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President-elect Donald Trump has named Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to lead the Department of Health and Human Services. Trump had another busy day of administration nominations. He chose his criminal lawyers Todd Blanche and Emil Bove for his top DOJ roles, under Matt Gaetz. Both Blanche and Bove defended Trump in his New York hush money trial. The president-elect also tapped his immunity lawyer John Sauer as solicitor general. But Kennedy remains today's headline appointment, receiving a mixed response among House Republicans over his history of supporting conspiracy theories and anti-vaccine rhetoric.
Newsweek's live blog is closed.
Nov 14, 2024 at 08:00 PM EST
Marjorie Taylor Greene warns Senate will ‘have to deal with Trump’ if they don’t confirm RFK
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Marjorie Taylor Greene is warning of a potential backlash if the Senate rejects Donald Trump's choice of health secretary in Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Several GOP House members have raised concerns over Kennedy's vaccine conspiracy theories after his nomination today.
But Greene told CNN that if the Senate did not approve the nomination, "they'll have to deal with Donald Trump, and they have to deal with Elon Musk and his great new PAC... and the American people."
Nov 14, 2024 at 07:49 PM EST
Sylvester Stallone joins Trump allies at Mar-a-Lago for gala
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Sylvester Stallone has been spotted rubbing shoulders with Donald Trump allies including Kellyanne Conway and Stephen Miller, at Mar-a-Lago.
Guests have been pouring into Trump's Palm Beach, Florida, residence for tonight's America First Policy Institute gala, where Trump is expected to deliver remarks.
Nov 14, 2024 at 07:41 PM EST
RFK gets surprise welcome from Democrat governor
Colorado's Democratic governor Jared Polis has become one of the few blue voices to welcome Robert F. Kennedy's nomination as health secretary.
Polis said he was "excited" that Kennedy would lead the Department of Health and Human Services after, "he helped us defeat vaccine mandates in Colorado in 2019 and will help make America healthy again by shaking up HHS and FDA."
He urged fellow Democrats not to "mock [Kennedy] or disagree" with him on issues such as capping drug prices and reducing pesticide-intensive agriculture.
"He will face strong special interest opposition on these, but I look forward to partnering with him to truly make America healthy again and I hope that we can finally make progress on these important issues."
Nov 14, 2024 at 07:28 PM EST
What has Trump said about vaccines?
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Another one of President-elect Donald Trump's Cabinet appointments is under intense scrutiny.
The former president announced on Thursday that he had picked Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as his next Department of Health and Human Services secretary. The former presidential candidate—who first ran for the Democratic nomination before switching to an independent—is a well-known vaccine skeptic, and critics warn that his appointment could have dire consequences for public health.
Kennedy has insisted that he is not anti-vax, although he has repeatedly pushed debunked claims about vaccines, including that childhood vaccines lead to autism. When asked in July 2023 by podcaster Lex Fridman whether there were any safe and effective vaccines on the market, Kennedy said, "No."
Trump has given mixed messages about vaccines and disease outbreaks. During the height of the COVID pandemic, the former president's administration led Operation Warp Speed, which led to the creation and distribution of the COVID-19 vaccines at a record speed.
Read in full from Kaitlin Lewis at Newsweek.
Nov 14, 2024 at 07:18 PM EST
Senate majority leader Thune says ‘defer to president on cabinet picks’
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Newly elected Senate majority leader, John Thune, said he believes people should always "'defer to a president" on their cabinet picks.
"I always believe that you defer to a president when it comes to the people they want in their cabinet, to do a lot of these important jobs," Thune said on Fox News on Thursday.
"But obviously there is a process whereby we get down and scrub all these nominees and figure out whether or not; one, they're qualified, and are they people fit to hold these offices."
President-elect Donald Trump has announced a number of controversial cabinet picks, including Matt Gaetz as his new ag and Tulsi Gabbard as director of national intelligence.
Both would have a difficult time during Senate confirmation hearings but some of suggested that Trump's more controversial choices could be recess appointments.
Presidents are given the authority under Article II of the Constitution to make appointments "by and with the advice and consent of the Senate." But if the Senate is out of session, the steps by lawmakers to confirm such appointments, such as committee hearings and a chamber vote, are bypassed.
Nov 14, 2024 at 07:08 PM EST
LEGAL ANALYST: Gaetz is just the ‘shiny’ distraction from Tulsi Gabbard
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President-elect Donald Trump's selection of Representative Matt Gaetz for attorney general is nothing more than a "shiny object" to distract from another Cabinet nominee, Tulsi Gabbard, according to legal scholar Laurence Tribe.
Trump announced Gaetz's nomination on Wednesday, and the decision was almost immediately met with skepticism from some Republicans. The Florida lawmaker has butted heads on several occasions with more traditional conservatives in the House and is under investigation by the House Ethics Committee for allegations of sexual misconduct.
Since his decisive victory last week, Trump has wasted no time filling out his next administration. Before his announcement about Gaetz's selection, he released a statement saying he had picked Tulsi Gabbard, a former Democratic lawmaker from Hawaii who recently announced she had joined the GOP, as director of national intelligence, a choice that has also drawn skepticism.
Read in full from Kaitlin Lewis on Newsweek.
Nov 14, 2024 at 07:01 PM EST
Elizabeth Warren warns RFK Jr. ‘poses a danger to public health’
Sen. Elizabeth Warren has warned that Robert F. Kennedy poses a risk to public health and claims his policies could even see the return of polio.
Trump named Kennedy as his new Department of Health and Human Services secretary Thursday.
Kennedy, an outspoken anti-vaccine conspiracy theorist, has said he plans to immediately begin studying the safety and efficacy of vaccines when he joins the administration. He has also pledged to formally recommend states to remove fluoride from public water.
"RFK Jr. poses a danger to public health, scientific research, medicine, and health care coverage for millions," Warren said on X.
"He wants to stop parents from protecting their babies from measles and his ideas would welcome the return of polio. I have a lot of questions for his Senate hearing."
Nov 14, 2024 at 06:48 PM EST
Trump nominates immunity lawyer John Sauer as solicitor general
President-elect Donald Trump has chosen another of his personal lawyers to take a key position in his second term.
John Sauer, the lawyer who successfully argued his presidential immunity case at the Supreme Court, has been nominated as the new U.S. Solicitor General.
"John is a deeply accomplished, masterful appellate attorney, who clerked for Justice Antonin Scalia in the United States Supreme Court," Trump said in a statement, shared by spokesperson Karoline Leavitt.
"Most recently, John was the lead counsel representing me in the Supreme Court in Trump v. United States, winning a Historic Victory on Presidential Immunity, which was key to defeating the unconstitutional campaign of lawfare against me and the entire MAGA movement."
Nov 14, 2024 at 06:37 PM EST
Doug Collins chosen as secretary for Veterans Affairs
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Donald Trump has added former Georgia Representative Doug Collins to his rapidly-growing list of administration appointees.
Collins, a longtime Trump supporter, has been chosen to serve as secretary for Veterans Affairs.
"I am pleased to announce my intent to nominate former Congressman Doug Collins, of Georgia, as The United States Secretary for Veterans Affairs (VA)," Trump said in a statement. "Doug is a Veteran himself, who currently serves our Nation as a Chaplain in the United States Air Force Reserve Command, and fought for our Country in the Iraq War."
"We must take care of our brave men and women in uniform, and Doug will be a great advocate for our Active Duty Servicemembers, Veterans, and Military Families to ensure they have the support they need.
"Thank you, Doug, for your willingness to serve our Country in this very important role!"
Nov 14, 2024 at 06:27 PM EST
Trump’s lawyer Emil Bove nominated as principal associate deputy attorney general
Trump announced that Emil Bove, his other criminal defense attorney, will also serve in Department of Justice.
Bove was chosen as principal associate deputy attorney general, Trump announced on Truth Social.
He will serve alongside Trump's other criminal lawyer, Todd Blanche, the new deputy attorney general, under attorney general nominee Matt Gaetz.
Bove worked alongside Blanche to provide an aggressive defense for Trump in his hush money trial and other criminal cases.
Nov 14, 2024 at 06:22 PM EST
Trump picks his criminal lawyer, Todd Blanche, as deputy attorney general
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President-elect Donald Trump has named his criminal lawyer Todd Blanche, who represented him during his hush money trial, to serve as deputy attorney general in his next administration.
Blanche, who also defended Trump against his election interference and mishandling classified documents charges, joins Matt Gaetz who has been chosen as attorney general.
As deputy, Blanche will help supervise agencies including the FBI and create policy.
Nov 14, 2024 at 06:15 PM EST
RFK Jr. pledges to ‘Make America Healthy Again’ after being named health secretary
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. thanked President-elect Donald Trump and pledged to "Make America Healthy Again" after he was nominated the next health secretary.
In a post on X, Kennedy added that as the head of the Department of Health and Human Services, he would work to end the "chronic disease epidemic."
"I look forward to working with the more than 80,000 employees at HHS to free the agencies from the smothering cloud of corporate capture so they can pursue their mission to make Americans once again the healthiest people on Earth."
