Trump formally secures Electoral College win as his nominees push for Senate support: Live updates

Donald Trump has formally won the Electoral College and the presidency after Texas’ electors handed him the state’s 40 electoral votes Tuesday.

After Trump’s election win on November 5, his victory was formalized Tuesday as presidential electors gathered across the U.S.

It takes 270 electoral votes to win the Electoral College — Trump won 312 last month to Vice President Kamala Harris’s 226.

Thirteen of the electors are Republicans who took part in the fake electors plot in 2020, and some of them face criminal charges.

This comes as Trump’s choices for his cabinet head to Capitol Hill to meet with senators ahead of their confirmation hearings. HHS secretary nominee Robert F Kennedy Jr. and the nominee to serve as the director of national intelligence, former Democratic Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, headed to the hill Tuesday to drum up support for their respective nominations.

Meanwhile, Trump has lost his latest bid to throw out his New York hush money conviction, with the judge overseeing the case rejecting his attorneys’ conjecture that he is protected by “presidential immunity”.

The president-elect appears likely to enter the White House as a convicted felon, though it remains unclear when, or if, the justice will continue to postpone a sentencing date.

Key Points

• Donald Trump loses latest bid to throw out hush money case on ‘presidential immunity’ grounds

• Trump sues Des Moines Register and top pollster for survey released the day before the election

• Trump formally clinches presidency with Electoral College win

• Congressional Republicans say government funding deal reached, report says

Pennsylvania state senator mistakes Star Wars prop for drone

21:00 , Gustaf Kilander

Trump formally clinches presidency with Electoral College win

20:55 , Gustaf Kilander

Donald Trump has formally won the Electoral College and the presidency after Texas’ electors handed him the state’s 40 electoral votes Tuesday.

After Trump’s election win on November 5, his victory was formalized Tuesday as presidential electors gathered across the U.S.

It takes 270 electoral votes to win the Electoral College — Trump won 312 last month to Vice President Kamala Harris’s 226.

The votes of each state will be sent on to Congress next month, where Trump and Vice President-elect J.D. Vance will be declared the next president and vice president before they take office at noon on January 20.

Senators warn that Pete Hegseth’s hearings will echo Brett Kavanaugh’s with fervor from both sides

20:30 , Gustaf Kilander

Senate Republicans fear that the confirmation hearings for secretary of defense nominee Pete Hegseth will be a repeat of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s heated 2018 hearings.

Both Kavanaugh and Hegseth have been accused of sexual misconduct and have rejected the allegations. Hegseth’s plan to release his accuser from a nondisclosure agreement is setting up the hearing to be filled with tension and fervor from both Democrats and Republicans.

Hegseth is set to push ahead with his nomination despite warnings from Senate Republicans that he’s likely to face a frenzy of uncomfortable questions about the sexual misconduct allegations and the claims against him of excessive drinking and financial mismanagement.

Read more:

Senators warn that Pete Hegseth’s hearings will echo Brett Kavanaugh’s

Trump insiders reveal candid details about Melania and Barron’s relationship

20:00 , Ariana Baio

Incoming First Lady Melania Trump is devoted to ensuring her 18-year-old son, Barron Trump, is happy and healthy which will likely make her role in the White House less visible than other first ladies, insiders say.

Melania, 54, strives for “open communication” with her son, who recently began attending college at New York University, to help him adjust to the spotlight, two sources familiar with the Trump family told People.

“Melania worries about the hate in the country and how it falls on her son, who is innocent of any of this,” a social source told the magazine.

Read more:

Trump insiders reveal candid details about Melania and Barron’s relationship

Comment: Why Elon Musk should get every cent of his $56bn Tesla pay package

19:30 , Chris Blackhurst

The moment my children became interested in the US election was not when Taylor Swift declared her support for Kamala Harris, it was when Elon Musk appeared alongside Donald Trump.

They’re late teenagers – young adults – and Musk is their hero. It’s not just that he’s the world’s richest man, although that adds considerable lustre. It’s because he breaks boundaries, not least with his attempts to award himself a $56bn pay package, compensation that a judge this week ruled excessive.

He’s also the future, their future. They admire the Tesla – ‘faster than a motorbike from traffic lights’ one said to me recently. They can take or leave X, it’s not their network. And the space rocket reversing into a dock, as neatly as any car – that video has been replayed in our household countless times.

Read more:

Why Elon Musk should get every cent of his $56 billion pay package

Why is tech giant SoftBank investing over $100 billion in the US?

