Trump delivers Mar-a-Lago speech with Elon Musk and new HHS RFK Jr in attendance: Live updates

President-elect Donald Trump spoke publicly for the first time since winning the White House at the America First Policy Institute gala at Mar-A-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida on Thursday night.

Those in attendance included billionaire Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, who were recently named co-chairs of Trump’s new Department of Government Efficiency. While speaking, Trump announced that North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum will be his nominee to lead the Department of the Interior.

Matt Gaetz, Trump’s pick for attorney general, was also in attendance. Gaetz resigned from his seat representing Florida in the House in light of the news on Wednesday. This will effectively end the House Ethics probe into allegations of sexual misconduct and drug use made against him.

“I don’t think it’s a serious nomination for the attorney general,” Alaska Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski said.

Members of both parties have called for the House Ethics report to be released.

Trump also nominated former independent presidential candidate and anti-vaccine conspiracy theorist Robert F Kennedy Jr to lead the Department of Health and Human Services.

“For too long, Americans have been crushed by the industrial food complex and drug companies who have engaged in deception, misinformation, and disinformation when it comes to Public Health,” Trump said in statement.

Key Points

• Elon Musk, Vivek Ramaswamy and GOP allies attend Trump’s first post-victory speech

• Trump nominates RFK Jr as health secretary

• ‘We need to get access to everything’: Cornyn says he wants to see Gaetz ethics report

• Gaetz’s resignation from the House came two days before ‘highly damaging’ ethics report release

• Trump reportedly made AG pick without incoming chief of staff being aware

Sylvester Stallone calls Trump ‘the second George Washington’ in Mar-a-Lago warm-up speech

02:15 , Sam Rkaina

Sylvester Stallone has described Donald Trump as the “second George Washington” in a warm up speech for the President-elect at Mar-a-Lago.

The Hollywood heavyweight attended a black tie gala on Thursday to celebrate Trump’s election victory that was attended by many of his cabinet picks, including RFK Jr and Matt Gaetz.

“We’re in the presence of a really mythical character,” Stallone said, before adding that “nobody could have pulled off what Trump did”.

Continue reading:

Sylvester Stallone calls Trump ‘the second George Washington’ in Mar-a-Lago speech

Trump reflects on election in first post-victory public appearance

02:01 , Katie Hawkinson

Donald Trump reflected on the presidential election on Thursday night during his first public appearance since securing the White House last week.

“Nobody knew we were going to win it the way we won it,” Trump told attendees at the America First Policy Institute gala at Mar-A-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida.

“Also, Speaker Mike Johnson, wherever you may be, Mike, in this very big and crowded room, thank you, Mike,” Trump added. “I went yesterday, just in case, I said, ‘Look, I want to tell you, I’m behind this man 100%’ and he got 100% of the vote from Republicans.”

Johnson won the GOP nomination to remain speaker on Wednesday after Republicans officially secured their majority in the House.

Trump jokes about Elon Musk: ‘I can’t get him out of here’

01:55 , Katie Hawkinson

Donald Trump made a light jab at billionaire Elon Musk during a speech at Mar-a-Lago on Thursday night.

Musk, who Trump recently appointed to co-chair the new Department of Government Efficiency, has reportedly been a constant presence at his Mar-a-Lago estate over the last week.

“Elon, what a job, what a job he does,” Trump said. “He’s great, he happens to be a really good guy. You know, he likes this place. I can’t get him out of here. He just likes this place.”

Trump announces North Dakota governor will head Department of Interior

01:49 , Katie Hawkinson

President-elect Donald Trump says he will nominate North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum to lead the Department of the Interior.

The announcement came during Trump’s first post-victory speech at the America First Policy Institute gala at Mar-A-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida.

Sylvester Stallone introduces Donald Trump for his first post-election speech

01:46 , Katie Hawkinson

Actor Sylvester Stallone introduced Donald Trump for his first post-victory speech on Thursday night.

Trump thanked the Rambo actor as he took the stage: “He did a beautiful job.”

The president-elect also thanked actor John Voight, who was in attendance.

VOICES: Trump’s nomination of Maga firebrand Matt Gaetz puts US justice on trial

01:45 , Mary Dejevsky

During months of ferocious campaigning, Donald Trump’s friends and enemies agreed on one thing. That his second term, if it happened, would be more professional than the bruising chaos of his first.

But the nomination of Matt Gaetz for attorney general has left even some Trumpian loyalists open-mouthed. One senior Republican said she was shocked; “reckless” was another word used, with yet another suggesting that the nomination could not be serious.

So why is this such a controversial appointment, and what constraints might there be on the power of a president who has won not only the White House, but control – it is now confirmed – of both Houses of Congress? Where are those famed US constitutional checks and balances when you have a president like Trump?

Trump’s appointment of Maga firebrand Matt Gaetz puts US justice on trial

Who is attending Donald Trump’s first post-victory speech?

01:41 , Katie Hawkinson

Donald Trump is speaking for the first time since winning the White House last week at the America First Policy Institute gala at Mar-A-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida.

Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, who were recently named co-chairs of Trump’s new Department of Government Efficiency, both are in attendance.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Trump’s pick to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, is also in the crowd cheering on his ally.

Other GOP allies, including North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum and actor Sylvester Stallone, are also at tonight’s event.

Trump to speak in first post-election appearance

01:31 , Katie Hawkinson

Donald Trump is set to speak for the first time since winning the White House last week at the America First Policy Institute gala at Mar-A-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida.

Those in attendance include billionaire Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, who were recently named co-chairs of Trump’s new Department of Government Efficiency.

WATCH: Moment Matt Gaetz resignation is read out in House of Representatives

01:00 , Gustaf Kilander

Mayor of Chicago calls Trump ‘threat’ to Black families in direct message to President-elect

00:30 , Lucy Leeson

Mayor of Chicago Brandon Johnson called Donald Trump a “threat” to Black families in a direct message to the President-elect.

Mr Johnson made the claim in response to Trump’s plan to address illegal immigration.

Speaking at a press conference on 12 November, Mr Johnson said: “His threat is not just towards new arrivals and undocumented families. His threats are also against Black families.

“We’re going to protect undocumented individuals. We’re going to protect Black folks, Brown folks, Asian folks. The city of Chicago will be better, stronger and safer despite who’s in the White House.”

New York City is typically a blue Democrat haven. Except for these blocks where Trump’s MAGA red flies proudly

00:00 , Richard Hall, Alicja Hagopian

What do an Orthodox Jewish neighborhood in Brooklyn, the Italian south shore of Staten Island, and the western tip of the Rockaways have in common?

They are all neighborhoods in New York City where Donald Trump won by astronomical margins in the presidential election.

Although the city (and Manhattan in particular) still overwhelmingly votes for the Democrats, Trump increased his share of the vote in the five boroughs more than almost anywhere else in the country.

Inside the Trumpiest neighborhoods in NYC

‘We are not a serious country’: Congress in shock after Gaetz tapped as Trump’s attorney general

Thursday 14 November 2024 23:30 , Katie Hawkinson, Eric Garcia, Andrew Feinberg, Kelly Rissman

Donald Trump has tapped long-time ally Matt Gaetz for Attorney General, prompting concern and disdain among lawmakers and social media users on both sides of the aisle.

Gaetz served as a representative from Florida until he resigned from the House on Wednesday following Trump’s announcement. The president-elect’s nomination of Gaetz comes after the 42-year-old and his associates were at the center of a sex trafficking investigation carried out by current Attorney General Merrick Garland.

Gaetz was ultimately never charged with a crime but remained the subject of a House Ethics Committee investigation regarding, among other claims, allegations of sexual misconduct. However, the committee’s investigation is now over following Gaetz’s resignation, which Speaker of the House Mike Johnson said was effective immediately.

Republicans and Democrats in shock after Gaetz tapped as Trump’s attorney general

Who is Pete Hegseth? The Fox News anchor turned nominee for Defense secretary

Thursday 14 November 2024 23:00 , Amber Raiken

Pete Hegseth has been nominated for Secretary of Defense under President-elect Donald Trump – but who is the relative unknown to the DC sphere?

Hegseth’s most recent role was as a host on Fox and Friends morning show. That is where most of America knows him from, but he is also an author, husband, and dad and even found viral fame – though it landed him in legal hot water.

Hegseth is also a military veteran, earning the rank of major in the Army while serving in the Minnesota National Guard. He served in both the Iraq War and the War in Afghanistan. He earned numerous medals. After he left the military, he served as executive director of the political groups Vets for Freedom and Concerned Vets for America while he made appearances on TV as a political commentator.

Who is Pete Hegseth? The Fox News anchor turned nominee for Defense secretary

Gabbard says she anticipated ‘resistance to change from the swamp’

Thursday 14 November 2024 22:45 , Gustaf Kilander

Tulsi Gabbard, Trump’s nominee to be the next director of national intelligence, appeared on Fox News, saying that “of course, there’s going to be resistance to change from the swamp in Washington.”

Watch Alex Jones rant about ‘deep state’ after The Onion takes over Infowars

Thursday 14 November 2024 22:30 , Lucy Leeson

Alex Jones has hit out at “Connecticut Democrats” The Onion after the satirical newspaper acquired Infowars and its associated intellectual property.

Jones was ordered to pay $1.5 billion to the families of Sandy Hook victims over his repeated false claims that the 2012 massacre of children at Sandy Hook Elementary School was a hoax.

In September, a Texas judge ruled that Jones’ assets, including the Infowars properties, could be auctioned off in order to pay the penalties he owed.

Jones took to X, formerly Twitter, on Thursday (14 November) to share his disgust, stating: “We are not going to be silenced.”

RFK Jr and Trump are mulling banning fluoride from drinking water. Here’s what the mineral actually does

Thursday 14 November 2024 22:15 , Julia Musto

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has said that a second Trump administration would advise the nation to remove fluoride from public water supplies.

