Trump treats RFK Jr to McDonald’s after health secretary nominee slams his diet: Live updates

Donald Trump has returned to Madison Square Garden tonight to attend an Ultimate Fighting Championship event at the New York City arena.

The president-elect returned to the famed venue just weeks after his controversial campaign rally there. Attendees met him with thundering cheers as he entered alongside UFC CEO Dana White, billionaire ally Elon Musk, cabinet pick Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Speaker of the House Mike Johnson. Popular podcaster Joe Rogan also attended, greeted Trump with a friendly handshake.

Meanwhile, Trump continues to fill key posts in his second administration and tonight named fracking CEO Chris Wright as his choice for energy secretary.

Wright, CEO of Denver-based Liberty Energy, is a vocal advocate of oil and gas development and one of the industry’s loudest voices against efforts to fight climate change.

Trump’s transition team is also firefighting serious allegations surrounding Matt Gaetz for attorney general and Pete Hegseth for defense secretary.

A woman who gave testimony to the House Ethics Committee probing Gaetz claims that she witnessed him having sex with a minor, her lawyer told ABC. Gaetz denies all wrongdoing.

The president-elect’s transition team is also reportedly “stunned” by a sexual assault allegation regarding Hegseth that only emerged within 48 hours of announcing him for the top defense job, CNN reports. He denied all the accusations.

Key Points

• Donald Trump arrives at MSG for UFC fight night

• Trump names oil boss Chris Wright as his pick for Energy Secretary

• Woman testified to House Ethics Committee she saw Matt Gaetz have sex with minor, her lawyer says

• Trump defense pick Pete Hegseth ‘faced sexual misconduct claims investigated by police’

• House speaker says he will ‘strongly request’ committee does not release Gaetz’s ethics report

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

19:27 , Graig Graziosi

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.

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

READ MORE:

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

Donald Trump shares photos from UFC fight, of him with RFK Jr

19:08 , Graig Graziosi

Iowa pollster Ann Selzer to retire after ‘big miss’ predicting Kamala Harris win in Iowa

18:43 , Graig Graziosi

Ann Selzer, the pollster behind the Des Moines Register’s respected Iowa Poll, has announced her retirement just weeks after the survey incorrectly showed Vice President Kamala Harris with a 3 percentage point lead over Donald Trump in Iowa.

Just before Election Day, the poll showed Harris leading Trump 44-47 among likely voters. The news was a last minute injection of hope for Democrat voters desperate to keep Trump out of the White House.

Those hopes turned to ash on Election Day; Trump defeated Harris soundly, 56 to 43 per cent.

Selzer penned a guest column in the Des Moines Register announcing her retirement. After the poll failed to reflect reality, she called it a “big miss” and theorized that her poll may have “energize[d] and activate[d] Republican voters who thought they would likely coast to a victory.”

READ MORE:

Pollster Ann Selzer to retire after ‘big miss’ predicting Kamala Harris win in Iowa

WATCH: Jon Jones gives UFC championship belt to Donald Trump

18:00 , Graig Graziosi

Mike Johnson denies consulting with Trump on Matt Gaetz ethics report

17:32 , Graig Graziosi

Speaker Mike Johnson defended his call for the House Ethics Committee to withhold the release of its report on the investigation into Matt Gaetz and allegations that the former congressman engaged in sex crimes.

Johnson appeared across the DC news circuit on Sunday as he continues to ride the waves propelling his ascent in MAGAworld; his interviews with two networks came just hours after the GOP House leader was seen alongside Donald Trumpat the UFC championship at Madison Square Garden.

On Sunday, the speaker faced expected questions about the former and soon-to-be-president’s most controversial Cabinet nomination: Matt Gaetz, the one-congressman from Florida, who was picked to be Trump’s attorney general. Gaetz was once investigated by the same Justice Department he now seeks to lead for allegedly having sex with an underage girl; he has strongly denied the allegations.

READ MORE:

Mike Johnson denies consulting with Trump on Matt Gaetz ethics report

SNL skewers Donald Trump’s ‘crazy’ cabinet picks in brutal Cold Open

16:49 , Graig Graziosi

Saturday Night Live took a hit at Donald Trump’s controversial cabinet picks in their Cold Open sketch on Saturday night.

The skit, which started by poking fun at Trump and President Joe Biden’s transition meeting, took jabs at the many people who could join the president-elect’s cabinet come January.

“It’s all about surrounding yourself with the best people,” comedian James Austin Johnson said, playing Trump in the sketch. “And I am very vastly picking the most epic cabinet of all time. They’re some of the most dynamic, free-thinking, animal-killing, sexually-criminal, medically-crazy people in the country.”

READ MORE:

SNL skewers Donald Trump’s ‘crazy’ cabinet picks in brutal Cold Open

Elon Musk says he wants ‘super high IQ’ workers for DOGE — but they may not be paid

15:54 , Graig Graziosi

Elon Musk is looking for a few good “super high-IQ” volunteers to do the “tedious work” of gutting the federal government.

Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency — whose acronym is DOGE — is apparently recruiting unpaid volunteers from X, according to posts from the nascent agency.

A post made by the department’s account said it was looking for the “top 1 percent” of X applicants who have a “super high-IQ” and are “small-government revolutionaries” to work 80-plus hour weeks identifying allegedly wasteful government spending.READ MORE:

Elon Musk says he wants “super high IQ” workers for DOGE — but they may not be paid

Donald Trump, DJT Jr, Elon Musk and RFK pose with McDonald’s

15:25 , Graig Graziosi

A new Donald Trump with McDonald’s picture just dropped.

President-elect Donald Trump, his son Don Jr, Tesla/X CEO Elon Musk and Robert F Kennedy Jr posed for a photo together on what appears to be a private plane. In front of them are trays of McDonald’s. RFK Jr, who Trump wants to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, appears less than enthused to be associated with the fast food, though he may have just been caught off guard by the camera.

