Trump taps Brooke Rollins for agriculture secretary; Pam Bondi selected for attorney general after Gaetz withdraws: Live

Donald Trump has named Brooke Rollins, founder, and CEO of the America First Policy Institute, as his choice to be secretary of agriculture. Former senator Kelly Loeffler had initially been connected with the role.

The president-elect wasted little time after Matt Gaetz said he was dropping his bid to become attorney general, naming Pam Bondi, former attorney general of Florida, as his choice to lead the Justice Department instead.

Bondi represented the president-elect at his first impeachment trial in the Senate and is both an experienced public official and a long-time Trump ally.

The president-elect has also announced that he wants the job of treasury secretary to go to hedge fund manager Scott Bessent.

In a flurry of announcements on Friday night, Trump revealed his picks to lead the Office of Management and Budget, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, the FDA, the CDC, the Office of the Surgeon General, and the Department of Labor.

He has now named heads for all 15 executive departments.

Trump also met with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte at Mar-a-Lago on Friday to discuss global security issues facing the alliance.

Key Points

• Trump names Brooke Rollins as his pick for secretary of agriculture

• Who is Pam Bondi? Trump’s new pick to be attorney general

• Trump announces Scott Bessent as nominee for Treasury secretary

• Trump set to fire Jack Smith team and push Justice Department to investigate 2020 election

• Trump nominates Russell Vought to lead Office of Management and Budget

• All 15 executive departments now have nominated cabinet secretaries

Profile: Pam Bondi — Trump’s new pick for attorney general

23:00 , Josh Marcus and Joe Sommerlad

The incoming Trump administration didn’t waste any time on Thursday after Matt Gaetz said that he was dropping his bid to become attorney general. Soon afterwards it announced that Pam Bondi, the former attorney general of Florida, would seek the top position at the Justice Department instead.

Bondi, 59, who served as Florida’s attorney general from 2011 to 2019 and represented the president-elect at his first impeachment trial in the Senate, is both an experienced public official and a long-time Trump ally.

Gaetz reacted to the choice on X by calling her “a stellar selection” as well as “a proven litigator, an inspiring leader and a champion for all Americans”.

South Carolina Republican senator Lindsey Graham was even more effusive, posting: “Well done, Mr President. Picking Pam Bondi for Attorney General is a grand slam, touchdown, hole in one, ace, hat trick, slam dunk, Olympic gold medal pick. She will be confirmed quickly because she deserves to be confirmed quickly.”

Here’s what you need to know about her.

Trump’s AG didn’t sue Trump University after $25K donation

Former Trump surgeon general sounds alarm on infectious diseases

22:36 , Oliver O’Connell

Jerome Adams, who served as surgeon general in the first Trump administration is sounding the alarm about alarming trends in infectious diseases.

He says he hopes the incoming administration has a strong response plan and can ensure vaccine confidence stays high “or they’ll be distracted with outbreaks for 4 years this time instead of 1.”

Election workers defamed by Giuliani pen scathing letter accusing him of an ‘obvious attempt to intimidate’

22:25 , Oliver O’Connell

Attorneys for election workers that Rudy Giuliani defamed wrote a scathing letter accusing the former New York City mayor of launching a crusade meant to “to obstruct and intimidate” them as they try to recover his assets.

In a Friday letter to a federal judge, Michael Gottlieb, a lawyer representing election workers Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss, accused Giuliani of orchestrating a “public relations campaign” meant to stop the women from collecting the belongings they are owed.

Kelly Rissman reports.

Defamed election workers accuse Giuliani of ‘obvious attempt to intimidate’ them

Sen. Ernst of the ‘DOG caucus’ met with Trump and Musk at Mar-a-Lago today

22:10 , Oliver O’Connell

Senator Joni Ernst of Iowa, who is leading the newly formed Senate DOGE Caucus in support of Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy’s Department of Government Efficiency, today met with Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago.

They were joined at lunch by Musk and Howard Lutnick, who is nominated to be secretary of commerce.

Delta CEO: Trump as a ‘breath of fresh air’

22:00 , Oliver O’Connell

The chief executive of Delta Air Lines says the incoming Trump administration will be a “breath of fresh air” for airlines after what he called government “overreach” under President Joe Biden.

The airline industry has chafed under consumer-protection regulations imposed by the Biden administration. And Delta is facing a federal investigation into its slow recovery from a global technology outage this summer.

Delta CEO Ed Bastian made the comment as he and fellow Delta executives prepared to host Wall Street analysts at an investor day Wednesday in Atlanta.

Continue reading…

Delta CEO praises Trump as a ‘breath of fresh air’

Trump has now named all 15 heads of executive departments

21:35 , Oliver O’Connell

• Agriculture – Brooke Rollins

• Commerce – Howard Lutnick

• Education – Linda McMahon

• Homeland Security – Kristi Noem

• Labor – Lori Chavez-DeReme

• Transportation – Sean Duffy

• Veterans Affairs – Doug Collins

• Attorney General – Pam Bondi

Hegseth threatens ‘educational insurgency’ in schools

21:30 , Oliver O’Connell

Pete Hegseth, Donald Trump’s pick to be secretary of defense, has called for an “educational insurgency” to take over American schools in an appearance on a right-wing podcast.