“Fluoride is an industrial waste associated with arthritis, bone fractures, bone cancer, IQ loss, neurodevelopmental disorders, and thyroid disease,” Kennedy claimed.

He recently wrote that former President Donald Trump and his wife, Melania, want to “Make America Healthy Again,” also sharing a link regarding a recent court ruling that found the mineral poses enough risk to be further regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency.

RFK Jr, Trump are mulling banning fluoride from drinking water. Here’s what it does

VOICES: Could Zelensky really go nuclear and build a ‘dirty bomb’ if Trump ends US support of Ukraine?

Thursday 14 November 2024 22:00 , Mark Almond

Two years ago, as the Russian army was retreating back from north-east Ukraine, there were serious worries that Vladimir Putin would use tactical nuclear weapons to block the Ukrainian advance. In September, 2022, Liz Truss is reported to have spent her last days in No 10 pouring over maps of potential fall-out zones affecting this country.

Although Putin has rattled his nuclear sabres several times since, he’s confined himself to launching horrific sub-nuclear thermobaric bombs amid his swarms of rockets and drones striking Ukrainian cities.

But the threat of the war turning nuclear has raised its head again – this time from Kyiv, rather than the Kremlin.

Could Zelensky really go nuclear and build a ‘dirty bomb’?

Report: Musk met with Iran’s UN Ambassador

Thursday 14 November 2024 21:54 , Gustaf Kilander

Elon Musk met with Iran’s ambassador to the UN on Monday in New York, according to The New York Times.

Two Iranian officials said the meeting was intended to be a discussion about how to lower tensions between Iran and the US.

They told the paper that the meeting with Amir Saeid Iravani lasted for more than an hour and was conducted at a secret location.

The Iranian officials described the development as “positive” and “good news.”

Shares in vaccine makers drop after Trump announces RFK Jr to lead HHS

Thursday 14 November 2024 21:48 , Gustaf Kilander

Shares of vaccine makers Moderna, Pfizer, and Novavax plummeted after Trump announced that he would nominate anti-vaccine conspiracy theorist Robert F Kennedy Jr to be health secretary, according to Bloomberg.

“The Safety and Health of all Americans is the most important role of any Administration, and HHS will play a big role in helping ensure that everybody will be protected from harmful chemicals, pollutants, pesticides, pharmaceutical products, and food additives that have contributed to the overwhelming Health Crisis in this Country,” Trump said in a statement announcing his pick.

RFK Jr picked to lead health agencies. Doctors warned it could trigger disease outbreaks

Thursday 14 November 2024 21:45 , Alex Woodward

Rates of routine vaccinations among children are dropping, the percentage of children who are exempted from vaccine requirements is at an all-time high and cases of measles are being reported across the country.

And it could soon get worse.

Doctors are now bracing for a future under president-elect Donald Trump’s and his administration. On November 14, Trump announced RFK Jr. as his pick to lead the Department of Health and Human Services.

Kennedy, the former independent presidential candidate who bowed out of the race to endorse Trump, does not have a medical background, but his anti-vaccine Children’s Health Defense group and focus on chronic disease and chemicals in food — and promotion of misinformation and conspiracy theories — have drawn him enormous scrutiny and endorsements.

RFK Jr picked for health role. Doctors warned it could trigger disease outbreaks

Report: Woman testified to House Ethics panel that Gaetz had sex with her when she was 17

Thursday 14 November 2024 21:33 , Gustaf Kilander

The woman in the middle of the DoJ investigation into allegations of sex trafficking against Matt Gaetz testified in front of the House Ethics Committee that the former Florida congressman had sex with her when she was 17 years old, according to ABC News.

Trump announced on Wednesday that he would nominate Gaetz to be his attorney general.

The DoJ investigation ended last year without charges against the 42-year-old, who has rejected the allegations.

Matt Gaetz’s constant defense of Trump made him a pariah in the House. It is what landed him the AG nod

Thursday 14 November 2024 21:30 , Gustaf Kilander

President-elect Donald Trump has tapped former Florida Congressman Matt Gaetz to be his next attorney general.

The rightwing political bomb-thrower resigned from Congress on Wednesday, shortly before an Ethics Committee investigation was set to be released into his alleged drug use and sex with a minor, allegations Gaetz has rejected.

Trump was looking for someone who filled all of his requirements for what is likely to become the most important role following his own in the next administration. Gaetz is a loyal supporter and attack dog for the former president and much like Trump himself, he has been under federal investigation. The former congressman came out unscathed after a federal sex crime investigation, which he referred to as a product of the “deep state.”

How Matt Gaetz moved to the front of the line for America’s top lawyer

Transition co-chair said before election RFK Jr would not be HHS Secretary

Thursday 14 November 2024 21:20 , Gustaf Kilander

As Trump nominated RFK Jr to lead HHS, CNN’s Kaitlan Collins noted on X that transition co-chair Howard Lutnick said before the election that the anti-vaccine conspiracy theorist would not be in charge of the department.

