November 13, 2024 - US election news

Democratic lawmakers are reacting to President-elect Donald Trump’s Cabinet picks on Wednesday, especially his choice of Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz for attorney general.

The role of attorney general will be crucial to Trump’s vision for his second term, and will help enforce the president-elect’s policy on immigration, reproductive health and political retribution. Gaetz has long accused the Justice Department of being weaponized under President Joe Biden against conservatives including Trump.

Connecticut Sen. Chris Murphy said that Gaetz is “dangerously unqualified” and said that the Florida lawmaker has been Trump’s “chief defender when it comes to Trump’s assault on democracy.” He claimed that Trump picked Gaetz to turn the Justice Department into “an arm of the White House” that Trump can use to prosecute his political rivals.

California Rep. Adam Schiff said that confirming Gaetz to the job “would mean affirming the worst potential abuses of the DOJ,” according to a post on X, urging the Senate to reject his confirmation in the future.

Delaware Sen. Chris Coon said that he was “speechless” when he heard about Trump’s decision. Coons promised to engage in the confirmation process and said the Senate will look closely at if someone “is appropriate to serve in a role.” Still, he said he hopes that Republicans in the Senate “urge the president to reconsider” his choice for the top legal official.

Virginia Sen. Mark Warner said he was surprised to hear Trump was picking Gaetz and said he has “a lot of questions.” Warner also said he is supportive of Sen. Marco Rubio, his colleague on the Senate Intelligence Committee, to be Trump’s choice for secretary of state.

Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman said that Trump nominated Gaetz in an attempt to “troll” Democrats, noting he wants to hear his GOP colleagues say “how they can justify voting for that jerk off.”

This post has been updated with additional reactions.

President Joe Biden offered a pep talk to the nearly 4,000 political appointees serving across the federal government who will almost certainly be out of their jobs when President-elect Donald Trump takes office on January 20, reminding them of what they’ve accomplished and to “stay engaged” and “keep the faith.”

“We all know it’s a difficult time. So I’m sure you’re all feeling a variety of emotions, but I hope that one emotion you don’t lose sight of is pride – pride in all you’ve done, all we’ve tried to do, and all we’ve accomplished the last four years because of you,” Biden said during an unannounced appearance on a conference call with his administration’s political appointees, according to audio of the call obtained by CNN.

The president — fresh off a meeting with his predecessor and successor, President-elect Donald Trump — ticked through a list of accomplishments ranging from semiconductor manufacturing to infrastructure to drug pricing to making “no distinction between red states and blue states.”

“Every generation,” Biden said, “has to fight to maintain democracy — maintain our allegiance to the institutions we work under. And look — restoring faith in American leadership on the world stage. I think we regained that leadership in the world because of all of you.”

Those comments come after Biden repeatedly cast Trump as a threat to democracy on the campaign trail. In the Oval Office on Wednesday, Biden shared his views on a range of global issues — and made the case for Trump to continue to provide aid for Ukraine.

Biden stressed the need for a “peaceful transfer of power” over the coming weeks, saying that is their “responsibility to the American people.”

Two key GOP factions are nearing a deal on an internal party rule change that would defuse the procedural weapon used to remove Speaker Mike Johnson’s predecessor from power, according to three Republicans involved in the talks.

The conservative Freedom Caucus and governing-focused GOP Main Street group have been in talks — along with Johnson — about changes to the motion to vacate, according to those GOP sources. That rule currently allows just a single member of Congress to call for a vote of no confidence against the speaker.

One of the negotiators is notable leadership defector Rep. Chip Roy of Texas.

The discussions have involved both the House Freedom Caucus and centrist, governing-focused groups like Republican Main Street and Republican Governance Group and Problem Solvers group.

In exchange, GOP lawmakers would not push for changes that would punish members for voting against rule.

If Johnson can successfully raise the threshold, it would eliminate a key problem for him in the next Congress.

The GOP conference would need to approve the deal on Thursday.

Judiciary Chair Jim Jordan told CNN earlier Wednesday that he believes most GOP members “wants some kind of change, some kind of tweak” to motion to vacate.