A caption on the picture read “Make America Healthy Again starts TOMORROW.”

Donald Trump fist pumps UFC crowd as president-elect joined by Elon Musk and Dana White

15:00 , Graig Graziosi

Donald Trump made a triumphant return to Madison Square Garden for the Ultimate Fighting Championship on Saturday night (16 November).

The president-elect returned to the famed venue just weeks after it played host to a controversial campaign rally.

Trump entered the stadium with Elon Musk and Dana White to rapturous applause and was seen chatting with several members of his entourage.

WATCH HERE:

Trump fist pumps UFC crowd as president-elect joined by Elon Musk and Dana White

Elon Musk says he wants ‘super high IQ’ workers for DOGE — but they may not be paid

15:00 , Graig Graziosi

Elon Musk is looking for a few good “super high-IQ” volunteers to do the “tedious work” of gutting the federal government.

Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency — whose acronym is DOGE — is apparently recruiting unpaid volunteers from X, according to posts from the nascent agency.

A post made by the department’s account said it was looking for the “top 1 percent” of X applicants who have a “super high-IQ” and are “small-government revolutionaries” to work 80-plus hour weeks identifying allegedly wasteful government spending.

Read more:

Elon Musk says he wants “super high IQ” workers for DOGE — but they may not be paid

Many of Trump’s nominees for key roles are his MAGA friends. They’ve also questioned climate change

14:43 , Graig Graziosi

As President-elect Donald Trump‘s picks for his upcoming administration continue to roll in, many have a noticeable link – their stance on climate change.

The former president, who has pledged to “drill, baby, drill,” while in office for his second term, has called climate change a “scam.” Many of his nominees share that thinking.

This year was the warmest in Earth’s record, fueled by the fossil fuel industry’s continued production of greenhouse gas emissions that warm the planet’s atmosphere. Without reductions, Earth could pass worrisome tipping points, with consequences for all of its inhabitants.

READ MORE:

Here are what Trump’s cabinet picks have said about climate change

ANALYSIS: Trump’s controversial cabinet picks will cost him political capital. Will they bankrupt him before he even takes office?

14:15 , Andrew Feinberg

Just over a week ago, Donald Trump became the first Republican presidential candidate to win both the Electoral College and the national popular vote since George W Bush in 2004.

And he appears to be repeating one of Bush’s most infamous mistakes.

Read more:

Trump’s latest cabinet picks could echo a major Bush-era post-election blunder

Watch: Progressive members of Congress brace for ‘challenging’ Trump fights

13:30 , Katie Hawkinson

ICYMI: Trump was convicted in his hush money case. His lawyers were rewarded with top Justice Department jobs

12:45 , Katie Hawkinson

Three attorneys central to Trump’s criminal defense and ‘immunity’ victory could lead the daily operations of a Justice Department the president-elect wants to upend, The Independent’s Alex Woodward reports:

Trump’s hush money lawyers are rewarded with top Justice Department jobs

‘He’s like the sleeper’: Lara Trump details Barron’s influence over his father

12:00 , Rhian Lubin

Lara Trump has shared details of how Barron influenced his father – and said the teenager should be given “serious credit” for his role in getting Donald Trump reelected.

Trump’s daughter-in-law, who is married to Eric, gushed about 18-year-old Barron on Patrick Bet-David’s podcast, explaining that the NYU student stayed in the shadows when it came to the 2024 presidential campaign.

“Barron Trump is so cool. He’s like the sleeper a little bit. He’s kind of stayed out of the spotlight, probably intentionally,” she said.

Read on:

‘He’s like the sleeper’: Lara Trump details Barron’s influence over his father

See it: Trump returns to Madison Square Garden for UFC event

11:15 , Katie Hawkinson

Democrats want to tear up 2028 primaries schedule after crushing 2024 defeats

10:30 , Katie Hawkinson

Democrats are already looking to revamp their primary schedule for 2028 following their electoral loss this year.

Just days after Kamala Harris lost her bid for the White House and Democrats lost their majority in the Senate, Democratic National Committee members are gearing up to draft a new order of states for the 2028 presidential primary, NBC News reports.

“The 2024 calendar will absolutely not be the calendar for 2028,” Nebraska Democratic Party Chair Jane Kleeb told the outlet.

Read on:

Democrats want to tear up 2028 primaries schedule after crushing 2024 defeats

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

09:45 , Katie Hawkinson

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

09:00 , Katie Hawkinson

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.

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

ICYMI: Jimmy Kimmel savages Trump’s new partner ‘Elonia Musk’

08:15 , Katie Hawkinson

Joe Rogan says many celebrities privately ‘thanked’ him for Trump endorsement

07:30 , Inga Parkel

Joe Rogan has claimed that several people in the entertainment industry have thanked him for endorsing President-elect Donald Trump.

Speaking on a recent episode of his Joe Rogan Experience podcast, the 57-year-old host shared that he had received praise from artists, musicians, and comedians for publicly supporting Trump in the 2024 election.

“A lot of what people say, they say it because they don’t want people to attack them. They say it because they think that if they say it, it will clear them, they’ll be OK,” Rogan said. “If you say you support ‘x’ – you might not even support ‘x’ – but if you say you support ‘x,’ you’re not going to get attacked and the right people will leave you alone or agree with you and appreciate you or praise you.”

Read on:

Joe Rogan says many celebrities privately ‘thanked’ him for Trump endorsement

Watch: Trump releases new ad stating ‘everyone thought he was done’ after winning presidency

06:45 , Katie Hawkinson

ICYMI: Jared Kushner expected to be an ‘outside adviser’ to Trump on Middle East

06:00 , Mike Bedigan

Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner is expected to be an “outside adviser” to the President-elect on Middle East issues, though reportedly may not have an official role in the administration.

Kushner, who is married to Ivanka Trump, is a trusted advisor to the President-elect, having built up strong regional relationships during his time serving in the first Trump presidency from 2017 to 2021.