Nov 14, 2024 at 06:11 PM EST
‘No plans for Harris and Vance to meet’
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There are no plans for Kamala Harris to invite JD Vance to the White House, sources told NBC News.
There are also no plans for the vice president and the vice president-elect to meet at the vice presidential residence at the Naval Observatory, or anywhere else.
Sources say that could still change before Inauguration Day on January 20.
The lack of communication between the VP and VP-elect is fairly unusual. In 2016, Biden invited then-Vice President-elect Mike Pence to the White House and Naval Observatory. Pence had called to congratulate Harris on her win in January 2021.
Nov 14, 2024 at 06:02 PM EST
Sunny Hostin denies trying to ‘gotcha’ Harris
'The View' co-host Sunny Hostin denied trying to "gotcha" Kamala Harris when she asked what the vice president the now infamous question, of what she would have done differently from Joe Biden during his term.
Hostin said she had been surprised when Harris responded, "not a thing that comes to mind."
"I think it wasn't so much about the question, but it was really more about the answer," Hostin said on the Behind the Table podcast.
"'Not a thing comes to mind', and that's why I followed up with 'is there anything you would have done differently?'
"And the reason I followed up, was because you know, it wasn't a gotcha question it was a layup really."
Nov 14, 2024 at 05:46 PM EST
Woman ‘testified to House Ethics Committee that Gaetz had sex with her when she was 17’
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A woman testified to the House Ethics Committee that Matt Gaetz had sex with her when she was 17, ABC News reports.
The House Ethics Committee was reportedly set to release its report into allegations against Gaetz this week.
But on Wednesday, the Florida congressman was tapped by Donald Trump to become his next attorney general. Gaetz resigned from the House the next day. That means the report's release has been delayed, possibly indefinitely.
Sources told ABC News that as part of its probe, the House Ethics Committee had subpoenaed the woman behind the allegations who testified, over a period of several days, that Gaetz had sex with her when she was a minor in high school.
Gaetz has strongly and repeatedly denied the claims.
The Justice Department previously spent years probing allegations against Gaetz before dropping the charges last year.
Nov 14, 2024 at 05:35 PM EST
OPINION: Now the election over, let’s ease our contempt national crisis
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Two years ago, my organization, the Dignity Index, issued a warning to our country: Our national addiction to dehumanizing contempt had reached a point at which the future of the country was at stake. Contempt, not policy differences, our data suggested, is tearing us apart. Contempt is tearing our families apart, contributing to our mental health crisis, rupturing trust between people of differing political parties, and creating a dangerous spiral toward splitting the country in two.
Nothing has changed after Donald Trump's sweeping victory in this month's election. And nothing would have changed if Kamala Harris had won. As President Barack Obama noted, "Elections have consequences." One glaring consequence of the 2024 election is that our wounded relationships and deeply damaged trust in each other are more in need of healing than ever before. Elections create winners and losers, but they don't ease contempt or restore relationships. If anything, they risk making tensions worse as the losing side descends into anger and despair while the winning side plots a course toward domination.
Now that the election is over, we desperately need a dignity strategy that can ease our national crisis of contempt. We need a deescalation of contempt and an increase in dignity in how we treat each other. This is our nation's most urgent priority.
Read in full from Tim Shriver on Newsweek.
Nov 14, 2024 at 05:21 PM EST
Don Jr. says ‘promises made, promises kept’ after RFK Jr. is named health secretary
President-elect Donald Trump's, son Don Jr., celebrated the appointment of Robert F Kennedy Jr. as the new Secretary of Health and Human Services.
"Promises Made Promises Kept," Don Jr. said in a post on X, along with pictures of himself with Kennedy, shortly after the announcement.
Donald Trump has repeatedly promised Kennedy a role in his administration and said that he would give him a free reign on health matters.
Nov 14, 2024 at 05:17 PM EST
Is RFK Jr. Anti-Vaccine?
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Despite opposing virtually all vaccines, Kennedy has insisted that he is not anti-vax and claimed that he's never told the public to avoid getting vaccinated.
Kennedy, who is on leave as the chair of the anti-vaccine group Children's Health Defense, has long repeated the debunked claim that childhood vaccines cause autism and when asked if there were any safe and effective vaccines on the market, Kennedy told podcaster Lex Fridman, there are "no" vaccines in that category.
Fridman pushed Kennedy on the polio vaccine—which is widely considered one of the other greatest medical advances of the 20th century and has been estimated to save more than 1.5 million lives and prevented paralysis in more than 20 million children—but Kennedy suggested the vaccine killed more people than it saved.
Kennedy also came under criticism for advocating against COVID-19 vaccines during the pandemic as well as statements he made comparing lockdowns to Nazi Germany and claiming that the virus was "ethnically targeted" to spare Ashkenazi Jews and Chinese people.
Read in full from Katherine Fung at Newsweek.
Nov 14, 2024 at 05:10 PM EST
Musk held ‘secret meeting with Iran ambassador to ease tensions’
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Elon Musk held a secret meeting with Iran's ambassador to the United Nations to discuss how to cool the rising tensions between Iran and the U.S., according to two Iranian officials.
The Tesla CEO and close Donald Trump ally met with Ambassador Amir Saeid Iravani for more than an hour in a secret location on Monday, the New York Times reports.
The Iranian officials, who could not be named because they were not authorized to discuss it publicly, described the meeting as being "positive."
Neither Trump's communications director Steven Cheung nor the transition spokeswoman for the Trump-Vance administration, Karoline Leavitt, would directly confirm the meeting.
But in a statement Leavitt told the Times: "The American people re-elected President Trump because they trust him to lead our country and restore peace through strength around the world. When he returns to the White House, he will take the necessary action to do just that."
Nov 14, 2024 at 04:57 PM EST
Trump announces Jay Clayton as U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York
President-elect Trump has announced Jay Clayton as U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York.
Clayton served as the Chairman of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission during Trump's first term
"Jay is going to be a strong Fighter for the Truth as we, Make America Great Again," Trump said on Truth Social.
Nov 14, 2024 at 04:53 PM EST
Vaccine manufacturer stocks fall as Trump names RFK Jr. as health secretary
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Shares in vaccine manufacturers tumbled after President-elect Donald Trump announced Robert F. Kennedy Jr. would be heading up the Department of Health and Human Services.
Stocks fell in the final hour of Thursday trading as reports began to emerge that Kennedy, a noted vaccine skeptic, would be health secretary.
Pfizer's stock closed 2 percent lower, while Moderna's closed 5 percent down and Novavax fell by 7 percent.
Nov 14, 2024 at 04:48 PM EST
Doctor slams announcement of RFK Jr. as new health secretary
Dr Jonathan Reiner has slammed the news that Donald Trump has nominated Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to lead the Department of Health and Human Services.
"It fits with the pattern that we've seen this week," Reiner told CNN. "The hiring of people who are not just unqualified for a particular cabinet post, but unfit.
"Mr. Kennedy has already shown over the last ten years his penchant for not just promoting unproved ideas but promoting disproven ideas."
Nov 14, 2024 at 04:18 PM EST
Trump announces RFK. JR. as health secretary
President-elect Donald Trump has announced Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as his next Secretary of Health and Human Services.
"For too long, Americans have been crushed by the industrial food complex and drug companies who have engaged in deception, misinformation, and disinformation when it comes to Public Health," Trump said in a Truth Social post Thursday.
"The Safety and Health of all Americans is the most important role of any Administration, and HHS will play a big role in helping ensure that everybody will be protected from harmful chemicals, pollutants, pesticides, pharmaceutical products, and food additives that have contributed to the overwhelming Health Crisis in this Country.
"Mr. Kennedy will restore these Agencies to the traditions of Gold Standard Scientific Research, and beacons of Transparency, to end the Chronic Disease epidemic, and to Make America Great and Healthy Again!"
Nov 14, 2024 at 04:15 PM EST
Fed defends political independence after Trump win
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A Federal Reserve official has strongly defended the central bank's political independence on Thursday. Her remarks come just days after Trump—one of the Fed's more vocal critics—won reelection for his second term as president.
In a speech delivered at an economic conference in Montevideo, Uruguay, Fed governor Adrianaa Kugler said the politically independent U.S. central bank is a definitive feature of the nation's economic stability.
She said the Fed is "fundamental to achieving good policy and good economic outcomes," with research showing advanced economies with independent central banks generally experience lower inflation.
Read in full from Shannon McDonogh on Newsweek.
Nov 14, 2024 at 04:10 PM EST
Member of Trump’s transition team previously ruled out RFK Jr. for health secretary
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Howard Lutnick, a member of Donald Trump's transition team, had previously said that Robert F. Kennedy is "not getting a job" in the Department of Health and Human Services.
The Health Secretary is one of the few remaining key cabinet roles to be filled by Trump.
Trump has repeatedly said he would like Kennedy, a vaccine skeptic, to have a role in his administration and said that he would let him "go wild" on health.
Lutnick said on CNN's 'The Source' last month that Kennedy was "not getting a job" in the department. He also claimed Elon Musk wouldn't have a cabinet role but would be "adjacent to it."