19:00 , Elaine Kurtenbach

Japanese tycoon Masayoshi Son and President-elect Donald Trump have announced plans for technology and telecoms giant SoftBank Group to invest $100 billion in projects in the United States over the coming four years.

Trump said the investments in building artificial intelligence infrastructure would create 100,000 jobs, twice the 50,000 promised when Son pledged $50 billion in U.S. investments after Trump’s victory in 2016.

Son, a founder and CEO of SoftBank Group, is known for making bold choices that sometimes pay big and sometimes don’t. SoftBank has investments in dozens of Silicon Valley startups, along with big companies like semiconductor design company Arm and Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba. The stock market rally and craze for AI has boosted the value of its assets, but it’s unclear whether its investments will create that many jobs.

Who is Masayoshi Son?

Why is tech giant SoftBank investing over $100 billion in the US?

‘We live to fight another day’

18:35 , Gustaf Kilander

After losing the ranking member spot on the House Oversight Committee to Rep. Gerry Connolly, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez wrote on BlueSky: “Tried my best. Sorry I couldn’t pull it through everyone – we live to fight another day.”

TikTok ban in numbers: Why the block could change the world even more than we thought

18:30 , Anthony Cuthbertson

After amassing more than 170 million users in the country in less than seven years, TikTok is now facing an outright ban in the US.

On 19 January, just one day before Donald Trump is set to be inaugurated as president, the country is set to become the latest to completely ban the Chinese-owned app.

TikTok’s parent company ByteDance is still attempting to reverse the ruling, and has three potential ways to avoid the nationwide ban. The first is to ask the US Supreme Court to intervene, which it did on Monday. The second is to convince Trump to reverse the decision when he comes into office, with TikTok chief executive Shou Zi Chew reportedly meeting with the incoming president on Monday. And the third – though this appears increasingly unlikely – ByteDance can abide by the ruling and sell TikTok to a US-based owner.

Read more:

TikTok is about to be banned – it could change the world even more than we thought

Live: Immigration activists call on Congress to oppose Trump deportation plans

18:07 , Gustaf Kilander

Don Jr insists he will always ‘care for’ Kimberly Guilfoyle

18:00 , Joe Sommerlad

Donald Trump Jr has said he will always “care for” Kimberly Guilfoyle and that the couple retain “a special bond” amid reports that they have ended their four-year engagement and parted ways.

While the couple has still not officially confirmed the split, the president-elect’s eldest son, 46, was recently pictured with Florida socialite Bettina Anderson celebrating her 38th birthday at Buccan, an exclusive Palm Beach restaurant, and enjoying a romantic evening stroll along the beach.

The photos, published by The Daily Mail, coincided with Guilfoyle, 55, being picked by President-elect Donald Trump to be his next US ambassador to Greece, leading to jokes from the likes of late-night host Jimmy Kimmel that she had effectively been exiled to Athens to avoid an embarrassing break-up.

Now, Don Jr has told Page Six he and Guilfoyle “will never stop caring for each other” – though he stopped short of confirming their relationship is over.

“Kimberly and I will never stop caring for each other and will always keep a special bond,” he said.

Don Jr insists he will always ‘care for’ Kimberly Guilfoyle

US embassy damaged in Vanuatu earthquake

17:30 , Gustaf Kilander

The US embassy was damaged Tuesday in an earthquake striking Port Vila, the capital of the South Pacific Ocean nation Vanuatu.

The 7.4 magnitude earthquake struck at about 12.53 p.m. and there were following “aftershocks,” an embassy alert said.

“There are also reports of landslides in the Port Vila area. People are advised to avoid entering buildings as they may be damaged or unstable,” the embassy added. “The U.S. Embassy in Port Vila has sustained considerable damage during the earthquake and is closed until further notice.”

Electoral college certification today

17:13 , Gustaf Kilander

Presidential electors are meeting in all 50 states and Washington D.C. to ratify President-elect Donald Trump’s election victory over Vice President Kamala Harris.

In a mostly ceremonial voting process, 538 electoral votes will be handed down. Thirteen of the electors are Republicans who took part in the fake electors plot in 2020, and some of them face criminal charges.

Connolly beats AOC in race for ranking member slot on Oversight Committee

17:10 , Gustaf Kilander

Democratic Rep. Gerry Connolly has beaten Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez for the ranking member spot on the House Oversight Committee.

Connolly received 131 votes to Ocasio-Cortez’s 84.

RFK Jr and Tulsi Gabbard head to the Hill for meetings with senators

17:00 , Gustaf Kilander

HHS secretary nominee Robert F Kennedy Jr. and the nominee to serve as the director of national intelligence, former Democratic Rep. Tulsi Gabbard are on the hill Tuesday to drum up support for their respective nominations.

