American diplomat
Former diplomat and politician, Max Baucus served as a Democratic Senator from Montana from 1978-2014 and a US Ambassador to China from 2016-2017.
PROFILE
Max Baucus
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FROM Max Baucus
To the Point
Is Xi Jinping set to be the world's most powerful man? Mao Zedong, the founder of Communist China almost destroyed the country with one-man rule. After that, there was government by a consensus of leaders, until Deng Xiaoping became first among many. This week, President Xi Jinping was elevated to similar status -- with his name in the Constitution like Mao's and Deng's. In an address to the Party Congress, Xi cautioned, "We must continue to rid ourselves of any virus that erodes the party's fabric Make great efforts to foster a healthy political environment of integrity and generate waves of positive energy throughout the party." China's President Xi Jinping waves after addressing the a meeting with the media at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China October 25, 2017. What will President Trump need to know when he goes there next week? We speak with Max Baucus, the former US senator who became Barack Obama's Ambassador to China.
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Heading for the fire exit Thousands of Californians are spending the holidays deciding what to do next after devastating wildfires. The Camp Fire – in northern California – took out nearly an entire town, killing at least 86 people. And the Woolsey Fire, closer to home, left 3 people dead, chewing through nearly 100,000 acres in L.A. and Ventura Counties. Ken Pimlott knows those names all too well. He heads up the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, and today is his last day on the job.
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Lessons on rebuilding after the Woolsey and Thomas Fires Monique Quigley’s Christmas this year won’t be like any she’s ever had. Her home in Malibou Lake burned down in the Woolsey Fire last month. She lost nearly everything, including her house.
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A call to prepare for the next natural disaster A local environmentalist says we should spend more time and money preparing for natural disasters than responding to them. A Ventura resident who lost his home in the Thomas Fire says rebuilding is taking longer than he’d hoped. Local animal shelters are becoming critical evacuation centers. And California counties must now hold public meetings on their relationship with federal immigration agents.