Musk has been nominated for a role leading the new Department of Government Efficiency with Vivek Ramaswamy.
Nov 14, 2024 at 03:59 PM EST
Lawyer calls for House Ethics Committee to release findings of Gaetz investigation
The lawyer for a 17-year-old who Gaetz was probed for allegedly having a sexual relationship with is urging the House Ethics Committee to "immediately" release the findings of its investigation into Gaetz.
Nov 14, 2024 at 03:57 PM EST
Rep. Abigail Spanberger reacts to Trump naming Tulsi Gabbard director of national intelligence
Rep. Abigail Spanberger of Virginia has reacted to the naming of Tulsi Gabbard to director of national security by President-elect Donald Trump.
Nov 14, 2024 at 03:49 PM EST
Mike Pence ‘encouraged’ by Trump cabinet taps
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Former Vice President Mike Pence said Tuesday he is "very encouraged" by President-elect Donald Trump's initial Cabinet appointments for his new administration.
"I am very encouraged by the early appointments by the president-elect," said Pence at the Dispatch Summit.
Nov 14, 2024 at 03:45 PM EST
Karoline Leavitt calls RFK Jr. a ‘a once-in-a-generation thought leader’
National Press Secretary for Donald Trump Karoline Leavitt told CNN today that the president-elect is desirous to find a spot for Robert F. Kennedy Jr. in his second administration.
"Certainly President Trump wants to find a place for RFK Jr., he has made that very clear throughout the campaign," Leavitt said when asked. "RFK Jr is a once-in-a-generation thought leader and a critical thinker. We definitely need more than Washington, D.C., as for his specific position, I'll let President Trump announce that."
Nov 14, 2024 at 03:40 PM EST
Trump expected to announce RFK Jr. to head Department of Health and Human Services
President-elect Donald Trump is poised to appoint former presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to oversee the Department of Health and Human Services, Politico reports.
The predicted decision comes after Trump promised to let Kennedy "go wild" with health and food policy in his cabinet.
Nov 14, 2024 at 03:29 PM EST
Dick Van Dyke says that he ‘fortunately, won’t be around’ to see where Trump’s victory takes America
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Dick Van Dyke didn't hold back when asked to offer his opinions on Donald Trump's election victory, even commenting on his own mortality in the process.
On Tuesday, November 12, exactly one week after Trump was elected as the future President of the United States, the 98-year-old actor was seen out with his wife, Arlene Silver. He was questioned about his views on the country's future.
In a video obtained by Daily Mail, the photographer asked the six-time Emmy Award winner, "Does the future look bright for America?"
The Mary Poppins star who initially had trouble hearing the question until Silver, 52, repeated it, responded, "I hope you're right."
"Do you think Donald Trump is capable of making America great again?" the photographer asked.
The actor, who will turn 99 next month replied, "Fortunately, I won't be around to experience the four years."
Nov 14, 2024 at 03:18 PM EST
Lawyer for teenager at center of Matt Gaetz investigation speaks out
John Clune, the lawyer representing the then-teenager at the center of the House probe into former Representative Matt Gaetz, called on Republicans to release the report into their findings.
President-elect Donald Trump announced on Wednesday that he plans to nominate Gaetz, a Florida Republican and staunch ally, as his attorney general. Many in Washington were shocked by the announcement, and skepticism arose about whether enough Republican senators would vote to confirm him.
The House Ethics Committee investigated allegations that Gaetz was part of a scheme that led to the sex trafficking of a 17-year-old girl. In June, the committee said it was investigating whether Gaetz engaged in sexual misconduct and illicit drug use, accepted improper gifts, and sought to obstruct government investigations of his conduct.
Gaetz has denied any wrongdoing and has not been criminally charged.
Read the full story by Andrew Stanton on Newsweek.
Nov 14, 2024 at 03:08 PM EST
Full list of Republicans who voted against new Social Security benefits
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The House of Representatives voted to increase Social Security benefits for millions of Americans this week with a bipartisan majority, but a substantial number of Republicans voted against the measure to help pensioners and their spouses get full benefits.
The Social Security Fairness Act was approved by the House in a vote 327-75 vote Tuesday, effectively eliminating the windfall elimination provision (WEP) and the government pension offset (GPO).
Historically, both of these have lowered monthly Social Security payments for public service workers, police officers, firefighters, teachers and their spouses, based on the pensions they receive in tandem with Social Security.
"Educators who do not earn Social Security in public schools but who work part-time or during the summer in jobs covered by Social Security have reduced benefits, even though they pay into the system for enough quarters to receive benefits," said the bill's co-sponsors, GOP Representative Garret Graves of Louisiana and Democratic Representative Abigail Spanberger of Virginia, in a statement.
Read the full story by Suzanne Blake on Newsweek.
Nov 14, 2024 at 03:04 PM EST
Biden announces nominees for administration
In a statement released this afternoon, President Joe Biden shared the following statement:
Today, President Joe Biden announced his intent to nominate the following individuals to serve as key leaders in his administration:
Additionally, President Biden announced his intent to nominate the following individuals to serve as Republican members of boards and commissions that are required, by statute or longstanding practice, to include bipartisan membership:
Nov 14, 2024 at 02:59 PM EST
Will House Ethics report on Matt Gaetz be released? What we know
The investigation into sexual misconduct and obstruction allegations against former Florida Representative Matt Gaetz may be released by the end of the week.
Gaetz, a Republican, was nominated on Wednesday by President-elect Donald Trump to become U.S. attorney general. Just hours later, Gaetz resigned from the House, which ended the Ethics Committee's probe into his alleged misconduct. Still, the committee's report on Gaetz's alleged involvement with sex trafficking a 17-year-old girl may be released.
The House Ethics Committee had scheduled a vote for Friday on whether to release its report, three sources told CBS News. With Gaetz's resignation, it is unclear if the vote will go forward. Sources told the Miami Herald that the report could be leaked Thursday. Politico reported that the committee is not planning to release the report.
"What happens in Ethics is confidential. We're going to maintain that confidentiality," House Ethics Chair Michael Guest, a Mississippi Republican, told reporters Thursday morning. He said he had "no further comment" about the release of the report.
On Wednesday, Guest told reporters that the probe ended when Gaetz resigned.
"Once the investigation is complete, the Ethics Committee will meet as a committee. We will then return our findings," Guest said. "If Matt Gaetz is still a member of Congress, then that will occur. If Matt has resigned, then this ethics investigation, like many others in the past, will end again."
Newsweek reached out to the committee by phone for comment.
Read the full story by Monica Sager on Newsweek.
Nov 14, 2024 at 02:52 PM EST
WATCH: James Comer say he looks forward to working with Elon Musk
House Oversight Chair Rep. James Comer (R-KY) said that he looks forward to working with Elon Musk and Vivike Ramaswamy's Department of Government Efficiency.
"I think there are a lot of opportunities there," Comer said, "to save a significant amount of tax dollars."
Nov 14, 2024 at 02:48 PM EST
Matt Walsh ‘happy’ to join ‘The View’ after reports show is scrambling for pro-Trump voices
Right-wing commentator Matt Walsh has said that he would be happy to join 'The View' amid reports that the show is scrambling to bring in pro-Donald Trump voices after his election victory.
ABC News executives has been holding several high-level meetings to discuss bringing in more conservative voices since Trump won, sources told the New York Post.
One of their key focuses, according to the Post, is to find a pro-Trump panelist for 'The View.' Current panel members include Whoopi Goldberg and Joy Behar, as well as Republicans Ana Navarro and Alyssa Farah Griffin, who have all been outspoken Trump critics.
Today, Wash posted on X: "I would be happy to serve my country in this post."
Nov 14, 2024 at 02:36 PM EST
GOP sues to prevent certain ballots being counted in Pennsylvania Senate race
Republicans filed two lawsuits today asking courts not to allow Pennsylvania counties to count mail-in ballots where voters didn't write the date, or wrote it incorrectly, on the return envelope, in the state's U.S. Senate election.
Vote counting continues in the tight Senate race between Democratic incumbent Sen. Bob Casey and Republican challenger David McCormick. With a margin of just 26,000 votes, or less than 0.5% between them, state rules mandate a recount.
Democratic-majority election boards in Philadelphia, Bucks County and Centre County previously voted to count the mail-in ballots, with incorrect or missing dates on the return envelopes. Democrats typically cast more mail-in ballots than Republicans.
Nov 14, 2024 at 02:34 PM EST
Could Iowa recount cost Republicans control of House?
ADemocratic House candidate is calling for a recount in her Iowa district after losing to her Republican opponent by around 800 votes.
Christina Bohannan said that a recount in Iowa's 1st Congressional District was expected because of the narrow margin, raising questions over the potential impact on the GOP's narrow majority in the House.
Despite the potential recount, Representative Mariannette Miller-Meeks, who has held the seat since 2021, announced her candidacy for a senior leadership role as GOP Conference Secretary in the House on Tuesday.
As of Thursday afternoon, all 20 counties in the district had reported their results, giving Bohannan 49.79 percent of the vote against Miller-Meeks' 49.98 percent.
