harris has any path to overtake Trump in either state.Pennsylvania, a part of the once-reliable Democratic stronghold known as the “blue wall” with Michigan and Wisconsin, was carried by Trump when he first won the White House in 2016 and then flipped back to Democrats in 2020. Trump also flipped Georgia, which had voted for Democrats four years ago, and retained the closely contested state of North Carolina.Trump’s gains sharply curtailed Harris’ path to victory.Addressing his supporters early Wednesday from his campaign’s watch party in Florida, Trump said, “Every citizen, I will fight for you, for your family and your future.”Trump added he was going to make people “very happy” and “very proud” of their vote.“We have a country that needs help, and it needs help very badly,” Trump said. “We’re going to fix our borders. We’re going to fix everything about our country.”Trump would be the first former president to return to power since Grover Cleveland regained the White House in the 1892 election. He also stands to be the first person convicted of a felony to be elected president and, at 78, would be the oldest person elected to the office. His vice presidential nominee, 40-year-old Ohio Sen. JD Vance, would become the highest-ranking member of the millennial generation in the U.S. government.Trump survived one assassination attempt by millimeters at a July rally. Secret Service agents foiled a second attempt in September.If he is elected, there would be far fewer checks on Trump in the White House as he planned to swiftly enact a sweeping agenda that would transform nearly every aspect of American government. His onetime-GOP critics in Congress have largely been defeated or retired. Federal courts are now filled with judges he appointed. The U.S. Supreme Court, which includes three Trump-appointed justices, issued a ruling earlier this year affording presidents broad immunity from prosecution.Harris, 60, would be the first woman, Black woman and person of South Asian descent to serve as president. She also would be the first sitting vice president to win the White House in 36 years.The crowd at Harris’ watch party at her alma mater, Howard University in Washington, began to file out after midnight after a top Harris ally sent supporters home, with no plans for the Democratic vice president to speak.“We will continue overnight to fight to make sure that every vote is counted. That every voice has spoken,” Cedric Richmond, co-chair of the Harris campaign said. “So you won’t hear from the vice president tonight, but you will hear from her tomorrow. She will be back here tomorrow.”Trump also won Florida, a one-time battleground that has shifted heavily to Republicans in recent elections. He also notched early wins in reliably Republican states such as Texas, South Carolina and Indiana. Harris won Virginia, a state Trump visited in the final days of the campaign, and took Democratic strongholds like New York, New Mexico and California.The Trump campaign bet that it would cut into Democrats' traditional strength with Black and Latino voters, with the former president going on male-centric podcasts and making explicit racial appeals to both groups. Nationally, Black and Latino voters appeared slightly less likely to support Harris than they were to back Joe Biden four years ago, and Trump’s support among those voters appeared to rise slightly compared to 2020, according to AP VoteCast.The fate of democracy appeared to be a primary driver for Harris’ supporters, a sign that the Democratic nominee’s persistent messaging in her campaign’s closing days accusing Trump of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-john-kelly-nazis-hitler-87d672e1ec1a6645808050fc60f6b8bc">being a fascist</a>&nbsp;may have broken through, according to the expansive survey of more than 110,000 voters nationwide. It also found a country mired in negativity and desperate for change. Trump’s supporters were largely focused on immigration and inflation — two issues that the former Republican president has been hammering since the start of his campaign.In another positive sign for the GOP, the party took control of the Senate, with Trump-backed Bernie Moreno flipping a seat in Ohio held by Democrat Sherrod Brown since 2007. They picked up another when Republican Jim Justice won a West Virginia seat that opened up with Sen. Joe Manchin’s retirement.Those casting Election Day ballots mostly encountered a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/election-2024-voting-turnout-election-day-a8ae22f34417dcda060b430dac89bdbc">smooth process</a>, with isolated reports of hiccups that regularly happen, including long lines, technical issues and ballot printing errors. Federal election security officials said there were minor disruptions throughout the day but there was no evidence of any impact to the election system. Officials determined that bomb threats that were reported in multiple states were all not credible and did not impact the ability of voters to cast their ballots.Voters nationwide also were deciding thousands of other races that will decide everything from control of Congress to state ballot measures on abortion access in response to the Supreme Court’s vote in 2022 to overturn Roe v. Wade.In Florida, a ballot measure that would have protected abortion rights in the state constitution failed after not meeting the 60% threshold to pass, marking the first time a measure protecting abortion rights failed since Roe was overturned. Earlier Tuesday, Trump refused to say how he voted on the measure and snapped at a reporter, saying, “You should stop talking about that."In reliably Democratic New York, Colorado, Nevada and Maryland, voters approved ballot measures aimed at protecting abortion rights in their state constitutions.