Trump nominates RFK Jr as health secretary

Thursday 14 November 2024 21:19 , Gustaf Kilander

Donald Trump announced on Thursday that anti-vaccine conspiracy theorist Robert F Kennedy Jr will be his nominee to lead the Department of Health and Human Services.

I am thrilled to announce Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as The United States Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS).

For too long, Americans have been crushed by the industrial food complex and drug companies who have engaged in deception, misinformation, and disinformation when it comes to Public Health.

The Safety and Health of all Americans is the most important role of any Administration, and HHS will play a big role in helping ensure that everybody will be protected from harmful chemicals, pollutants, pesticides, pharmaceutical products, and food additives that have contributed to the overwhelming Health Crisis in this Country.

Mr. Kennedy will restore these Agencies to the traditions of Gold Standard Scientific Research, and beacons of Transparency, to end the Chronic Disease epidemic, and to Make America Great and Healthy Again!

Donald Trump

RFK Jr to be nominated as Health Secretary, Donald Trump Jr confirms

Thursday 14 November 2024 21:14 , Gustaf Kilander

Donald Trump Jr confirmed reports on Thursday that Robert F Kennedy Jr will be nominated to lead the Department of Health and Human Services.

Trump picks RFK Jr to lead Health and Human Services as they vow to make America healthy

Thursday 14 November 2024 21:10 , John Bowden

Donald Trump will nominate vaccine skeptic and conspiracy-spreader Robert F Kennedy Jr to lead America’s largest public health body, the Department of Health and Human Services.

Politico first reported the nomination on Thursday shortly followed by CNN; it was not something that came as a surprise, as Trump’s own press secretary Karoline Leavitt had referred to RFK Jr as qualified and mentioned him as someone who would likely be nominated to join the incoming administration in a Fox News interview the same day.

Of course, the head of Donald Trump’s White House transition team — the man supposedly leading the staff search for the incoming president — had assured CNN as recently as October 30 that RFK Jr would specifically not be nominated to lead HHS.

But Thursday’s news would be in line with reporting from The Independent and other outlets pointing to one reality: the breakneck pace at which these decisions are being made by Trump himself, in some cases while his top staff are not part of the conversation.

Trump picks RFK Jr to lead Health and Human Services: report

Former Ethics Committee counsel calls for release of Gaetz report

Thursday 14 November 2024 20:50 , Gustaf Kilander

The Chief Counsel of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, Donald Sherman, wrote in a letter to the chairman and ranking member of the House Ethics Committee that they must release the report into allegations against attorney general nominee Matt Gaetz.

“While Mr. Gaetz can no longer be sanctioned by the Committee or the House, nothing in Committee or House rules bars the Committee from sharing its report, findings and exhibits with the public,” the former House Ethics Committee counsel wrote in a letter.

Report: Gorka and Anton possible picks for deputy national advisor

Thursday 14 November 2024 20:46 , Gustaf Kilander

Trump advisors Sebastian Gorka and Michael Anton are both possible picks to serve as deputy national security advisor, according to Politico.

The president-elect has already announced that Florida Rep Michael Walz, a former Green Beret, will serve as his national security advisor.

Both Anton and Gorka would be controversial picks with some pushback to be expected.

Report: Trump expected to nominate RFK Jr to lead Health Department

Thursday 14 November 2024 20:39 , Gustaf Kilander

Trump is expected to nominate former independent presidential candidate and anti-vaccine conspiracy theorist Robert F Kennedy Jr to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, Politico reported.

In his victory speech on election night, Trump said: “He’s going to help make America healthy again … He wants to do some things, and we’re going to let him get to it.”

“Go have a good time, Bobby,” he added.

Tulsi Gabbard claimed she was on a terrorist watchlist. She’s now set to lead America’s spy network

Thursday 14 November 2024 20:30 , Gustaf Kilander

President-elect Donald Trump’s pick to be the director of national intelligence has stunned the intelligence community she’s set to lead.

Tulsi Gabbard, a Democratic congresswoman from Hawaii until 2021 and a candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2020, has no formal intelligence experience and she has claimed that she’s on a terror watchlist.

Gabbard announced at a Trump rally last month that she was joining the Republican Party and in September, she said in a video shared on X that she and her husband had been flagged as a “domestic terror threat” in July which she blamed on her rightward shift.

Tulsi Gabbard claimed she was on a terrorist watchlist. She’s now set to be the DNI

JP Morgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon won’t be joining Trump admin

Thursday 14 November 2024 20:21 , Gustaf Kilander

Donald Trump announced on Thursday that JP Morgan Chase CEO will not be joining his administration.

“I respect Jamie Dimon, of JPMorgan Chase, greatly, but he will not be invited to be a part of the Trump Administration. I thank Jamie for his outstanding service to our Country!” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

Sadiq Khan: Donald Trump targeted me because of my skin colour

Thursday 14 November 2024 20:10 , Millie Cooke

Sadiq Khan has taken aim once again at Donald Trump, saying his policies are “sexist, homophobic, Islamophobic and racist”.