"To be absolutely certain that every voter is heard, the Bohannan campaign will request a recount in all 20 counties across the district, as permitted by Iowa law," Bohannan for Congress campaign manager Jindalae Suh said in a statement to Newsweek.
"We have full trust in this process and will accept the results regardless of the outcome. All Iowans should feel confident that at the conclusion of this transparent, precinct-level recount process, every lawful vote will be counted and reported accurately."
Miller-Meeks' office told Newsweek that a recount would just waste taxpayer money.
"Just as Democrats are trying to steal a senate seat in Pennsylvania, Bohannan and the Democrats remain election deniers in this race as well," a spokesperson for Miller-Meeks said.
"This is a delaying tactic to thwart the will of the people. A recount won't meaningfully change the outcome of this race as the congresswoman's lead is mathematically impossible to overcome."
Newsweek reached out to Iowa's Secretary of State via email for comment on Thursday.
Read the full story by Dan Gooding on Newsweek.
Nov 14, 2024 at 02:30 PM EST
Trump says Jamie Dimon will not be a part of his administration
President-elect Donald Trump shared a post on Truth Social, denying speculation that CEO of JP Morgan Chase Jamie Dimon will be a part of his second administration.
Nov 14, 2024 at 02:18 PM EST
Tulsi Gabbard praised ‘abusive’ cult leader
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Tulsi Gabbard has been tapped by President-elect Donald Trump to serve as the director of national intelligence, but she has faced suggestions from those close to her that her political ambitions stem from the Science of Identity Foundation, a group founded in Hawaii that has been labeled by some, including former members, as a cult.
Gabbard, a former Democratic member of Congress who ran for president in 2020, grew up attending schools run by followers of the group's leader, Chris Butler, and has described her religious practices as "transcendental Hinduism," a term recommended to her by Butler according to a piece in The New Yorker in 2017.
Former members who don't speak so fondly of the Foundation and others close to Gabbard have said the group's influence could be affecting her political motives, according to the report. People have said the Science of Identity Foundation forbids people to speak publicly about the group, requires people to lie face down when Butler enters a room and even sometimes eat his nail clippings or "spoonfuls" of the sand he walked on, The New Yorker reported.
Read in full from Monica Sager on Newsweek.
Nov 14, 2024 at 02:12 PM EST
RFK Jr. congratulates ‘courageous warrior’ Gabbard for Trump cabinet role
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. praised Tulsi Gabbard as a "courageous warrior" after she was named director of national intelligence in Donald Trump's second administration.
Kennedy shared Trump's official announcement, appointing the former Hawaii congresswoman and Army Reserve officer to his cabinet, on X on Thursday.
"The perfect place for a courageous warrior of democracy and freedom. Congratulations@TulsiGabbard," he added.
Trump has promised to let Kennedy "go wild" on health during his second term. However, it's unclear what that means in terms of a position for Kennedy.
The Secretary of Health and Human Services position still has not been filled.
Nov 14, 2024 at 02:00 PM EST
‘The View’ mocks Trump’s latest administration picks
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The hosts of The View mocked President-elect Donald Trump's latest administration picks: Matt Gaetz for Attorney General and Tulsi Gabbard for Director of National Intelligence.
"It just seems to me like he's picking people, like he's on The Apprentice," co-host Sunny Hostin said. "He's just picking people willy-nilly."
Trump announced he had selected the Florida Republican Representative to serve as his attorney general, tasking a fierce loyalist with the dramatic overhaul of the Department of Justice over more experienced candidates. Gaetz will "root out the systemic corruption at DOJ, and return the Department to its true mission of fighting Crime, and upholding our Democracy and Constitution," Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.
Read more from Courtney McGinley at Newsweek.
Nov 14, 2024 at 01:57 PM EST
Attack ad brands Bob Casey ‘sore loser’ over Pennsylvania recount
A new ad by an outside group has criticized the upcoming Pennsylvania Senate race recount.
Republican Dave McCormick is leading by half a percentage point in the race against Democratic incumbent Sen. Bob Casey. The narrow margin will automatically trigger a recount under state law.
The ad, by the conservative-leaning Fair Election Fund, states "Bob Casey had a lot to say about conceding," alongside a 2020 clip of Casey discussing the peaceful transfer of power.
"But now that he's lost, he's changing his tune.
"They're denying the results and trying to force an unnecessary recount using your tax dollars. Casey and the Democrats are sore losers and they're disrespecting our democracy."
The Fair Election Fund, based in Pittsburgh, states that it is aimed at exposing election fraud.
Nov 14, 2024 at 01:40 PM EST
Warren warns Dems to ‘spend every single minute’ before inauguration confirming Biden judges
Elizabeth Warren has warned her fellow Democrat senators that they need to confirm more Biden-nominated judges while they still can.
Sen. Warren said she was concerned over President-elect Donald Trump's picks for his administration, which she said should be a reminder to Democrats that they have just 50 days left to confirm "independent judges who will make decisions based on the law - not for special interests."
"We've got 28 judges out there who have been nominated, who are through the process. We need to spend every single minute making sure those judges get confirmed.'
Warren added that Trump's appointees so far, "particularly Gaetz," showed what he valued.
"Not loyalty to the people of the United States, not loyalty to the Constitution, but absolute loyalty to Donald Trump."
Nov 14, 2024 at 01:25 PM EST
John Thune thanks Trump for word of congratulations
Sen. John Thune thanked President-elect Donald Trump for his word of congratulations on being voted as the new Senate majority leader.
"Thank you, President Trump," Thune wrote. "I'm ready to roll up my sleeves and get to work."
Nov 14, 2024 at 01:18 PM EST
Millions of Americans at risk of losing health insurance by end of 2025
Millions are at risk of losing their health insurance if Congress chooses not to renew subsidies from the Affordable Care Act.
That's the latest estimate from the Congressional Budget Office, which found that 3.4 million Americans will lose their health insurance if subsidies are not renewed.
The Affordable Care Act (ACA) is in a precarious position with President-elect Donald Trump set to take over the White House again in January as Republicans have been critical of the health insurance law.
Next year, Congress would need to vote on the ACA and whether to extend its run as subsidies are scheduled to expire at the end of 2025.
Read the full story by Suzanne Blake on Newsweek.
Nov 14, 2024 at 01:16 PM EST
Ohio Senate approves transgender ‘bathroom ban’
Ohio's controlled Senate adopted legislation Wednesday prohibiting transgender children from using school toilets and locker rooms that correspond to their gender identity, sending the bill to Republican Gov. Mike DeWine for final approval, The Hill reported.
The proposal would mandate public and private schools, including Ohio's colleges and universities, to separate toilets, locker rooms, and overnight accommodations based on a student's "biological sex," or the sex listed on their original birth certificate. It would also forbid the construction of multi-occupancy, all-gender buildings.
Nov 14, 2024 at 01:15 PM EST
Janelle Bynum flips Oregon’s 5th District blue to become state’s first Black member of Congress
Democrat Janelle Bynum has become Oregon's first Black Congress member after she flipped the state's 5th Congressional District blue.
She ousted Republican Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer, who won their seat during the 2022 midterms.
Bynum said in a press conference that she is proud to make be "making history" as the "first, but not the last, Black member of Congress in Oregon."
Nov 14, 2024 at 01:04 PM EST
Florida AG sues FEMA officials for ‘discrimination’ against Trump supporters
Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody said today that she is suing FEMA officials for allegedly discriminating against hurricane victims who supported Donald Trump.
The lawsuit names FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell and former official Marni Washington.
Washington was the manager fired for allegedly telling FEMA employees not to offer help to Florida homes affected by hurricanes, if they had Trump signs in their yards.
"I am taking swift legal action to find out how far this political discrimination reaches and to make sure all Americans who fall victim to devastating storms are served, regardless of their political affiliation," Moody said.
Washington has denied she was acting politically by urging colleagues to skip homes with Trump signs, but claimed she was trying to avoid "political hostility" with Trump supporters.
Nov 14, 2024 at 01:02 PM EST
Key Senate Democrats turn the screws on GOP over Matt Gaetz report
Two Democratic U.S. senators are pressuring House Republicans to release an ethics report into Matt Gaetz, President-elect Donald Trump's pick for attorney general, despite his resignation from Congress this week.
Trump announced on Wednesday that he plans to nominate Gaetz, a Florida Republican and staunch supporter ally, as his attorney general. The announcement was met with shock from many in Washington and skepticism about whether enough Republican senators would vote to confirm him.
Shortly after the announcement, Gaetz said he was resigning from Congress. CBS News reported that he wrote in his resignation letter that he does "not intend to take the oath of office for the same office in the 119th Congress to pursue the position of Attorney General in the Trump Administration."
The House Ethics Committee was set to meet this week to vote on whether to release a report into their investigation into allegations that Gaetz was part of a scheme that led to the sex trafficking of a 17-year-old girl.
In June, the committee said it was investigating whether Gaetz engaged in sexual misconduct and illicit drug use, accepted improper gifts, and sought to obstruct government investigations of his conduct. Gaetz has denied any wrongdoing and has not been criminally charged.