Congressional Republicans say government funding deal reached, report says

16:45 , Gustaf Kilander

Congressional Republicans have reached a deal in principle to fund the federal government, according to CNN.

Speaker Mike Johnson has said he hopes to release the on Tuesday afternoon. It reportedly includes almost $100 billion in disaster aid and another $10 billion in banking relief for farmers.

The deal also includes an extension of the farm bill for one year, a provision aiding biofuels, a measure extending telehealth flexibilities, and another measure for pharmacy benefit managers, the network noted.

Leaders of both parties remain confident that a government shutdown will be averted before Friday.

Trump lashes out at New York justice: ‘A completely illegal, psychotic order’

16:30 , Gustaf Kilander

Donald Trump lashed out at Acting Justice of the New York State Supreme Court Juan Merchan after he rejected the president-elect’s attempt to throw out his hush-money case conviction based on the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling on presidential immunity.

“In a completely illegal, psychotic order, the deeply conflicted, corrupt, biased, and incompetent Acting Justice Juan Merchan has completely disrespected the United States Supreme Court, and its Historic Decision on Immunity,” Trump wrote on Truth Social Tuesday.

Calling Merchan a “radical partisan,” the former president went on to claim that he wrote, “an opinion that is knowingly unlawful, goes against our Constitution, and, if allowed to stand, would be the end of the Presidency as we know it.”

“I am the only Political Opponent in American History not allowed to defend myself,” Trump added in a subsequent post after nominating some of his own defense lawyers to top roles at the Department of Justice.

Mallory McMorrow is not running for DNC chair

16:00 , Alex Woodward

Rising Democratic star Mallory McMorrow isn’t running for DNC chair — she went viral for a Michigan Senate speech against anti-trans attacks and “groomer” panic and was on the stage during this year’s Democratic National Convention.

Trump sues Des Moines Register and top pollster for survey released the day before the election

15:30 , Alex Woodward

Donald Trump is suing the Des Moines Register, its top pollster J. Ann Selzer, her firm, and the newspaper’s parent group Gannett, alleging news coverage of Selzer’s poll showing Kamala Harris with a surprising lead was used to fraudulently boost his rival in the final days of the 2024 election.

The lawsuit accuses the newspaper of “brazen election interference” and violations of consumer protections — his latest line of attack against media outlets he disagrees with as he prepares to wage war against a critical press when he returns to the White House.

Read more:

Trump sues Des Moines Register and top pollster over election survey results

Nigel Farage meets Elon Musk at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago mansion amid rumours of $100m donation to Reform

15:00 , Kate Devlin

Nigel Farage has met Elon Musk at Donald Trump’s Mar-A-Lago mansion amid rumours the tech billionaire is preparing to donate $100m to Reform UK.

The two men met at the Florida club on Monday, alongside Reform’s new party treasurer Nick Candy.

In a statement Mr Farage and Mr Candy said: “We had a great meeting with Elon Musk for an hour yesterday. We learned a great deal about the Trump ground game and will have ongoing discussions on other areas.

“We only have one more chance left to save the West and we can do great things together. Our thanks also to President Trump for allowing us to use Mar-a-Lago for this historic meeting. The special relationship is alive and well.”

Read more:

Farage meets Musk at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago mansion amid rumours of $100m donation

Trump sues Des Moines Register after poll showed Harris winning Iowa

14:45 , Gustaf Kilander

Donald Trump is ratcheting up the pressure on media companies by suing Iowa pollster Ann Selzer, her polling company, The Des Moines Register newspaper, and Gannett, its parent company. All this comes after a poll showed Vice President Kamala Harris winning Iowa towards the later stages of the 2024 campaign for the White House.

Trump is suing under the Iowa Consumer Fraud Act, which outlaws deception in advertising or the selling of merchandise, CNN noted.

The claims are unlikely to be successful in court, but Trump is using the measure to go after what he views as Democratic-friendly media outlets, pollsters, and press coverage of elections.

Trump claims that the news coverage of the Selzer poll was meant to help Democrats. The poll showed Harris with a surprising lead in the Hawkeye State, which didn’t come to pass in the actual vote.

Trump wants immigrants gone. He keeps hiring them for his businesses

14:30 , Joe Sommerlad

The president-elect has made it clear that he wants to crack down hard on immigration once he’s in office.

But his own businesses keep employing foreign guest workers, hiring more of them this year than any other on record.