The London mayor had a long-running row with Mr Trump during his first term in the White House, which began after Mr Khan criticised the president’s pledge to ban Muslims from the US, describing the policy as “ignorant”.

During his first term in office, Mr Trump described the mayor as “a stone-cold loser” and “very dumb”.

Sadiq Khan: Donald Trump targeted me because of my skin colour

Who is Matt Gaetz? From sex-trafficking allegations to public spats, the AG nominee is no stranger to controversy

Thursday 14 November 2024 19:50 , Josh Marcus

Donald Trump has announced he’s going to nominate former Florida Republican congressman Matt Gaetz to serve as attorney general.

In a statement, the president-elect praised Gaetz, 42, who has frequently defended Trump and criticized the various criminal and congressional probes against the Republican.

“On the House Judiciary Committee, which performs oversight of DOJ, Matt played a key role in defeating the Russia, Russia, Russia Hoax, and exposing alarming and systemic Government Corruption and Weaponization,” Trump wrote on Wednesday, calling Gaetz a “Champion for the Constitution and the Rule of Law.”

Gaetz has faced multiple allegations of wrongdoing of his own, including a federal sex trafficking probe that ended without charges against him and a House ethics inquiry.

Here’s what you need to know about Gaetz, who was once dubbed the “Trumpiest Congressman” in Washington:

Who is Matt Gaetz? The Attorney General nominee who is no stranger to controversy

Republican senator emphasizes ‘weaponization’ of DoJ when asked about Gaetz allegations

Thursday 14 November 2024 19:30 , Gustaf Kilander

Sen Bill Hagerty of Tennessee told Andrea Mitchell of MSNBC, “It’s amazing that you are more upset about allegations than you are about the weaponization” of the Department of Justice when asked about the litany of personal allegations against Attorney General nominee Matt Gaetz.

Former Trump White House comms director: ‘The crazy cabinet picks with focus on revenge are a distraction’

Thursday 14 November 2024 19:10 , Gustaf Kilander

Former Trump White House Communications Director Alyssa Farah Griffin wrote on X that she hopes “those around Trump will try to keep him focused on what the American public voted for him to do: bring down the cost of living and secure the border.”

“The crazy cabinet picks with focus on revenge are a distraction from what Trump was hired to do and is best at,” she added.

GOP senator holds up image of trans assistant HHS secretary when asked about Gaetz

Thursday 14 November 2024 18:50 , Gustaf Kilander

Trial of accused Jan 6 rioter delayed amid wait for Trump pardon

Thursday 14 November 2024 18:30 , Gustaf Kilander

The trial of a January 6 rioter has been delayed as a federal judge in Washington awaits possible pardons from President-elect Donald Trump.

Judge Rudolph Contreras agreed to delay the trial of 38-year-old Kansas State University doctoral student William Pope, who stands accused of attacking the US Capitol on January 6, 2021.

Pope has argued the trial could be moot as he expects to be pardoned.

It appeared to be the first time that a jurist has delayed a trial after a request from a defendant expecting to be pardoned, according to The New York Times.

Trump reportedly made AG pick without incoming chief of staff being aware

Thursday 14 November 2024 18:10 , Gustaf Kilander

‘We need to get access to everything’: Cornyn says he wants to see Gaetz ethics report

Thursday 14 November 2024 17:50 , Gustaf Kilander

Texas Senator John Cornyn, a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, has said that he wants to see the House Ethics Committee report into AG nominee Matt Gaetz.

“I can’t understand any situation under which we would deny ourselves access to full and complete information,” Cornyn said, according to Punchbowl. “Part of this is not only to determine fitness for the nominee, it’s also to protect the president. Because there may be information that the investigation would find forthcoming that would ultimately be an embarrassment to the president. So this is for all of the above reasons, we need to get access to everything.”

CNN’s Jake Tapper’s shares five words he ‘never contemplated using’ to describe Trump’s shock cabinet pick

Thursday 14 November 2024 17:30 , Mike Bedigan

CNN anchor Jake Tapper was among those to express his shock at some of the picks for Donald Trump’s coming administration, describing the top item as words he had “never contemplated using before.”

Tapper’s disbelief shone through as he kicked off Wednesday’s episode of The Lead With Jake Tapper, highlighting one of the more controversial selections by the President-elect.

“Welcome to The Lead, I’m Jake Tapper,” he said. “Let me begin the show by uttering some words that I never contemplated using together before. And those words are: U.S. Attorney General Matt Gaetz.”

CNN’s Jake Tapper shares disbelief over Trump’s shock cabinet pick

Secret Service agent fired for taking lover to Obamas’ Hawaii home and suggesting tryst in Michelle’s bathroom

Thursday 14 November 2024 17:10 , Rhian Lubin

A Secret Service agent assigned to Barack Obama’s detail has been fired for allegedly inviting his girlfriend to the former president’s Hawaii beach house and suggesting they have sex in Michelle Obama’s bathroom.