During a CrossPolitic discussion about religiously affiliated schools, Hegseth explained his idea for a system of “classical Christian schools” to provide “recruits” for an underground army that could eventually launch an “educational insurgency”.

Read on…

Trump’s defense pick Pete Hegseth threatens ‘educational insurgency’ in schools

Trump names Brooke Rollins as his pick for secretary of agriculture

21:17 , Oliver O’Connell

As first reported by The Wall Street Journal earlier today, Donald Trump has picked Founder and CEO of the America First Policy Institute Brooke Rollins as his choice to be secretary of agriculture.

The president-elect released the following statement:

It is my Great Honor to nominate Brooke L. Rollins, from the Great State of Texas, to serve as the 33rd United States Secretary of Agriculture.

Brooke was on my 2016 Economic Advisory Council, and did an incredible job during my First Term as the Director of the Domestic Policy Council, Director of the Office of American Innovation, and Assistant to the President for Strategic Initiatives. In these roles, she helped develop and manage the transformational Domestic Policy Agenda of my Administration. Brooke has spent the past four years as the Founder and CEO of the America First Policy Institute (AFPI) and America First Works (AFW), building a team of loyal Patriots, and championing the Policies of our America First Agenda.

Brooke’s commitment to support the American Farmer, defense of American Food Self-Sufficiency, and the restoration of Agriculture-dependent American Small Towns is second to none. A proud Graduate of Texas A&M University, Brooke earned a Bachelor’s of Science Degree in Agriculture Development, and J.D., with Honors. From her upbringing in the small and Agriculture-centered town of Glen Rose, Texas, to her years of leadership involvement with Future Farmers of America and 4H, to her generational Family Farming background, to guiding her four kids in their show cattle careers, Brooke has a practitioner’s experience, along with deep Policy credentials in both Nonprofit and Government leadership at the State and National levels.

As our next Secretary of Agriculture, Brooke will spearhead the effort to protect American Farmers, who are truly the backbone of our Country. Congratulations Brooke!

Earlier reporting indicated that Trump might pick former Georgia senator Kelly Loeffler.

Gaetz appears to hint at Florida gubernatorial run

21:15 , Oliver O’Connell

Responding to a post on X that he will be the next governor of the state of Florida with a gif of the state flag, former congressman Matt Gaetz appeared to confirm he is considering a gubernatorial run in 2026.

The current governor Ron DeSantis is term-limited and cannot seek reelection.

ANALYSIS: What do Republican doctors really think of RFK Jr? I asked them

21:00 , Oliver O’Connell

Eric Garcia writes:

Senator Bill Cassidy stood up to Donald Trump in 2021 after the January 6 riot — he was one of seven Republicans who voted to convict Trump. And in January, he will become chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pension Committee, making the Republican gastroenterologist from Louisana one of the most influential doctors in America.

But when it comes to Trump’s nomination of Robert F Kennedy Jr, who has for years spread lies and misinformation about vaccines, Cassidy wants a second opinion.

Continue reading…

What do Republican doctors really think of RFK Jr? I asked them

Trump endorses Randy Fine for Florida congressional run

20:56 , Oliver O’Connell

Donald Trump has endorsed Florida State Senate member Randy Fine as he considers a run for Congress representing the state’s 6th District.

Current congressman Mike Waltz is joining the Trump administration as national security adviser. The district was also represented by current Florida Governor Ron De Santis from 2013 to 2018.

In a post on Truth Social, the president-elect wrote:

I am hearing that America First Patriot Randy Fine is considering launching his Campaign for Congress in Florida’s 6th Congressional District!

A Harvard Educated, Successful Businessman, and Highly Respected State Legislator, Randy has been an incredible Voice for MAGA, and the Great People of Florida. In Congress, Randy will be an INCREDIBLE Fighter who will work tirelessly with me to Stop Inflation, Grow our Economy, Secure the Border, Champion our Military/Vets, Restore American Energy DOMINANCE, Protect our always under siege Second Amendment, and Restore PEACE THROUGH STRENGTH.

Should he decide to enter this Race, Randy Fine has my Complete and Total Endorsement. RUN, RANDY, RUN!

Fine was a champion of Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” law and the conflict with Disney.

Despite Trump saying he has ‘no idea’ what it is, his cabinet is filling up with Project 2025 authors

20:45 , Oliver O’Connell

Donald Trump said he has “no idea” who’s behind it. His presidential transition chair and the man he picked to be the secretary of commerce said he wouldn’t touch it. “They made themselves nuclear,” he said.

But the authors of Project 2025 — a 900-page playbook from a right-wing think tank for the next Republican president’s agenda — are all over Trump’s incoming administration.

Alex Woodward reports.

Trump’s cabinet is filling up with Project 2025 authors

Democrats warn of ‘massive harm’ on millions of Americans if Russell Vought leads OMB

20:33 , Oliver O’Connell

Rep. Jamie Raskin, Ranking Member of the Committee on Oversight and Accountability, and Rep. Melanie Stansbury, Member of the Committee on Oversight and Accountability, issued the following statement following Donald Trump’s selection of Russell Vought to lead the Office of Management and Budget (OMB):

“After vehemently denying his links to Project 2025 through the campaign, the President-elect just tapped its lead architect, Russell Vought, to run his coming all-of-government purge as Director of the Office of Management and Budget.