🎥Trump on verge of clinching presidency after win in Pennsylvania

WASHINGTON (AP) —By winning North Carolina, Trump maintains options to reach the 270 electoral vote threshold.

Trump can reach the magic number by carrying Georgia and Pennsylvania or by carrying Georgia, Michigan and Wisconsin. He also can win by carrying Wisconsin and Arizona, as well as other combinations involving Nevada.

But that would require him to crack the blue wall of northern states Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.

Trump blitzed North Carolina in the final days of the campaign, stopping in four cities over four days and finishing his North Carolina campaign in Raleigh on Monday.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris notched early wins in reliably Republican and Democratic states, respectively, as a divided America made its decision in a stark choice for the nation’s future Tuesday.

Polls closed in Pennsylvania, Georgia, Michigan, Arizona, Wisconsin and North Carolina, six of the seven closely fought battlegrounds expected to decide the election, but the results there were too early to call. Balloting continued in Nevada and other parts of the West on Election Day, as tens of millions of Americans added their ballots to the 84 million cast early as they chose between two candidates with drastically different temperaments and visions for the country.

Trump won Florida, a one-time battleground that has shifted heavily to Republicans in recent elections. He also notched early wins in reliably Republican states such as Texas, South Carolina and Indiana, while Harris took Democratic strongholds like New York, Massachusetts and Illinois.

The fate of democracy appeared to be a primary driver for Harris’ supporters, a sign that the Democratic nominee’s persistent messaging in her campaign’s closing days accusing Trump of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-john-kelly-nazis-hitler-87d672e1ec1a6645808050fc60f6b8bc">being a fascist</a>&nbsp;may have broken through, according to AP VoteCast. The expansive survey of more than 110,000 voters nationwide also found a country mired in negativity and desperate for change. Trump’s supporters were largely focused on immigration and inflation — two issues that the former Republican president has been hammering since the start of his campaign.

Those casting Election Day ballots mostly encountered a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/election-2024-voting-turnout-election-day-a8ae22f34417dcda060b430dac89bdbc">smooth process</a>, with isolated reports of hiccups that regularly happen, including long lines, technical issues and ballot printing errors.

Harris has promised to work across the aisle to tackle economic worries and other issues without radically departing from the course set by President Joe Biden. Trump has vowed to replace thousands of federal workers with loyalists, impose sweeping tariffs on allies and foes alike, and stage the largest deportation operation in U.S. history.

Harris and Trump entered Election Day focused on seven swing states, five of them carried by Trump in 2016 before they flipped to Biden in 2020: the “blue wall” of Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin as well as Arizona and Georgia. Nevada and North Carolina, which Democrats and Republicans respectively carried in the last two elections, also were closely contested.

Trump voted in Palm Beach, Florida, near his Mar-a-Lago club. He called into a Wisconsin radio station Tuesday night to say: “I’m watching these results. So far so good."

Harris, the Democratic vice president, did phone interviews with radio stations in the battleground states, then visited Democratic National Committee headquarters in Washington carrying a box of Doritos — her go-to snack.

“This truly represents the best of who we are,” Harris told a room of cheering staffers. She was handed a cellphone by supporters doing phone banking, and when asked by reporters how she was feeling, the vice president held up a phone and responded, “Gotta talk to voters.”

The closeness of the race and the number of states in play raised the likelihood that, once again, a victor might not be known on election night.

Trump said Tuesday that he had no plans to tell his supporters to refrain from violence if Harris wins, because they “are not violent people.” His angry supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, after Trump tried to overturn his loss in 2020. Asked Tuesday about accepting the 2024 race’s results, he said, “If it’s a fair election, I’d be the first one to acknowledge it.” He visited a nearby campaign office to thank staffers before a party at a nearby convention center.

After her DNC stop, Harris planned to attend a party at her alma mater, Howard University in Washington.

