Trump cabinet live updates: President-elect joins Musk for SpaceX launch and taps Dr Oz for key role
TV doctor joins Cantor Fitzgerald CEO Howard Lutnick as latest additions to new Trump administration, as Treasury role remains vacant
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Your support makes all the difference.Donald Trump joined Elon Musk in Texas to watch this afternoon’s SpaceX Starship test launch as his proposed administration continues to take shape.
On Tuesday, the president-elect named Cantor Fitzgerald CEO Howard Lutnick as commerce secretary. Lutnick was under consideration for treasury secretary, with reports that there is a “free for all” and a “mad dash to find someone pro-tariff” to take up the role.
Trump also tapped Dr Mehmet Oz as Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator — working closely with Robert F Kennedy Jr. Trump is also set to name former WWE CEO Linda McMahon as education secretary, according to a report.
On Capitol Hill, the controversial choice of Matt Gaetz as potential attorney general continues to cause a stir, with reports that a hacker has accessed a file of damaging testimony about the former congressman from an ethics investigation.
In other developments, Trump confirmed his intention to deploy the military to carry out his mass deportation plan in a Truth Social post, and on Fox News, his incoming border czar Tom Homan threatened prosecution for anyone who hides migrants.
Finally, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg has told Judge Juan Merchan he will not oppose postponing Trump’s sentencing in his hush-money case but rejects attempts by the defense to throw out the conviction.
Trump joked about a third term in 2028. So can he run again?
Helping out the First Buddy: Musk’s Tesla stock soars after reports Trump will ease rules on driverless cars
Doctors worry about RFK Jr’s anti-Ozempic stance (and many of his other views)
Trump’s Cabinet and staff tracker: Here’s who is among the White House appointments so far
Trump appears to be planning to attend SpaceX ‘Starship’ launch tomorrow
President-elect Donald Trump appears to be planning to attend a SpaceX “Starship” rocket launch on Tuesday, in the latest indication of founder Elon Musk ‘s influence in the Republican’s orbit.
The Federal Aviation Administration has issued temporary flight restrictions over Brownsville and Boca Chica, Texas area for a VIP visit that coincides with the SpaceX launch window for a test of its massive Starship rocket from its launch facility on the Gulf of Mexico. The flight restrictions put in place over Trump’s home in Palm Beach, Florida when he is there will be lifted briefly while the Texas security measures are in place.
Profile: Attorney general nominee Matt Gaetz
Donald Trump has announced he’s going to nominate former Florida Republican congressman Matt Gaetz to serve as attorney general.
In a statement, the president-elect praised Gaetz, 42, who has frequently defended Trump and criticized the various criminal and congressional probes against the Republican.
“On the House Judiciary Committee, which performs oversight of DOJ, Matt played a key role in defeating the Russia, Russia, Russia Hoax, and exposing alarming and systemic Government Corruption and Weaponization,” Trump wrote on Wednesday, calling Gaetz a “Champion for the Constitution and the Rule of Law.”
Gaetz has faced multiple allegations of wrongdoing of his own, including a federal sex trafficking probe that ended without charges against him and a House ethics inquiry.
Here’s what you need to know about Gaetz, who was once dubbed the “Trumpiest Congressman” in Washington:
Who is Matt Gaetz? Trump’s attorney general nominee who is no stranger to controversy
Trump loyalist’s appointment as attorney general could trigger huge shift in how Department of Justice investigates January 6 riot
Trump Media shares soar as report says company in talks to buy crypto trading platform
The Financial Times reports that Trump Media is reportedly in “advanced talks” to buy the cryptocurrency trading firm Bakkt. The outlet cited two people with knowledge of the talks.
Shares in both companies soared on the news with the the parent company of Truth Social shooting up by as much as 15 percent in the minutes after the report was published, CNBC reports.
Shares of Bakkt, created by Intercontinental Exchange, which owns the New York Stock Exchange, leaped more than 162 percent triggering repeated trading due to volatility in the price.
The share price of Trump Media has been on a rollercoaster ride since it went public earlier this year in the run-up to the presidential election. The company has reported a $363m net loss on revenues of just $2.6m so far this year, it boasts a market cap above $7bn.
Pennsylvania court rules mail-in ballots without dated signature will not be counted.
Mail-in ballots that arrived in time but without a dated signature will bot be counted, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court has ordered.
Some county election boards had moved to segregate and count these ballots, citing mixed messages from earlier state court rulings.
The court ruled 4-3 against counting the ballots with two Republican and two Democrat judges forming the majority.
The many controversies of RFK Jr
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., an anti-vaccine activist and former independent presidential candidate, has been tapped to lead the Department of Health and Human Services under Donald Trump’s government.
Kennedy ran an independent presidential campaign alongside running mate Nicole Shanahan, attempting to rival both Trump and Kamala Harris in the 2024 election. In August, Kennedy suspended his independent campaign for president and backed the now-president-elect.
The 70-year-old has spread misinformation about COVID-19 vaccines, admitted to bizarrely dumping a dead bear cub in Central Park and allegedly engaged in an online relationship with a political reporter despite being married, among other incidents.
Now, he’s Trump’s pick to lead the nation in a mission to “make America healthy.”
Eric Garcia and Katie Hawkinson break down Kennedy’s most notable controversies as he gears up to potentially serve in Trump’s cabinet:
RFK Jr’s controversies: From dumping a bear in Central Park to a brain-eating worm
Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s legacy is ridden with anti-vaccine conspiracy theories, brain worms and bizarre bear-cub deaths, Gustaf Kilander and Katie Hawkinson report
What have Trump’s cabinet nominees said about climate change?
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.
Here’s where some of Trump’s cabinet picks stand on the issue:
Here are what Trump’s cabinet picks have said about climate change
Climate scientists say reducing emissions is the way to slow continued extreme impacts
He’s joke about it, but could Trump run again in 2028?
Donald Trump has repeatedly mused about the prospect of serving a constitutionally-barred third term as president, though his Republican colleagues insist he’s just joking.
Josh Marcus and Alex Woodward take a look.
Trump joked about a third term in 2028. So can he run again?
The 22nd amendment bars presidents from a third term in office. Is it enough to stop Trump?
Biden seeks nearly $100bn in emergency disaster aid after Hurricanes Helene and Milton
President Joe Biden is requesting nearly $100 billion in emergency disaster aid after Hurricanes Helene and Milton, and other natural disasters.
In a letter Monday to House Speaker Mike Johnson, Biden said he has met firsthand with those harmed by the storms and heard what they need from the federal government. “Additional resources are critical to continue to support these communities,” Biden said.
The largest share of the money, about $40 billion, would go to the main disaster relief fund at the Federal Emergency Management Agency. An additional $24 billion would help farmers and $12 billion would go toward community development block grants administered by the Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Johnson, R-La., said Congress will evaluate the request and “we’ll make sure we deliver for the hurricane victims and the people that have suffered from that.”
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