“Vought wants to dismantle the expert federal workforce, replacing qualified, nonpartisan federal employees with sycophants selected not for their merit but for their willingness to place party and personal loyalty over their constitutional oaths of office. Vought’s agenda would inflict massive harm on the tens of millions of Americans who rely on federal workers to provide health care at the VA, Social Security checks to their parents, infrastructure aid to local governments, and financial assistance to small businesses. In his own words, Vought wants our federal workers to be ‘traumatically affected,’ no matter the costs added to our economy or the problems imposed on the American people. Pain is itself the agenda.

“As Director of the Office of Management and Budget, Vought oversaw the largest government shutdown in our nation’s history, carried out a Trump executive order to halt diversity initiatives in federal government, and tried to implement Trump’s assault on the expert, non-partisan civil service through an executive order called ‘Schedule F’—which he said he would revive on ‘day one’ in the next administration. And he is now urging the incoming president to move aggressively and with little regard for the law under a ‘radical constitutional perspective’ to dismantle and replace the federal workforce.

“As Democratic Members of the House Oversight Committee, the headquarters of resistance to this plan, we will fight Vought’s radical agenda, act to protect vital government services the American people depend on, and stand up to defend our fellow citizens who are honorable federal workers every step of the way.”

Trump did a complete 180 on transgender bathroom controversy

20:24 , Oliver O’Connell

“Kamala is for they/them. Trump is for you,” was the message of a widely aired ad for Donald Trump’s 2024 campaign.

But a resurfaced 2016 clip shows how much the president-elect’s view on transgender rights has shifted in eight years.

Kelly Rissman reports.

Resurfaced clip shows how Trump did complete 180 on transgender bathroom controversy

ICYMI: Trump’s hush money sentencing indefinitely postponed as judge considers tossing conviction

20:00 , Oliver O’Connell

The judge overseeing Donald Trump’s historic hush money trial has postponed his sentencing indefinitely as he considers arguments from the president-elect’s legal team to toss the case altogether.

New York Justice Juan Merchan will hear legal briefs from Trump’s attorneys who claim that the conviction and sentencing of the president-elect will disrupt the “orderly transition of executive power” and be “uniquely destabilizing” to the country.

Trump’s sentencing date was postponed to November 26. That date is now off the calendar.

Instead, Judge Merchan has asked Trump’s attorneys to file their arguments by December 2, according to a filing in Manhattan criminal court on Friday.

Prosecutors will have until December 9 to reply.

Alex Woodward, who closely followed the case for The Independent, filed this report on Friday.

Trump’s hush money sentencing indefinitely postponed as judge considers tossing case

Scott Turner (contd.)

19:35 , AP

Headed council in Trump’s first term

Trump introduced Turner in April 2019 as the head of the new White House Opportunity and Revitalization Council. Trump credited Turner with “helping to lead an Unprecedented Effort that Transformed our Country’s most distressed communities.”

The mission of the council was to coordinate with various federal agencies to attract investment to so-called “Opportunity Zones,” which were economically depressed areas eligible to be used for the federal tax incentives.

The role of HUD

HUD is responsible for addressing the nation’s housing needs. It also is charged with fair housing laws and oversees housing for the poorest Americans, sheltering more than 4.3 million low-income families through public housing, rental subsidy and voucher programs.

The agency, with a budget of tens of billions of dollars, runs a multitude of programs that do everything from reducing homelessness to promoting homeownership. It also funds the construction of affordable housing and provides vouchers that allow low income families pay for housing in the private market.

During the campaign, Trump focused mostly on the prices of housing, not public housing. He railed against the high cost of housing and said he could make it more affordable by cracking down on illegal immigration and reducing inflation. He also said he would work to reduce regulations on home construction and make some federal land available for residential construction.

What to know about Scott Turner, Trump’s pick for housing secretary

19:30 , AP

Scott Turner, President-elect Donald Trump’s choice to lead the Department of Housing and Urban Development, is a former NFL player who ran the White House Opportunity and Revitalization Council during Trump’s first term.

Turner, 52, is the first Black person selected to be a member of the Republican’s Cabinet.

Here are some things to know about Turner:

From professional football to politics

Turner grew up in a Dallas suburb, Richardson, and graduated from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. He was a defensive back and spent nine seasons in the NFL beginning in 1995, playing for the Washington Redskins, San Diego Chargers and Denver Broncos.

During offseasons, he worked as an intern then-Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-Calif. After Turner retired in 2004, he worked full time for the congressman. In 2006, Turner ran unsuccessfully as a Republican in California’s 50th Congressional District.

Turner joined the Texas House in 2013 as part of a large crop of tea party-supported lawmakers. He tried unsuccessfully to become speaker before he finished his second term in 2016. He did not seek a third term.

Motivational speaker and pastor

Turner also worked for a software company in a position called “chief inspiration officer” and said he acted as a professional mentor, pastor, and councilor for the employees and executive team. He has also been a motivational speaker.