Here’s Gustaf Kilander’s report.

Trump wants immigrants gone. He keeps hiring them for his businesses

Trump is bringing a hawkish Iran policy back in with him

14:00 , Joe Sommerlad

With the end of Joe Biden’s administration on the horizon, American foreign policy is in flux.

Donald Trump, the president-elect, remains in Mar-a-Lago for now, but even without a presidential seal behind him has taken to holding discussions with world leaders beyond the typical congratulatory calls that occur in the post-election period.

And it’s increasingly becoming clear that US-Iran policy will be an arena where one of the biggest shifts in the American posture will occur.

A Wall Street Journal report in November unveiled the discussions underway about “maximum pressure 2.0” — a return to an updated version of the hardline policy platform the first Trump administration deployed against Iran with the expressed intention of cutting off the country’s nuclear program and weakening its government and state economy.

John Bowden has more.

Trump is bringing a hawkish Iran policy back in with him

Trump reportedly considering nominating Democrat to run FEMA

13:30 , Joe Sommerlad

In what would be one of his more surprising cabinet nominations were it to come to pass, the president-elect is reported by CNN to be toying with the idea of appointing a Democrat, Florida Representative Jared Moskowitz, to lead the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), which handles natural disaster relief.

It is not clear whether Trump and Moskowitz have met yet to discuss the proposition, which would see him take a leaf out of Kamala Harris’s book.

TikTok CEO visits Trump at Mar-a-Lago as US ban looms

13:00 , Joe Sommerlad

Shou Zi Chew became the latest Big Tech boss to meet with the president-elect in Florida yesterday, following in the footsteps of Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, Jeff Bezos and Sundar Pichai, all of whom have sought closer ties with the president-elect since his November election win.

This is what Trump had to say about the platform at yesterday’s press conference:

That came as US lawmakers told Apple and Google to prepare to remove TikTok from their app stores on January 19 after the Chinese-owned platform failed in its bid to delay a nationwide ban.

China-based ByteDance must sell TikTok in the US before that date to avoid the ban, which has been ordered due to national security concerns.

TikTok and ByteDance filed an emergency motion with the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia last week, asking for more time to make their case to the US Supreme Court.

Here’s the latest from Anthony Cuthbertson.

TikTok asks Supreme Court to block potential ban

Trump slams ‘totally toxic’ ousted Canadian finance minister

12:30 , Joe Sommerlad

The president-elect had this fairly frank dismissal of Chrystia Freeland after she resigned unexpectedly as Canada’s deputy prime minister and finance minister.

“She will not be missed!!!” he hisses.

Here’s more on what’s going on up there.

Justin Trudeau ‘considering resignation’ after shock clash with finance minister

Trump nominates five more ambassadors

12:00 , Joe Sommerlad

The president-elect named another quintet of nominees to his new administration late yesterday, who are as follows:

• Arthur Graham Fisher was named as Trump’s choice to be the next United States Ambassador to the Republic of Austria

• Leah Francis Campos will be United States Ambassador to the Dominican Republic

• George Edward Glass will be United States Ambassador to Japan

• Stacey Feinberg will be United States Ambassador to Luxembourg

• Lou Rinaldi will be United States Ambassador to Uruguay

Trump mocked over geography gaffe: ‘You wouldn’t believe how many countries there are’

11:30 , Joe Sommerlad

The president-elect also raised eyebrows at Mar-a-Lago yesterday after marveling at the number of countries that reached out to him following his election victory last month.

“I’ve spoken to way over 100, where they called to congratulate not only the election but also the size of the election and the extent of the victory,” Trump said on Monday.

“They were great. I spoke to over 100 countries.

“You wouldn’t believe how many countries there are. I’m trying the best I can to get back to everybody.

“There are a lot of countries. Literally, everyone called. It was very nice.”

Gustaf Kilander has more.

Trump mocked for geography snafu during press conference’

Trump makes New Jersey drone sighting plea to White House: ‘Something strange is going on’

11:00 , Joe Sommerlad

This is what the president-elect had to say about the matter of unidentified flying objects over the East Coast and the Biden administration’s odd failure to put people’s concerns at rest.

Trump makes drone sighting plea as he claims ‘something strange is going on’

Trump says he would consider pardoning New York City Mayor Eric Adams

10:30 , Joe Sommerlad

The president-elect, all too familiar with federal indictments himself, said yesterday that he believed Mayor Adams was “treated pretty unfairly” and said he “would” issue a pardon once he had reviewed the indictment against him on corruption charges that was issued in September if he felt it merited it.