Koryeah Dwanyen, the girlfriend of the unnamed security official known only as “Dale”, detailed the incident in her self-published memoir, Undercover Heartbreak: a Memoir of Trust and Trauma.

According to the exposé, the agent sent Dwanyen “several photographs” of the former first family’s sprawling beachfront mansion, a week before inviting her over to the property on November 6 2022 while they were away.

James Liddell reports.

Secret Service agent fired for taking lover to Obamas’ Hawaii beach home

Gaetz AG nomination continues to shock Republicans and Democrats

Thursday 14 November 2024 16:50 , Rhian Lubin

Gaetz’s nomination to be Trump’s attorney general continues to stun Republicans and Democrats.

Florida Democratic Party Chair Nikki Fried called Gaetz’s nomination a “living nightmare.”

“Donald Trump is raiding our state for any Florida Man loyal to him, no matter how incompetent, unqualified, or extreme they may be,” Fried said in a statement. “Tapping Marco Rubio as Secretary of State and Mike Waltz as National Security Advisor is a serious cause for concern, but nominating Matt Gaetz as Attorney General is beyond catastrophic for the country.”

Former GOP Representative Joe Walsh of Illinois told The Independent that “no one should be surprised” by Gaetz’s nomination.

“F*** ‘em,” Walsh said. “This is what America voted for.”

“Are you s****ing me?” Republican Representative Mike Simpson told The Hill when they informed him of the news.

Republican Senator Thom Tillis also told reporters on Capitol Hill: “I’m sure it’ll make for a popcorn-eating confirmation.”

Read more about the reaction below.

Republicans and Democrats in shock after Gaetz tapped as Trump’s attorney general

Gaetz’s resignation from the House came two days before ‘highly damaging’ ethics report release

Thursday 14 November 2024 16:30 , Rhian Lubin

Matt Gaetz resigned from the House on Wednesday after Donald Trump tapped him for attorney general – and, according to new reports, two days before a “highly damaging’ ethics report on his conduct was set to be released.

Trump announced on Wednesday that the Florida lawmaker, a staunch ally, will be his nominee for Attorney General when he takes office in January.

Gaetz and his associates were at the center of a sex trafficking investigation carried out by current Attorney General Merrick Garland.

The former Florida lawmaker was ultimately never charged with a crime but remained the subject of a House Ethics Committee investigation regarding allegations of sexual misconduct and drug use.

The 42-year-old has denied all wrongdoing, and his resignation effectively ends their probe as he is no longer under their jurisdiction.

But, Gaetz’s resignation comes two days before the House Ethics committee was set to release a “highly damaging” report regarding their investigation, Punchbowl News reports.

More details from Katie Hawkinson.

Matt Gaetz resigns days before ‘highly damaging’ ethics report, report says

NEW: Republican Senator ‘absolutely’ wants to review unreleased ethics report into Gaetz

Thursday 14 November 2024 16:10 , Rhian Lubin

Republican U.S. Senator John Cornyn – who was in the running for Senate Majority leader – told reporters today that he “absolutely” wants to review an unreleased congressional ethics report on Matt Gaetz, Donald Trump’s nominee for attorney general, according to Reuters news agency.

The president-elect’s nomination of Gaetz comes after the 42-year-old and his associates were at the center of a sex trafficking investigation carried out by current Attorney General Merrick Garland.

Gaetz was ultimately never charged with a crime but remained the subject of a House Ethics Committee investigation regarding, among other claims, allegations of sexual misconduct.

However, the committee’s investigation is now over following Gaetz’s resignation, which Speaker of the House Mike Johnson said was effective immediately.

Satirical news publication The Onion buys conspiracy site Infowars at bankruptcy auction

Thursday 14 November 2024 15:50 , Rhian Lubin

The satirical news publication The Onion won the bidding for Alex Jones’ Infowars at a bankruptcy auction, backed by families of Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting victims whom Jones owes more than $1 billion in defamation judgments for calling the massacre a hoax.

“The dissolution of Alex Jones’ assets and the death of Infowars is the justice we have long awaited and fought for,” Robbie Parker, whose daughter Emilie was killed in the 2012 shooting in Connecticut, said in a statement provided by his lawyers.

The Onion acquired the conspiracy theory platform’s website; social media accounts; studio in Austin, Texas; trademarks; and video archive. The sale price was not immediately disclosed. The Onion said its “exclusive launch advertiser” will be the gun violence prevention organization Everytown for Gun Safety.

Jones confirmed the news in a social media post on X.

Read more.

No foolin’: The Onion buys Alex Jones’ Infowars site at auction

John Bolton gives damning assessment of Trump’s cabinet picks

Thursday 14 November 2024 15:30 , Rhian Lubin

Donald Trump’s former National Security Advisor gave a damning assessment of picks for the president-elect’s new cabinet.

The president-elect has already demonstrated his willingness to appoint his cheerleaders to top positions, including Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, who were recently named as the joint heads of the new Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).