“No one on the incoming team has what Jared has, and that is trust. Jared earned it, he didn’t have it at the beginning. He earned it. That takes time to build,” a regional diplomat who worked with Kushner previously told CNN.

Continue reading:

Jared Kushner expected to be an ‘outside adviser’ to Trump on Middle East

Full story: Trump emerges from Mar-a-Lago seclusion to raucous reception at UFC with key allies

05:15 , Alex Pattle, Katie Hawkinson

Donald Trump returned to Madison Square Garden on Saturday, attending UFC 309 with Dana White, president of the mixed martial arts promotion, and several other close Republican allies.

Trump has attended numerous UFC events with White, who spoke at the president-elect’s victory celebration earlier this month in Mar-a-Lago. And on Saturday, he was ringside at UFC 309 in New York City’s MSG. Trump has spent much of his time post-election at his Florida resort, making his attendance one of few public appearances since he secured the White House.

Read on:

Donald Trump to return to MSG weeks after controversial rally for UFC 309 – reports

Trump’s family won’t be in the White House, but they’ll be just as influential on the outside

04:30 , Josh Marcus

The first time Donald Trump was president, it was decidedly a family affair.

His wife Melania and young son Barron joined him in the presidential living quarters. His adult daughter Ivanka Trump and son-in-law Jared Kushner served as top White House advisers. Sons Eric and Donald Jr. looked after the family business, the Trump Organization, which holds real estate across the world. Those properties resulted in the Trumps allegedly racking up thousands of conflicts of interest during his presidency, according to ethics experts.

This time around, things will look a bit different at 1600 Pennsylvania.

Read more:

Trump family won’t be in the White House, but they’ll be just as influential outside

Drugmakers see stocks tank after RFK Jr is nominated to oversee health department

03:45 , Gustaf Kilander

US drugmakers saw their stocks tank on Thursday and Friday following the announcement that former independent presidential candidate and anti-vaccine conspiracy theorist Robert F Kennedy Jr is president-elect Donald Trump’s nominee to lead the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

Read more:

Drugmakers see stocks tank after RFK Jr is nominated to oversee health department

In pictures: Trump returns to Madison Square Garden for UFC event

03:17 , Katie Hawkinson

Donald Trump arrives at MSG for UFC fight night

03:04 , Katie Hawkinson

President-elect Donald Trump arrived at Madison Square Garden moments ago for tonight’s Ultimate Fighting Championship fight night.

He was accompanied by UFC CEO Dana White, billionaire ally Elon Musk, cabinet pick Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Speaker of the House Mike Johnson.

Musk was recently appointed to lead Trump’s newly-formed Department of Government Efficiency, while Kennedy was named his nominee for Secretary of Health and Human Services.

Joe Rogan, host of the popular podcast The Joe Rogan Experience, also attended and greeted Trump with a friendly handshake.

The crowd met the president-elect and his entourage with thundering cheers.

Who is Trump’s latest cabinet pick Chris Wright?

03:00 , Katie Hawkinson

Donald Trump Trump has tapped oil fracking CEO Chris Wright to serve as Secretary of Energy.

Wright, CEO of Liberty Energy in Denver, Colorado, is a vocal advocate of oil and gas development and one of the industry’s loudest voices against efforts to fight the ongoing climate crisis.

If confirmed, he’ll also serve on Trump’s newly-created Council of National Energy, alongside Burgum.

“Chris has been a leading technologist and entrepreneur in Energy,” Trump said in a statement. “He has worked in Nuclear, Solar, Geothermal, and Oil and Gas. Most significantly, Chris was one of the pioneers who helped launch the American Shale Revolution that fueled American Energy Independence, and transformed the Global Energy Markets and Geopolitics.”

Pelosi’s ‘unhelpful’ press tour is upsetting Democrats who want her to take a back seat to younger leaders

02:15 , Katie Hawkinson

Nancy Pelosi is upsetting some Democratic lawmakers who are hoping she yields more power to younger party leaders, a new report reveals.

Read more:

Pelosi press tour is upsetting Democrats who want her to take a back seat

Donald Trump to return to MSG weeks after controversial rally for UFC 309 – reports

01:30 , Alex Pattle

Donald Trump will reportedly return to Madison Square Garden on Saturday, attending UFC 309 with Dana White – president of the mixed martial arts promotion.

Trump has attended numerous UFC events with White, who spoke at the president-elect’s victory celebration earlier this month in Mar-a-Lago. And this weekend, he is expected to be ringside at UFC 309 in New York City’s MSG, according to the New York Post.

Read more:

Donald Trump to return to MSG weeks after controversial rally for UFC 309 – reports

Woman testified to House Ethics Committee she saw Matt Gaetz have sex with minor, her lawyer says

00:45 , Rhian Lubin

A woman testified in front of the House Ethics Committee that she saw Matt Gaetz have sex with a minor, according to her lawyer.

Attorney Joel Leppard represents two women who gave closed-door testimony in the summer to the committee probing President-elect Donald Trump’s controversial pick for attorney general, ABC first reported.

“My client testified to the House Ethics Committee that she witnessed Matt Gaetz having sex with a minor,” Leppard told the outlet.

Read more:

Woman testified to ethics committee she saw Gaetz have sex with minor, lawyer says

Democrats are still trying to figure out how to work with – and counter – Donald Trump

00:00 , Rhian Lubin

Democrats are still trying to come to grips with the numerous reasons why Kamala Harris lost and now they have a new problem – how do they work with a Donald Trump administration and both houses under his party’s control.

Trump’s election win quickly turned to his transition, where he made a number of controversial appointments and threatened to use the recess process to get them into power.

In the Senate, Republicans have enough seats for a majority, but many bills need at least 60 votes to avoid a filibuster. That means Democrats are going to have to think fast about how they work with Republicans or counter them given their minority.

Eric Garcia reports.