Newsweek reached out to Gaetz's office and political team, as well as the House Ethics Committee for comment via email.
Read the full story by Andrew Stanton on Newsweek.
Nov 14, 2024 at 12:47 PM EST
Trump back in the White House could be good for Africa, says ex-diplomat
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An ex-diplomat has said President-elect Donald Trump's return to the White House could be good for Africa.
Dr. Kingsley Makhubela, a former senior South African diplomat and the former South African Chief of Protocol, has stated that Trump's directness and focus on negotiation could benefit African nations.
"The fact that Africans have better access to strategic minerals is going to work in the interest of Africa," Makhubela told National Security News.
Despite previous remarks that Trump has made that have been viewed as derogatory, such as previously referring to African nations as "shithole countries." Makhubela said, "We've never seen a policy position that raised concern about how he deals with Africa."
Newsweek reached out to Makhubela via X and the Trump campaign via email for comment.
A key issue for South Africa is its continued participation in the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), which provides duty-free access to U.S. markets.
Read the full story by Marni Rose McFall on Newsweek.
Nov 14, 2024 at 12:41 PM EST
What cabinet positions are left to fill?
President-elect Donald Trump has been busily filling up his cabinet since he won the 2024 election.
But there are still several positions he has yet to fill. They include:
- Secretary of Agriculture
- Secretary of Commerce
- Secretary of Health and Human Services
- Secretary of Housing and Urban Development
- Secretary of the Interior
- Secretary of Transportation
- Chair of the Council of Economic Advisers
- Director of the Office of Management and Budget
- Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy
- Administrator of the Small Business Administration
- United States Trade Representative
Nov 14, 2024 at 12:35 PM EST
Nikki Haley says Trump knew she had ‘no interest in being in his cabinet’
Nikki Haley has claimed that President-elect Trump knew she had "no interest" in a role in his second term administration.
"I had no interest in being in his cabinet," she said on a special edition of her Nikki Haley Live show. "He knew that.
The former presidential candidate added that when Trump's "best friend" and newly appointed special envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, had come to her house, she had told him the same thing.
[Witkoff] basically wanted a truce between me and Donald Trump. And I told him at the time, there was no truce needed, that I had, that Trump had my support, there was no issue on my end."
When he asked what she did want, Haley said she responded: "There's nothing I want."
Trump confirmed Saturday that he would not be inviting Haley to join his administration.
Nov 14, 2024 at 12:31 PM EST
Matt Gaetz resigns from House
Rep. Matt Gaetz has officially stepped down from his role in Congress following President-elect Donald Trump nominating him to the position of attorney general.
"I hereby resign as a United States representative for Florida's first congressional district, effective immediately," Gaetz wrote in a letter the House clerk read this morning. "And I do not intend to take the oath of office for the same office in the 119th Congress to pursue the position of Attorney General in the Trump administration."
Nov 14, 2024 at 12:18 PM EST
‘I vote for confirmation regardless of party or personal feelings’: Lindsey Graham
Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina said that he plans to vote for the nominees that President-elect Donald Trump has put up for his cabinet "regardless of party or personal feelings."
Graham wrote, "With respect to Presidents' prerogative to nominate their cabinet and federal judges, the best indication of what I will do in the future is what I have done in the past. I have strived to be consistent over the arc of time and respected the fact that elections have consequences."
Nov 14, 2024 at 12:11 PM EST
Jan. 6 defendant gets legal win from Obama judge because of Trump’s victory
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The judge overseeing the trials of some January 6 defendants has agreed to postpone a case until after President-elect Donald Trump's inauguration, as the case may become moot.
Washington, D.C., U.S. District Court Judge Rudolph Contreras, who was appointed by President Barack Obama, said Thursday that defendant William Pope's case could be pushed to next year.
Pope, from Topeka, Kansas, argued that holding his trial over charges relating to the riot at the U.S. Capitol Building on January 6, 2021, before Trump takes office could lead to "a dangerous cycle of escalating retribution as control of the government continues changing hands."
The defendant, who has self-represented since his arrest shortly after the riot, is accused of entering a restricted building, disorderly conduct, and obstructing law enforcement.
Read the rest of this story by Dan Gooding on Newsweek.
Nov 14, 2024 at 11:59 AM EST
Speaker Johnson doesn’t believe Gaetz nomination tied to ethics report
Speaker Mike Johnson rebuffs suggestions Rep. Matt Gaetz's nomination for attorney general, and subsequent resignation from the House, was connected to the ethics report that was due to be released within days.
Johnson told reporters on Thursday that President-elect Trump "respects [Gaetz's] legal acumen."
"I think they decided that together it has to do more with Trump's administration timing than anything else," Johnson told reporters on Thursday.
The House ethics panel was reportedly planning to meet and release a report on Gaetz this week. Gaetz's resignation will delay the release of the report, possibly indefinitely.
Johnson denied any knowledge of the timing of the report but said he "understands" Trump's decision to choose Gaetz.
Nov 14, 2024 at 11:50 AM EST
Veterans’ health care could be cut by Department of Government Efficiency
President-elect Donald Trump's newly created Department of Government Efficiency could impact health care for veterans if plans to cut appropriations for expired bills go ahead.
Trump announced on Tuesday that Tesla CEO Elon Musk and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy would spearhead the newly created Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, once he takes office in January. Trump said DOGE, which will not be an official government department, will "slash excess regulations, cut wasteful expenditures, and restructure Federal Agencies."
Ramaswamy, who ran for the Republican presidential nomination before suspending his campaign in January, has since said that money spent on expired government programs should be stopped. In a post on X, formerly Twitter, Ramaswamy cited the $516 billion spent on expired acts for the 2024 fiscal year.
"There are 1,200+ programs that are no longer authorized but still receive appropriations," which he described as "totally nuts" and advocated for saving "hundreds of billions" of dollars each year by "defunding government programs that Congress no longer authorizes."
Legislative authorities can expire and continue to receive appropriations—a law of Congress that provides an agency with budget authority—subject to congressional reauthorization. Among those expired appropriations is the Veteran's Health Care Eligibility Act, which amounted to $119 billion in government spending for 2024.
The act provides health care benefits to those who have served in active military, naval, or air service and did not receive a dishonorable discharge. It covers outpatient services like health appointments, immunizations, nutrition education, and inpatient services such as surgeries, acute care, and some conditions or injuries that may require urgent care. The act expired in 1998 but has been continually funded.
Newsweek reached out to Ramaswamy and Trump's teams for comment via email.
Read the full story by Aliss Higham on Newsweek.
Nov 14, 2024 at 11:39 AM EST
Department of Government Efficiency looking for employees
The newly-created Department of Government Efficiency shared a post to its X account asking people to apply via DM for a position within the entity.
The post said that co-leaders of the entity, which has the acronym DOGE, Vivek Ramaswamy and Elon Musk will "review the top 1% of applicants."
Nov 14, 2024 at 11:36 AM EST
Gold prices drop after Trump’s victory
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Gold prices dropped over four percent in the days following Donald Trump's U.S. presidential victory, reversing a monthslong climb that broke records.
Following Trump's win, the broader U.S. stock market gained nearly four percent—suggesting a shift away from safe-haven assets, as investors anticipate economic policy changes under the new administration.
Gold's recent price decline brings it to $2,618 per ounce as of this week, down from the record $2,800 per ounce set in October. The decline has erased some of gold's gains this year, with the largest gold-backed exchange-trading fund now showing a 2024 gain of around 27 percent, down from nearly 35 percent just weeks ago.
Read More from Shannon McDonagh: Gold Retreats From Record Highs Following Trump's White House Victory
Nov 14, 2024 at 11:36 AM EST
RNC seeking to stop Pennsylvania from counties undated mail-in ballots
The RNC and Pennsylvania GOP are petitioning the Pennsylvania Supreme Court to ban counties from counting undated or erroneously dated mail ballots.
Nov 14, 2024 at 11:30 AM EST
‘Trump has assembled an outstanding team of leaders’: David Friedman
Former United States Ambassador to Israel David Friedman complimented President-elect Trump for his "outstanding team of leaders."
Nov 14, 2024 at 11:29 AM EST
Republican senator calls for release of Gaetz ethics report
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Republican senator John Cornyn has joined calls for the House ethics committee report into Matt Gaetz to be released.
The probe into allegations of sexual misconduct and drug use by Gaetz was reportedly days away from being released before Trump named him as his next attorney general. Now it may never be released.
When asked if he wanted to see the report, Cornyn responded: "Absolutely."
He added that there shouldn't be any limitations on the Senate's investigation, "including whatever the House Ethics Committee has generated."
Cornyn echoed the calls of Dick Durbin, the Democratic chair of the Senate judiciary committee, who also called on the House ethics committee to share its report, and said that the timing of Gaetz's resignation "raises serious questions about the contents of the House Ethics Committee report."
"We cannot allow this valuable information from a bipartisan investigation to be hidden from the American people," he added. "Make no mistake: this information could be relevant to the question of Mr. Gaetz's confirmation as the next attorney general of the United States and our constitutional responsibility of advice and consent."
