10 things you need to know today: November 21, 2016

Trump meets with top potential cabinet picks, Germany's Merkel says she'll run for a fourth term, and more

Donald Trump speaks with James Mattis in New Jersey
(Image credit: Getty Images)

1. Trump praises general under consideration for defense secretary

President-elect Donald Trump praised retired Marine Corps general James Mattis on Sunday, calling him "a true general's general" and hinting strongly that he might pick Mattis to be his secretary of defense. A day after meeting with Mattis, Trump tweeted: "General James 'Mad Dog' Mattis, who is being considered for Secretary of Defense, was very impressive yesterday." Mattis was a combat commander in Afghanistan and Iraq, where he was praised for his role in the battle of Fallujah. He considers Iran to be "the single most enduring threat" to peace in the Middle East. Mattis only retired in 2013, so for him to be confirmed, Congress would have to waive a rule requiring officers to wait seven years before taking on a civilian government role.

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Harold Maass, The Week US

Harold Maass is a contributing editor at The Week. He has been writing for The Week since the 2001 debut of the U.S. print edition and served as editor of TheWeek.com when it launched in 2008. Harold started his career as a newspaper reporter in South Florida and Haiti. He has previously worked for a variety of news outlets, including The Miami Herald, ABC News and Fox News, and for several years wrote a daily roundup of financial news for The Week and Yahoo Finance.