Democrats are still trying to figure out how to work with – and counter – Trump

Elon Musk says he wants ‘super high IQ’ workers for DOGE — but they may not be paid

Saturday 16 November 2024 23:40 , Rhian Lubin

Elon Musk is looking for a few good “super high-IQ” volunteers to do the “tedious work” of gutting the federal government.

Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency — whose acronym is DOGE — is apparently recruiting unpaid volunteers from X, according to posts from the nascent agency.

A post made by the department’s account said it was looking for the “top 1 percent” of X applicants who have a “super high-IQ” and are “small-government revolutionaries” to work 80-plus hour weeks identifying allegedly wasteful government spending.

Graig Graziosi reports.

Elon Musk says he wants “super high IQ” workers for DOGE — but they may not be paid

Watch: Trump’s White House staff secretary’s failed bid for Missouri AG

Saturday 16 November 2024 23:20 , Rhian Lubin

Will Scharf, who Trump has named as his White House staff secretary, ran an unsuccessful campaign to be Missouri’s attorney general in the summer.

In a campaign ad, he fired a grenade launcher at a stack of evidence boxes and indictments.

“Joe Biden and his corrupt allies are wrecking our legal system, doing everything they can to stop President Trump and the MAGA agenda,” he says in the ad. “It’s time for a Missouri attorney general who will return fire.”

Watch it here.

Trump to return to Madison Square Garden tonight – reports

Saturday 16 November 2024 23:10 , Rhian Lubin

Donald Trump is set to return to Madison Square Garden tonight for a UFC event, according to reports.

Trump is returning to the famed New York City venue just weeks after it played host to a controversial campaign rally.

Energy secretary role oversees nuclear weapons program

Saturday 16 November 2024 23:00 , Rhian Lubin

Trump’s pick for energy secretary, Chris Wright, would be responsible for leading the department tasked with maintaining the nation’s nuclear weapons fleet.

Wright would serve on a newly formed Council of National Energy which will be led by Doug Burgum, Trump said in the statement tonight.

“This Council will oversee the path to U.S. ENERGY DOMINANCE by cutting red tape, enhancing private sector investments across all sectors of the Economy, and by focusing on INNOVATION over longstanding, but totally unnecessary, regulation,” Trump said.

The appointment requires Senate approval.

Lara Trump details Barron’s influence over his father

Saturday 16 November 2024 22:40 , Rhian Lubin

Lara Trump has shared details of how Barron influenced his father – and said the teenager should be given “serious credit” for his role in getting Donald Trump reelected.

Trump’s daughter-in-law, who is married to Eric, gushed about 18-year-old Barron on Patrick Bet-David’s podcast, explaining that the NYU student stayed in the shadows when it came to the 2024 presidential campaign.

“Barron Trump is so cool. He’s like the sleeper a little bit. He’s kind of stayed out of the spotlight, probably intentionally,” she said.

Read more.

‘He’s like the sleeper’: Lara Trump details Barron’s influence over his father

Trump’s cabinet so far

Saturday 16 November 2024 22:20 , Rhian Lubin

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.

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

Who is Chris Wright? Trump’s pick for Energy Secretary who is a loud voice against efforts to fight climate change

Saturday 16 November 2024 22:00 , Associated Press

Trump’s Energy Secretary pick Chris Wright is a campaign donor and fossil fuel executive.

Wright, CEO of Denver-based Liberty Energy, is a vocal advocate of oil and gas development, including fracking, a key pillar of Trump’s quest to achieve U.S. “energy dominance” in the global market.

Wright has won support from influential conservatives, including oil and gas tycoon Harold Hamm. Hamm, executive chairman of Oklahoma-based Continental Resources, a major shale oil company, is a longtime Trump supporter and adviser who played a key role on energy issues in Trump’s first term.

Hamm helped organize an event at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in April where Trump reportedly asked industry leaders and lobbyists to donate $1 billion to Trump’s campaign, with the expectation that Trump would curtail environmental regulations if re-elected.

Wright has been one of the industry’s loudest voices against efforts to fight climate change and could give fossil fuels a boost, including quick action to end a year-long pause on natural gas export approvals by the Biden administration.

Wright has criticized what he calls a “top-down” approach to climate by liberal and left-wing groups and said the climate movement around the world is “collapsing under its own weight.”

NEW: Trump announces Will Scharf as White House staff secretary

Saturday 16 November 2024 21:35 , Rhian Lubin

Trump has also announced that Will Scharf, one of his personal attorneys, will be his White House staff secretary.

In a statement shared on Truth Social, Trump credited Scharf with playing “a key role in defeating the Election Interference and Lawfare waged against me, including by winning the Historic Immunity Decision in the Supreme Court.”

NEW: Trump nominates oil boss Chris Wright as Energy Secretary

Saturday 16 November 2024 21:30 , Rhian Lubin

Trump has announced that he is nominating oil industry CEO Chris Wright to be his Energy Secretary.

In a statement, Trump said:

“I am thrilled to announce that Chris Wright will be joining my Administration as both United States Secretary of Energy, and Member of the newly formed Council of National Energy.

“Chris has been a leading technologist and entrepreneur in Energy. He has worked in Nuclear, Solar, Geothermal, and Oil and Gas. Most significantly, Chris was one of the pioneers who helped launch the American Shale Revolution that fueled American Energy Independence, and transformed the Global Energy Markets and Geopolitics.

“As Secretary of Energy, Chris will be a key leader, driving innovation, cutting red tape, and ushering in a new “Golden Age of American Prosperity and Global Peace.”

Two Senators call for investigation into Elon Musk amid alleged contact with Vladimir Putin

Saturday 16 November 2024 21:20 , Rhian Lubin

Two Democratic senators have urged for a review into Elon Musk’s alleged contact with Russian President Vladimir Putin amid the contracts his companies currently hold with the federal government.