He and his wife, Robin Turner, founded a nonprofit promoting initiatives to improve childhood literacy. His church, Prestonwood Baptist Church, lists him as an associate pastor. He is also chair of the center for education opportunity at America First Policy Institute, a think tank set up by former Trump administration staffers to lay the groundwork if he won a second term.

Continued…

Trump ally warns UK PM over any Netanyahu arrest

19:00 , Oliver O’Connell

A staunch ally of Donald Trump has warned Sir Keir Starmer that the UK will face severe economic consequences if it helps to arrest Benjamin Netanyahu.

Senator Lindsey Graham said the US should “crush” the economies of all those who comply with the warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC).

The Israeli prime minister faces arrest if he enters Britain, Downing Street has said.

Kate Devlin reports from London.

Trump ally warns Starmer the US will ‘crush’ UK economy if it helps arrest Netanyahu

Watch: Trump treasury pick like ‘beauty pageant’ of Wall St players

18:40 , Oliver O’Connell

Who’s who in Trump’s cabinet picks so far

18:30 , Oliver O’Connell

President-elect Donald Trump is filling key posts in his second administration, rewarding longtime loyalists, aides and allies who were his strongest backers during the 2024 campaign and in his legal battles.

A week after he was nominated, Trump’s first pick for attorney general — now-former congressman Matt Gaetz — withdrew his name from consideration amid a looming congressional report into allegations of sexual misconduct.

Here’s a look at who he’s selected so far.

Trump’s Cabinet tracker: Here’s who is among the White House appointments so far

Revealed: How Donald Trump’s alleged assassin tapped up UK-trained Afghan commandos to fight in Ukraine

18:00 , Oliver O’Connell

Holly Bancroft and May Bulman report on the extraordinary story of how Ryan Wesley Routh apparently messaged Afghan special forces hiding in Iran just three days before being arrested with an AK-47 at Trump’s Florida golf club.

The UK is still dragging its feet over offering safe haven to these desperate men — paid and trained by the British — now being enticed to fight in the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

Revealed: How Trump’s alleged assassin tapped up UK-trained commandos for Ukraine

Trump expected to pick former adviser Brooke Rollins for agriculture, report says

17:40 , Oliver O’Connell

Donald Trump is expected to select Brooke Rollins, a former Trump administration policy adviser, to lead the Agriculture Department, according to reporting by The Wall Street Journal, which cited people familiar with the matter.

Per the Journal:

Rollins is the president of the America First Policy Institute, a group led by former Trump administration officials that spent months planning for a potential second term. An ally of Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law, Rollins was once considered a contender to be White House chief of staff. But Susie Wiles, who helped run Trump’s campaign, was chosen for that role.

During Trump’s first term, Rollins led the Domestic Policy Council. A Texas native, she previously ran the Texas Public Policy Foundation, a conservative-leaning think tank.

If confirmed, Rollins would likely play a role in discussions about Trump’s plans for sweeping tariffs on U.S. imports, which could affect American farmers.

There was earlier speculation that the department could be led by former Georgia senator and businesswoman Kelly Loeffler.

Rollins has a degree in agriculture development and grew up on a farm.

If confirmed, Rollins would lead a 100,000-person agency with offices in every county in the country, whose remit includes farm and nutrition programs, forestry, home and farm lending, food safety, rural development, agricultural research, trade and more. It had a budget of $437.2 billion in 2024.

With reporting from Reuters

Hegseth’s odds of being confirmed almost halved after Gaetz withdrawal

17:30 , Oliver O’Connell

Pete Hegseth’s odds of being confirmed as secretary of defense almost halved after former attorney general nominee Matt Gaetz stepped down.

Gaetz’s departure after just eight days came amid reports that he had sex with a 17-year-old girl, an allegation he forcefully denies.

Hegseth is facing sexual misconduct allegations of his own, with a woman telling police that he raped her at a California hotel in 2017, an encounter Hegseth has said was consensual.

Gustaf Kilander reports from Washington, D.C.

Pete Hegseth’s odds of being confirmed almost halved after Matt Gaetz withdrawal

17:15 , AP

He views tariffs as a sanctions tool

Trump on the campaign trail proposed a 60% tariff on goods from China — and a tariff of up to 20% on everything else the United States imports. Mainstream economists are generally skeptical of tariffs, considering them a mostly inefficient way for governments to raise money and promote prosperity.

Bessent told Bloomberg in August that he views tariffs as a “one time price adjustment” and “not inflationary,” and tariffs imposed during a second Trump administration would be directed primarily at China. “I think that tariffs in a way can be regarded as an economic sanction without a sanction. If you don’t like Chinese economic policy, flooding the market with over production, you could put a sanction on them, or a tariff. Its also an answer to currency manipulation.”

And he wrote in a Fox News op-ed this week that tariffs are “a useful tool for achieving the president’s foreign policy objectives. Whether it is getting allies to spend more on their own defense, opening foreign markets to U.S. exports, securing cooperation on ending illegal immigration and interdicting fentanyl trafficking, or deterring military aggression, tariffs can play a central role.”