Here’s more from Ariana Baio.

Trump says he would consider pardoning New York City Mayor Eric Adams

Trump claims ‘there’s something wrong’ with autism rates when asked about vaccines

10:00 , Joe Sommerlad

Let’s have a look back at the president-elect’s latest meandering press conference yesterday, at which he took questions on a wide range of subjects in addition to making the SoftBank announcement.

Here’s Eric Garcia on his worryinging refusal to say definitively that vaccines do not cause autism during comments intended to ease concerns about his nomination of vaccine-sceptic Robert F Kennedy Jr as health secretary.

He was at least positive about the polio vaccine, although not about mandates relating to it.

Trump says ‘something’s wrong’ with increased autism rates when asked about vaccines

SoftBank CEO announces $100bn investment in US during Mar-a-Lago visit

09:30 , Joe Sommerlad

Trump used a press conference at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida on Monday to announce a $100bn investment deal with Japan’s SoftBank, which he and the bank’s CEO Masayoshi Son promised would create hundreds of American jobs.

Here’s what they had to say:

Donald Trump loses latest bid to throw out hush money case on ‘presidential immunity’ grounds

09:00 , Joe Sommerlad

Good morning!

Donald Trump has lost his latest bid to throw out his New York hush money conviction, with the judge overseeing the case rejecting his attorneys’ conjecture that he is protected by “presidential immunity”.

The president-elect appears likely to enter the White House as a convicted felon, though it remains unclear when, or if, the justice will continue to postpone a sentencing date after a unanimous jury found him guilty in May of falsifying business records tied to hush money payments made to the adult film star Stormy Daniels in October 2016.

Here’s a full report from Alex Woodward.

Trump hush money judge refuses to throw out conviction on ‘immunity’ grounds

Lindsey Graham breaks with Trump on jailing Jan 6 committee members

08:00 , Ariana Baio

Republican Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina explicitly said he disagrees with Donald Trump’s suggestion that the members of the House Select Committee to investigate January 6, 2021, should be jailed.

Graham, a staunch Trump supporter, told Kristen Welker of Meet the Press on Sunday that he disagrees with the presidency-elect but did not elaborate further.

“President-elect Trump told me he thinks the members of the January 6 committee should go to jail, do you agree with that statement?” Welker asked.

Graham replied, “No.”

Read more:

Lindsey Graham breaks with Trump on jailing Jan 6 committee members

TikTok prepares for US ban after delay bid rejected

07:00 , Anthony Cuthbertson

US lawmakers have told Apple and Google to prepare to remove TikTok from their app stores on 19 January after the Chinese-owned platform failed in its bid to delay a nationwide ban.

China-based ByteDance must sell TikTok in the US before that date to avoid the ban, which has been ordered due to national security concerns.

Read more:

TikTok prepares for US ban after delay bid rejected

Steve Bannon is pushing the idea that Trump can run in 2028 (despite what the Constitution says)

06:00 , Justin Baragona

MAGA acolyte Steve Bannon is currently floating the idea that Donald Trump could run for a third presidential term, even though the United States Constitution says otherwise.

During a speech at the New York Young Republican Club’s Gala on Sunday night, the former Trump chief strategist suggested that the 22nd Amendment – which states that presidents can not be elected more than twice – didn’t apply to Trump because the president-elect’s terms are non-consecutive.

Read more:

Steve Bannon pushes idea that Trump can run in ‘28 (despite what Constitution says)

Trump’s mass deportation plan could hurt the country more than the Great Recession, report says

05:00 , Kelly Rissman

President-elect Donald Trump’s campaign promise of sweeping deportations could result in “severe economic fallout,” devastating the economy even more than the Great Recession, according to a report by Democrats in the Congressional Joint Economic Committee.

Although Trump’s messaging about improving the economy for Americans during his second term appeared to strike a chord with voters, another one of his campaign fixtures — mass deportations — could have harmful economic consequences, the December 11 report warns. The 78-year-old Republican has suggested that would use the military to assist in mass deportations.

Read more:

Trump’s mass deportation plan could hurt the country more than the Great Recession

Mitch McConnell warns Trump against four years of ‘right-wing isolationism’

04:00 , Joe Sommerlad

Mitch McConnell, the retiring Senate minority leader, has warned Donald Trump against embracing “right-wing isolationism” when he returns to the White House in January.

In an essay for Foreign Affairs magazine, the veteran Kentucky lawmaker, 82, warned the president-elect that he is set to encounter “a world far more hostile to US interests than the one he left behind four years ago” – citing the ever-growing challenges posed by China, Russia and Iran.

