Xi Jinping brought Hong Kong to heel. Now he's coming back to a city transformed
CNN
Chinese and Hong Kong flags flutter above streets and red celebratory banners line the harbor front, as thousands of Hong Kong police guard the city's high-speed rail terminus, awaiting the arrival of Chinese leader Xi Jinping.
In his first trip outside mainland China since the start of the pandemic, Xi is coming to Hong Kong to mark the 25th anniversary of its return to Chinese rule -- a highly symbolic event at a pivotal time for both the city, and Xi himself.
The former British colony is midway through the 50-year promise of "a high degree of autonomy," given by Beijing under a framework known as "one country, two systems." It is also swearing in its newly appointed leader, hardline former police officer John Lee.
Senate Democrats have confirmed some of President Joe Biden’s picks for the federal bench this week in the face of President-elect Donald Trump’s calls for a total GOP blockade of judicial nominations – in part because several Republicans involved with the Trump transition process have been missing votes.
Donald Trump is considering a right-wing media personality and people who have served on his US Secret Service detail to run the agency that has been plagued by its failure to preempt two alleged assassination attempts on Trump this summer, sources familiar with the president-elect’s thinking tell CNN.