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LUANDA, Angola (AP) — President Joe Biden's long-delayed trip to Africa had many of the hallmarks of a traditional state visit: There was a 12-shot cannon salute. A series of warm handshakes with Angolan President João Lourenço. Celebratory music. Photo opportunities. But another issue overshadowed the visit. When reporters tried to question the president about why he gave his son Hunter a far-reaching pardon after repeatedly saying he would not do so, Biden tried to brush aside the questions. He gestured toward Lourenço and laughed, declaring, “Welcome to America.” Biden saluted Lourenço for his efforts to bolster stronger U.S. relations, declared that Africa and its booming youth population would shape the world's future and even indulged his love of trains by championing a major railway project that his administration says could change the way the entire continent does business. Some takeaways from the president's visit: Biden offered the joke about America before his meeting with Lourenço, and he answered a question on Tuesday about the political situation in South Korea, saying only that he'd not been briefed — something that was rectified moments later when advisers filled him in on what was happening as the motorcade sped away from a site where he'd given a speech. Other than that, Biden went the entire trip, which began Sunday night and included two brief stopovers in Cape Verde in addition to Angola, dodging reporters. He did similar during last month's six-day visit to South America . Since Biden announced his pardon decision shortly before climbing aboard Air Force One bound for Africa, it fell to White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre to spend nearly half an hour offering long and awkward answers to uncomfortable questions aboard the aircraft hours later. Biden said in a statement explaining the pardon that, while he believed in the justice system, he also felt that politics had infected the cases against his son and “enough was enough.” Jean-Pierre maintained that he wasn't trying to have it both ways. “I don’t think it’s a contradiction,” she said. “Two things could be true. You can believe in the Department of Justice system, and you could also believe that the process was infected politically.” She also bristled when it was suggested that such complaints about the Department of Justice smacked of President-elect Donald Trump's promises to dismantle the “deep state” of federal bureaucrats that he's said for years are out to unfairly undermine him and fellow top Republicans. During his meeting with Lourenço at the presidential palace, Biden said, “The United States is all in on Africa,” and extolled how strong Angolan relations were with Washington. His administration has invested billions in Angola, with the centerpiece being promoting the Lobito Corridor, a vast project to revitalize supply chains by refurbishing 800 miles (1,300 kilometers) of train lines in Angola, Zambia and Congo. Given where Angola was barely a generation ago, the alliance is in many ways remarkable. An oil-rich nation on Africa's southwest coast, Angola achieved independence from Portugal in 1975, but spent subsequent years embroiled in civil war, which often featured proxy fighting between U.S.-backed forces and those allied with the Soviet Union. Even today, the country's red and black flag features a yellow machete and half-cog, an insignia resembling the Soviet hammer and sickle. But Biden leaves office on Jan. 20, and Lourenço, like many leaders of African nations, has already begun suggesting that he's looking toward a Trump-dominated future. Biden administration officials say they're hopeful Trump and top Republicans will continue a business-friendly approach to investing in Africa that includes continuing to support the Lobito Corridor. Biden lauded Lourenço for helping boost his country's relationship with the United States, and he said the youth of Africa would change the world. He also visited the country’s national slavery museum, stressing how Angola and the United States — which were once linked by the horrors of enslaved human beings, now could increasingly be linked by economic opportunity. But if Biden came to Angola hoping to cement his foreign policy legacy in this country and throughout Africa, it will actually fall to Trump — the man he beat in the 2020 election and spent much of 2024 running against before bowing out of the race in July — to see it through.WASHINGTON (AP) — Rep. Jerry Nadler announced Wednesday that he will be stepping down as the top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee next year, avoiding an intra-party fight over a prominent position as the party prepares to confront a second Trump presidency. Nadler's decision to relinquish control of the powerful committee came a day after fellow Democratic Rep. Jamie Raskin announced his bid for the job and quickly amassed support from colleagues. “I am also proud that, under my leadership, some of our caucus’s most talented rising stars have been given a platform to demonstrate their leadership and their abilities,” Nadler wrote in the letter to Democrats that was obtained by The Associated Press. “That includes Jamie Raskin, who in just a few terms in Congress has already proven himself to be an exceptional leader and spokesperson for our party’s values.” The 77-year-old chose to