Rhode Island Senator Jack Reed, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, and New Hampshire Senator Jeanne Shaheen, a senior Democrat on the Armed Services and Foreign Relations Committees, called for the Pentagon and Justice Department to review the contracts in light of the reported contact with Russia, the BBC reports.

Last month The Wall Street Journal reported that Musk had been in regular contact with Putin and the pair have spoken on the phone about business and geopolitical matters.

In their letter, Shaheen and Reed wrote: “We urge an immediate review to ascertain whether Mr Musk’s relationship with multiple high-level Russian officials warrant an investigation and a determination by the Department of Defense’s senior debarment official whether SpaceX should exclude Mr Musk’s involvement in current or future US Government contracts.”

When reached for comment from Musk at the time, a SpaceX spokesperson told The Independent the claims in the Journal were “misleading” and “unsubstantiated.”

ICYMI: Woman testified to House Ethics Committee she saw Matt Gaetz have sex with minor, her lawyer says

Saturday 16 November 2024 21:00 , Rhian Lubin

A woman testified in front of the House Ethics Committee that she saw Matt Gaetz have sex with a minor, according to her lawyer.

Attorney Joel Leppard represents two women who gave closed-door testimony in the summer to the committee probing President-elect Donald Trump’s controversial pick for attorney general, ABC first reported.

“My client testified to the House Ethics Committee that she witnessed Matt Gaetz having sex with a minor,” Leppard told the outlet.

Read the full story below.

Woman testified to ethics committee she saw Gaetz have sex with minor, lawyer says

Trump’s transition team standing by Pete Hegseth for defense secretary

Saturday 16 November 2024 20:40 , Rhian Lubin

Trump’s transition team is standing by Pete Hegseth for defense secretary.

Hegseth shared a post from the Trump War Room on X, one of the 2024 campaign’s social media accounts, with a supportive quote from Steven Cheung, who has been named as Trump’s communications director.

Longtime GOP adviser – if Matt Gaetz has Senate hearing, it will be one ‘of the most insane’

Saturday 16 November 2024 20:20 , Rhian Lubin

Brendan Buck, a longtime GOP adviser, said if Matt Gaetz has a Senate confirmation hearing, it will be one “of the most insane.”

He told MSNBC’s Alex Witt that he “wouldn’t want to be in [Gaetz’s] position” right now.

“He’s obviously not coming in with a strong hand. I’m not ready to say that Republicans are going to reject him,” Buck said. “I think you have to appreciate how many Republicans see what Donald Trump just did and would be very concerned about crossing him.

“We’ve seen reports of as many as 30 Republican senators willing to vote against him but that’s all said anonymously.

“I do think if he gets to this point this will be some of the most insane confirmation hearings we’ve ever seen,” Buck added.

“The things that the House Ethics Committee has been looking into, whether or not the report comes out, are going to be front and center. Don’t think that Democrats on the committee will just let that go if it does not come out.”

ICYMI: AOC says Tulsi Gabbard is ‘most worrisome’ Trump cabinet pick

Saturday 16 November 2024 20:00 , Rhian Lubin

New York Democratic Rep Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has said that the nomination of former Hawaii Rep Tulsi Gabbard to be the director of national intelligence is the most worrisome nomination so far among president-elect Donald Trump’s administration picks.

“I actually think, almost more than Matt Gaetz, Tulsi Gabbard’s appointment is devastating,” Ocasio-Cortez said on MSNBC on Thursday of Gabbard and the former Florida Rep nominated to be attorney general.

“Tulsi Gabbard’s nomination, as much as she says that she’s an anti-war person, she’s not. She supports very pro-war individuals abroad,” she added.

Read more below.

AOC calls Tulsi Gabbard’s appointment the most worrisome

ICYMI: Trump was convicted in his hush money case. His lawyers were rewarded with top Justice Department jobs

Saturday 16 November 2024 19:30 , Rhian Lubin

The lawyers who defended Donald Trump in his criminal cases and demanded the Supreme Court shield him from prosecution have been awarded job offers for some of the biggest roles in federal law enforcement.

Todd Blanche, who has steered the defense of the former president in courtrooms in New York, Florida, and Washington DC, is nominated for the second highest role in the Department of Justice.

If confirmed, he could serve as deputy attorney general to far-right Trump ally Matt Gaetz, who Trump has nominated for attorney general, the nation’s top law enforcement official, in a role that is likely to be used to target the judges and prosecutors overseeing the mountain of litigation against the former president.

Emil Bove, Trump’s criminal defense attorney in his so-called hush money case, is nominated for principal deputy attorney general. He could be acting deputy attorney general while Blanche is awaiting confirmation in the Senate.

Alex Woodward writes how the three attorneys central to Trump’s criminal defense and ‘immunity’ victory could lead the daily operations of a Justice Department the president-elect wants to upend.

Trump’s hush money lawyers are rewarded with top Justice Department jobs

Gaetz’s hire at DOJ will prompt ‘mass exodus’ – former federal prosecutor

Saturday 16 November 2024 19:10 , Rhian Lubin

A former federal prosecutor has said that Donald Trump’s pick for attorney general, Matt Gaetz, would fail a background check for an entry-level role at the DOJ.

Harry Litman, a former U.S. attorney, said that Gaetz’s hire could prompt a “major exodus” at the agency.

“There’s never been someone as unqualified, no prosecutorial experience, no legal experience to speak of, but that’s the least of it. Someone who comes to the department with actual contempt and hostility for it, it’s gonna prompt a major exodus,” Litman told MSNBC’s All in with Chris Hayes on Friday.

“It’s gonna prompt judges and juries around the country to have less credibility in the DOJ, which is the really stock and trade of the DOJ,” he added.

Pennsylvania Senator John Fetterman says Democrats need to quit ‘freaking out’ about Trump

Saturday 16 November 2024 18:50 , Rhian Lubin

Pennsylvania Senator John Fetterman is advising his fellow Democrats to “chill” about Donald Trump.