Other eye-brow-raising picks include Fox News host Pete Hegseth as defense secretary.

During an interview with CNN, Bolton was asked about those selected by the President-elect so far.

“I do think there’s a group of people who think that they are going to be able to screen out people, not on the basis of philosophy so much as on their attitude toward the president,” he said.

Mike Bedigan reports.

John Bolton sums up Trump’s ideal cabinet picks in one damning word

Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency faces roadblocks

Thursday 14 November 2024 15:10 , Rhian Lubin

Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy’s newly-formed Department of Government Efficiency might not be as plain sailing as they would hope.

Their plans to slash government spending and restructure federal agencies face roadblocks, experts have said.

Ramaswamy once said he had plans to cut the federal workforce by 75 percent on “day one,” while Musk has called for a 33 percent cut in federal spending.

Justin Schnitzer, a federal employment attorney, cautions that it won’t happen on day one.

“The maximalist numbers like 75 percent are unlikely to happen at all,” he said.

“Firings on this scale would bring government services across the country to a screeching halt, which would be unpopular with voters across the spectrum. Additionally, federal employees have rights and unjustified mass firings will result in justified mass appeals.”

Meanwhile, Douglas Holtz-Eakin, president of American Action Forum, told the Hill: “There’s the executive branch that might be in their way. The Congress might be in their way. The Constitution is a bit of an obstacle.”

“Other than that, clear sailing.”

Law expert says Gaetz confirmation as AG will be a ‘monumental challenge’

Thursday 14 November 2024 14:50 , Rhian Lubin

A law professor says Gaetz faces a “monumental challenge” to get confirmed as attorney general.

“If Trump wanted to defibrillate the Justice Department, the Matt Gaetz nomination is the 100,000-volt option,” Jonathan Turley, a law professor at George Washington University, said in a post on X.

“Just a day after the announcement, this is shaping up as one of the most intense confirmation fights in congressional history,” he added.

Has Elon Musk outstayed his welcome at Mar-a-Lago?

Thursday 14 November 2024 14:30 , Rhian Lubin

Melania Trump is enjoying Elon Musk’s sudden constant presence around Mar-a-Lago, despite her husband Donald Trump teasing that the billionaire has overstayed his welcome, according to a source.

The president-elect and the tech billionaire have become somewhat inseparable since Trump was re-elected to the White House last week, with Musk now a fixture at his Palm Beach residence.

While some Trumpworld insiders are said to be rattled by this sudden closeness, a source told Page Six that the incoming first lady is a big fan of Trump’s self-styled “First Buddy” and likes him being around.

It comes as Trump reportedly said: “Elon won’t go home. I can’t get rid of him – at least until I don’t like him.”

James Liddell has more.

Melania Trump’s thoughts on ‘First Buddy’ Elon Musk revealed

Alina Habba pours cold water on Trump press secretary rumors

Thursday 14 November 2024 14:10 , Rhian Lubin

Alina Habba, a lawyer who represented Donald Trump in a series of high-profile cases, has confirmed she will not be his White House Press Secretary despite reports she was the possible front-runner.

Panic at the DOJ

Thursday 14 November 2024 13:50 , Rhian Lubin

Panic had already set in at the Department of Justice prior to Matt Gaetz’s nomination to head up the agency.

Lawyers are considering fleeing the agency before Trump loyalists take over and execute his vision, according to reports.

Now the panic has gone into overdrive.

“This is completely wild. It’s so out of bounds, it’s just shocking,” one DOJ lawyer told Politico. “He’s there for one purpose: to enact retribution. I’m pretty sure he doesn’t have a grand vision about the future of the department. I can’t imagine how this isn’t going to scare people even more.”

Donald Trump’s scorn for the DOJ has only grown over the last four years as he became the subject of two criminal prosecutions, and he has previously talked of transforming the agency.

“Everyone I’ve talked to, mostly lawyers, are losing their minds,” one DOJ attorney previously said.

Harris campaign aide reveals real reason why she didn’t appear on Joe Rogan podcast

Thursday 14 November 2024 13:30 , Rhian Lubin

One of Kamala Harris’s campaign aides has shed light on the real reason why the vice president didn’t end up appearing on Joe Rogan’s podcast.

Harris’s team was in talks for her to appear on the most popular podcast in America, but the sitdown ultimately failed to materialize.

Rogan has since claimed that a series of demands from the campaign was the reason why it didn’t go ahead.

Read the full story here.

Harris aide reveals real reason Joe Rogan podcast interview never materialized

Explainer: Will Matt Gaetz pass the Senate nomination process – or does he not need to?

Thursday 14 November 2024 13:10 , Rhian Lubin

Donald Trump’s nomination of Matt Gaetz for attorney general has stunned many in the Republican party.

If Trump gets his way, the former Florida representative will become the top law enforcement officer in the United States – a position that the president-elect could utilize to seek revenge on his opponents and enemies.