There was an audible gasp from the House Republicans during their meeting behind closed doors when they heard the news that President-elect Donald Trump named GOP Rep. Matt Gaetz to be his attorney general, according to a source in the room.

Meanwhile, here’s how GOP lawmakers have been reacting to the news:

GOP Rep. Don Bacon of Nebraska said: “I got really no good comment.”

New York’s Rep. Nick LaLota, who has had run-ins with Gaetz in the past over his ousting of former Speaker Kevin McCarthy, refused to say if he is an appropriate pick. “Sure is going to be an interesting confirmation hearing is I think most members’ predictions,” LaLota said. “He was not on anybody’s top 5, 10, or even 50 list out of the folks who I was speaking to.”

House Appropriations Chair Tom Cole of Oklahoma: “I know nothing about it.”

Rep. Chip Roy of Texas: “Matt’s one of the smartest guys in the House, much less the Republican conference. And you know he would, he would shake things up over at the Department of Justice in a way that needs to be shaken up.”

Separately, Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky, a staunch Trump ally, told reporters that Trump should try to confirm Gaetz through recess appointment if he can’t get confirmed by the Senate. “He’s the attorney general, suck it up,” Massie said.

The headline and post have been updated with additional reporting.

House Speaker Mike Johnson speaks before President-elect Donald Trump arrives at a meeting of the House GOP conference, on Wednesday, November 13.

Mike Johnson was nominated to be House speaker unanimously by voice vote, two sources in the room told CNN.

Johnson, who is currently the speaker of the House, will now face a floor vote on January 3, where he will need to receive 218 votes.

Republican Rep. Steve Scalise was also reelected as House Majority Leader, sources said.

There was an audible reaction inside the Justice Department headquarters when President-elect Donald Trump announced his intention to nominate Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz as attorney general, a department employee told CNN.

Several blocks away at the US attorney’s office in Washington, DC, there was “absolute disbelief” at the announcement, a person in touch with multiple prosecutors there told CNN.

Rep. Matt Gaetz departs Capitol Hill after President-elect Donald Trump met with House Republicans on Wednesday, November 13.

President-elect Donald Trump has picked Florida congressman Matt Gaetz to helm the nation’s top law enforcement agency — the same one that pursued a yearslong sex-crimes investigation into the lawmaker. The Justice Department ultimately decided last year not to pursue criminal charges against Gaetz.

However, Gaetz remains under investigation by the House Ethics Committee for sexual misconduct, with the bipartisan committee saying in a rare statement in June that some of the allegations against Gaetz “merit continued review.” Gaetz has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing, including ever having sex with a minor or paying for sex.

Why it matters: Gaetz’s appointment is subject to Senate approval once formally nominated by Trump. This attorney general will be a crucial to Trump’s vision for his second term, and will help enforce Trump’s policy on immigration, reproductive health, and political retribution. The president-elect has claimed that he wants to gut the justice system as part of an effort to break down legal restrictions and traditional protections against political interference, CNN has reported.

Gaetz on the DOJ: The Florida representative has long accused the DOJ of being weaponized under President Joe Biden against conservatives, including Trump, and has called for abolishing the DOJ and FBI barring significant changes. Gaetz, a member of the Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government, has accused the FBI of going “far beyond” what the law allows in surveillance, calling for limits on their authorities.

Gaetz has also criticized the rank-and-file personnel at Justice Department.

Michael Guest, the chair of the House Ethics Committee, said the investigation into GOP Rep. Matt Gaetz will end if he resigns from Congress to become attorney general, as the panel only has jurisdiction over a member when they are serving in Congress.

“If he were to be appointed, then he would have to resign his position in the House so the ethics investigation at that point would cease, just like with any other member, we only have jurisdiction being the ethics committee, as long as a person is a member of Congress,” Guest told CNN.

The House Ethics Committee has been investigating allegations that Gaetz may have “engaged in sexual misconduct and illicit drug use, accepted improper gifts, dispensed special privileges and favors to individuals with whom he had a personal relationship, and sought to obstruct government investigations of his conduct.”