Fetterman pointed out during an NBC News interview on Friday that Trump “hasn’t even been inaugurated yet.”

He warned Democrats that they needed to “pace themselves” since it’s still very early days for the Trump presidency round two.

“And that’s the thing. If you’re already exhausted, freaking out, and it’s not even Thanksgiving, then you really ought to pace yourselves. Because he hasn’t even been inaugurated yet,” he said.

“So you really have to chill out, and you’re going to have to be more discerning or discriminate on what’s going to freak you out, or what’s just trolling, Because it’s not the weather, it’s the climate now for the next four years.”

Graig Graziosi has the details.

John Fetterman says Dems ‘freaking out’ about Trump need to ‘chill’

‘The least qualified nominee in American history’ – Why Trump picked Pete Hegseth for defense

Saturday 16 November 2024 18:30 , Rhian Lubin

The second in command to the nation’s military could end up being a Fox News pundit who wants to launch a “frontal assault” against top brass, kick women out of combat, and implement Donald Trump’s sweeping agenda for the world’s third-largest standing fighting force.

The president-elect has nominated Pete Hegseth as his secretary of defense, overseeing a budget of roughly $850 billion and roughly 3 million service members and personnel serving in the nation’s oldest-running agency while the US is embroiled in global conflicts in a period of escalating tensions.

The office was created in the aftermath of the Second World War to centralize governance of the newly renamed Department of War and the various branches of the military.

Veterans groups and service members are warning against Trump’s ‘dangerous’ appointment to the Pentagon, as the president-elect rewards loyalists dedicated to his agenda, Alex Woodward reports.

Why Trump nominated a ‘wholly unqualified’ Fox News host for defense secretary

How the Trump family will influence from outside the White House

Saturday 16 November 2024 18:10 , Rhian Lubin

There may be fewer Trumps in the White House this time around but ethical questions and party influence will continue to swirl around the famous family, writes Josh Marcus.

This time around, things will look a bit different at 1600 Pennsylvania. Barron’s at college in New York.

Jared and Ivanka are in Miami after the latter formally announced her withdrawal from politics in 2022. Melania’s reportedly going to bounce between Palm Beach and Manhattan, rather than live full-time at the White House.

Don Jr. got a new job as a venture capitalist instead of joining the White House, and Eric is taking a back seat to his wife, Lara.

Read on for more…

Trump family won’t be in the White House, but they’ll be just as influential outside

RECAP: Who has Trump announced so far? Cabinet and other senior officials

Saturday 16 November 2024 17:50 , Rhian Lubin

Here’s how Trump’s cabinet, along with other senior White House positions, is looking so far. Most of them are subject to Senate approval.

White House Chief of Staff – Susie Wiles

White House Communications Director – Steven Cheung

White House Press Secretary – Karoline Leavitt

White House Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy – Stephen Miller

Secretary of State – Marco Rubio

Attorney General – Matt Gaetz

Defense Secretary – Pete Hegseth

Health and Human Services Secretary – Robert F Kennedy Jr

Homeland Security Secretary: Kristi Noem

Directional of National Intelligence: Tulsi Gabbard

EPA Administrator: Lee Zeldin

Veterans Affairs Secretary: Doug Collins

Interior Secretary: Doug Burgum

U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations: Elise Stefanik

CIA Director: John Ratcliffe

National Security Adviser: Mike Waltz

Border Czar: Tom Homan

How much power will RFK Jr have if he is confirmed as health secretary?

Saturday 16 November 2024 17:30 , Rhian Lubin

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

It is unclear whether Kennedy could get confirmed, even with a Republican Senate majority. Mike Pence, Trump’s former vice president, made the rare move of denouncing Kennedy as insufficiently opposed to abortion.

Needless to say, almost all, if not all, Democrats will oppose Kennedy’s confirmation. Plenty of Republicans might have some objections as well.

Eric Garcia breaks down just how much power Kennedy would have should he lead the agency.

RFK Jr could soon oversee Health in the US – here’s what he’ll have control over

Explainer: Will Trump’s cabinet picks get approved?

Saturday 16 November 2024 17:10 , Rhian Lubin

In addition to the 15 officials Trump will choose to join his cabinet, there are hundreds of positions, including ambassadors and lower-level roles, that typically require Senate approval.

Nominees face a grilling during the Senate confirmation process as it typically requires them to submit financial disclosures and testify before a committee.

Members from both political parties get a chance to interrogate nominees about their plans for the post and their backgrounds.

The Senate committee votes on the nominee following the hearing and if it passes, it then goes to the full Senate for a vote.

However, last weekend Trump signaled he could bypass the process via recess appointments.

“Any Republican Senator seeking the coveted LEADERSHIP position in the United States Senate must agree to Recess Appointments (in the Senate!), without which we will not be able to get people confirmed in a timely manner,” Trump wrote in a social media post on X on Sunday before John Thune was confirmed as the next majority leader Wednesday, replacing the outgoing Mitch McConnell.

Recess appointments would allow Trump to make administration appointments without a vote in the Senate while the upper chamber is in recess. The process is not unconstitutional, and it has been done before by other administrations.

Bill Clinton made 139 recess appointments while in the White House, and Barack Obama made 32. George W. Bush made 171, ABC noted, according to the Congressional Research Service.

Could a tattoo derail Trump’s pick for defense secretary?

Saturday 16 November 2024 16:50 , Rhian Lubin

There is yet more controversy surrounding Trump’s defense secretary pick.

Concerns have been raised over a tattoo belonging to Pete Hegseth, the Fox News host nominated by Trump to lead the Department of Defense – with opinion divided over whether it is a “Christian motto” or a white nationalist dog whistle.

Hegseth, an Army National Guard veteran, has the words “Deus Vult” tattooed on his bicep, which has been associated with white supremacist groups. “Deus Vult” is a Latin phrase meaning “God Wills It,” and was a rallying cry for Christian crusaders in the Middle Ages.