Nov 14, 2024 at 11:18 AM EST
Ron DeSantis issues special election update after Matt Gaetz AG nomination
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Republican Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has congratulated his fellow Sunshine State lawmakers following their selection to serve in President-elect Donald Trump's next administration and issued an update on special elections that will take place to replace them.
"Congratulations to the Floridians being appointed to key positions in the Trump Administration: Senator Marco Rubio, Congressman Matt Gaetz, and Congressman Mike Waltz," DeSantis said posted to X, formerly Twitter on Thursday.
"I've instructed Secretary of State Cord Byrd to formulate and announce a schedule for the upcoming special elections immediately."
Newsweek has contacted DeSantis' office for additional information via email.
Read the full story by Joe Edwards on Newsweek.
Nov 14, 2024 at 11:17 AM EST
Sen. Blinken ‘every dollar we have at our disposal’ will go to Ukraine before Trump takes office
Secretary of State Antony Blinken has announced that "every dollar we have at our disposal' will be pushed to helping Ukraine defends itself before Donald Trump takes office.
Blinken told reporters that the Biden administration was working to ensure that "Ukraine has everything it needs to effectively defend itself."
In addition to the $8.5 billion in security assistance in recent months, Blinken added that: "President Biden is committed to making sure that every dollar we have at our disposal will be pushed out the door between now and January 20th."
Nov 14, 2024 at 11:09 AM EST
Piers Morgan calls Bidens ‘gracious’ for welcoming Trump to White House
Broadcaster Piers Morgan weighed in on President Joe Biden welcoming President-elect Donald Trump to the White House yesterday.
Nov 14, 2024 at 10:54 AM EST
OPINION: Will Trump abandon Ukraine? It would force Europe to grow up fast
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Few countries are more worried about President-Elect Donald Trump than Ukraine, whose determined stand against Russian aggression would collapse without outside aid. That goes double with the indications that his secretary of state will be Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL), who has been calling for a "negotiated settlement." Whatever lipstick is smeared on the pig, that means letting Russia keep some of the land it seized.
While Trump himself is famously—and disturbingly—in thrall to Russian President Vladimir Putin, he might not want to hand the dictator an obvious gift. But Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky should certainly be concerned about Trump's vow to end the war in a day, and his impatience with "forever-wars" that are costly to the U.S.
And President Joe Biden's Ukraine war policy seems almost engineered to yield just such a "forever war": he has prevented Ukraine from losing, but avoided provoking Russia too badly by providing what it needs to win.
Read the full opinion by Dan Perry on Newsweek.
Nov 14, 2024 at 10:49 AM EST
Latino PAC congratulates Marco Rubio on nomination
Latino PAC Bienvenido has shared a statement to congratulate Sen. Marco Rubio on his nomination to be press secretary.
Bienvenido congratulates U.S. Senator Marco Rubio on his official nomination as Secretary of State by President-elect Donald J. Trump. Senator Rubio, the son of Cuban immigrants and a native of Miami, Florida, has built a reputation for principled leadership and dedication to American values, from his days as a local commissioner in West Miami to his tenure as Speaker of the Florida House, U.S. Senator, and now as the nation's top diplomat. His historic nomination marks the first time a Hispanic American will hold the office of Secretary of State, underscoring the growing role of Hispanic Americans in shaping our nation's future.
"President Trump's choice of Senator Rubio is a testament to his commitment to strong, principled leadership on the world stage," said Abraham Enriquez, Founder and President of Bienvenido. "Senator Rubio is a statesman with a deep understanding of the world stage, and he brings a perspective shaped by a uniquely American story–a story rooted in hard work, resilience, and a deep love for this country. He also understands the importance of standing firm against tyranny, which resonates deeply with Hispanic Americans who understand the price of liberty. He's the right person to lead at a time when America's voice must be clear, strong, and unwavering."
Senator Rubio has long championed the values that have defined his life and work: the pursuit of freedom and the defense of human dignity. As Secretary of State, he will bring that same vision to the world stage. His historic nomination not only strengthens America's commitment to global engagement but also serves as an inspiring example for millions of Hispanic Americans who see in him a reflection of their own values and aspirations.
Bienvenido proudly supports Senator Rubio's nomination and looks forward to the impact his leadership will bring, confident that his tenure will strengthen America's standing on the global stage and further elevate the role of Hispanic Americans in shaping the course of our nation.
Nov 14, 2024 at 10:43 AM EST
John Bolton speaks about ‘worst cabinet-level appointment in history’
In an interview with CNN, former U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. John Bolton spoke about what he believed was the "worst cabinet-level appointment in history."
When asked about Tulsi Gabbard's appointment, he said, "I thought it was the worst cabinet-level appointment in history until I then heard about the Matt Gaetz appointment."
Nov 14, 2024 at 10:35 AM EST
‘We really had a really good meeting’: Trump on his meeting with Biden
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President-elect Donald Trump said that he had a "really good meeting" with President Joe Biden yesterday.
"I wanted — I asked for his views and he gave them to me," Trump said in an interview with the New York Post. "Also, we talked very much about the Middle East, likewise. I wanted to know his views on where we are and what he thinks. And he gave them to me, he was very gracious."
"You know, it's been a long, it's been a long slog," Trump added. "It's been a lot of work on both sides and he did a very good job with respect to campaigning and everything else. We really had a really good meeting."
Nov 14, 2024 at 10:29 AM EST
Florida Attorney General files lawsuit against FEMA
Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody has filed a lawsuit against FEMA over allegations that the agency withheld relief from supporters of U.S. President-elect Trump following the recent hurricane.
She wrote on X, "Hurricane season is not over, and the federal agency in charge of emergency response is embroiled in scandal – withholding aid from storm victims in Florida who support @realDonaldTrump."
Nov 14, 2024 at 10:21 AM EST
Sen. Richard Blumenthal vows to ‘demand release of investigative findings & conclusions concerning Matt Gaetz’
Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal has said that he will seek to "release of investigative findings & conclusions concerning Matt Gaetz" in an X post this morning.
"I'll demand release of investigative findings & conclusions concerning Matt Gaetz from the House Ethics Committee," he wrote. "I hope Republican Judiciary Committee members will join me in seeking this highly serious, significant information."
He continued to reply in a thread, writing, "Information about his alleged federal criminality is directly & indisputably relevant & necessary to Gaetz's nomination to serve as the highest federal law enforcement officer.
"Republicans must release the House Ethics Committee report, along with supporting evidence. Gaetz can't conceal relevant facts & evidence from the Senate simply by resignation from the House. He chose to be nominated. He can't choose to cloak important information."
Nov 14, 2024 at 10:16 AM EST
‘Gaetz must be the worst nomination for a cabinet position in American history’: John Bolton
Former U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. John BoltonJohn Bolton has reacted to Rep. Matt Gaetz's nomination to attorney general.
"Gaetz must be the worst nomination for a cabinet position in American history," he wrote on X.
Nov 14, 2024 at 10:04 AM EST
What goes into Cabinet selections explained
The Cabinet is an advisory body comprised of the chiefs of the 15executive departments. Cabinet members are appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate.
These members play an important role in the presidential line of succession, which begins with the Vice President, Speaker of the House, and Senate President pro tempore and continues with the Cabinet offices in the order in which the departments were established. Except for the head of the Justice Department, who is titled Attorney General, other Cabinet members are referred to as Secretaries.
Nov 14, 2024 at 10:01 AM EST
WATCH: Marco Rubio speak about nomination
Sen. Marco Rubio told reporters that President-elect Donald Trump electing him to be secretary of state is a "tremendous honor."
"It's a tremendous honor that the president would put his confidence in me in a position of such importance," he said.
Nov 14, 2024 at 09:52 AM EST
Online misogyny surges after U.S. election
Misogynistic and sexist terms have gained traction on social media in the days since the presidential election, according to new analysis.
Research by The Global Project Against Hate and Extremism (GPAHE) shared exclusively with Newsweek has charted the rise of misogynistic content on the social media forum 4chan after Donald Trump won the election on November 5, beating his Democratic rival Kamala Harris in a campaign where women's concerns such as access to abortion were key to decisions at the ballot box.
Newsweek contacted 4chan and the Trump campaign by email to comment on this story.
GPAHE found 1,278 posts that they said used misogynistic rhetoric on Election Day. They said this was a year-high.
Meanwhile, the group found that mentions of "your body, my choice" increased by 5,150 percent from November 5 to November 9. These came after white nationalist American podcaster Nick Fuentes went viral last week for posting the phrase on X, formerly Twitter, adapting the pro-choice phrase "my body, my choice."
Newsweek contacted Fuentes by X to comment on this story.
Mentions of receiving "handmaids" from the book and television series The Handmaid's Tale and "rape squads" spiked 126 percent from November 4 to November 6, GPAHE said. In The Handmaid's Tale, "handmaid" are women forced to give birth via sexual assault.
The research comes after searches for the word "bitch" increased by over 1,000 percent alongside online queries about Vice President Kamala Harris after she took the Democratic nomination.