Read more:

Mitch McConnell warns Trump against four years of ‘right-wing isolationism’

Trump called out for ‘fat-shaming’ Chris Christie with AI image of him eating McDonald’s surrounded by drones

03:00 , James Liddell

Donald Trump is facing backlash for trolling Chris Christie with a bizarre AI-generated image showing the former New Jersey governor eating McDonald’s while surrounded by drones.

Mysterious lights have been spotted in the skies above New Jersey and New York in recent weeks, fueling speculation about the origins and causing federal officials to admit they don’t know who or what is behind them. Between November 19 and December 13 alone, almost 1,000 drone sightings have been recorded in the Garden State, the Office of Emergency Management confirmed to the New York Post.

Read more:

Trump called out for AI image of Christie eating McDonald’s surrounded by drones

Marjorie Taylor Greene claims Biden admin is ‘in control of drones’ as MAGAworld pushes wild theories about mystery sightings

02:00 , Joe Sommerlad

MAGA Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene has claimed that the US government is “in control of the drones” that have been spotted over New Jersey and New York in recent weeks, which officials have so far been unable or unwilling to account for.

Greene, who is well known for amplifying online conspiracy theories, wrote on X late on Saturday night: “The government is in control of the drones and refuses to tell the American people what is going on. It really is that bad.”

Read more:

Marjorie Taylor Greene claims Biden administration is ‘in control’ of mystery drones

‘Big mistake’ to withdraw support for Ukraine, Starmer says amid Trump criticism

01:00 , David Lynch

It would be a “big mistake” if Ukraine’s allies did not continue to give it the “strongest” support, Sir Keir Starmer said after Donald Trump criticised Kyiv’s use of US missiles for strikes deep into Russian territory.

The Prime Minister urged Western allies of the war-torn nation not to “take our eye off the ball” as Ukraine enters its third winter since the invasion.

Read more:

‘Big mistake’ to withdraw support for Ukraine, Starmer says amid Trump criticism

Shocking moment Trump adviser collapses on stage at Young Republicans event

00:15 , James Liddell

Donald Trump’s campaign adviser Alex Bruesewitz collapsed on stage while speaking at a GOP black tie event.

The 27-year-old strategist, who was tasked with helping the Trump campaign court young voters during the 2024 election campaign, was introducing incoming White House deputy chief of staff Dan Scavino at the 112th New York Young Republicans Club Gala at the Cipriani Wall Street in Manhattan on Sunday evening.

Read more:

Shocking moment Trump adviser collapses on stage at Young Republicans event

Federal Reserve is likely to slow its rate cuts with inflation pressures still elevated

Monday 16 December 2024 23:30 , Christopher Rugaber

Americans hoping for lower borrowing costs for homes, credit cards and cars may be disappointed after this week’s Federal Reserve meeting. The Fed’s policymakers are likely to signal fewer interest rate cuts next year than were previously expected.

The officials are set to reduce their benchmark rate, which affects many consumer and business loans, by a quarter-point to about 4.3% when their meeting ends Wednesday. At that level, the rate would be a full point below the four-decade high it reached in July 2023. The policymakers had kept their key rate at its peak for more than a year to try to quell inflation, until slashing the rate by a half-point in September and a quarter-point last month.

Read more:

Federal Reserve is likely to slow its rate cuts with inflation pressures still elevated

Why Bezos and Zuckerberg are suddenly getting so friendly with Trump

Monday 16 December 2024 22:45 , Andrew Feinberg

With just five weeks to go until President-elect Donald Trump and his allies take full control of America’s executive branch, many of his former antagonists are suddenly attempting to curry favor. How best to do so? By funding the massive inaugural celebration that will mark his return to office, of course.

On Thursday, CNN reported that Amazon, the world’s largest retailer, would be gifting $1 million in cash to the Trump inaugural committee, in addition to an equal in-kind contribution it would make by broadcasting the January 20 festivities on the company’s eponymous streaming video platform.

Read more:

Why Bezos and Zuckerberg are suddenly getting so friendly with Trump

Trump says he would consider pardoning New York City Mayor Eric Adams

Monday 16 December 2024 22:25 , Ariana Baio

President-elect Donald Trump indicated he would consider issuing a pardon to New York City Mayor Eric Adams, a Democrat, who was indicted on corruption charges in September.

At a press conference on Monday, Trump – one all too familiar with federal indictments – said he believed Adams was “treated pretty unfairly” and “would” issue a pardon if he reviewed the indictment.