Federal, state and local officials have expressed confidence in the integrity of the nation’s election systems. They nonetheless were braced to contend with what they say is an unprecedented level of foreign disinformation — particularly from Russia and Iran — as well as the possibility of physical violence or cyberattacks.

In Georgia’s Fulton County, a Democratic stronghold that includes most of the city of Atlanta, 32 of the 177 polling places received bomb threats Tuesday, prompting brief evacuations at five locations, county Police Chief W. Wade Yates said. The threats were determined to be non-credible but voting hours were extended at those five locations.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/11/1730867317200.png" alt="Electoral map as of 10:30p.m. CST -Associated Press" />
 <figcaption>Electoral map as of 10:30p.m. CST -Associated Press</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) —By winning North Carolina, Trump maintains options to reach the 270 electoral vote threshold.Trump can reach the magic number by carrying Georgia and Pennsylvania or by carrying Georgia, Michigan and Wisconsin. He also can win by carrying Wisconsin and Arizona, as well as other combinations involving Nevada.But that would require him to crack the blue wall of northern states Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.Trump blitzed North Carolina in the final days of the campaign, stopping in four cities over four days and finishing his North Carolina campaign in Raleigh on Monday.----------WASHINGTON (AP) — Former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris notched early wins in reliably Republican and Democratic states, respectively, as a divided America made its decision in a stark choice for the nation’s future Tuesday.Polls closed in Pennsylvania, Georgia, Michigan, Arizona, Wisconsin and North Carolina, six of the seven closely fought battlegrounds expected to decide the election, but the results there were too early to call. Balloting continued in Nevada and other parts of the West on Election Day, as tens of millions of Americans added their ballots to the 84 million cast early as they chose between two candidates with drastically different temperaments and visions for the country.Trump won Florida, a one-time battleground that has shifted heavily to Republicans in recent elections. He also notched early wins in reliably Republican states such as Texas, South Carolina and Indiana, while Harris took Democratic strongholds like New York, Massachusetts and Illinois.The fate of democracy appeared to be a primary driver for Harris’ supporters, a sign that the Democratic nominee’s persistent messaging in her campaign’s closing days accusing Trump of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-john-kelly-nazis-hitler-87d672e1ec1a6645808050fc60f6b8bc">being a fascist</a>&nbsp;may have broken through, according to AP VoteCast. The expansive survey of more than 110,000 voters nationwide also found a country mired in negativity and desperate for change. Trump’s supporters were largely focused on immigration and inflation — two issues that the former Republican president has been hammering since the start of his campaign.Those casting Election Day ballots mostly encountered a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/election-2024-voting-turnout-election-day-a8ae22f34417dcda060b430dac89bdbc">smooth process</a>, with isolated reports of hiccups that regularly happen, including long lines, technical issues and ballot printing errors.Harris has promised to work across the aisle to tackle economic worries and other issues without radically departing from the course set by President Joe Biden. Trump has vowed to replace thousands of federal workers with loyalists, impose sweeping tariffs on allies and foes alike, and stage the largest deportation operation in U.S. history.Harris and Trump entered Election Day focused on seven swing states, five of them carried by Trump in 2016 before they flipped to Biden in 2020: the “blue wall” of Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin as well as Arizona and Georgia. Nevada and North Carolina, which Democrats and Republicans respectively carried in the last two elections, also were closely contested.Trump voted in Palm Beach, Florida, near his Mar-a-Lago club. He called into a Wisconsin radio station Tuesday night to say: “I’m watching these results. So far so good."Harris, the Democratic vice president, did phone interviews with radio stations in the battleground states, then visited Democratic National Committee headquarters in Washington carrying a box of Doritos — her go-to snack.