He told CNBC that “I would recommend that tariffs be layered in gradually.”

He would be the first openly gay treasury secretary

If confirmed to the role, he would also be the first openly LGBTQ Senate-confirmed cabinet member in a Republican administration.

In 2020, Trump named Richard Grenell, who is openly gay, acting director of national intelligence. However, the role was not subject to Senate confirmation.

In 2015, Bessent told the Yale Alumni Magazine: “If you had told me in 1984, when we graduated, and people were dying of AIDS, that 30 years later I’d be legally married and we would have two children via surrogacy, I wouldn’t have believed you.”

Pete Buttigieg is the first openly LGBT Senate-confirmed Cabinet member, nominated by President Joe Biden to lead the transportation department.

What to know about Scott Bessent, Trump’s pick for treasury secretary

17:10 , AP

President-elect Donald Trump has chosen money manager Scott Bessent, an advocate for deficit reduction and deregulation, to serve as his next treasury secretary.

Bessent is a past supporter of Democrats who has become an enthusiastic supporter of Trump. He’s an advocate of cutting spending while extending the tax cuts approved by Congress in Trump’s first term.

Here are four things to know about the South Carolina billionaire who, if confirmed by the Senate, will manage the nation’s finances:

He worked for George Soros and donated to Democratic causes

Before becoming a Trump donor and adviser, Bessent donated to various Democratic causes in the early 2000s, notably Al Gore’s presidential run. He also worked for George Soros, a major supporter of Democrats.

Bessent had an influential role in Soros’ London investment operations, including his famous 1992 bet against the pound, which generated huge profits on “Black Wednesday,” when the pound was de-linked from European currencies.

He worked for George Soros and donated to Democratic causes

Before becoming a Trump donor and adviser, Bessent donated to various Democratic causes in the early 2000s, notably Al Gore’s presidential run. He also worked for George Soros, a major supporter of Democrats.

Bessent had an influential role in Soros’ London investment operations, including his famous 1992 bet against the pound, which generated huge profits on “Black Wednesday,” when the pound was de-linked from European currencies.

Continued…

ANALYSIS: Trump got his first black eye with Matt Gaetz. His next problem? Pete Hegseth

17:00 , Oliver O’Connell

Eric Garcia writes:

President-elect Donald Trump notched his first major failure on Thursday when Matt Gaetz, his embattled nominee for attorney general, withdrew his nomination.

The Gaetz nomination was always going to end poorly for Trump. No amount of arm-twisting could get the former congressman, who was under investigation by the House Ethics Committee, over the line with the Senate.

The fumble shows that Trump grossly misread his mandate. In an election so clearly about reducing prices and frustration with the Democrats, he decided to go full ultra-MAGA. House Republicans felt the need to run interference for Trump and Gaetz; Senate Republicans played coy even as they knew the nomination was doomed.

Continue reading…

Trump got his first black eye with Matt Gaetz. His next problem? Pete Hegseth

Watch: John Bolton gives scathing opinion of ‘con man’ Sebastion Gorka

16:56 , Oliver O’Connell

Gaetz offers himself up on Cameo to ‘bring joy’ after failed attorney general bid

16:30 , Oliver O’Connell

Now that Matt Gaetz is no longer a congressman and will not be the next attorney general of the United States, what does the future hold for the MAGA firebrand?

Well, in the grand tradition of other famed Republicans who have fallen from grace, such as convicted felon George Santos or one-time America’s Mayor Rudy Giuliani, the former Florida congressman has joined Cameo.

When reached for comment, Gaetz confirmed that he had indeed created a profile on the site. “I have joined cameo. I hope to bring people joy,” he said in a text to The Independent.

Justin Barangoa has the details.

Matt Gaetz joins Cameo to ‘bring joy’ after failed attorney general bid

16:10 , Oliver O’Connell

The youngest child of Rev. Martin Luther King Jr didn’t want Donald Trump to become the next president — but Dr Bernice King believes Trump’s inauguration taking place on the same day as the federal holiday honoring her father is a small win.

“I’m glad that if it was going to happen, it happened on the King holiday, because Dr King is still speaking to us,” she told The Independent. She sees the January 20 event as a wake-up call for the country and an opportunity to stand up to the incoming administration’s charged agenda items.

Michelle Del Rey reports.

Trump’s inauguration will be held on MLK Day. Bernice King is glad

Report: Tulsi Gabbard was placed on TSA watch list over her foreign travel and connections

16:00 , Oliver O’Connell

President-elect Donald Trump’s choice to be his director of national intelligence, former Democratic Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard, was briefly put on a watchlist by the Transportation Security Administration, according to CNN.

The list leads to certain individuals being chosen for additional screening before flights. She was added to the list after her patterns of travel and foreign connections triggered a government algorithm this year, three sources told the network.

Gustaf Kilander reports.

Tulsi Gabbard was placed on TSA watch list over her foreign travel, says report

PREMIUM: Why the Trump and Musk partnership is here to stay

15:40 , Oliver O’Connell

Jon Sopel writes:

We’ve all been there. That infatuation moment. That time at the outset of a relationship when you can’t think about anyone else, don’t want to be with anyone else. Every minute without them is a minute wasted; where you find yourself engaging in their hobbies because if they love them, so must you, too.

