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| Trump to receive full drone strike 'playbook' from Obama – politics live | Trump to receive full drone strike 'playbook' from Obama – politics live |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| 2.44pm GMT | |
| 14:44 | |
| President Barack Obama holds press conference with Greek prime minister | |
| Watch it live here: | |
| 2.43pm GMT | |
| 14:43 | |
| Barack Obama will not tighten the rules governing US drone strikes ahead of Donald Trump’s inauguration, the Guardian has learned. | |
| Trump will inherit the apparatus for what Obama calls “targeted killing” – the so-called drones “playbook” formally known as the 22 May 2013 Presidential Policy Guidance or PPG – that has turned drone strikes into Obama’s signature counter-terrorism tactic. | |
| While the White House considers its standards for drone strikes to be scrupulous, much of the rest of the world considers them to represent an arbitrary, secret and dangerous apparatus of secret killing that Trump will soon have at his disposal. | |
| “Maybe on the left no one would believe that Trump has a steady hand, but Obama has normalized the idea that presidents get to have secret large-scale killing programs at their disposal,” said Naureen Shah of Amnesty International USA. | |
| Begun under George W Bush, drone strikes were vastly accelerated and codified by Obama beyond officially declared war zones. Official estimates claim they have killed nearly 2,600 “terrorists”, though human rights activists consider that to be an undercount. | |
| The footprint of the drones has become increasingly widespread, situated in airfields from Tunisia to Niger to Cameroon, they represent the outgrowth of a legal theory which was embraced by both presidents Bush and Obama, who considered the war on terrorism’s battlefield to be global. | |
| For Obama, the drone has been a calibrated, restrained instrument of death, an alternative to grueling all-out war. Trump will now be the one capable of harnessing its power. | |
| 2.30pm GMT | |
| 14:30 | |
| Members of the House GOP has been gifted with “Make America Great Again” hats this morning, which seems normal. | |
| @HouseGOP ready to Make America Great Again. @cathymcmorris giving hats to members this AM. #MAGA pic.twitter.com/6AQmSjdgba | |
| 2.18pm GMT | |
| 14:18 | |
| Video: The Guardian explains the battle over president-elect Donald Trump’s selection of Breitbart boss Steve Bannon as his chief strategist and senior counsel – and why many liberals fear his appointment will encourage antisemites, racists and misogynists. | |
| 2.11pm GMT | |
| 14:11 | |
| From the long-suffering transition pool: | |
| Good morning from Trump Tower, where transition staffers are slowly filtering into work in the rain. At about 8:45am, Jeff DeWit - Arizona’s treasurer and Trump’s campaign COO - arrived, carrying what looked like rolled up posters in a FedEx bag. About five minutes later, my co-pooler Francesca Chambers of the Daily Mail spotted Charlie Kirkof Turning Point USA, who wouldn’t say why he’s in Trump Tower this morning. | |
| At 8:57am, Donald Trump Jr arrived, carrying athletic shoes in hand and keeping his back to reporters. But when someone asked if we can expect any announcements today, he turned, smiled and said: ‘Oh, I don’t know.’ When asked what his role in the transition team is, he turned back around and didn’t answer. | |
| Also spotted before 9am: Deputy campaign manager Michael Glassner, pulling a suitcase and declining to answer questions. | |
| 2.09pm GMT | 2.09pm GMT |
| 14:09 | 14:09 |
| “The electoral college is a disaster for a democracy.” – Donald J. Trump, November 7, 2012 | “The electoral college is a disaster for a democracy.” – Donald J. Trump, November 7, 2012 |
| The Electoral College is actually genius in that it brings all states, including the smaller ones, into play. Campaigning is much different! | The Electoral College is actually genius in that it brings all states, including the smaller ones, into play. Campaigning is much different! |
| 1.38pm GMT | 1.38pm GMT |
| 13:38 | 13:38 |
| Obama will not restrict drone strike 'playbook' before Trump takes office | Obama will not restrict drone strike 'playbook' before Trump takes office |
| Good morning, and welcome to the Guardian’s live coverage of the transition between the two-term Obama administration and the nascent Trump administration. It’s 66 days until president-elect Donald Trump is sworn in as president. | Good morning, and welcome to the Guardian’s live coverage of the transition between the two-term Obama administration and the nascent Trump administration. It’s 66 days until president-elect Donald Trump is sworn in as president. |