Even though Republicans have clinched a majority in the Senate, given the strong reaction to Gaetz’s potential appointment, it is not guaranteed he will be confirmed as attorney general.

There are two possible options for what could happen next…

Read on.

Will Matt Gaetz pass the Senate nomination process – or does he not need to?

WATCH: Donald Trump’s four-word boast to House Republicans

Thursday 14 November 2024 12:50 , Rhian Lubin

Donald Trump issued a four-word boast to House Republicans in his first visit to Washington since his election victory.

He was introduced as the come-back King by Speaker of the House Mike Johnson on Wednesday, November 13 after meeting with President Joe Biden at the White House earlier in the day.

Jesse Watters brags about Trump administration connections

Thursday 14 November 2024 12:30 , Rhian Lubin

Fox News host Jesse Watters appeared to say the quiet part out loud as he admitted that he will be asking the Trump administration for “special favors.”

On Jesse Watters Primetime on Wednesday night, the conservative media pundit and staunch Donald Trump supporter celebrated the president-elect’s latest picks for jobs in his second term, including the controversial choices of Tulsi Gabbard for director of national intelligence and Matt Gaetz for attorney general.

Watters boasted of his ties to some of those headed for the most powerful jobs in government, with his former Fox News colleague Pete Hegseth tapped to become Trump’s future defense secretary.

James Liddell reports.

Fox News’s Jesse Watters says the quiet part out loud about Trump’s administration

More Republican reaction to Matt Gaetz AG nomination

Thursday 14 November 2024 12:10 , Rhian Lubin

A number of Republicans have spoken of their shock at Trump’s nomination of Matt Gaetz for AG.

Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska said she doesn’t think Gaetz is “a serious nomination for the attorney general,” while Senator Susan Collins of Maine told reporters she was “shocked” by the choice.

Ohio Representative Max Miller went as far as to say that Gaetz “has a zero percent shot of getting through the Senate,” Politico reports.

Another Republican representative told the outlet that the choice is “an obvious throwaway nomination that has no chance in the Senate.”

And North Carolina Senator Thom Tillis said Gaetz has “probably got some work cut out for him.”

ICYMI: Rudy Giuliani’s lawyers abruptly quit defamation case

Thursday 14 November 2024 11:50 , Rhian Lubin

Meanwhile, things aren’t looking so good for Trump’s former attorney Rudy Giuliani, whose lawyers have abruptly quit representing him in his defamation case.

They have withdrawn after attorneys for the women Giuliani defamed accused the disgraced former New York City mayor of hiding property he has been ordered to turn over.

Giuliani’s lead counsel Kenneth Caruso and attorney David Labkowski filed a motion in federal court in New York on Wednesday citing several reasons for their withdrawal, pointing to a “fundamental disagreement” with Donald Trump’s former attorney.

Alex Woodward has the story.

Rudy Giuliani’s lawyers abruptly quit defamation case

Congresswoman and former CIA case officer slams Tulsi Gabbard intelligence nomination

Thursday 14 November 2024 11:30 , Rhian Lubin

Congresswoman Abigail Spanberger of Virginia has weighed in on Tulsi Gabbard’s nomination as Trump’s director of national intelligence.

The Democrat said she is “deeply concerned” about what the appointment means for national security.

Senator Tommy Tuberville threatens Republicans who might vote against Gaetz for Trump’s attorney general

Thursday 14 November 2024 11:10 , Rhian Lubin

Republican Senator Tommy Tuberville has already fired warning shots at any Republicans who might vote against Matt Gaetz becoming Donald Trump’s incoming attorney general.

Speaking to Fox Business on Wednesday after the president-elect announced his controversial decision, the Alabama senator threatened to boot party members from the upper chamber if they oppose the former Florida representative’s nomination.

Alarm bells rang for a swathe of congressional Republicans on Wednesday when Trump announced he had picked Gaetz to become the nation’s top law enforcement officer and head up the Department of Justice.

James Liddell and Alex Woodward report.

Tuberville threatens Republicans who might vote against Gaetz for Trump’s AG

RECAP: Who is in Trump’s Cabinet so far?

Thursday 14 November 2024 10:50 , Rhian Lubin

So far there is the MAGA ally, the Fox News host, and the ex-Democrat.

President-elect Donald Trump is filling key posts in his second administration, putting an emphasis so far on aides and allies who were his strongest backers during the 2024 campaign.

Thomas Beaumont and Ariana Baio have the rundown of all the nominees so far.

Who’s in Trump’s Cabinet so far? The MAGA ally, the ice maiden and the Fox News host

Senator Tammy Duckworth, who served in Iraq, slams Pete Hegseth as defense secretary

Thursday 14 November 2024 10:30 , Rhian Lubin

Senator Tammy Duckworth of Illinois has slammed Trump’s choice of Pete Hegseth as his next defense secretary and called out his comments that women shouldn’t serve in combat roles.

Duckworth, who lost both her legs in Iraq in 2004, shared her views with CNN’s Kaitlin Collins.