Chinese film about Covid-19 wins Taiwan's top Golden Horse prizesVice President-elect JD Vance has worn a handful of hats this year, but his sights are now centered on ensuring the Donald Trump administration secures wins — early and often. While he’s no longer campaigning, Vance remains a sitting senator while preparing for the administration and playing perhaps the most critical role — other than Trump himself — in staffing the future administration. It’s a tall order, seemingly requiring Vance to be in multiple places at once, and the stakes are high. Vance is being forced to prioritize his time on efforts that will be the most impactful for Trump’s transformative agenda. That directive has required Vance to miss some Senate votes, even as Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) works to force through President Joe Biden’s nominees for judicial posts. But Democrats hold a 51 to 49 majority and have Vice President Kamala Harris’s vote if needed. Vance’s vote therefore is not likely to be a determining factor for most confirmation votes, allowing him to work effectively elsewhere. Trump, while possessing an historic opportunity to reform government and reshape the executive branch, also must face harsh political realities. Crucial but narrow majorities in the House and the Senate — the latter hindered even further by the effective 60-vote threshold for legislation — will impede Trump’s legislative agenda. Most of Trump’s America First agenda will be attained through the executive, not the legislative, branch. Yet there isn’t much time. Historically, most of a president’s key achievements, or the foundations for attaining them, are made in the first months of an administration. Put simply, Trump must have the right people in place, and he must have them as soon as possible. And Vance is working feverishly toward that goal. “As a co-chairman of the transition it’s vital that I’m focused on making sure President Trump’s government is fully staffed with people who support his America First agenda and will be ready to hit the ground running on January 20th,” Vance said in a statement. “However, it’s also important to me to do everything in my power to block more radical judges from getting confirmed. So while it may be outside of the norm for an incoming VP to take Senate votes in the lame duck period, if my colleagues here in the Senate tell me that we have a real chance of beating one of these nominees, I’ll move heaven and earth to be there for the vote.” A spokesman for the Trump-Vance transition echoed Vance. “We cannot allow Chuck Schumer to play games with the transition’s ability to staff the incoming administration,” Brian Hughes, a transition spokesman, said in a statement. “Under no circumstances should we allow radical left judges to be jammed through the Senate at the 11th hour, but the Vice President-elect is needed for the transition to continue working ahead of schedule.” Vance’s focus on staffing the administration reflects not only those political realities but is consistent with those who have come before him. In fact, by casting votes after Election Day, Vance became the first senator in a century to vote on a judicial nomination after being elected to either the presidency or vice presidency. Harris, before resigning from the Senate on January 18, 2021, voted on one nomination after being elected to the vice presidency in November 2020 — Judy Shelton’s nomination to the Federal Reserve Board. But Harris did not vote on any judicial nominations during this period. Prior to Harris, the last senator to vote on any nomination after being elected to either the presidency or vice presidency was Alben Barkley, who on January 18, 1949, voted on the nomination of Dean Acheson to be Secretary of State. Before him was Harry Truman, who on November 19, 1944, voted in favor of Archibald MacLeish’s nomination to be an assistant secretary of state. Vance’s adherence to that historical role of a senator-turned-vice president will pay huge dividends in ensuring Trump’s presidency is a success. But if his vote is needed, he’ll be on call. Bradley Jaye is a Capitol Hill Correspondent for Breitbart News. Follow him on X/Twitter at @BradleyAJaye .

Trump picks Lori Chavez-DeRemer for labor secretary. Who is she?As injuries begin mounting a quarter of the way into the season, the were hoping to get Darnell Nurse back in the lineup Saturday against the visiting New York Rangers. The veteran blueliner missed the previous three games after taking a vicious hit to the head from Toronto Maple Leafs forward Ryan Reaves on Saturday. A repeat offender, Reaves was suspended for a fourth time as the league handed down a maximum five-game penalty after Nurse was left dazed and bloody after taking a shoulder to the helmet while playing a puck that went in behind the Oilers net on the way to a 4-3 overtime loss. Also missing Viktor Arvidsson and Zach Hyman from their top-six forwards, the Oilers had gone with an 11-and-seven formation to carry an extra defenceman, calling up Josh Brown from the Bakersfield Condors of the American Hockey League. The Oilers went 1-2 in Nurse’s absence to enter Thursday’s game one game above .500 (10-9-2). “He’s a heartbeat back there for us, a guy everybody looks to,” Oilers forward Adam Henrique said following the morning skate at Rogers Place, which included Nurse. “I think he was playing fantastic before the injury and doing a lot of small things that I think sometimes can get overlooked. “We’ll wait to see what happens, but it will certainly be nice to have him back in the lineup at some point soon.” Sooner rather than later. And that goes for all injuries, if the team had its way. “He’ll be fresh and he plays big minutes and contributes as a big part of the team,” said fellow defenceman Brett Kulak. “It’s not just like calling someone and slotting them in for some minutes, he’s a big part of the team. “I think everything kind of happens around him, so it will be good to have him back.” And not just in his regular role on the second defensive pairing, but also on special teams, including an Oilers penalty kill that has begun to find its legs as of late, having gone a perfect 13-for-13 over the previous six games and not allowing a goal. “It’s a major adjustment, he plays all situations and a lot of minutes, everyone has to chip in and play more,” Kulak said. “It’s a different dynamic without him in the lineup. “He’s an incredible player and does a lot of great things.” In other words, the Oilers are finding out just how tough Nurse is to replace. “First of all, he plays 22-25 minutes a night, he’s good at transporting the puck, getting it out of the zone and the biggest thing is just how much area he covers defensively,” said head coach Kris Knoblauch. “To play against him, there’s not much room. One, because of his quickness. And two, his reach. And if you do get into a battle with him, he’s so incredibly strong that he could push somebody off the puck. “So, it’s difficult to play against him.” Thursday’s game was part of the NHL’s Hockey Fights Cancer fundraiser for the Canadian Cancer Institute. As part, the Oilers had special nameplates above their lockers, with the words: “I play for,” followed by a blank. Kulak chose to dedicate the game to the memory of a late uncle. “Uncle Randy, he was my mom’s brother and he passed away to lung cancer when I was younger,” said Kulak, who was born and raised in Edmonton. “I forget what age I was when he passed away, I was pretty young. But I’ve still got some good memories of him. “One thing he always said was he was going to be my agent when I grew up and made the NHL, so that was kind of fun. I’m still sure in a way he’s up in heaven doing his job for me.” Kulak is holding up his end of the bargain, too, realizing his childhood dream of making the big league. And it certainly didn’t hurt having someone early on in the process think he could do it. “Definitely, it’s another stepping-stone along the way,” he said. “To see an adult that you look up to believe in you like that, it just kind of makes the dream feel a little more possible.”