Trump says Elon Musk to head new ‘efficiency’ department while Fox News host tapped for Defense Secretary: Live
Donald Trump announced a series of cabinet appointments on Tuesday while avoiding public appearances following his electoral victory
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Your support makes all the difference.President-elect Donald Trump has announced billionaire Elon Musk and former GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy will head a new “Department of Government Efficiency.”
“Together, these two wonderful Americans will pave the way for my Administration to dismantle Government Bureaucracy, slash excess regulations, cut wasteful expenditures, and restructure Federal Agencies - Essential to the ‘Save America’ Movement,” Trump said in a statement on Tuesday night.
Musk added that “this will send shockwaves through the system, and anyone involved in Government waste, which is a lot of people.”
The president-elect has also selected John Ratcliffe, former director of national intelligence from 2020 to 2021, as his CIA director. Trump also announced he’s nominating Pete Hegseth, a veteran and Fox News host, as his Secretary of Defense.
Trump has held no press conferences and given no speeches after the election as he’s surrounded by advisers, aides, friends, and club members guiding him on his next moves.
The Republican has meanwhile chosen Florida Senator Marco Rubio to be his secretary of state and Florida congressman Mike Waltz to be his national security adviser.
Trump will meet with Joe Biden at the White House on Wednesday to discuss a transition schedule as the Senate elects a new majority leader.
Michael Flynn says Mar-a-Lago staff should be subjected to polygraph tests to catch Trump cabinet pick ‘leaker’
‘I apologize to absolutely nobody’: Comedian Tony Hinchcliffe blasted for Puerto Rico joke again defense his set
Kamala Harris was convinced to abandon her progressive ideas. So Democrats didn’t vote for her
Trump taps Israel backer Mike Huckabee as U.S. ambassador
Who is who in the new first family?
Women denied abortions tell court they were ‘made to feel like medical refugees’ as they sue Idaho
An Idaho woman who was denied an abortion in her home state felt like a “medical refugee” when she had to cross state lines to obtain abortion care, she has told a court hearing a case against the state.
Four Idaho women denied abortion care after experiencing pregnancy complications and physicians are suing the state of Idaho, which has two abortion bans in place and only allows abortions in the case of rape or incest or to save the pregnant person’s life with limited medical exceptions. The plaintiffs, represented by lawyers at the Center for Reproductive Rights (CRR), are seeking clarity on medical exceptions and when providers are legally allowed to provide life-saving care.
Women denied abortions tell court felt ‘like medical refugees’ as they sue Idaho
‘She knew she could miscarriage and hemorrhage on the road’ but she had ‘no choice but to make that drive,’ a Center for Reproductive Rights lawyer said of Jennifer Adkins
Alina Habba frontrunner to be Trump press secretary: report
Alina Habba has emerged as a possible frontrunner to be Trump’s next White House press secretary, according to Mediaite.
The attorney has represented the former president in a series of cases.
The outlet reported that there are ongoing discussions about Habba taking on the role, but it remains unclear if she will accept the position.
“She’s expected to be at Mar-a-Lago this week for conversations regarding a potential role,” a source told Mediaite.
WATCH: Trump’s transition to the White House
Pentagon secrets leaker Jack Teixeira sentenced to 15 years in prison by a federal judge
A federal judge on Tuesday sentenced a Massachusetts Air National Guard member to 15 years in prison after he pleaded guilty to leaking highly classified military documents about the war in Ukraine.
Jack Teixeira pleaded guilty earlier this year to six counts of willful retention and transmission of national defense information under the Espionage Act following his arrest in the most consequential national security case in years. He was brought into court in an orange jumpsuit and showed no visible reaction as he was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani.
Earlier in the hearing he apologized before the judge.
Prosecutors had originally requested a 17-year sentence for Teixeira, saying he “perpetrated one of the most significant and consequential violations of the Espionage Act in American history.”