"This is a form of backlash against women's progress, and it's particularly dangerous because it normalizes this behavior as part of the political landscape," Saijai Liangpunsakul, founder of the anti-Gender Based Violence coalition, Stop Online Harm, told Newsweek at the time. "This language is not just offensive; it's a tactic of suppression that reflects society's deep-rooted discomfort with women wielding authority."
Read the full story by Kate Plummer on Newsweek.
Nov 14, 2024 at 09:45 AM EST
Joe Biden announces investments to fight climate change
President Joe Biden has unveiled new plans to fight against climate change.
He said that the Department of Agriculture will "award $250 million in Rural Energy for American Program grants to help over 1,000 farmers and rural small businesses install cost-saving, clean energy, and energy-efficient improvements all across 40 states."
Biden added that the Department of Energy will award around "$18 million to help communities nationwide to save money by improving energy efficiency and reducing dangerous climate pollution."
Nov 14, 2024 at 09:38 AM EST
House Ethics Committee set to meet today
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The House Ethics Committee is set to meet today, NBC News has reported, citing a source familiar with the situation.
According to the source, the meeting agenda is kept confidential, so the individual has no idea what would be addressed. It is unclear whether the committee would discuss its probe into Rep. Matt Gaetz, who resigned from the House yesterday after Trump announced he will be chosen as attorney general.
Nov 14, 2024 at 09:29 AM EST
Donald Trump reveals two priorities he discussed with Joe Biden
President-elect Donald Trump has revealed what he and President Joe Biden discussed during their meeting at the White House on Wednesday.
The two leaders met in the Oval Office to discuss ensuring a "smooth transition" of power as Trump prepares for his second term.
During their conversation, which lasted about two hours, Trump said they addressed key issues, including the war in Ukraine, which he has vowed to end swiftly upon taking office, as well as the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, according to comments made to the New York Post.
"I wanted—I asked for his views and he gave them to me," Trump said. "Also, we talked very much about the Middle East, likewise. I wanted to know his views on where we are and what he thinks. And he gave them to me, he was very gracious."
Read the full story by Martha McHardy on Newsweek.
Nov 14, 2024 at 09:18 AM EST
Jake Sullivan highlights two major national security threats that Trump will face
National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan spoke to reporters yesterday about the biggest threats Trump will face.
According to Sullivan, China poses the most significant danger to the U.S.'s global standing, while Iran poses a more immediate threat.
"Then there's the most immediate issue, which is Iran and its proxy groups continue to take actions that directly threaten Americans and American interests in the Middle East, and that has to be dealt with on an urgent basis," Sullivan added.
Nov 14, 2024 at 09:08 AM EST
Tulsi Gabbard speaks out after Trump picks her for intelligence role
Former Democrat Tulsi Gabbard has spoken out about the "incredible mandate" delivered by the "American people" after President-elect Donald Trump nominated her to serve as Director of National Intelligence.
Trump announced on Wednesday that Gabbard, who served four terms representing Hawaii in Congress before switching parties, would help champion constitutional rights and secure "peace through strength."
Gabbard told Fox News' Jesse Watters: "We had a great conversation and talked a little bit about the work that needs to be done and I was grateful and honored to accept President Trump's offer to serve our country and support his objective to defend the safety, security and freedom of the American people as the Director of National Intelligence."
When Watters asked Gabbard about possible resistance "from the inside," she said: "The American people delivered quite an incredible mandate for change in this election—with the popular vote and the electoral vote overwhelmingly saying: 'Hey we want Donald Trump as president and we've had enough of the Harris-Biden regime'."
Several of Trump's Cabinet nominations have raised concerns, including his pick for attorney general, Matt Gaetz, and defense secretary, Pete Hegseth.
Newsweek has emailed Gabbard for comment.
"Of course there's going to be resistance to change from the swamp in Washington," Gabbard said, "I think that's kind of the point."
She added: "The American people are saying: 'Hey, stop looking at yourselves, stop focusing on your own power, your own position, your own bank accounts, how about we have leaders in Washington who are actually looking out for the American people.'"
Read the full story by Jordan King on Newsweek.
Nov 14, 2024 at 09:04 AM EST
The 1600 Newsletter: Why did Trump really pick Gaetz for AG?
Author of The 1600 Newsletter and Newsweek editor Carlo Versano writes in today's edition:
One thing about a Trump presidency, it's never boring.
When the news that Rep. Matt Gaetz was his pick for attorney general broke yesterday afternoon, it produced audible gasps in the Newsweek newsroom. I had almost forgotten what that was like, though it was a regular occurrence during the first Trump term.
The president-elect has made some controversial if not dubious cabinet choices– Pete Hegseth for Defense, Tulsi Gabbard for Intelligence–but one could at least see the argument for them, as unorthodox as they may be.
Gaetz is on a different level.
The bomb-throwing congressman from Florida is nearly universally disliked, including among his own colleagues in the House, and deeply unqualified to be the country's top cop running the Justice Dept.
So the speculation in D.C. is that there's something else going on here. Ezra Klein at the Times thinks it's a "loyalty test" for Senate Republicans who would have to confirm him–essentially that this is Trump trying to see what he can get away with now that the GOP will control all levers of power.
The other theory going around is that this is Trump playing some "4D chess": giving Gaetz a way to leave the House with his dignity intact (an internal Ethics investigation into Gaetz was due to come out tomorrow. It won't now that he's resigned from Congress), while offering him as a kind of sacrificial lamb for whomever Trump's real AG pick will be.
It's also worth pointing out that Merrick Garland turned out to be an unorthodox AG as well–and the only one to ever charge a former president who also happened to be his boss' opponent.
Time will tell what the real story is with Gaetz.
In the meantime, as Russell Crowe said in Gladiator: Are you not entertained?!
Nov 14, 2024 at 08:56 AM EST
Joe Rogan says celebrities reached out to him about wanting to endorse Trump but not being able to
Joe Rogan said on his podcast that celebrities have contacted him to say that they had wanted to endorse President-elect Donald Trump, but did not do so for fear of being "attacked."
"There's a lot of people who don't speak their mind," Rogan said on The Joe Rogan Experience. "Do you know how many artists have reached out to me, that are like f*****g hippies, man, like artists, musicians, comedians that have thanked me for endorsing Trump because they can't do it? They said they want to, but they don't want to be attacked. They can't say it."
Rogan did not reveal the identities of these celebrities.
Nov 14, 2024 at 08:49 AM EST
John Bolton urges FBI to probe Tulsi Gabbard, Matt Gaetz: ‘Serious threat’
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John Bolton has argued Rep. Matt Gaetz and Tulsi Gabbard, Donald Trump's nominees for Attorney General and Director of National Intelligence (DNI) respectively, should undergo "full field FBI investigations" before their Senate confirmation hearings take place.
The comments were made by Bolton, who served as Trump's National Security Advisor during his first term, but has since become a trenchant critic, in an interview with NewsNation's 'The Hill' hours after the appointments were announced.
On Wednesday Trump revealed he had selected Florida Representative Gaetz and Gabbard, formerly a Democratic House Representative for Hawaii, as his candidates to be Attorney General and national intelligence director. From 2013 to 2016 Gabbard served as vice-chair of the Democratic National Committee, before running for the party's presidential nomination in 2020, and she only officially joined the Republican Party in October.
Read the full story by James Bickerton on Newsweek.
Nov 14, 2024 at 08:43 AM EST
Ginger Gaetz shares post about Matt Gaetz attorney general nomination
Matt Gaetz's wife Ginger shared her reaction to her husband being tapped for an attorney general nomination.
"Attorney General will look great on you my love," she wrote.
The two have been married since 2021.
Nov 14, 2024 at 08:37 AM EST
John Fetterman calls Matt Gaetz appointment ‘God-tier’ trolling
Senator John Fetterman said Donald Trump tapping U.S. Representative Matt Gaetz for attorney general was "god-tier kind of trolling."
The president-elect announced that he was nominating Gaetz to head the Department of Justice on Wednesday, to the surprise of many on both sides of the political aisle.
Fetterman, a Democratic senator from Pennsylvania, said the pick was a "god-tier kind of trolling, just to trigger a meltdown."
"But really the Dems' opinion on Gaetz, that's not really what's interesting," Fetterman continued. "What to me is interesting is, the good ones (opinions) are gonna come by my colleagues on the other side, the GOP, on how they can justify voting for that j******."
"It's just trolling," Fetterman repeated, before listing what he considered to be "serious appointments."
Fetterman said the same thing in a post on X, writing: "There have been serious, qualified individuals nominated to posts, like [Florida Senator Marco] Rubio or [New York Representative] Elise Stefanik. [Missouri Senator] Eric Schmitt would be a solid choice for AG [attorney general]."
Read the full story by Jordan King on Newsweek.
Nov 14, 2024 at 08:29 AM EST
Rep. Thomas Massie says ‘suck it up’ to reporter who asks if Matt Gaetz will be confirmed by Senate
A reporter questioned Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) about Trump's choice of Matt Gaetz for Attorney General, asking if the Senate will confirm Gaetz.