Gaetz has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing, including ever having sex with a minor or paying for sex.

Guest didn’t comment on the status of the probe into Gaetz but said he was surprised to learn Trump picked him to be his attorney general.

“You know, like most members, I was surprised. His name was not someone that I had heard come up previously. But you know, like with any other cabinet level selection, there’ll be a confirmation process, and so if any of the senators have questions about his or any other cabinet members ability to serve, those questions will be figured out during that confirmation process” Guest said.

Despite being surprised by the pick, Guest said he wasn’t questioning Trump.

“You know, I’m not going to question the president on his selections, whether it be attorney general or any other cabinet level position he’s been” he added.

Some Senate Republicans are expressing uncertainty on if they will back Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz for attorney general.

Here’s what they have been saying today:

Incoming Senate Majority Leader John Thune of South Dakota declined to say if he is concerned about Donald Trump’s pick or if Gaetz can be confirmed, but promised the Senate will “vet” all of the president-elect’s nominees during the confirmation process.

North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis noted that “Mr. Gaetz and I have jousted on certain issues between the House and the Senate. That happens? I haven’t looked at his full body of work and his credentials here, I’ll give him an honest look. … There’s obviously been a lot of disagreements between members of the Senate and Mr. Gaetz,” he told CNN, referring to Gaetz’s role in ousting Kevin McCarthy.

Texas Sen. John Cornyn, the senior member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said: “We’ll do our job as as the Senate, do our advise-and-consent function. So, we’ll take that one day at a time.” Asked about Gaetz being investigated by House Ethics Committee for sexual misconduct, Cornyn told CNN: “I’m sure that will come up” in the hearings.

South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham, who is a senior member of the judiciary committee, was noncommittal. “I don’t know yet. I’ll have to think about that one,” he told CNN. Pressed on whether he had any concerns about the pick, Graham replied, “We’ll see.”

North Dakota Sen. Kevin Cramer appeared skeptical, noting to reporters “there’s a number of issues” with Gaetz’s nomination related to investigations into allegations of trafficking minors. “I mean, to be honest, I was thinking about the FBI background check, it’s pretty intense for attorney general,” he added.

Wyoming Sen. John Barrasso: “The president is going to make bold decisions and appointments. I am looking forward to the hearings and getting his cabinet in place,” Barrasso said. Asked if it was a bold or concerning pick, Barrasso said: “I have nothing more to add.” He was asked if Gaetz can get confirmed but didn’t directly answer the question.

Kansas Sen. Jerry Moran declined comment saying he just heard the news. “I don’t have a quick reaction to that,” he said.

South Dakota Sen. Mike Rounds said he won’t make a prediction on Trump’s pick. “What we can tell you right now is that we always allow the president to have the benefit of the doubt, but we still have to do our role in terms of due diligence,” he said, but wouldn’t clarify if he personally would vote for Gaetz.

Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, who Trump said he would nominate for secretary of state, said, “I like Matt a lot, I know him very well. I am confident that if the Senate confirms him, he would do a good job. Again, presidents are entitled to have the people that they want in these key positions to carry out the mandate that has been considered.”

Alabama Sen. Tommy Tuberville said he loves Gaetz and warned that it would be risky for senators to vote against him.

Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley said he will “support all of the president’s nominees.”

Iowa Sen. Joni Ernst said Gaetz has “a lot of work to do.”

West Virginia Sen. Shelley Moore Capito said, “Well there’s a process. We’ll see.”

The headline and post have been updated to reflect more reaction from Republican senators.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schume speaks to the media on Wednesday, November 13.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer would not say if he would take any blame for Democrats’ lackluster performance this cycle, during his first Capitol press conference since the elections.

Schumer did not weigh in on Trump’s first announcements for cabinet positions, including Fox News personality Pete Hegseth for defense secretary. “There’ll be time to analyze that later,” he told reporters.

The Democratic leader also congratulated Sen. John Thune on his election as GOP leader for next Congress, when Republicans will take over the majority.

Rep. Matt Gaetz speaks during the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Federal Government Surveillance hearing on Oversight of the Federal Bureau of Prisons on Capitol Hill on July 23 in Washington, DC.