The Associated Press reported that the tattoo previously resulted in Hegseth being flagged as a possible “Insider Threat” by a fellow service member. However, the AP report has led to outrage on both sides, including from Vice President-elect JD Vance.

Mike Bedigan reports.

Could a tattoo derail Trump’s pick for defense secretary?

Watch: Trump releases new ad saying ‘everyone thought he was done’ after winning presidency

Saturday 16 November 2024 16:36 , Rhian Lubin

The President-elect has released a new advert on X today to those who voted for him.

Woman testified to House Ethics Committee she saw Matt Gaetz have sex with minor, her lawyer says

Saturday 16 November 2024 15:57 , Rhian Lubin

A woman testified in front of the House Ethics Committee that she saw Matt Gaetz have sex with a minor, according to her lawyer.

Attorney Joel Leppard represents two women who gave closed-door testimony in the summer to the committee probing President-elect Donald Trump’s controversial pick for attorney general, ABC first reported.

“My client testified to the House Ethics Committee that she witnessed Matt Gaetz having sex with a minor,” Leppard told the outlet.

Gaetz denies any wrongdoing.

Read the full story below.

Woman testified to ethics committee she saw Gaetz have sex with minor, lawyer says

Trump aide in charge of mass deportations threatens ‘shock and awe’ on day one of new administration

Saturday 16 November 2024 15:00 , Oliver O’Connell

Trump border czar Tom Homan has pledged to institute a regime of “shock and awe” on the first day of the new administration.

The former acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) took part in Donald Trump Jr’s program on the video streaming platform Rumble this week.

The pair discussed Homan’s plans to put together mass deportations of millions of illegal immigrants.

Gustaf Kilander reports.

Trump aide in charge of mass deportations threatens ‘shock and awe’

IN DEPTH: Putin and Trump are deluded about one another – and Ukraine will pay the price

Saturday 16 November 2024 14:30 , Oliver O’Connell

Tom Watling reports:

Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin seriously underestimate what the other is capable of and that carries far-ranging risks for Ukraine over Russia’s invasion, Britain’s former spy chief and ex-diplomats have told The Independent.

Trump’s US election victory last week has upended Europe’s plan to back Kyiv for “as long as it takes”. His focus is on ending the war quickly, even if that potentially means pushing Kyiv to cede territory currently occupied by Russia.

Sir Alex Younger, former chief of MI6 from 2014 to 2020, believes both the incoming president and his Russian counterpart overestimate their ability to influence the other.

“I think Trump overestimates his ability to force Putin into a land swap where Putin clearly wants a lot more, when he feels that he is winning and when he has to show [the Russian people] a lot more if he is to justify the appalling sacrifice he’s imposed,” he says. “Trump is underestimating the challenge and overestimating his influence.”

Continue reading…

Putin and Trump are deluded about one another – and Ukraine will pay the price

Why is RFK Jr facing pushback to his nomination from the right?

Saturday 16 November 2024 14:00 , Oliver O’Connell

Robert F Kennedy Jr has questioned the effectiveness of vaccines and slammed the FDA’s “aggressive suppression” of raw milk — but some Republicans are warning he may not be right to lead federal health agencies for an entirely different reason: his stance on abortion.

Kelly Rissman explains.

ANALYSIS: Trump warned his second term would mean ‘retribution’. His alarming cabinet picks show he means it

Saturday 16 November 2024 13:30 , Oliver O’Connell

Alex Woodward writes:

Trump’s first wave of cabinet nominations and White House appointments, within the week after he won the 2024 presidential election, have stunned members of Congress, veterans and active-duty service members, public health advocates and democratic advocates, who have warned for years that he is building a government of loyalists to fulfill his campaign-trail promises to deliver “retribution” by destroying the “deep state.”

Continue reading…

Trump promised ‘retribution’ in his second term. His cabinet picks show he means it

AOC: Tulsi Gabbard’s appointment the most worrisome

Saturday 16 November 2024 13:00 , Oliver O’Connell

New York Democratic Rep Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has said that the nomination of former Hawaii Rep Tulsi Gabbard to be the director of national intelligence is the most worrisome nomination so far among president-elect Donald Trump’s administration picks.

“I actually think, almost more than Matt Gaetz, Tulsi Gabbard’s appointment is devastating,” Ocasio-Cortez said on MSNBC on Thursday of Gabbard and the former Florida Rep nominated to be attorney general.

Gustaf Kilander reports.

AOC calls Tulsi Gabbard’s appointment the most worrisome

ANALYSIS: Trump’s controversial cabinet picks will cost him political capital. Will they bankrupt him before he even takes office?

Saturday 16 November 2024 12:00 , Oliver O’Connell

Andrew Feinberg writes:

Just over a week ago, Donald Trump became the first Republican presidential candidate to win both the Electoral College and the national popular vote since George W Bush in 2004.

And he appears to be repeating one of Bush’s most infamous mistakes.

Read on…

Trump’s latest cabinet picks could echo a major Bush-era post-election blunder

Trump’s White House staff secretary ran unsuccessful campaign for Missouri AG

Saturday 16 November 2024 22:30 , Rhian Lubin

Will Scharf, Trump’s personal attorney and soon-to-be White House staff secretary, ran an unsuccessful campaign in the summer to be Missouri’s attorney general.

Clad in a fleece sweater vest, in one of his campaign ads Scharf fired a grenade launcher at a stack of evidence boxes and indictments.

“Joe Biden and his corrupt allies are wrecking our legal system, doing everything they can to stop President Trump and the MAGA agenda,” he said in the ad. “It’s time for a Missouri attorney general who will return fire.”

Watch the ad and read Alex Woodward’s report below.