“This truly represents the best of who we are,” Harris told a room of cheering staffers. She was handed a cellphone by supporters doing phone banking, and when asked by reporters how she was feeling, the vice president held up a phone and responded, “Gotta talk to voters.”The closeness of the race and the number of states in play raised the likelihood that, once again, a victor might not be known on election night.Trump said Tuesday that he had no plans to tell his supporters to refrain from violence if Harris wins, because they “are not violent people.” His angry supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, after Trump tried to overturn his loss in 2020. Asked Tuesday about accepting the 2024 race’s results, he said, “If it’s a fair election, I’d be the first one to acknowledge it.” He visited a nearby campaign office to thank staffers before a party at a nearby convention center.After her DNC stop, Harris planned to attend a party at her alma mater, Howard University in Washington.Federal, state and local officials have expressed confidence in the integrity of the nation’s election systems. They nonetheless were braced to contend with what they say is an unprecedented level of foreign disinformation — particularly from Russia and Iran — as well as the possibility of physical violence or cyberattacks.In Georgia’s Fulton County, a Democratic stronghold that includes most of the city of Atlanta, 32 of the 177 polling places received bomb threats Tuesday, prompting brief evacuations at five locations, county Police Chief W. Wade Yates said. The threats were determined to be non-credible but voting hours were extended at those five locations.Bomb threats also forced an extension of voting hours in at least two Pennsylvania counties — Clearfield, in central Pennsylvania, and Chester, near Philadelphia.Both sides have armies of lawyers in anticipation of legal challenges on and after Election Day. And law enforcement agencies nationwide are on high alert for potential violence.Harris, 60, would be the first woman, Black woman and person of South Asian descent to serve as president. She also would be the first sitting vice president to win the White House in 36 years.Trump, 78, would be the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-harris-presidential-election-age-health-medical-records-7bb8212c1024748371e43b85e137bae5">oldest president</a>&nbsp;ever elected. He would also be the first defeated president in 132 years to win another term in the White House, and the first person convicted of a felony to take over the Oval Office.He survived one assassination attempt by millimeters at a July rally. Secret Service agents foiled a second attempt in September.Harris, pointing to the warnings of Trump's former aides, has labeled him a “fascist” and blamed Trump for putting women's lives in danger by nominating three of the justices who overturned Roe v. Wade. In the closing hours of the campaign, she tried to strike a more positive tone and went all of Monday without saying her Republican opponent's name.Voters nationwide also were deciding thousands of other races that will decide everything from control of Congress to state ballot measures on abortion access in response to the Supreme Court’s vote in 2022 to overturn Roe v. Wade.In Florida, a ballot measure that would have protected abortion rights in the state constitution failed after not meeting the 60% threshold to pass, marking the first time a measure protecting abortion rights failed since Roe was overturned. Earlier Tuesday, Trump refused to say how he voted on the measure and snapped at a reporter, saying, “You should stop talking about that."In reliably Democratic New York and Maryland, voters approved ballot measures aimed at protecting abortion rights in their state constitutions.JD Jorgensen, an independent voter in Black Mountain, North Carolina, which was hit hard by Hurricane Helene, said voters should have made up their minds before Tuesday.“I think that the candidates, both being in the public eye as long as they both have been, if you’re on the fence, you hadn’t really been paying attention,” said Jorgensen, 35.WASHINGTON (AP) — Former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris notched early wins in reliably Republican and Democratic states, respectively, as a divided America made its decision in a stark choice for the nation’s future Tuesday.Polls closed in Pennsylvania, Georgia, Michigan, Arizona, Wisconsin and North Carolina, six of the seven closely fought battlegrounds expected to decide the election, but the results there were too early to call. Balloting continued in Nevada and other parts of the West on Election Day, as tens of millions of Americans added their ballots to the 84 million cast early as they chose between two candidates with drastically different temperaments and visions for the country.Trump won Florida, a one-time battleground that has shifted heavily to Republicans in recent elections. He also notched early wins in reliably Republican states such as Texas, South Carolina and Indiana, while Harris took Democratic strongholds like New York, Massachusetts and Illinois.The fate of democracy appeared to be a primary driver for Harris’ supporters, a sign that the Democratic nominee’s persistent messaging in her campaign’s closing days accusing Trump of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-john-kelly-nazis-hitler-87d672e1ec1a6645808050fc60f6b8bc">being a fascist</a>&nbsp;may have broken through, according to AP VoteCast. The expansive survey of more than 110,000 voters nationwide also found a country mired in negativity and desperate for change. Trump’s supporters were largely focused on immigration and inflation — two issues that the former Republican president has been hammering since the start of his campaign.Those casting Election Day ballots mostly encountered a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/election-2024-voting-turnout-election-day-a8ae22f34417dcda060b430dac89bdbc">smooth