President-elect Donald Trump has chosen Rep. Matt Gaetz as his pick for attorney general, according to a post from Trump on Truth Social.

Trump also described Gaetz as a “deeply gifted and tenacious attorney.”

In a post on X, the Florida congressman said, “It will be an honor to serve as President Trump’s Attorney General!”

Gaetz spent several days at Mar-a-Lago over the past week, two sources familiar with his plans told CNN. He also flew today with Trump to Washington, DC on his private plane.

CNN’s Alayna Treene contributed to this post.

Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for defense secretary, served in the US military from October 2002 to March 2021 as a member of the National Guard and attained the rank of major.

As an infantry officer, Hegseth deployed three times overseas. From June 2004 to April 2005, he deployed to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. From September 2005 to July 2006, he deployed to Iraq. From May 2011 to January 2012, he was deployed to Afghanistan.

He has been award two Bronze stars for his service, as well as a number of other awards for his time in the military.

The White House released photos from Wednesday’s Oval Office meeting between President Joe Biden and President-elect Donald Trump, the one-time 2024 presidential rivals.

One of the photos shows the two in the Oval Office with their respective aides, White House Chief of Staff Jeff Zients and incoming White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles.

This handout photo from the White House shows Biden meeting with President-elect Donald Trump on Wednesday in the Oval Office. Also in attendance are Susie Wiles, left, and Chief of Staff Jeff Zients.

Another photo shows the two standing in the Oval Office with their backs to the camera, looking at the portraits and busts in the office. Biden appears to be looking at the portrait of Lincoln.

A third photo released by the White House shows Trump and Biden walking down the White House East Colonnade, Biden smiling as the two walk toward the Oval Office.

Biden walks to the Oval Office with Trump on Wednesday in this handout photo.

Biden and first lady Jill Biden greet Trump outside the White House in this handout photo.

In the Oval Office earlier, Biden told President-elect Donald Trump he’s looking forward to a “smooth transition” of power next year. Trump was at the White House today for the first time since leaving office.

President-elect Donald Trump has named former Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard as his pick for Director of National Intelligence.

Read more here about Gabbard.

President-elect Donald Trump has officially named Sen. Marco Rubio as his pick to be Secretary of State.

The formal announcement comes after CNN reported on Monday night that Rubio would be the choice.

Rubio called it a “tremendous responsibility” and said that he is “honored by the trust President Trump has placed in me,” according to a post on X shortly after Trump’s announcement.

“As Secretary of State, I will work every day to carry out his foreign policy agenda. Under the leadership of President Trump we will deliver peace through strength and always put the interests of Americans and America above all else,” Rubio said in the post.

He will still have to be confirmed to the position by the Senate.

This post has been updated with comments from Rubio.

President-elect Donald Trump said that he and President Joe Biden “both really enjoyed seeing each other” and expect to see each other again just before Inauguration Day, according to an exclusive phone interview with the New York Post.

The president-elect said they spoke about the ongoing conflicts in the Middle East as well as the war in Ukraine during their meeting,

“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 what he thinks. And he gave them to me, he was very gracious.”

Echoing his public comments in the Oval Office about a smooth transition between administrations, Trump told the Post, “It’s going very smoothly” and that his transition team and the current White House have a “very, very good relationship.”

“I’m looking forward to having, like we said, a smooth transition. We’ll do everything we can to make sure you’re accommodated,” Biden said earlier today in the Oval Office.

Calling the Oval Office “beautiful,” Trump told the Post he looks forward to returning.

A person close to the process says no final decision has been made in regard to picking a Treasury secretary for the Trump administration.

“Howard [Lutnick] has not closed the deal,” the source told CNN, referencing the transition co-chair and the head of Cantor Fitzgerald who has made a pitch for the role.

Scott Bessent, a billionaire hedge-fund manager and relatively recent MAGA convert, has also been in pole position for the job.

The rivalry between Lutnick and Bessent as they and their allies jockey for the marquee economic title is near a boiling point, raising the possibility that President-elect Donald Trump could instead opt for a compromise in the form of a third party candidate.