| First, some news: Barack Obama will not tighten the rules governing US drone strikes ahead of Trump’s inauguration, the Guardian has learned. Trump will inherit the apparatus for what Obama calls “targeted killing” – the so-called drones “playbook” formally known as the 22 May 2013 Presidential Policy Guidance or PPG – that has turned drone strikes into Obama’s signature counter-terrorism tactic. | First, some news: Barack Obama will not tighten the rules governing US drone strikes ahead of Trump’s inauguration, the Guardian has learned. Trump will inherit the apparatus for what Obama calls “targeted killing” – the so-called drones “playbook” formally known as the 22 May 2013 Presidential Policy Guidance or PPG – that has turned drone strikes into Obama’s signature counter-terrorism tactic. |
| While the White House considers its standards for drone strikes to be scrupulous, much of the rest of the world considers them to represent an arbitrary, secret and dangerous apparatus of secret killing that Trump will soon have at his disposal. “Maybe on the left no one would believe that Trump has a steady hand, but Obama has normalized the idea that presidents get to have secret large-scale killing programs at their disposal,” said Naureen Shah of Amnesty International USA. | While the White House considers its standards for drone strikes to be scrupulous, much of the rest of the world considers them to represent an arbitrary, secret and dangerous apparatus of secret killing that Trump will soon have at his disposal. “Maybe on the left no one would believe that Trump has a steady hand, but Obama has normalized the idea that presidents get to have secret large-scale killing programs at their disposal,” said Naureen Shah of Amnesty International USA. |
| In other news, Trump’s selection of Breitbart chair and former campaign CEO Steve Bannon as his chief strategist and senior counsel has infuriated Washington’s left, who have swiftly pointed to Breitbart’s reputation for antisemitic, misogynistic and white-nationalist coverage of American and international politics. | In other news, Trump’s selection of Breitbart chair and former campaign CEO Steve Bannon as his chief strategist and senior counsel has infuriated Washington’s left, who have swiftly pointed to Breitbart’s reputation for antisemitic, misogynistic and white-nationalist coverage of American and international politics. |
| Breitbart headlines have included Would You Rather Your Child had Feminism or Cancer?, Birth Control Makes Women Unattractive and Crazy and “Hoist it high and proud: The Confederate flag proclaims a glorious heritage.” | Breitbart headlines have included Would You Rather Your Child had Feminism or Cancer?, Birth Control Makes Women Unattractive and Crazy and “Hoist it high and proud: The Confederate flag proclaims a glorious heritage.” |
| House minority leader Nancy Pelosi said of Bannon’s appointment: “There must be no sugarcoating the reality that a white nationalist has been named chief strategist for the Trump administration.” | House minority leader Nancy Pelosi said of Bannon’s appointment: “There must be no sugarcoating the reality that a white nationalist has been named chief strategist for the Trump administration.” |
| Unlike a cabinet nomination, however, there’s no mechanism to stop Trump from appointing Bannon to a position in the White House, so barring overwhelming public criticism of Bannon – a relatively unknown figure outside of the Acela corridor – he’s likely baked in the cake. | Unlike a cabinet nomination, however, there’s no mechanism to stop Trump from appointing Bannon to a position in the White House, so barring overwhelming public criticism of Bannon – a relatively unknown figure outside of the Acela corridor – he’s likely baked in the cake. |
| The day ahead: Trump is still holed up in the Trump Tower triplex that he calls home, with periodic visits from senior campaign staff and members of the Trump family (for whom Trump is reportedly attempting to secure security clearances, according to the latest pool report). | The day ahead: Trump is still holed up in the Trump Tower triplex that he calls home, with periodic visits from senior campaign staff and members of the Trump family (for whom Trump is reportedly attempting to secure security clearances, according to the latest pool report). |
| Obama is in Athens, Greece, on the first leg of his final foreign tour as president. | Obama is in Athens, Greece, on the first leg of his final foreign tour as president. |
| Updated | Updated |
| at 1.55pm GMT | at 1.55pm GMT |