Executive summary:

• US President Joe Biden described President-elect Donald Trump's tariff proposals as 'counterproductive' in ad hoc remarks to the press in Nantucket, Massachusetts.
• US retailers are using the risk of Trump’s proposed tariffs to promote sales, which, according to the National Retail Federation, could cost shoppers up to USD$78 billion in annual spending power.
• The Biden administration is pursuing an aggressive lame-duck strategy to insulate major policy items from cuts during the Trump administration, achieve foreign policy objectives, and confirm judicial branch nominees.
• News outlets continue to warn that the GOP’s razor-thin majority in the House of Representatives could impede Trump’s legislative agenda. Trump's agenda is also expected to face "a wall of legal challenges" from Democrat state officials.
• Trump's incoming National Security Advisor, said Trump's election marks a "step towards restoring deterrence" regarding Iran.
• President Biden said in a statement that the Department of Defense will continue weapons shipments to Ukraine during the lame-duck period.
• Increasingly hawkish rhetoric from Russian President Vladimir Putin could be a negotiating tool ahead of Trump's inauguration.
• Poll of the Day: Majorities of Americans expect Trump will fulfill his campaign promises.

Please find the full article attached below: US Daily Brief