Former SEC chair Jay Clayton and Sen. Bill Hagerty have been mentioned as “dark horses” in that scenario. Clayton has also been under consideration for attorney general and secretary of labor.

President-elect Donald Trump brought “a detailed set of questions” to Wednesday’s Oval Office meeting with President Joe Biden, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters.

Jean-Pierre said the meeting was “indeed, very cordial, very gracious, and substantive.”

The press secretary declined to say what questions Trump raised during the nearly two-hour meeting, but told reporters during Wednesday’s White House press briefing that Biden “certainly looked forward to the meeting, appreciated the conversation and answered any questions that the president-elect had, offered up his thoughts.”

Jean-Pierre said she spoke with Biden in the Oval herself before joining today’s briefing, who “wanted you all to know that the president-elect, again, was gracious,” but described the discussion as “a private conversation.”

And, moving forward, Biden “is always going to, obviously, keep that line of communication open to the president-elect,” she added.

In a followup exchange, Jean-Pierre said Vice President Kamala Harris “did not attend the meeting between the two presidents this morning.”

The GOP’s control of both chambers of Congress means that President-elect Donald Trump will have a path to enact an agenda that could profoundly change America, including sweeping tax cuts, hardline immigration enforcement and a transformation of domestic and foreign policy.

Republican’s victory in the House also represents a triumph for Speaker Mike Johnson, who struggled to control his restive conference over the last year. The House GOP often plunged into chaos and infighting — some of which was exacerbated by Trump’s interventions and the behavior of some of his most outspoken supporters. The narrow majority meant that any one member could decide to stage a revolt or to break with leadership for personal political gain.

The question now will be how large next year’s House majority becomes and whether the GOP can widen the margin of a handful of seats that has made managing the conference so complex for Johnson.

The fact that Trump will be in the White House with the GOP in full control could make unity easier next year. However, Trump is already poaching from the incoming majority for his Cabinet picks, and even with those members hailing from safe Republican seats, their likely vacancies could last long enough to cause headaches for Johnson.

Republicans will retain control of the House of Representatives, CNN projects, a victory for the party that has had a majority in the chamber since 2023.

The House gives Republicans a sweep of the federal government, with control of the White House and majorities in both chambers of Congress.

The outcome is also expected to bolster Speaker Mike Johnson’s standing within his party, after a tenure where he has faced competing demands from his conference and frequent criticism from his right flank.

President Joe Biden’s Oval Office meeting with President-elect Donald Trump “was a substantive meeting — an exchange of views,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said during the White House press briefing Wednesday.

The meeting, which lasted approximately two hours, included White House Chief of Staff Jeff Zients and incoming Chief of Staff Susie Wiles. It also marked a return to presidential norms after Trump — who disputed the results of 2020’s election — declined to extend the traditional White House invite to then-President elect Biden.

According to Jean-Pierre, Biden “reiterated what he said to the president-elect the day after the election and to the American people in the Rose Garden just last week: We will have an orderly transition and a peaceful transition of power.”

President-elect Donald Trump’s remarks to the House Republicans this morning included “a thank you to our leadership” for the help in his reelection, according to Wisconsin Republican Rep. Tom Tiffany.

Asked by CNN to describe the meeting, Tiffany said:

“I thought it was mainly a thank you — a thank you to our leadership, a thank you to our conference for the work that they did in helping him get elected. And he pointed out a few of the key people in his administration, including Susie Wiles. But I think it was primarily just a thank you and, let’s get together and get some work done for the American people.”

Remember: House Republicans are set to hold a leadership election via secret ballot at 2:30 p.m. ET. Trump addressed the conference in the morning. Speaker Mike Johnson needs a simple majority at this point to win.

Senate Republicans have elected their leadership team for the next Congress, Sen. John Brasso announced Wednesday.

Here’s a look at the full team:

Pete Hegseth hosts the Fox Nation's Patriot Awards in Nashville on November 16, 2023.