And broadly speaking, that is where we are in that most unlikely of bromances: that of Elon and Don.

Continue reading…

A fine bromance: why the Trump and Musk partnership is here to stay

ANALYSIS: Where Matt Gaetz will go next

15:30 , Oliver O’Connell

Matt Gaetz’s brief stint as Donald Trump’s nominee to lead the Justice Department has Washington reeling after a whirlwind week.

The congressman from Florida resigned abruptly from the House days after winning another term, and stated that he wouldn’t serve in the upcoming Congress set to take shape in January. His departure — and his nomination to the post of attorney general — were a shock to Republicans and Democrats alike on Capitol Hill.

The drip-drip quickly began, as John Bowden reports.

Where Matt Gaetz will go next

Afraid of losing the US-Canada trade pact, Mexico alters its laws and removes Chinese parts

15:20 , AP

Mexico has been taking a bashing lately for allegedly serving as a conduit for Chinese parts and products into North America, and officials here are afraid a re-elected Donald Trump or politically struggling Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau could try to leave their country out of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada free trade agreement.

Mexico’s ruling Morena party is so afraid of losing the trade deal that President Claudia Sheinbaum said Friday the government has gone on a campaign to get companies to replace Chinese parts with locally made ones.

“We have a plan with the aim of substituting these imports that come from China, and producing the majority of them in Mexico, either with Mexican companies or primarily North American companies,” Sheinbaum said.

Read the full article here.

Musk shares wild conspiracy about Ellen moving to UK

15:00 , Oliver O’Connell

Elon Musk has shared a baseless conspiracy theory about comedian Ellen DeGeneres’s decision to move to the United Kingdom with her wife.

The billionaire, who is set to head Donald Trump’s newly-created Department of Government Efficiency, shared a post on Thursday suggesting DeGeneres left the US “after the election” due to her past affiliation with Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs.

Katie Hawkinson has the story.

Elon Musk shares wild conspiracy as to why Ellen DeGeneres has left the United States

Trump meets with NATO secretary general

14:55 , Oliver O’Connell

On Friday, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte met with President-elect Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida.

According to a statement, they discussed the range of global security issues facing the Alliance.

The Secretary-General and his team also met with Congressman Mike Waltz and members of the President-elect’s national security team.

Trump claimed Kim Jong Un missed him — the North Korean leader has a different message

14:30 , Oliver O’Connell

On the campaign trail over the summer, Donald Trump claimed that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un “misses me,” and that relations between their two countries would improve with a second Trump term.

At a defense expo in Pyongyang this week, the North Korean dictator had a very different message, as Josh Marcus reports.

Trump claimed Kim Jong Un missed him. The North Korea leader has a different message

Inside Trump’s phone call to Gaetz that ended his attorney general nomination

14:00 , James Liddell

A source told The Bulwark that the president-elect called Gaetz just hours before his withdrawal, warning him that he didn’t have enough support in the Senate.

“You don’t have the votes,” Trump told Gaetz, according to the source. “These senators aren’t moving.”

According to a second source, the former Florida lawmaker is said to have acknowledged that he was four to six Republican votes shy from the threshold needed.

He could only afford to lose two GOP votes to maintain the majority in the 100-seat upper chamber – with Republicans holding a 53 to 47 seat majority.

ICYMI: Trump’s AG pick was once caught up in a dog custody battle

12:00 , Joe Sommerlad

Pam Bondi, the woman Trump has tapped to be his next attorney general, found herself caught up in a canine custody battle where she was accused of stealing a pet dog.

Bondi, 59, adopted a St. Bernard after it was separated from its family by Hurricane Katrina in 2005 from Florida’s Pinellas County Humane Society. She changed its name from Master Tank to Noah.

When the animal’s true owners, Louisiana couple Steve and Dorreen Couture, tracked Master Tank down to Bondi’s home in Tampa Bay in January 2006 and found him in the lawyer’s custody, their request for his return was refused.

Instead, Bondi accused the grandparents of neglecting the animal.

“I took a dog who was a walking skeleton,” she told The St Petersburg Times at the time.

“If I thought I was sending him to a stable environment, where he would be cared for, as hard as it would be, I’d put him in my car and drive him back myself.

The Coutures denied her accusation, revealing that Master Tank had suffered from heartworms since he was 10 months old and continued to demand his return.

The family sued and a 16-month legal battle ensued, which ended with the two sides settling before the dispute came to trial.

Bondi eventually returned Master Tank to the Coutures with a supply of food and medication.

Texas approves Bible-based lessons in public schools

11:00 , Michelle Del Rey

The Texas State Board of Education has approved the use of Bible-based lessons in public elementary schools.

Officials voted 8-7 on the measure during a hearing in Austin on Friday. The new curriculum, developed by Bluebonnet Learning and the Texas Education Agency, pertains to reading and language arts lessons for kids in grades K-5 and math lessons for kids in grades K-8.

The teachings call into question the constitutionally of such tax-payer-funded instruction. It remains unclear if the curriculum would violate the Establishment Clause in the First Amendment, which prohibits the government from establishing a religion or providing official support for a religion.