step aside as the Democratic party undergoes an internal reckoning over their losses in the election, which swept Republicans into a trifecta of power in Washington. Many Democrats are eager for generational change and a new approach as President-elect Donald Trump returns to the White House. The decision by Nadler, who is serving his 17th term in Congress, reflects that generational shift. Before he made his decision Wednesday morning, Nadler spent time speaking with staff about what his next step should be. He also made a call to Raskin, which was described as cordial by a person familiar with the conversation who was not authorized to discuss it publicly. “Jerry Nadler is an extraordinary lawyer, patriot and public servant,” Raskin posted on X. “His dogged defense of civil rights and civil liberties is a great inspiration to our people.” He added, “I am honored and humbled to have his support in the battles ahead.” Farnoush Amiri, The Associated PressLUANDA, Angola (AP) — President Joe Biden's long-delayed trip to Africa had many of the hallmarks of a traditional state visit: There was a 12-shot cannon salute. A series of warm handshakes with Angolan President João Lourenço. Celebratory music. Photo opportunities. But another issue overshadowed the visit. When reporters tried to question the president about why he gave his son Hunter a far-reaching pardon after repeatedly saying he would not do so, Biden tried to brush aside the questions. He gestured toward Lourenço and laughed, declaring, “Welcome to America.” Biden saluted Lourenço for his efforts to bolster stronger U.S. relations, declared that Africa and its booming youth population would shape the world's future and even indulged his love of trains by championing a major railway project that his administration says could change the way the entire continent does business. Some takeaways from the president's visit: Biden offered the joke about America before his meeting with Lourenço, and he answered a question on Tuesday about the political situation in South Korea, saying only that he'd not been briefed — something that was rectified moments later when advisers filled him in on what was happening as the motorcade sped away from a site where he'd given a speech. Other than that, Biden went the entire trip, which began Sunday night and included two brief stopovers in Cape Verde in addition to Angola, dodging reporters. He did similar during last month's six-day visit to South America . Since Biden announced his pardon decision shortly before climbing aboard Air Force One bound for Africa, it fell to White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre to spend nearly half an hour offering long and awkward answers to uncomfortable questions aboard the aircraft hours later. Biden said in a statement explaining the pardon that, while he believed in the justice system, he also felt that politics had infected the cases against his son and “enough was enough.” Jean-Pierre maintained that he wasn't trying to have it both ways. “I don’t think it’s a contradiction,” she said. “Two things could be true. You can believe in the Department of Justice system, and you could also believe that the process was infected politically.” She also bristled when it was suggested that such complaints about the Department of Justice smacked of President-elect Donald Trump's promises to dismantle the “deep state” of federal bureaucrats that he's said for years are out to unfairly undermine him and fellow top Republicans. During his meeting with Lourenço at the presidential palace, Biden said, “The United States is all in on Africa,” and extolled how strong Angolan relations were with Washington. His administration has invested billions in Angola, with the centerpiece being promoting the Lobito Corridor, a vast project to revitalize supply chains by refurbishing 800 miles (1,300 kilometers) of train lines in Angola, Zambia and Congo. Given where Angola was barely a generation ago, the alliance is in many ways remarkable. An oil-rich nation on Africa's southwest coast, Angola achieved independence from Portugal in 1975, but spent subsequent years embroiled in civil war, which often featured proxy fighting between U.S.-backed forces and those allied with the Soviet Union. Even today, the country's red and black flag features a yellow machete and half-cog, an insignia resembling the Soviet hammer and sickle. But Biden leaves office on Jan. 20, and Lourenço, like many leaders of African nations, has already begun suggesting that he's looking toward a Trump-dominated future. Biden administration officials say they're hopeful Trump and top Republicans will continue a business-friendly approach to investing in Africa that includes continuing to support the Lobito Corridor. Biden lauded Lourenço for helping boost his country's relationship with the United States, and he said the youth of Africa would change the world. He also visited the country’s national slavery museum, stressing how Angola and the United States — which were once linked by the horrors of enslaved human beings, now could increasingly be linked by economic opportunity. But if Biden came to Angola hoping to cement his foreign policy legacy in this country and throughout Africa, it will actually fall to Trump — the man he beat in the 2020 election and spent much of 2024 running against before bowing out of the race in July — to see it through.