Defense attorneys had sought an 11-year sentence. In their sentence memorandum, they acknowledged that their client “made a terrible decision which he repeated over 14 months,” but they argued that Teixeira’s actions, though criminal, were never meant to “harm the United States.” He also had no prior criminal record.
The security breach raised alarm over America’s ability to protect its most closely guarded secrets and forced the Biden administration to scramble to try to contain the diplomatic and military fallout.
White House defends Biden-Trump sitdown invitation: ‘The American people deserve this’
The White House is defending President Joe Biden’s decision to invite President-elect Donald Trump for an Oval Office discussion on the presidential transition process, four years after Trump denied Biden the same courtesy after losing the 2020 election.
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters at her daily briefing on Tuesday that Biden extended the invitation to Trump because of his reverence for the peaceful transfer of power that has been a hallmark of the American system of government for nearly 250 years.
Asked why he is granting Trump the exact sort of privilege that Biden himself was denied four years ago, Jean-Pierre replied that it was “easy” to answer the question.
White House defends Biden-Trump sitdown: ‘The American people deserve this’
Biden and Trump are set to meet for the first time since the 2024 election on Wednesday
Draft executive order would establish board to remove generals
Trump and his advisers are considering enacting an executive order that would create a board to remove certain generals, sparking concerns about the politicization of the military, according to The Wall Street Journal.
The order would establish a “warrior board” of retired military personnel which would be handed the authority to review three- and four-star officers and to recommend firings of anyone considered unfit to lead.
The draft order reviewed by The Journal states that if Trump were to sign the order, it could expedite the removal of generals and admirals who are deemed to be “lacking in requisite leadership qualities.”
Taylor Budowich to join administration as deputy chief for personnel and communications
Trump adviser Taylor Budowich is expected to be named Deputy Chief of Staff of Presidential Personnel and Communications in the next few days, according to CNN.
Budowich was previously a spokesperson for Trump as he exited the presidency before leading the MAGA, Inc PAC. In August, he became deputy campaign manager.
WATCH: Scalise praises Trump’s ‘really good smart picks’ for cabinet
Europe is in immense danger if Trump hands any kind of victory to Putin on Ukraine
According to anonymous sources quoted in The Washington Post, one of Donald Trump’s first actions on being re-elected was to call Vladimir Putin. That call was immediately denied by the Kremlin. As Trump moves back into power, we should get used to confusion and mixed messaging – between him and Vladimir Putin, it’s always going to be hard to tell which, if either, might actually be telling the truth on any given occasion.
In fact, Russia’s response to the return of Trump has been a similarly confusing mixture of shameless flattery and blatant trolling. Putin’s comments on “courageous” Trump were accompanied by Russia’s prime-time television propaganda show welcoming Trump to the White House by airing nude photographs of his wife from a quarter-century ago while its presenters smirked.
Europe is in immense danger if Trump hands any kind of victory to Putin on Ukraine
The president-elect has said he’ll end the bloody Ukrainian conflict ‘in one day’ when he returns to the White House. But, says Keir Giles, whatever action is taken could have profound consequences for Europe
Trump selects Mike Waltz to be national security advisor
Trump has officially announced that Florida congressman Mike Waltz is set to be his national security adviser.
I am honored to announce that Congressman Mike Waltz (R-FL) is hereby appointed to serve in my Cabinet as my National Security Advisor.
Mike is the first Green Beret to have been elected to Congress, and previously served in the White House and Pentagon.
Mike served in the Army Special Forces for 27 years where he was deployed multiple times in combat for which he was awarded four Bronze Stars, including two with Valor.
Mike retired as a Colonel, and is a nationally recognized leader in National Security, a bestselling author, and an expert on the threats posed by China, Russia, Iran, and global terrorism.
He serves as a senior member of the House Armed Services Committee, the House Foreign Affairs Committee, and the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence.
Mike is a distinguished graduate with honors of the Virginia Military Institute.
Mike has been a strong champion of my America First Foreign Policy agenda, and will be a tremendous champion of our pursuit of Peace through Strength!
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