The instruction includes lessons on Biblical beliefs, including the stories of Moses, the Good Samaritan, the Golden Rule and readings from the Book of Genesis.

The curriculum is optional but schools could get additional funding if they implement the teachings, set to be available to educators in August 2025.

Trump’s new AG pick didn’t pursue lawsuit against Trump University – after he donated $25k to her campaign

09:00 , Ariana Baio

The incoming Trump administration didn’t waste any time on Thursday after Matt Gaetz said that he was dropping his bid to become attorney general. Soon afterward it announced that Pam Bondi, the former attorney general of Florida, would seek the top position at the Justice Department instead.

Bondi, 59, who served as Florida’s attorney general from 2011 to 2019 and represented the president-elect at his first impeachment trial in the Senate, is both an experienced public official and a long-time Trump ally.

Read more from Josh Marcus and Joe Sommerlad

Trump’s AG didn’t sue Trump University after $25K donation

Trump picks Scott Bessent for treasury as he announces flurry of cabinet picks

08:00 , Gustaf Kilander

President-elect Donald Trump announced a flurry of nominations on Friday night, revealing his choices to lead the Treasury Department, the Office of Management and Budget, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, the FDA, the CDC, the Office of the Surgeon General, and the Department of Labor.

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Trump picks Scott Bessent for treasury as he announces flurry of cabinet picks

Watch: Newsmax courts Matt Gaetz to host his own show

07:00 , Ariana Baio

Trump will fire Jack Smith’s lawyers and use the DoJ to investigate the 2020 election, report says

06:00 , Gustaf Kilander

President-elect Donald Trump is reportedly set to attempt to fire the attorneys who worked with Special Counsel Jack Smith investigating the former president for his alleged mishandling of classified documents and for his connection to the Capitol riot.

Those affected are likely to include career professionals usually shielded from such revenge efforts, , according to The Washington Post.

Trump is also set to put together groups to look for evidence that the 2020 election was riddled with fraud.

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Trump will fire Jack Smith’s lawyers and use the DoJ to investigate the 2020 election

Americans view Trump more ‘warmly’ now than after previous elections

05:00 , Ariana Baio

After a contentious presidential election cycle, approximately 43 percent of people said they feel “very warm” or “warm” toward the president-elect in a new poll conducted by Pew Research Center.

Ariana Baio reports:

Americans view Trump more ‘warmly’ now than after previous elections, poll says

Grimes says Elon Musk is ‘unrecognizable’ as she speaks out about bitter custody battle

04:00 , Gustaf Kilander

Grimes has said that her former partner and father of her child Elon Musk has become “unrecognizable” as she opened up about her bitter custody battle with the tech billionaire.

The Canadian musician, real name Claire Elise Boucher, said she had spent a year “locked in battle” with Musk over her rights as a mother and that her social media posts had been used against her.

It comes after it was reported that the former couple’s custody battle over their three children; four-year-old X Æ A-12, also known as baby X; two-year-old Exa; and two-year-old Tau, had been resolved.

Mike Bedigan reports.

Grimes says Elon Musk is ‘unrecognizable’ as she speaks out about custody battle

Pete Hegseth once made ominous prediction about ‘civil war’ if Democrats won the election

03:00 , Katie Hawkinson

Pete Hegseth, Donald Trump’s pick for defense secretary, has said that leftists are America’s “internal enemies” and suggested a Democratic victory could have ended in a civil war.

Trump named the 44-year-old veteran and Fox News host as his nominee for secretary of defense earlier this month. Now, The Guardian reports the man who could lead the Pentagon once wrote in 2020 that the U.S. might undergo “civil war” if Democrats won.

In his book American Crusade, Hegseth laid out “the strategy we must employ in order to defeat America’s internal enemies” and called on the GOP to “mock, humiliate, intimidate, and crush our leftist opponents.”

“America will decline and die,” Hegseth wrote, referring to a now-moot future where Joe Biden won the election, according to The Guardian. “A national divorce will ensue. Outnumbered freedom lovers will fight back.”

The U.S. armed forces are similarly-minded freedom lovers who would have to “make a choice,” he continued.

If confirmed, Hegseth would lead the Pentagon and assume the second-most powerful position in the military’s chain of command.

Tulsi Gabbard was placed on TSA watch list over her foreign travel and connections, says report

02:30 , Gustaf Kilander

President-elect Donald Trump’s choice to be his director of national intelligence, former Democratic Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard, was briefly put on a watchlist by the Transportation Security Administration, according to CNN.

The list leads to certain individuals being chosen for additional screening before flights. She was added to the list after her patterns of travel and foreign connections triggered a government algorithm this year, three sources told the network.

But Gabbard was soon removed from the list, called “Quiet Skies.” Her removal came after she publicly claimed that she had been put on a “secret terror watchlist.”

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Tulsi Gabbard was placed on TSA watch list over her foreign travel, says report

Trump nominates NFL veteran Scott Turner as HUD secretary

01:19 , Gustaf Kilander

Trump has nominated Scott Turner to serve as his secretary of housing and urban development.