process</a>, with isolated reports of hiccups that regularly happen, including long lines, technical issues and ballot printing errors.Harris has promised to work across the aisle to tackle economic worries and other issues without radically departing from the course set by President Joe Biden. Trump has vowed to replace thousands of federal workers with loyalists, impose sweeping tariffs on allies and foes alike, and stage the largest deportation operation in U.S. history.Harris and Trump entered Election Day focused on seven swing states, five of them carried by Trump in 2016 before they flipped to Biden in 2020: the “blue wall” of Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin as well as Arizona and Georgia. Nevada and North Carolina, which Democrats and Republicans respectively carried in the last two elections, also were closely contested.Trump voted in Palm Beach, Florida, near his Mar-a-Lago club. He called into a Wisconsin radio station Tuesday night to say: “I’m watching these results. So far so good."Harris, the Democratic vice president, did phone interviews with radio stations in the battleground states, then visited Democratic National Committee headquarters in Washington carrying a box of Doritos — her go-to snack.“This truly represents the best of who we are,” Harris told a room of cheering staffers. She was handed a cellphone by supporters doing phone banking, and when asked by reporters how she was feeling, the vice president held up a phone and responded, “Gotta talk to voters.”The closeness of the race and the number of states in play raised the likelihood that, once again, a victor might not be known on election night.Trump said Tuesday that he had no plans to tell his supporters to refrain from violence if Harris wins, because they “are not violent people.” His angry supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, after Trump tried to overturn his loss in 2020. Asked Tuesday about accepting the 2024 race’s results, he said, “If it’s a fair election, I’d be the first one to acknowledge it.” He visited a nearby campaign office to thank staffers before a party at a nearby convention center.After her DNC stop, Harris planned to attend a party at her alma mater, Howard University in Washington.Federal, state and local officials have expressed confidence in the integrity of the nation’s election systems. They nonetheless were braced to contend with what they say is an unprecedented level of foreign disinformation — particularly from Russia and Iran — as well as the possibility of physical violence or cyberattacks.In Georgia’s Fulton County, a Democratic stronghold that includes most of the city of Atlanta, 32 of the 177 polling places received bomb threats Tuesday, prompting brief evacuations at five locations, county Police Chief W. Wade Yates said. The threats were determined to be non-credible but voting hours were extended at those five locations.Bomb threats also forced an extension of voting hours in at least two Pennsylvania counties — Clearfield, in central Pennsylvania, and Chester, near Philadelphia.Both sides have armies of lawyers in anticipation of legal challenges on and after Election Day. And law enforcement agencies nationwide are on high alert for potential violence.Harris, 60, would be the first woman, Black woman and person of South Asian descent to serve as president. She also would be the first sitting vice president to win the White House in 36 years.Trump, 78, would be the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-harris-presidential-election-age-health-medical-records-7bb8212c1024748371e43b85e137bae5">oldest president</a>&nbsp;ever elected. He would also be the first defeated president in 132 years to win another term in the White House, and the first person convicted of a felony to take over the Oval Office.He survived one assassination attempt by millimeters at a July rally. Secret Service agents foiled a second attempt in September.Harris, pointing to the warnings of Trump's former aides, has labeled him a “fascist” and blamed Trump for putting women's lives in danger by nominating three of the justices who overturned Roe v. Wade. In the closing hours of the campaign, she tried to strike a more positive tone and went all of Monday without saying her Republican opponent's name.Voters nationwide also were deciding thousands of other races that will decide everything from control of Congress to state ballot measures on abortion access in response to the Supreme Court’s vote in 2022 to overturn Roe v. Wade.In Florida, a ballot measure that would have protected abortion rights in the state constitution failed after not meeting the 60% threshold to pass, marking the first time a measure protecting abortion rights failed since Roe was overturned. Earlier Tuesday, Trump refused to say how he voted on the measure and snapped at a reporter, saying, “You should stop talking about that."JD Jorgensen, an independent voter in Black Mountain, North Carolina, which was hit hard by Hurricane Helene, said voters should have made up their minds before Tuesday.“I think that the candidates, both being in the public eye as long as they both have been, if you’re on the fence, you hadn’t really been paying attention,” said Jorgensen, 35.___

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