Massie replied, "Doesn't need to... we recess. He's the Attorney General. Suck it up."
Nov 14, 2024 at 08:25 AM EST
Vivek Ramaswamy reveals ‘mission’ of the Department of Government Efficiency
Vivek Ramaswamy shared the "mission" he and Elon Musk will work towards as heads of the newly-created Department of Government Efficiency.
In a tweet, he wrote, "Here's a key point about our mission at DOGE: eliminating bureaucratic regulations isn't a mere policy preference. It's a legal *mandate* from the U.S. Supreme Court."
He then listed cases such as West Virginia v. EPA (2022), Loper Bright v. Raimondo (2024), SEC v. Jarkesy (2024), and Corner Post v. Board of Governors (2024) to highlight the "mandate" he mentioned.
"DOGE is ready help the U.S. government conform to the U.S. Constitution once again," he wrote. "@elonmusk and I are ready to serve."
Nov 14, 2024 at 08:19 AM EST
‘Permission slip to hate women’: TikTok creators react to Trump victory
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"Your body, my choice." "I wouldn't even rape you." "You have no freedom."
Misogyny online is nothing new. But female influencers on TikTok have told Newsweek that the election of Donald Trump has turbocharged abusive comments like these—and they fear it will mutate into real-life violence.
One of them said it was as if the president-elect had given men and boys a "permission slip to hate women" given his own history of sexual assault allegations, which he denies, and sexual bragging.
"As a woman," Hannah Cor said, "I have constant fears. This is a scary time."
On November 6, Trump won the 2024 presidential election, defeating his Democratic opponent Vice President Kamala Harris. In the days following, a palpable shift occurred online, the women said.
Far-right commentators and self-proclaimed misogynists like Nick Fuentes and Andrew Tate lauded Trump's return to power and declared their control over women's bodies.
"This misogynistic behavior is just the beginning," Christian F. Nunes, president of the National Organization for Women, told Newsweek.
Read the full story by Marni Rose McFall on Newsweek.
Nov 14, 2024 at 08:15 AM EST
Mike Pence reveals his ‘prayer’ about Donald Trump
Former Vice President Mike Pence said on Tuesday his former boss, the president-elect, should not pardon January 6 rioters and prays that Donald Trump will uphold his commitment to the Constitution.
Pence found himself targeted by a violent mob of MAGA loyalists and Trump supporters on January 6, 2021, as some rioters who stormed the U.S. Capitol expressed intentions to harm or even kill the former vice president.
Trump supporters were enraged by Pence's refusal to block the certification of the Electoral College results, and some in the crowd chanted "Hang Mike Pence" as they moved through the Capitol building.
Speaking to an audience at the 2024 Dispatch Summit in Washington, D.C., Pence reiterated that he does not believe the January 6 rioters deserve leniency, despite Trump and his allies portraying them as patriots who were unfairly prosecuted.
"I don't think the president should pardon anyone who assaulted a police officer at the United States Capitol on January 6," Pence said on stage, according to The Dispatch.
Newsweek contacted the Trump-Vance transition team for comment by email on Thursday early morning, outside of standard working hours.
Pence said that he and his wife are "literally praying that President-elect Trump and Vice President-elect Vance will stand on the commitments that they will make when they raise their right hands on that day."
Read the full story by Billal Rahman on Newsweek.
Nov 14, 2024 at 08:05 AM EST
Ron DeSantis congratulates Rubio, Gaetz, and Waltz
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis shared a tweet, congratulating the Floridians—Sen. Marco Rubio, Congressman Matt Gaetz, and Congressman Mike Waltz—who were appointed to positions within Trump's second administration.
Nov 14, 2024 at 08:00 AM EST
How Polymarket predicted Trump: The Inside Story as FBI raids CEO’s home
It was a thumping victory that took even some of Donald Trump's most ardent supporters by surprise: a clean sweep of battleground states. Certainly, few pollsters saw it coming.
However, a new breed of forecaster seemed one step ahead, as betting markets and crypto-based predictors called it first.
Or, as former Fox Host Megyn Kelly said: "Polling is a lie. They don't know anything."
That new breed of forecaster—notably in the form of Shayne Coplan, the 26-year-old founder of the crypto-based prediction market Polymarket that consistently forecasted a Trump victory—has now been thrown into the spotlight once again.
Coplan was the target of an FBI raid on Wednesday, with his phone and other electronic devices seized during the operation.
The raid is believed to be linked to a U.S. Justice Department investigation into whether Polymarket accepted trades from users based in the United States. Currently, the platform is unavailable to U.S. customers, although some traders have reportedly found ways to access it using VPNs.
A Polymarket spokesperson characterized it as "political retribution" by the Biden administration, a sentiment later echoed by Coplan on X, formerly Twitter, who said it was "discouraging that the current administration would seek a last-ditch effort to go after companies they deem to be associated with political opponents."
It is another twist in an election characterized by seismic shifts, not least a 13-point surge in the Latino vote toward Trump. The President-elect's success also appeared to usher in a new age of political predictions and has again cast doubt on the credibility of America's polling class.
Read the full story by Hugh Cameron on Newsweek.
Nov 14, 2024 at 07:55 AM EST
Alina Habba shuts down speculation that she will be press secretary
Lawyer, legal spokesperson for President-elect Donald Trump, and a senior advisor for MAGA, Inc., Alina Habba, has said that she is not considering the role of press secretary.
In a post to X, Habba wrote, "While I am flattered by the support and speculation, the role of Press Secretary is not a role I am considering."
Nov 14, 2024 at 07:48 AM EST
Donald Trump’s border czar has stark message for Mexico cartels
President-elect Donald Trump's border czar, former ICE Acting Director Tom Homan, has issued a stark message to drug cartels and crime syndicates operating in Mexico.
Immigration was key to Trump's winning campaign against Vice President Kamala Harris and was instrumental in fueling his comeback victory last week. Trump, who won the popular vote for the first time in three attempts, swept all seven key battleground states in his stunning comeback victory on November 5.
Speaking on Fox News' The Story with Martha MacCallum, Homan said*:* "The criminal cartels in Mexico know President Trump is going to pay a lot of attention to them."
Homan said the president-elect will designate the cartels as terrorist organizations and vowed the incoming administration will "take them out."
"Under President Trump, there is no catch and release; there is no fraudulent asylum claims," Homan said.
"You are either going to remain in Mexico or be in detention. You won't come across the border and be released and flown to the city of choice at free taxpayer's expense."
Newsweek has contacted Homan outside of normal office hours via a contact form.
Read the full story by Billal Rahman on Newsweek.
Nov 14, 2024 at 07:45 AM EST
Tammy Duckworth responds to Pete Hegseth saying women shouldn’t be in combat
Veteran Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill) responded to Trump's pick for defense secretary Pete Hegseth saying women shouldn't be in combat in an interview with CNN.
When asked what went through her mind when she heard this, Duckworth said, "I would ask him, 'Where do you think I lost my legs? In a bar fight?' I'm pretty sure I was in combat when that happened."
She lost both legs and some mobility in her right arm when Iraqi terrorists launched a rocket-propelled grenade at her Black Hawk aircraft in 2004. She was the first female double amputee of the war.
Nov 14, 2024 at 07:35 AM EST
Nine seats left to be called in the House race as Republicans are projected to take control
There are still nine seats left to be called in the House, according to CNN:
- House 5: Oregon
- House 9: Ohio
- House 2: Maine
- House 1: Iowa
- House 45: California
- House 21: California
- House 13: California
- House 9: California
- House At Large: Alaska
This comes as the House is set to be controlled by Republicans, putting them in control of all levels of power.
Nov 14, 2024 at 07:33 AM EST
WATCH: Mike Johnson say Matt Gaetz has resigned from Congress
House Speaker Mike Johnson announced that Florida Congressman Matt Gaetz submitted his resignation letter on Wednesday.
The move came a few hours after President-elect Donald Trump introduced Gaetz as his nominee for attorney general. Gaetz will still need to be confirmed by the Senate before taking the position.
"He issued his resignation letter effective immediately," Johnson told reporters about Gaetz, according to Fox News' Aishah Hasnie.
"That caught us by surprise a little bit," Johnson said. "But I asked him what the reasoning was. And he said, well, you can't have too many absences."
Nov 14, 2024 at 07:30 AM EST
Matt Gaetz nomination stuns legal experts: ‘Vomit in your mouth’
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President-elect Donald Trump's decision to nominate Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz as attorney general stunned legal experts, with some decrying Gaetz as unqualified for the role.
Trump called Gaetz a "deeply gifted and tenacious attorney" when he announced the pick on his Truth Social platform on Wednesday. As attorney general, Gaetz would "root out systemic corruption" at the Department of Justice (DOJ), Trump said.
Gaetz, a fierce Trump loyalist who has frequently criticized the DOJ, resigned from his House seat shortly after the announcement.
Legal experts have questioned Trump's selection of Gaetz due to his limited legal experience and because he is being tapped to lead a department that previously investigated him. Gaetz's office and a spokesperson for Trump have been contacted for comment via email.
Read the full story by Khaleda Rahman on Newsweek.
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