WASHINGTON – Rep. Jerry Nadler announced Wednesday that he will be stepping down as the top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee next year, avoiding an intra-party fight over a prominent position as the party prepares to confront a second Trump presidency. Nadler's decision to relinquish control of the powerful committee came a day after fellow Democratic Rep. Jamie Raskin announced his bid for the job and quickly amassed support from colleagues. Recommended Videos “I am also proud that, under my leadership, some of our caucus’s most talented rising stars have been given a platform to demonstrate their leadership and their abilities,” Nadler wrote in the letter to Democrats that was obtained by The Associated Press. “That includes Jamie Raskin, who in just a few terms in Congress has already proven himself to be an exceptional leader and spokesperson for our party’s values.” The 77-year-old chose to step aside as the Democratic party undergoes an internal reckoning over their losses in the election, which swept Republicans into a trifecta of power in Washington. Many Democrats are eager for generational change and a new approach as President-elect Donald Trump returns to the White House. The decision by Nadler, who is serving his 17th term in Congress, reflects that generational shift. Before he made his decision Wednesday morning, Nadler spent time speaking with staff about what his next step should be. He also made a call to Raskin, which was described as cordial by a person familiar with the conversation who was not authorized to discuss it publicly. “Jerry Nadler is an extraordinary lawyer, patriot and public servant,” Raskin posted on X. “His dogged defense of civil rights and civil liberties is a great inspiration to our people.” He added, “I am honored and humbled to have his support in the battles ahead.”Who fancies a festive game of Labour or Liz? The rules are quite simple - I'll set out some quotes and you guess whether they came from a member of the current tax-raising and workers' rights improving Labour administration or from the right-wing scourge of the anti-growth coalition and former prime minister Liz Truss . So put down your turkey sandwiches, off we go: 1. "We are rolling up our sleeves and removing red tape" 2. "A red tape bonfire will encourage business investment and boost growth" 3. "[Regulation of financial services] has gone too far" 4. "Where [regulation] is stopping us building... then mark my words - we will get rid of it" 5. "We needed to stop drifting in the direction of... more regulation, which was causing sluggish growth" That's your lot. Think you've got them all? Well, here are the answers. Numbers 1, 3 and 4 are Labour, while 2 and 5 are Liz Truss. Read more: Liz Truss responds after lettuce banner prank Okay, Trivial Pursuit this may not be. But there's a not-so-subtle point I'm attempting to sketch out here. Many of the noises the current government is making on growth and regulation are not so different to the ones that emanated from our shortest ever serving prime minister - a politician most in the Labour Party view as the antithesis of everything this administration stands for. We see it again in Sir Keir Starmer 's Christmas Eve letter to regulators setting a mid-January deadline for them to put forward ideas for removing "barriers to growth". 👉Listen to Politics At Jack And Sam's on your podcast app👈 None of this should come as much of a surprise. Changing the rules to encourage a more pro-business environment is one of the few levers the prime minister can pull to try and boost the UK's sluggish growth rate. But one person's "barrier to growth" can be someone else's "essential safeguard". Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player Read more on economy: Is chancellor playing fast and loose with inflation? Low Christmas sales in key month, ONS finds For example, campaign groups have already called for the "Growth Duty" in the mandate of the water regulator to be replaced with something focused more on the environment. That's on top of existing criticism OFWAT has faced for taking too soft an approach to the management of private water companies. There's concern over in the financial services sector too. Politics Hub Quiz: Test your political knowledge in the quiz of 2024 Earlier this month, 50 economists and policy experts wrote to the chancellor warning about her plans for deregulation. Businesses will likely give all this all a warmer reception though. But even that will be set against wider concern over the financial strain being put on firms by the huge tax rises in the budget. The timescales associated with regulatory reform means it will likely take years before we can take a reliable reading of whether any measures announced by Labour are actually boosting growth. Be the first to get Breaking News Install the Sky News app for free Follow our channel and never miss an update For Sir Keir Starmer, the danger is that he's unable to reconcile the political and economic contradictions in his wider policy platform. Can you be pro-growth while raising taxes? Can you cut regulation but still protect workers and the environment? Or put more simply, can you be both Labour and Liz?