Trump’s defense nominee Pete Hegseth ripped by Tammy Duckworth as GOP grilled on cabinet picks: Live updates
President-elect also made flurry of nominations on Friday night to form his new administration
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Your support makes all the difference.Donald Trump has named Brooke Rollins, founder of the America First Policy Institute, as his pick for secretary of agriculture, completing nominations for his cabinet.
The president-elect wasted little time after Matt Gaetz said he was withdrawing from consideration for attorney general. Hours later, Trump named Pam Bondi, former Florida AG, as his choice to lead the Department of Justice. Bondi represented him in his first impeachment trial.
Trump also announced hedge fund manager Scott Bessent as his choice for treasury secretary, and in a flurry of announcements on Friday night, he named Project 2025 co-author Russell Vought as the White House budget chief.
Trump also picked heads for the FDA and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and a surgeon general — rounding out his nominees to join Robert F Kennedy Jr in radically transforming the nation’s healthcare and disease preparedness agencies.
On Sunday morning’s political talk shows, Republican lawmakers stepped up to defend some of Trump’s choices, including defense secretary nominee Pete Hegseth who has been mired in scandal all week because of sexual assault allegations and views on women in combat roles.
Democratic senator Tammy Duckworth, a veteran, called him “unqualified and dangerous”.
Trump’s Cabinet and staff tracker: Here’s who is among the White House appointments so far
‘Funniest idea ever’: Elon Musk and Donald Trump Jr suggest buying MSNBC
Gaetz without ‘the baggage’: Trump’s new pick Pam Bondi could still disrupt Justice Department
What to know about Brooke Rollins, Trump's pick for agriculture secretary
Trump did a complete 180 on transgender bathroom controversy
“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
‘People go. They use the bathroom that they feel is appropriate,’ Trump said in 2016 about a North Carolina bathroom bill
ICYMI: Trump’s hush money sentencing indefinitely postponed as judge considers tossing conviction
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
Trump was found guilty on 34 felony counts after a years-long legal saga involving his 2016 campaign
Scott Turner (contd.)
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
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
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
Senator Lindsey Graham hit out at US allies warning they should not comply with the warrant for the Israeli leader issued by the ICC
Watch: Trump treasury pick like ‘beauty pageant’ of Wall St players
Who’s who in Trump’s cabinet picks so far
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
Here is who Donald Trump has chosen to fill key cabinet positions in his second administration
Revealed: How Donald Trump’s alleged assassin tapped up UK-trained Afghan commandos to fight in Ukraine
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
This is 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. Holly Bancroft and May Bulman report
Trump expected to pick former adviser Brooke Rollins for agriculture, report says
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
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
Fox News host’s nomination chances took a hit after the release of a 22-page police report detailing sexual assault allegations
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