Five Things We’ve Learned From Trump’s Cabinet Picks So Far

First Read is a morning briefing from Meet the Press and the NBC Political Unit on the day's most important political stories and why they matter. President-elect Donald Trump's cabinet selections are now almost complete -- save for that secretary of state position, as well as Agriculture, Energy, and Interior.

Trump’s Cabinet will serve corporate interests, not the chumps who voted for him

To understand what kind of president Donald Trump will be, do not listen to what he says, watch what he does. In a series of campaign-style events, he has repeated all the favorite lines that convinced millions of voters that he was on the side of Americans who feel abused by the establishments on Wall Street, K Street and Pennsylvania Avenue.

Trump defends cabinet as hardline picks criticized

President-elect says secretarial picks will be 'one of the greatest cabinets' ever assembled, says members 'committed to advancing common good' US President-elect Donald Trump speaks at a Victory Tour Rally, on December 8, 2016 in Des Moines, Iowa. Trump is taking time time to speak several of the states that helped him win the election .

Biden calls on Trudeau to defend international ‘rules of the road’

U.S. Vice-President Joe Biden called on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to be a defender of the international "rules of the road" to help shepherd the world through a period of deep uncertainty. Biden delivered that message in a stirring speech at a state dinner in his honour in Ottawa on Thursday night, in which he singled out the fight against climate change as the most important issue of this generation.

Trump cons the media on climate

President-elect Donald Trump speaks to members of the media in the lobby at Trump Tower in New York, Dec. 6, 2016. CREDIT: AP Photo/Andrew Harnik This week, President-elect Donald Trump met with some of the biggest names in climate activism: former vice president Al Gore and actor Leonardo DiCaprio.

Trump picks climate sceptic Pruitt

ELECT Donald Trump has tapped Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt, criticised as a climate change denier and a staunch fossil fuel ally, to head the Environmental Protection Agency. The announcement on Thursday morning comes after Leonardo DiCaprio met with Mr Trump on Wednesday to discuss how jobs centring on preserving the environment can boost the economy.

Trump settles on Oklahoma’s attorney general to lead EPA

President-elect Donald Trump confirmed on Thursday that he will nominate Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt, a global warming skeptic, to lead the Environmental Protection Agency, which he has repeatedly sued and derided for pursuing an "activist agenda." "My administration strongly believes in environmental protection, and Scott Pruitt will be a powerful advocate for that mission while promoting jobs, safety and opportunity," Trump said in an early morning statement.

Branstad picked for post in China

It may seem odd for the governor of a lightly populated agricultural state to be chosen as U.S. ambassador to China, especially amid escalating talk of a trade war with the major U.S. trading partner. But Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad boasts a 30-year relationship with Chinese President Xi Jinping, the most powerful Chinese leader in decades.

Anson: How Al Gore convinced Miguel Torres to fight climate change in wine

In the week of an unlikely meeting between Al Gore and US president-elect Donald Trump, Jane Anson talks to Spain's Miguel Torres Snr about the influence of Gore on his own battle against climate change in wine. 'We don't know what is going to happen in politics over the next few years, but we do know that the pattern of global warming is not going away.

Trump’s choice for top China diplomat has long ties to Xi

It may seem odd for the governor of a lightly populated agricultural state to be chosen as U.S. ambassador to China, especially amid escalating talk of a trade war with the major U.S. trading partner. But Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad boasts a 30-year relationship with Chinese President Xi Jinping, the most powerful Chinese leader in decades.

Trump chooses hardliners but talks softer on immigration

Donald Trump embraced new Cabinet officers Wednesday whose backgrounds suggest he's primed to put tough actions behind his campaign rhetoric on immigration and the environment, even as he seemed to soften his yearlong stance on immigrants brought to the U.S. illegally as children. It's clearer by the day, underscored by Trump's at-times contradictory words, that his actual policies as president won't be settled until after he takes his seat in the Oval Office.

Environmental groups seek to defend federal methane rule

Environmental groups are seeking to defend a new federal rule that would restrict how oil companies burn off excess natural gas extracted from public lands. Wyoming, Montana and North Dakota are pressing a federal lawsuit in Wyoming seeking to block a rule that President Barack Obama's administration issued in November requiring certain companies to capture natural gas instead of burning it off.

System Lets Users Design And Fabricate Drones With A Wide Range Of Shapes And Structures

This fall's new Federal Aviation Administration regulations have made drone flight easier than ever for both companies and consumers. But what if the drones out on the market aren't exactly what you want? A new system from MIT's Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory is the first to allow users to design, simulate, and build their own custom drone.

USDA offers new loans for portable farm storage, handling equipment –

Attention Bell, Clay, Harlan, Knox, and Whitley County producers - Farm Service Agency will provide a new financing option to help you purchase portable storage and handling equipment. County Executive Director Megan Moore explains, "The loans, which now include a smaller microloan option with lower down payments and attractive interest rates, are designed to help our producers grow their businesses and markets.

Green Party, election watchdogs get pushback ina

County after county has rejected the idea in recent days of performing the kind of software examination that the Green Party's lawyers and computer scientists who have long studied election systems say would be Green Party, election watchdogs get pushback in Pennsylvania County after county has rejected the idea in recent days of performing the kind of software examination that the Green Party's lawyers and computer scientists who have long studied election systems say would be Check out this story on yorkdispatch.com: FILE - In this Sept. 21, 2016 file photo.

Obama welcomes 4 Nobel Prize laureates, minus Dylan

President Barack Obama with the 2016 American Nobel Prize winners in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, Wednesday, Nov. 30, 2016. With Obama are from left, Oliver Hart, Laureate of the 2016 Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences, from Harvard University, F. Duncan M. Haldane, Laureate of the 2016 Nobel Prize in Physics from Princeton University, Sir J. Fraser Stoddart, Laureate of the 2016 Nobel Prize in Chemistry from Northwestern University, and J. Michael Kosterlitz, Laureate of the 2016 Nobel Prize in Physics, from Brown University.

Trump’s planned rollbacks not easy

Once sworn into office, Donald Trump will be in a strong position to dismantle some of President Barack Obama's efforts to reduce planet-warming carbon emissions. But experts say delivering on campaign pledges to abolish the Environmental Protection Agency and bring back tens of thousands of long-gone coal mining jobs will likely prove far more difficult for the new president.