Within minutes of President-elect Donald Trump’s announcement of Fox News host and Army veteran Pete Hegseth as his selection for secretary of Defense, current and former senior military commanders began messaging and calling me with their reactions.

“Ridiculous,” said one.

To be clear, these were not partisans, but senior commanders who have served under both Presidents Trump and Joe Biden. Their critiques, as they continued, were not personal. None had anything negative to say about Hegseth. Their central concern is that they see Trump, with this and other senior national security appointments, building out a team to put into action massive and lasting changes to US foreign policy.

The 2024 election — unlike previous ones with differences at the margins — may prove to have an enormous impact not just on US foreign policy but on America’s role in the world. Trump has repeatedly expressed that he’s ready to deliver on his “America First” agenda, ending US entanglements abroad and diminishing or altering treaty relationships he sees as skewed against American interests, each a departure from what used to be a bipartisan worldview. To that point, Hegseth has from his perch at Fox News long been a vocal, public proponent of Trump’s “America First” agenda.

With this view of America’s relationships with allies and adversaries, Trump seems to believe that as president he will be just as able to make mutually beneficial agreements for the US with, say, Russia or China, as with US allies in Europe and Asia — that is, with nations that have fought alongside the US and signed mutual defense treaties.

Read Sciutto’s full analysis of Hegseth’s selection.

President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping walk together after a meeting during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Leaders' week in Woodside, California on November 15, 2023.

Joe Biden will meet for a final time this week with Chinese President Xi Jinping as the US president prepares to hand over power — and the reins of the world’s most consequential bilateral relationship — to President-elect Donald Trump in January.

The meeting, set for Saturday on the sidelines of a summit of Pacific leaders in Peru, serves as a bookend to the president’s high-stakes attempts to position the US against an increasingly assertive Beijing. It will be the third sit-down between the two leaders since Biden took office.

Unlike their previous meetings, the Lima talks won’t result in a long list of takeaways or deliverables. Instead, senior US officials described the meeting as a moment for reflection between two men whose relationship began more than a decade ago on a lengthy trip through China.

For all of the reminiscing Biden and Xi may do, however, their final encounter will be shadowed by the results of last week’s election. Trump enters office having promised a hard line on China and has already placed a string of China hawks in key positions ahead of his swearing-in in January, portending a contentious relationship in the years ahead.

As he builds out his administration, Trump has selected advisers who advocate a tough approach to China, including Rep. Mike Waltz to serve as national security adviser and potentially Sen. Marco Rubio as secretary of state.

Trump has also vowed to impose tough tariffs on Chinese imports as a way to protect American industry.

Read more about the US-China relationship over the years.

Senator John Thune speaks to the media on Capitol Hill on Wednesday.

GOP Sen. John Thune on Wednesday the Republican leadership team “is united” following today’s Senate leadership race.

“It’s a new day in the United States Senate and it’s a new day in America. The American people have loudly rejected the failed policies of the Biden-Harris-Schumer agenda,” Thune said.

The senator also later said in a post on X that Donald Trump called him after he was elected as the GOP leader.

Thune will replace Sen. Mitch McConnell as the Republican leader in the chamber and will become the first new GOP leader in 18 years.

This post was updated with detail about Trump’s call to Thune. CNN’s Morgan Rimmer contributed reporting.

House Speaker Mike Johnson is seen at a press conference in Washington, DC, on Tuesday.

President-elect Donald Trump endorsed House Speaker Mike Johnson on Wednesday, giving a huge boost to his bid to continue leading the conference.

While Johnson avoided a symbolic challenger Wednesday morning, lawmakers made clear in their meeting that he still has work to do to.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, a staunch Trump ally who led the effort to oust Johnson in May, pressed the speaker to promise not to send more money to Ukraine, which a source says Johnson agreed to. The Georgia Republican also questioned Johnson over why Republicans didn’t win more seats in the House, the source added.

In the room, Johnson faced questions about how he is going to fund the government going forward without having to rely on Democratic support, GOP Rep. Ralph Norman of South Carolina told CNN.

Although Johnson faced questions behind closed doors, Republicans publicly projected unity, largely because the GOP want to fall in line behind Trump and his endorsement of Johnson.