“Now I haven’t seen the gravity of it all but it seems like being upgraded in an airplane many years ago,” Trump said – a reference to the upgraded flights that Adams allegedly took as a form of bribery.

Read more:

Trump says he would consider pardoning New York City Mayor Eric Adams

ABC’s $15m settlement in Trump ‘rape’ defamation case was met with surprise and outrage. Here’s why

Monday 16 December 2024 22:00 , Alex Woodward

ABC’s $15 million settlement with Donald Trump following the president-elect’s defamation lawsuit has alarmed legal analysts and drawn criticism that the network and its Disney parent company gave up without a fight.

“Knee bent. Ring kissed,” prominent Democratic elections lawyer Marc Elias wrote. “Another legacy news outlet chooses obedience.”

Former Washington Post media reporter Paul Farhi called the settlement an “awful precedent” and a “huge sellout.”

Read more:

Why legal analysts are surprised ABC settled Trump’s ‘rape’ defamation suit for $15m

In his final days as Republican leader, Mitch McConnell tries to put pressure on Trump

Monday 16 December 2024 21:30 , Eric Garcia

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell is now in his final weeks as the top Republican in the Senate. And he’s spending those weeks sending hints about his dissatisfaction at the direction of President-elect Donald Trump’s potential administration.

McConnell’s influence has severely diminished in recent years. His attempt to strike a compromise bill that would swap border security for aid to Ukraine failed. The newer, more Trump-aligned Republicans in Congress openly criticize him. And last week, he suffered another fall during Republicans’ weekly lunch. He returned looking decidedly frail.

Read more:

In his final days as Republican leader, Mitch McConnell tries to pressurize Trump

Watch: Steve Bannon floats idea Trump can run in 2028

Monday 16 December 2024 21:00 , Gustaf Kilander

Trump claims ‘there’s something wrong’ with autism rates when asked about vaccines: ‘We’re going to find out about it’

Monday 16 December 2024 20:30 , Eric Garcia

President-elect Donald Trump refused to say definitively that vaccines do not cause autism at a press conference.

Trump spoke alongside the chief executive at SoftBank, who pledged to invest $100 billion in the United States, as they addressed reporters on Monday.

During the press conference, Trump repeated misinformation that he has previously espoused about vaccines and autism. He also said that he had met with the heads of Pfizer and Eli Lily, as well as Mehmet Oz, his nominee to lead the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, and Robert F Kennedy Jr., his nominee to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, who has repeated the debunked claims about vaccines and autism.

Read more:

Trump says ‘something’s wrong’ with increased autism rates when asked about vaccines

TikTok prepares for US ban after delay bid rejected

Monday 16 December 2024 20:00 , Anthony Cuthbertson

US lawmakers have told Apple and Google to prepare to remove TikTok from their app stores on 19 January after the Chinese-owned platform failed in its bid to delay a nationwide ban.

China-based ByteDance must sell TikTok in the US before that date to avoid the ban, which has been ordered due to national security concerns.

TikTok and ByteDance filed an emergency motion with the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia last week, asking for more time to make their case to the US Supreme Court.

Read more:

TikTok prepares for US ban after delay bid rejected

Don Jr insists he will always ‘care for’ and have ‘special bond’ with Kimberly Guilfoyle

Monday 16 December 2024 19:30 , Oliver O’Connell

Donald Trump Jr has said he will always “care for” Kimberly Guilfoyle and that the couple retain “a special bond” amid reports that they have ended their four-year engagement and parted ways.

While the couple has still not officially confirmed the split, the president-elect’s eldest son, 46, was recently pictured with Florida socialite Bettina Anderson celebrating her 38th birthday at Buccan, an exclusive Palm Beach restaurant, and enjoying a romantic evening stroll along the beach.

Joe Sommerlad reports.

Don Jr insists he will always ‘care for’ Kimberly Guilfoyle

Watch: Trump says he plans to sue Ann Selzer over poll predicting Iowa loss

Monday 16 December 2024 19:15 , Gustaf Kilander

Why ABC’s $15m settlement in Trump ‘rape’ defamation case was met with surprise and outrage

Monday 16 December 2024 19:00 , Oliver O’Connell

ABC’s $15 million settlement with Donald Trump following the president-elect’s defamation lawsuit has alarmed legal analysts and drawn criticism that the network and its Disney parent company gave up without a fight.

“Knee bent. Ring kissed,” prominent Democratic elections lawyer Marc Elias wrote. “Another legacy news outlet chooses obedience.”