MAGA candidate for Missouri attorney general blows up Trump evidence in campaign ad

ICYMI: Speaker says he will ‘strongly request’ committee does not release Gaetz’s ethics report

Saturday 16 November 2024 11:00 , Oliver O’Connell

Speaker Mike Johnson has said that he will request that the House Ethics Committee not release its report into allegations of sexual misconduct and illicit drug use made against former Florida Congressman and Attorney General nominee Matt Gaetz.

Asked if he thinks the report should come out, Johnson told reporters: “I do not. No, I think it’s a terrible breach of protocol.”

Gustaf Kilander reports.

House speaker says he will ‘request’ committee does not release Gaetz’s ethics report

Lara Trump says Barron deserves ‘serious credit’ for role in father’s election victory

Saturday 16 November 2024 22:19 , Rhian Lubin

Lara Trump has shared details of how Barron influenced his father – and said the teenager should be given “serious credit” for his role in getting Donald Trump reelected.

Trump’s daughter-in-law, who is married to Eric, gushed about 18-year-old Barron on Patrick Bet-David’s podcast, explaining that the NYU student stayed in the shadows when it came to the 2024 presidential campaign.

“Barron Trump is so cool. He’s like the sleeper a little bit. He’s kind of stayed out of the spotlight, probably intentionally,” she said.

Read more below.

‘He’s like the sleeper’: Lara Trump details Barron’s influence over his father

Who is Chris Wright? Trump’s pick for Energy Secretary who is loud voice in efforts to fight climate change

Saturday 16 November 2024 21:49 , Associated Press

Chris Wright, CEO of Denver-based Liberty Energy, is a vocal advocate of oil and gas development, including fracking, a key pillar of Trump’s quest to achieve U.S. “energy dominance” in the global market.

Wright has won support from influential conservatives, including oil and gas tycoon Harold Hamm.

Hamm, executive chairman of Oklahoma-based Continental Resources, a major shale oil company, is a longtime Trump supporter and adviser who played a key role on energy issues in Trump’s first term.

Hamm helped organize an event at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in April where Trump reportedly asked industry leaders and lobbyists to donate $1 billion to Trump’s campaign, with the expectation that Trump would curtail environmental regulations if re-elected.

Wright has been one of the industry’s loudest voices against efforts to fight climate change and could give fossil fuels a boost, including quick action to end a year-long pause on natural gas export approvals by the Biden administration.

Wright has criticized what he calls a “top-down” approach to climate by liberal and left-wing groups and said the climate movement around the world is “collapsing under its own weight.”

How can Trump can bypass FBI background checks and security clearance for his key cabinet picks?

Saturday 16 November 2024 10:00 , Oliver O’Connell

The FBI has vetted cabinet picks since President Dwight D Eisenhower was in the White House.

But if he so chooses, Donald Trump, himself a convicted felon, can bypass background checks for those he has nominated for key roles in his administration.

Incoming cabinet members have traditionally faced intensive screening from the FBI with a binary purpose: to help with the Senate confirmation process and to vet nominees for security clearance.

Criminal histories, conflicts of interest, financial problems or other potentially disqualifying factors are typically investigated through this process.

But, despite established procedure, the president does have the power to bypass such checks and grant immediate security clearance to officials.

James Liddell explains.

How Trump can bypass FBI background checks and security clearance for cabinet picks

Who’s who in Trump’s proposed cabinet

Saturday 16 November 2024 09:00 , Oliver O’Connell

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.

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

Could a bankruptcy judge could pump the brakes on The Onion’s purchase of InfoWars?

Saturday 16 November 2024 08:00 , Oliver O’Connell

The bankruptcy judge overseeing the auction of Alex Jones’s InfoWars has raised concerns over the process by which satirical publication The Onion won the bid for the conspiracy theorist’s website and related properties, ending his 25-year run of the media company.

During a status conference on Thursday, hours after Jones raged on his final InfoWars broadcast that the “deep state” was shutting him down, District Judge Christopher Lopez said “no one should feel comfortable with the results of this auction.”

Alex Woodward reports.

Bankruptcy judge could pump the brakes on The Onion’s purchase of InfoWars

Iran sent note to the White House promising not to kill Trump

Saturday 16 November 2024 06:00 , Oliver O’Connell

Iran sent a private letter to the Joe Biden administration last month vowing it wouldn’t plot to kill Donald Trump, according to a report.

The letter from Tehran — delivered on October 14 — came in response to US officials’ private hand-written warning to the country in September, relating that any threats against the then-Republican nominee’s life would be “treated as an act of war,” the Wall Street Journal first reported.

Kelly Rissman has the story.

Iran sent note to the White House promising not to kill Trump

Trump’s cabinet picks show he’s ‘running the country like a reality show’, says Kimmel

Saturday 16 November 2024 04:00 , Oliver O’Connell

Jimmy Kimmel has mocked Donald Trump for “running the country like a reality show” as the president-elect works to fill his second administration.

In the past two days, Trump has nominated former Democratic congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard as director of national intelligence, former Florida representative Matt Gaetz as attorney general, vocal anti-vaxxer Robert F Kennedy Jr as Health and Human Services secretary and Fox News contributor Pete Hegseth to lead the Pentagon.

While Republicans and Democrats have reacted to Trump’s controversial cabinet picks with a mixture of praise, criticism and confusion, the Jimmy Kimmel Live host described the nominations as being even “crazier “ than predicted.

James Liddell reports.

Jimmy Kimmel says Trump’s cabinet picks show he’s ‘running US like a reality show’

Trump aide in charge of mass deportations threatens ‘shock and awe’ on day one of new administration

Saturday 16 November 2024 03:00 , Oliver O’Connell

Trump border czar Tom Homan has pledged to institute a regime of “shock and awe” on the first day of the new administration.

The former acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) took part in Donald Trump Jr’s program on the video streaming platform Rumble this week.

The pair discussed Homan’s plans to put together mass deportations of millions of illegal immigrants.

Gustaf Kilander reports.

Trump aide in charge of mass deportations threatens ‘shock and awe’