Norman, one of the Republicans who has questions about Johnson’s government funding strategy, told CNN “we need to support Trump on everything he is doing.”

Even GOP Rep. Eli Crane, who was part of the failed effort to oust Johnson in May, said he didn’t want to go against Trump’s endorsement of the speaker.

“Ultimately, I want the president to take the field with the team that he wants on the field,” Crane of Arizona said. “I mean, nobody, nobody wants to really get in the way of the mandate that the president and his party just received last week. Everybody wants to get down to business.”

But GOP Rep. Thomas Massie, a previous Johnson detractor, wouldn’t weigh in on where he stands.

“I’m not going to comment,” Massie of Kentucky told CNN.

The key for Republicans will be whether they can keep their unruly conference together and govern in a potentially extremely narrow majority.

Even Trump acknowledged the need for Republicans to unify: “You’re going to have a good two years if all of you just stick together,” the president-elect said to the House GOP conference, according to a source in the room.

The next commissioner of the US Food and Drug Administration will need a “strong belief in evidence” and a clear understanding that “civil service is making key decisions without too much political influence,” the agency’s current commissioner said on Wednesday.

FDA Commissioner Dr. Robert Califf was asked at the Milken Institute’s Future of Health Summit 2024 to respond to “the perceived attack on public health” as President-elect Donald Trump prepares to return to the White House.

Trump has vowed to make radical changes to the government during his second term, and said he would give Robert F. Kennedy Jr. leeway to remake the way the public health agencies protect Americans. Trump and Kennedy have both expressed vaccine skepticism, and Kennedy has been a longtime activist pushing debunked theories about vaccines.

Califf had three pieces of advice for the next FDA commissioner: “Listen to people who have experience with the issue,” have a “strong belief in evidence,” and respect that “civil service is making key decisions without too much political influence.”

Dr. Mandy Cohen, the director of the US Center for Disease Control and Prevention, said the CDC has made changes over the past four years to make sure it is ready to respond to health challenges.

“An election happened, but our mission hasn’t changed one bit,” Cohen said.

This post has been updated with remarks from the CDC director.

President Joe Biden meets with President-elect Donald Trump in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, DC, on November 13.

President-elect Donald Trump returned to the White House on Wednesday for a meeting with President Joe Biden one week after winning back the White House.

Biden welcomed Trump, calling for a smooth transition in brief remarks to the press at the top of their meeting.

Trump also gave remarks to House Republican members before the meeting.

See photos from throughout the day:

Police close a road before the motorcade of US President-elect Donald Trump departs Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida, on November 13.

President-elect Donald Trump arrives prior to meeting with President Joe Biden and members of Congress in Washington, at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland.

House Speaker Mike Johnson (L) applauds Representative Elise Stefanik, who has been nominated by President-elect Donald Trump to serve as the US ambassador to the United Nations, during a meeting with House Republicans and Trump at the Hyatt Regency hotel in Washington, DC on November 13, 2024.

President-elect Donald Trump speaks during a meeting with House Republicans at the Hyatt Regency hotel in Washington, DC on November 13, 2024.

Elon Musk departs the Hyatt Regency Capitol Hill where President-elect Donald Trump spoke to House Republicans on November 13, 2024 in Washington, DC.

Media members wait outside as President-elect Donald Trump and President Joe Biden meet at the White House in Washington, DC, on November 13.

After losing the race to be GOP leader in the upper chamber, Sen. Rick Scott pledged to work with Sen. John Thune to advance President-elect Donald Trump’s agenda.

While both senators supported Trump’s agenda, Thune was seen as more of an establishment candidate, while Scott had the endorsements of several Trump allies and MAGA personalities.

President-elect Donald Trump went back at the White House on Wednesday for the first time since leaving office four years ago to mee with President Joe Biden.

Elsewhere in Washington, DC, Senate Republicans chose Sen. John Thune of South Dakota to be their new majority leader after a secret ballot election this afternoon.

Here’s everything you need to know to get caught up:

Trump and Biden meeting

Senate leadership elections

The meeting between President Joe Biden and President-elect Donald Trump has ended, according to a source familiar.