Former Washington Post media reporter Paul Farhi called the settlement an “awful precedent” and a “huge sellout.”

Alex Woodward reports.

Why legal analysts are surprised ABC settled Trump’s ‘rape’ defamation suit for $15m

Watch: Trump says people who praise UnitedHealthcare CEO shooter have a ‘sicknes’

Monday 16 December 2024 18:45 , Gustaf Kilander

ICYMI: Shocking moment Trump adviser collapses on stage at Young Republicans event

Monday 16 December 2024 18:30 , Oliver O’Connell

Donald Trump’s campaign adviser Alex Bruesewitz collapsed on stage while speaking at a GOP black tie event.

The 27-year-old strategist, who was tasked with helping the Trump campaign court young voters during the 2024 election campaign, was introducing incoming White House deputy chief of staff Dan Scavino at the 112th New York Young Republicans Club Gala at the Cipriani Wall Street in Manhattan on Sunday evening.

Shocking footage shows Bruesewitz speaking at the podium before he begins to slur and stare blankly at the sea of Republicans sporting tuxedos, ballgowns and red MAGA hats.

James Liddell reports.

Shocking moment Trump adviser collapses on stage at Young Republicans event

Watch: Trump talks about privatization of US Postal Service

Monday 16 December 2024 18:15 , Oliver O’Connell

Trump wants immigrants gone but has hired more than ever before this year

Monday 16 December 2024 18:00 , Oliver O’Connell

President-elect Donald Trump has made it clear that he wants to crack down hard on immigration once he’s in office. But his own businesses keep employing foreign guest workers – hiring more of them this year than any other year on record, CNN reported.

Forbes first reported that Trump hired more foreign workers than ever before in 2024.

Firms connected to some of Trump’s top supporters and choices to serve in his administration have also hired foreign guest workers this year.

Gustaf Kilander reports.

Trump wants immigrants gone. He’s keeps hiring them for his businesses

Watch: Trump asked if Jan 6 defendants will get blanket pardon

Monday 16 December 2024 17:45 , Oliver O’Connell

Watch: Trump says defamation cases can expand to individuals and newspapers

Monday 16 December 2024 17:35 , Oliver O’Connell

Lindsey Graham breaks with Trump on jailing Jan 6 committee members

Monday 16 December 2024 17:30 , Oliver O’Connell

Republican Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina explicitly said he disagrees with Donald Trump’s suggestion that the members of the House Select Committee to investigate January 6, 2021, should be jailed.

Graham, a staunch Trump supporter, told Kristen Welker of Meet the Press on Sunday that he disagrees with the presidency-elect.

Ariana Baio reports.

Lindsey Graham breaks with Trump on jailing Jan 6 committee members

Watch: Trump asked if Ukraine should cede territory to Russia

Monday 16 December 2024 17:15 , Oliver O’Connell

Trump says ‘something strange going on’ with drones over New Jersey

Monday 16 December 2024 17:10 , Oliver O’Connell

“Something strange is going on. For some reason they won’t tell the people,” says President-elect Donald Trump when asked about the New Jersey mystery drones, asserting President Joe Biden and the US military know who is flying them.

Trump jokes because of the drones he won’t travel to his golf property in New Jersey.

“They’re very, very close to Bedminster. I think maybe I won’t spend the weekend in Bedminster. I decided to cancel my trip,” he tells reporters at Mar-a-Lago.

“The government knows what is happening. Look, our military knows where they took off from,” he said. “And for some reason, they don’t want to comment.”

Watch: Trump says he’s a ‘big believer in the polio vaccine’

Monday 16 December 2024 17:07 , Oliver O’Connell

Watch: Trump says he will consider pardoning New York mayor Eric Adams

Monday 16 December 2024 17:05 , Oliver O’Connell

Ignoring the Constitution, Steve Bannon is pushing the idea that Trump can run in 2028

Monday 16 December 2024 17:00 , Oliver O’Connell

MAGA acolyte Steve Bannon is currently floating the idea that Donald Trump could run for a third presidential term, even though the United States Constitution says otherwise.

During a speech at the New York Young Republican Club’s Gala on Sunday night, the former Trump chief strategist suggested that the 22nd Amendment – which states that presidents can not be elected more than twice – didn’t apply to Trump because the president-elect’s terms are non-consecutive.

Justin Barangoa reports from New York.

Steve Bannon pushes idea that Trump can run in ‘28 (despite what Constitution says)

Watch: Trump says US had ‘no problems’ when he left office in midst of pandemic

Monday 16 December 2024 16:42 , Oliver O’Connell