Control over , teetering between a Republican or Democratic majority with .
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Here鈥檚 the latest:
Trump taps Rep. Mike Waltz as national security adviser
has asked U.S. Rep. Michael Waltz, a retired Army National Guard officer and war veteran, to be his national security adviser, a person familiar with the matter said Monday.
The nod came despite simmering concerns on Capitol Hill about Trump tapping members of the House, where the final tally is still uncertain and there are worries about pulling any GOP members from the chamber because that would force a new election to fill the empty seat. The person spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the matter before Trump made a formal announcement.
The move would put Waltz at the forefront of a litany of national security crises 鈥� ranging from the ongoing effort to provide weapons to Ukraine and escalating worries about the growing alliance between Russia and North Korea to the persistent attacks in the Middle East by Iran proxies and the push for a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas and Hezbollah.
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Elon Musk鈥檚 PAC spent an estimated $200 million to help elect Donald Trump, AP source says
The billionaire Tesla and SpaceX CEO provided the vast majority of the money to America PAC, which focused on low-propensity and first-time voters, according to a person familiar with the group鈥檚 spending, who was not authorized to disclose the figure publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.
America PAC鈥檚 work was aided by from the Federal Election Commission that paved the way for super PACs to coordinate their canvassing efforts with campaigns, allowing the Trump campaign to rely on the near-unlimited money of the nation鈥檚 most high-profile billionaire to boost turnout in deep-red parts of the country. That allowed the campaign to spend the money they saved on everything from national ad campaigns to targeted outreach toward demographics Democrats once dominated.
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Gov. Gavin Newsom will visit DC as he tries to Trump-proof state policies
California Gov. Gavin Newsom plans to meet with the Biden administration to discuss zero-emission vehicles and disaster relief 鈥� issues that have been targeted in the past by
The Democratic governor is leaving for Washington on Monday and will return home Wednesday, his office said. Newsom will also meet with California鈥檚 congressional delegation.
The trip comes days after Newsom called for state lawmakers to in December to protect California鈥檚 liberal policies ahead of Trump鈥檚 return to office in January.
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Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala says he had 鈥榓 great call鈥� with President-elect Donald Trump
Fiala says they talked about Ukraine, Israel and the Middle East.
The Czech Republic is a staunch supporter of Ukraine it its fight against the Russian aggression and is one of the biggest allies of Israel in the European Union.
Fiala said they also talked about Trump鈥檚 late wife Ivana, who was of Czech origin, and his memories of Prague.
鈥淚 am looking forward to our close cooperation!鈥� sad Fiala, a conservative politician who leads a four-party coalition government.
Trump has chosen former New York Rep. Lee Zeldin as his pick to lead the Environmental Protection Agency
In a statement, Trump said Zeldin 鈥渨ill ensure fair and swift deregulatory decisions that will be enacted in a way to unleash the power of American businesses, while at the same time maintaining the highest environmental standards, including the cleanest air and water on the planet.鈥�
Zeldin doesn鈥檛 appear to have any experience in environmental issues, but is a longtime supporter of the former president.
Zeldin wrote on X, that it was an 鈥渉onor鈥� to be chosen for the job, adding: 鈥淲e will restore US energy dominance, revitalize our auto industry to bring back American jobs, and make the US the global leader of AI. We will do so while protecting access to clean air and water.鈥�
Stock market today: Most of Wall Street rolls higher as bitcoin bounces above $86,000
Most U.S. stocks are rising Monday, led by those seen as benefiting the most from as president, but drops for some high-profile Big Tech stocks are keeping indexes in check.
The S&P 500 was up 0.1% in late trading, and two out of every three stocks in the index were climbing. It鈥檚 coming off its , following Trump鈥檚 presidential victory and a cut to interest rates by the .
The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 332 points, or 0.8%, with roughly an hour remaining in trading, and the Nasdaq composite was 0.1% lower.
Tesla was the strongest force pushing upward on the S&P 500 after rising 7.2%. Its leader, Elon Musk, has become a close ally of Trump鈥檚, and its stock jumped nearly 15% the day after the election and has kept rising.
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Will Trump鈥檚 hush money conviction stand? A judge will rule on the president-elect鈥檚 immunity claim
A gut punch for most defendants, Donald Trump turned his into a rallying cry. His supporters put 鈥淚鈥檓 Voting for the Felon鈥� on T-shirts, hats and lawn signs.