“Scott is an NFL Veteran, who, during my First Term, served as the First Executive Director of the White House Opportunity and Revitalization Council (WHORC), helping to lead an Unprecedented Effort that Transformed our Country’s most distressed communities,” Trump said on Friday night. “Those efforts, working together with former HUD Secretary, Ben Carson, were maximized by Scott’s guidance in overseeing 16 Federal Agencies which implemented more than 200 policy actions furthering Economic Development.”

“After graduating from [the] University of Illinois, Scott was drafted by the Washington Redskins, and spent nine years in the NFL before he went on to win a State House Race in Texas, where he was born and raised,” the president-elect added.

Trump nominates Marty Makary as FDA commissioner

01:14 , Gustaf Kilander

Trump has nominated Marty Makary to be the FDA commissioner, saying in a statement on Friday night that the “FDA has lost the trust of Americans, and has lost sight of its primary goal as a regulator.”

“The Agency needs Dr. Marty Makary, a Highly Respected Johns Hopkins Surgical Oncologist and Health Policy Expert, to course-correct and refocus the Agency,” he added. “He will work under the leadership of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to, among other things, properly evaluate harmful chemicals poisoning our Nation’s food supply and drugs and biologics being given to our Nation’s youth, so that we can finally address the Childhood Chronic Disease Epidemic.”

Trump nominates Dave Weldon as CDC director

01:07 , Gustaf Kilander

Trump announced on Friday night that former Congressman Dr. Dave Weldon has been nominated to serve as his director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“In addition to being a Medical Doctor for 40 years, and an Army Veteran, Dave has been a respected conservative leader on fiscal and social issues, and served on the Labor/HHS Appropriations Subcommittee, working for Accountability on HHS and CDC Policy and Budgeting,” Trump said in a statement. “Dave also served in a leading role in Government Oversight and Reform Committee Hearings, addressing issues within HHS and CDC. Dave has successfully worked with the CDC to enact a ban on patents for human embryos.”

Trump claimed Kim Jong Un missed him. The North Korea leader has a different message

01:00 , Josh Marcus

On the campaign trail over the summer, Donald Trump claimed that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un “misses me,” and that relations between their two countries would improve with a second Trump term.

At a defense expo in Pyongyang this week, the North Korean dictator had a very different message.

“We have already explored every possible avenue in negotiating with the U.S.,” Kim said, according to state media, accusing the U.S. of an “unchanging aggressive and hostile policy” toward the country that’s helped put international affairs into their “most chaotic and violent” state since World War II.

After Trump’s comments about Kim in July, a state news agency said, “No matter what administration takes office in the US, the political climate, which is confused by the infighting of the two parties, does not change and, accordingly, we do not care about this.”

Read more here

Trump announces White House roles for Alex Wong and Sebastian Gorka

00:57 , Gustaf Kilander

Trump has announced that he will appoint Alex Wong as assistant to the president and principal deputy national security adviser, and Sebastian Gorka as deputy assistant to the president and senior director for counterterrorism.

“Alex served during my First Term as the Deputy Special Representative for North Korea, and the Deputy Assistant Secretary for East Asian and Pacific Affairs at the Department of State,” Trump said.

“As Deputy Special Representative for North Korea, he helped negotiate my Summit with North Korean Leader, Kim Jong Un,” he added.

The president-elect said Gorka has been a “tireless advocate for the America First Agenda and the MAGA Movement” since 2015.

In the first Trump Administration, Gorka served as strategist to the president.

Trump noted that Gorka “is a legal immigrant to the United States, with more than 30 years of National Security experience. In 2015, he was one of my Advisors for the GOP Primary Debates on National Security.”

Trump nominates Dr. Janette Nesheiwat to be Surgeon General

00:47 , Gustaf Kilander

Trump has nominated Dr. Janette Nesheiwat to be the next surgeon general.

“During the COVID-19 pandemic, she worked on the front lines in New York City treating thousands of Americans and helped patients in the aftermath of President Donald Trump’s Historic Operation Warp Speed,” the president-elect said in a statement.

He added: “Dr. Janette provided on-the-ground medical treatment to Americans in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and the Joplin tornadoes. She is also a member of Samaritan’s Purse Disaster Assistance, Relief Team, and has provided lifesaving care during crises in Morocco, Haiti, and Poland.”

Trump nominates Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer to lead Labor Department

00:37 , Gustaf Kilander

Trump has nominated Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer to be his next labor secretary.

Here’s the president-elect’s statement in full:

I am proud to hereby nominate Congresswoman Lori Chavez-DeRemer, from the Great State of Oregon, as United States Secretary of Labor.

Lori has worked tirelessly with both Business and Labor to build America’s workforce, and support the hardworking men and women of America.

I look forward to working with her to create tremendous opportunity for American Workers, to expand Training and Apprenticeships, to grow wages and improve working conditions, to bring back our Manufacturing jobs.

Together, we will achieve historic cooperation between Business and Labor that will restore the American Dream for Working Families.

Lori’s strong support from both the Business and Labor communities will ensure that the Labor Department can unite Americans of all backgrounds behind our Agenda for unprecedented National Success – Making America Richer, Wealthier, Stronger and more Prosperous than ever before!

Donald Trump