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U.S. NEWS Saturday 17 december 2016
Trump continues tour before shifting transition to Florida

JONATHAN LEMIRE coming staff — Reince
Associated Press Priebus — was expect-
NEW YORK (AP) — Presi- ed to have lunch at the
dent-elect Donald Trump White House with President
on Friday continues a tour Barack Obama’s current
of the states that won him chief of staff, Denis Mc-
the White House, a victory Donough. Other former
lap that so far has featured chiefs of staff were also in-
far more taunts of triumph vited.
than notes of healing. Meanwhile, three protest-
Trump will depart New ers who sued Trump claim-
York for a rally in Orlando, ing they were assaulted last
Florida, saluting his Elec- March at one of his cam-
tion Day victory in what paign rallies are asking the
was a must-win state for
his upstart presidential bid. president-elect to sit for a
The Republican business- deposition before he takes
man, who owns multiple office next month.
properties in Florida, calls Trump’s attorney says he
it his “second home” and intends to “oppose any ef-
relentlessly campaigned forts to dispose the presi-
across it, successfully turn- dent-elect.”
ing out white voters from The president-elect was
non-coastal areas to best President-elect Donald Trump smiles during a rally in Hershey, Pa., Thursday, Dec. 15, 2016. in Hershey, Pennsylvania,
opponent Hillary Clinton’s (AP Photo/Matt Rourke) Thursday night continuing
strength among minority paign. could stay at the coastal tinued Friday morning and his barnstorming tour and
voters in the state’s large That night, he will return to resort until New Year’s. included a sit-down with called for the mostly white
cities. Mar-a-Lago, his palatial Trump has conducted most Homeland Security Sec- crowd to cheer for Afri-
On Saturday, Trump will Palm Beach estate. Aides of his Cabinet and White retary Jeh Johnson, the can-Americans who were
make the final stop on his said the president-elect House interviews from his only current member of “smart” to heed his mes-
“Thank you” tour at a foot- would likely spend all of office in Trump Tower high President Barack Obama’s sage and therefore “didn’t
ball stadium in Mobile, Ala- Christmas week there, tak- above Manhattan. Those Cabinet to make the trip to come out to vote” for his
bama, revisiting the site of ing meetings and also re- interviews, as well as meet- the tower. Democratic opponent Hill-
the largest rally of his cam- laxing with his family, and ings with his advisers, con- Also on Friday, Trump’s in- ary Clinton. q

Obama urges Trump to take foreign election impact seriously

Continued from Front government forces have
beaten back rebels in their
Clinton has even more stronghold of Aleppo.
directly cited Russian in- Obama said he feels “re-
terference with the U.S. sponsible” for some of the
election. She said Thurs- suffering in Syria, but he
day night, “Vladimir Putin defended his decision to
himself directed the covert avoid significant military
cyberattacks against our action there. He said that
electoral system, against while military options short
our democracy, appar- of invasion were tempting,
ently because he has a it was “impossible to do this
personal beef against on the cheap.”
me.” Still, he pinned the bulk of
Obama did not publicly the blame on Russia, as
support that theory Fri- well as Iran, for propping
day. He did, however, up Syrian President Bashar
chide the media for that Assad. “This blood and
he called an “obsession” these atrocities are on their
with the flood of hacked hands,” he said as he ad-
Democratic emails that dressed reporters from the
were made public during White House briefing room
the election’s final stretch. shortly before leaving on
U.S. intelligence assess- his annual Christmas vaca- President Barack Obama laughs during a news conference in the briefing room of the White House
in Washington, Friday, Dec. 16, 2016.
ments that Russia interfered tion to Hawaii. The news (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)
in the election to benefit conference lasted about
Trump have heightened an hour and a half, longer He’s leaving his succes- U.S. intelligence agencies frontation with lawmakers
the already tense relation- than usual. sor a stronger economy have concluded with “high in both parties.
ship between Washington The president is ending his than he inherited, but also confidence” that Russia in- The president rejected any
and Moscow. Separately, eighth year in office with the intractable conflict in terfered in the election on notion that the dispute
Obama has blamed Russia his own popularity on the Syria and troubling issue of Trump’s behalf. over the origin of the hack-
for standing in the way of rise, though Trump’s elec- whether Russia was med- The president-elect has ing was disrupting efforts to
international efforts to stop tion is expected to unwind dling in the U.S. election to disputed that conclusion, smoothly transfer power to
the civil war in Syria, where many of Obama’s policies. back Trump. setting up a potential con- Trump. q