鈥淭he real verdict is going to be Nov. 5 by the people,鈥� Trump proclaimed after his conviction in New York last spring on 34 counts of falsifying business records.
Now, just a week after Trump鈥檚 resounding election victory, a Manhattan judge is poised to decide whether to uphold the hush money verdict or because of a in July that gave presidents broad immunity from criminal prosecution.
Judge Juan M. Merchan has said he鈥檒l issue a written opinion Tuesday on Trump鈥檚 request to toss his conviction and either order a new trial or dismiss the indictment entirely.
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Trump names Tom Homan, former director of immigration enforcement, as 鈥榖order czar鈥�
President-elect says , his former acting U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement director, will serve as 鈥渂order czar鈥� in his incoming administration, a position that鈥檚 likely to play a key role in Trump鈥檚 campaign pledges to secure the U.S.-Mexico border and mount .
鈥淚 am pleased to announce that the Former ICE Director, and stalwart on Border Control, Tom Homan, will be joining the Trump Administration, in charge of our Nation鈥檚 Borders,鈥� he wrote late Sunday on his Truth Social site.
In addition to overseeing the southern and northern borders and 鈥渕aritime, and aviation security,鈥� Trump said Homan 鈥渨ill be in charge of all Deportation of Illegal Aliens back to their Country of Origin,鈥� a central part of his agenda.
Homan is a tough-talking former Border Patrol agent who worked his way up to head Immigration and Customs Enforcement in 2017 and 2018 as the acting director. He was never confirmed by the Senate, and his new role doesn鈥檛 require it.
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Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto released a video of his congratulatory call to Trump
The video鈥檚 Monday release offers a rare window into the flood of private conversations the Republican is having with world leaders before he takes office Jan. 20.
鈥淚 would like to call personally on you wherever you are, I鈥檓 willing to fly to congratulate you in person, sir,鈥� Subianto tells Trump. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 so nice,鈥� Trump replies. 鈥淲e鈥檒l do that anytime you want.鈥�
Trump told Subianto he was doing an 鈥渁mazing鈥� job leading Indonesia, before adding, 鈥淎nd your English is so good 鈥� very good, the English.鈥� Subianto replies that all of his 鈥渢raining is American.鈥�
In the three-minute video clip of the conversation, Subianto also expresses relief that Trump survived a pair of assassination attempts during the campaign, while Trump says he鈥檇 鈥渓ike to get to your country sometime.鈥�
Trump closes by telling Subianto, 鈥淵ou call anytime you want. You have my number. This is my number,鈥� and expressing respect to the people of Indonesia.
Lawmakers prepare for a final lame-duck sprint before making way for the next Congress
Keeping the federal government open. Providing more disaster aid. Passing a defense policy bill. And for Senate Democrats, confirming more judges.
It鈥檚 a short but important to-do list as Congress returns to Washington this week to begin what鈥檚 known as a lame-duck session 鈥� that period between Election Day and the end of the two-year congressional term.
Republicans are anxious to turn the page and move on to next year when they鈥檒l have control of the White House and possibly both chambers of Congress, while Democrats hope to get in as many of their priorities as they can while they still have the majority in the Senate.
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Trump is likely to name a loyalist as Pentagon chief after tumultuous first term
choice for defense secretary is still up in the air, but it鈥檚 a sure bet he鈥檒l look to reshape the Pentagon and pick a loyalist following his tumultuous first term. Five men held the job as Pentagon chief only to resign, be fired or serve briefly as a stopgap.
While he has yet to announce a decision, the names of potential Pentagon chiefs stretch from the well known 鈥� such as Rep. Mike Waltz of Florida 鈥� to an array of former administration loyalists, including retired Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg, who held national security posts during Trump鈥檚 first term.
Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had been floated, but Trump said on social media Saturday that Pompeo would not be joining the new administration.
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Trump names Stephen Miller to be deputy chief of policy in new administration
Donald Trump is naming longtime adviser Stephen Miller, an immigration hard-liner, to be the deputy chief of policy in his new administration.
Vice President-elect JD Vance posted a message of congratulations Monday to Miller on X and said, 鈥淭his is another fantastic pick by the president.鈥� The announcement was first reported by CNN.
Miller was a senior adviser in Trump鈥檚 first term and has been a central figure in many of his policy decisions, notably his move to separate thousands of immigrant families as a deterrence program in 2018. Miller helped craft many of Trump鈥檚 hard-line speeches and plans on immigration.
