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South Korean president takes up golf again to forge a bond with Trump

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol has dusted off his golf clubs in an attempt to forge a bond with President-elect Donald Trump, an avid golf lover.

The presidential office said Tuesday that Yoon began practicing the game for the first time in eight years in preparation for a possible round of golf with Trump.

Since his election, Trump's "America first" approach has raised concerns it could negatively affect the U.S. defense commitment to South Korea and hurt the trade interests of the Northeast Asian country in various ways, including increased tariffs.

Some experts say it's important to build a close personal friendship with Trump during the transition period before he formally takes office in January.

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Congress returns to unfinished business and a new Trump era

Congress returns to a changed Washington as President-elect Donald Trump's hard-right agenda is quickly taking shape, buoyed by eager Republican allies eyeing a full sweep of power on Capitol Hill while Democrats are sorting out what went wrong.

Even as final election results are still being tallied, the House and Senate leadership is pushing ahead toward a second-term Trump White House and what he's called a "mandate" for governing, with mass deportations, industry deregulation and wholesale gutting of the federal government.

Trump is already testing the norms of governance during this presidential transition period -- telling the Senate to forgo its advise-and-consent role and simply accept his Cabinet nominees -- and he is staffing his administration and finding lawmakers willing to bend those civic traditions.

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California Gov. Gavin Newsom will spend part of week in DC as he tries to Trump-proof state policies

California Gov. Gavin Newsom plans to meet with the Biden administration this week to discuss zero-emission vehicles and disaster relief -- issues that have been targeted in the past by President-elect Donald Trump.

The Democratic governor is leaving for Washington on Monday and will return home Wednesday, his office said. Newsom will also meet with California's congressional delegation.

He is seeking federal approval for state climate rules, a $5.2 billion reimbursement for emergency funding during the COVID-19 pandemic and updates to the state's Medicaid program, along with other priorities.

The trip comes days after Newsom called for state lawmakers to convene a special session in December to protect California's liberal policies ahead of Trump's return to office in January.

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Judge set to rule on whether to scrap Trump's conviction in hush money case

A judge is due to decide Tuesday whether to undo President-elect Donald Trump's conviction in his hush money case because of a U.S. Supreme Court ruling on presidential immunity.

New York Judge Juan M. Merchan, who presided over Trump's historic trial, is now tasked with deciding whether to toss out the jury verdict and order a new trial -- or even dismiss the charges altogether. The judge's ruling also could speak to whether the former and now future commander-in-chief will be sentenced as scheduled Nov. 26.

Just over a month after a jury convicted Trump of falsifying business records, the Supreme Court ruled that ex-presidents can't be prosecuted for actions they took in the course of running the country, and prosecutors can't cite those actions even to bolster a case centered on purely personal conduct.

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