Since Trump left office, Miller has served as the president of America First Legal, an organization of former Trump advisers fashioned as a conservative version of the , challenging the Biden administration, media companies, universities and others over issues such as freedom of speech and religion and national security.
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Biden and Harris make their first joint appearance since her election loss
President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris are appearing together for the first time since she lost the presidential election to Republican Donald Trump.
Biden and Harris are participating in the annual Veterans Day observance at Arlington National Cemetery on Monday. They laid a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and Biden was among officials delivering remarks at the amphitheater.
It was also Harris鈥� first public appearance since last Wednesday when the Democratic vice president delivered a speech at her alma mater Howard University in which she conceded the election to Trump.
The Kremlin rejects reports of a conversation last week between Putin and Trump
The Kremlin on Monday rejected reports that Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke last week with President-elect Donald Trump about , and a spokesman for Trump refused to comment on what he called his 鈥減rivate calls鈥� with world leaders.
The Washington Post first reported Sunday, citing anonymous sources, that the two spoke Thursday, with Trump advising Putin not to escalate the war in Ukraine and cited the sizable U.S. military presence in Europe.
In a conference call Monday with journalists, Kremlin press secretary Dmitry Peskov said 鈥渢here was no conversation鈥� and the report was 鈥渃ompletely untrue, it is pure fiction.鈥�
Asked about the report, Trump鈥檚 communications director Steven Cheung said, 鈥淲e do not comment on private calls between President Trump and other world leaders.鈥�
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Trump breaks GOP losing streak in nation鈥檚 largest majority-Arab city with a pivotal final week
Faced with she didn鈥檛 like, Suehaila Amen chose neither.
Instead, the longtime Democrat from the Arab American stronghold of Dearborn, Michigan, backed a for president, adding her voice to a that helped Donald Trump reclaim Michigan and the presidency.
In Dearborn, where nearly half of the 110,000 residents are of Arab descent, Vice President Kamala Harris received over 2,500 fewer votes than Trump, who became the first Republican presidential candidate since former President George W. Bush in 2000 to win the city. Harris also lost neighboring Dearborn Heights to Trump, who in his previous term as president banned .
Harris lost the presidential vote in two Detroit-area cities with large Arab American populations after months of warnings from local Democrats about the Biden-Harris administration鈥檚 unwavering support for Israel in the war in Gaza. Some said they backed Trump after he visited a few days before the election, mingling with customers and staff at a Lebanese-owned restaurant and reassuring people he would find a way to end the violence in the Middle East.
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Trump has chosen New York Rep. Elise Stefanik as to serve as ambassador to the United Nations
鈥淚 am honored to nominate Chairwoman Elise Stefanik to serve in my Cabinet as U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations,鈥� President-elect Donald Trump said in a statement. 鈥淓lise is an incredibly strong, tough, and smart America First fighter.鈥�
Stefanik, 40, serves as House Republican Conference Chair and has long been one of Trump鈥檚 most loyal allies in the House.
Nikki Haley, who challenged Trump for the GOP nomination, was among those who previously held the role in his first term.
A record 13 women will be governors next year after New Hampshire elected Kelly Ayotte
The election of as New Hampshire鈥檚 governor means 13 women will serve as a state鈥檚 chief executive next year, breaking the record of 12 set after the 2022 elections.
Governors hold powerful sway in American politics, shaping state policy and often using the experience and profile gained to launch campaigns for higher offices.
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer was floated as a for president after President Biden exited the race. Republican South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem was thought to be in the running for President-elect Donald Trump鈥檚 vice presidential post.
Ayotte, a former U.S. senator, defeated the Democratic nominee Joyce Craig, a former mayor of Manchester, New Hampshire鈥檚 largest city.
Still, 18 states have never had a woman in the governor鈥檚 office.
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Young Black and Latino men say they chose Trump because of the economy and jobs. Here鈥檚 how and why
Trump gained a larger share of Black and Latino voters than he did in 2020, when he lost to Democrat Joe Biden, and most notably among men under age 45, according to AP VoteCast, a nationwide survey of more than 120,000 voters.
Even as Democrat won majorities of Black and Latino voters, it wasn鈥檛 enough to give the vice president the White House, because of the gains Trump made.
The vice president鈥檚 losses with these groups largely became Trump鈥檚 gains as he locked down his traditionally older, white base and slightly expanded into a winning coalition.
A combination of the economy and jobs was pinpointed as the issue voters felt was the most important problem the country faced. That was the case, too, for Black and Hispanic voters.
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The Associated Press