Trump has left the White House, a source said.

Sen. John Thune of South Dakota, the newly elected leader of the Republican conference, has had a complicated relationship with President-elect Donald Trump over the years.

He called for Trump to drop out of the 2016 race in the wake of the infamous “Access Hollywood” scandal – though Thune later said he still planned to vote for Trump. And he condemned Trump’s actions surrounding the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot as indefensible.

Still, when Trump faced a vote in the Senate following his impeachment over the incident, Thune sided with McConnell and most of the Republican caucus in voting “not guilty.”

Trump didn’t forget the slight, calling for South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem to mount a primary challenge against Thune in 2022, though she demurred. Thune overwhelmingly won the primary that year and cruised to victory in the general election.

In May 2023, Thune endorsed Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina in the Republican presidential primary. But, as it became clear that Trump would capture the GOP nomination for a third straight time, Thune sought to mend relations with the former president.

Thune met with Trump at the former president’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida in March, and they’ve spoken several times since, CNN previously reported. Thune also met with the chairs of Trump’s transition team, Howard Lutnick and Linda McMahon, in Washington earlier this month, a person familiar with the matter said.

Read more about Thune here.

Sen. John Thune, accompanied by Sen. Mitch McConnell, speaks during a news conference on May 15 in Washington, DC.

GOP Sen. John Thune of South Dakota has won the Senate leadership race, beating Texas Sen. John Cornyn on the second round of votes, according to three sources in the room.

The vote total was 29-24.

Thune will replace Sen. Mitch McConnell as the Republican leader in the chamber. McConnell is the longest serving Senate party leader in history.

In choosing Thune — who is presently serving as minority whip, the No. 2 role in GOP Senate leadership — Republicans are elevating a leader associated with the establishment wing of the party over Florida Sen. Rick Scott, who was championed in recent days by several prominent Trump allies, including Elon Musk, Vivek Ramaswamy and Tucker Carlson.

In a Monday op-ed on Fox News’ website, Thune, making his case for the leadership role, urged fellow Republicans to prioritize backing Trump’s agenda, including the president-elect’s plans to crack down on immigration, bring down prices, increase domestic energy production and pass tax legislation.

“We cannot afford to take this coalition for granted. If we fail to deliver on President Trump’s priorities, we will lose their support,” Thune wrote. “They have trusted us with their votes. Now we have to roll up our sleeves and get to work.”

CNN’s Michelle Shen contributed to this report.

This post has been updated with additional details.

The Senate leadership race will go to a second ballot, according to four sources.

Florida Sen. Rick Scott is out. It is now between Sens. John Thune of South Dakota and John Cornyn of Texas.

What we know about the first ballot: Thune got 23 votes, Cornyn got 15 and Scott received 13. There were two write-in votes.

White House Chief of Staff Jeff Zients and incoming White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles are currently in the meeting with President Joe Biden and President-elect Donald Trump, according to an official.

Voting has begun in the Senate GOP’s leadership election, Sen. Jerry Moran said.

A source in the room confirmed it is beginning.

Florida Sen. Rick Scott, GOP Whip John Thune of South Dakota and Texas Sen. John Cornyn are all vying for the role.

President-elect Donald Trump speaks during a meeting with House Republicans at the Hyatt Regency hotel in Washington, DC on November 13.

President-elect Donald Trump joked on Wednesday, during a meeting of House Republicans in Washington, DC, that he suspected he wouldn’t run again “unless you do something,” according to a pool report from the event.

Trump was addressing the House GOP conference before heading to the White House to meet with President Joe Biden.

Elon Musk, who traveled on Trump’s plane with him Wednesday morning from Florida, sat in the front row as Trump gave his remarks. Musk has been tapped by Trump to lead a new “Department of Government Efficiency” in his second administration along with Vivek Ramaswamy.

During his remarks, Trump thanked the GOP members of Congress in the room and said the 2024 election was “the most important election in 129 years.”

From left, Susie Wiles, Jason Miller, Elon Musk, Stephen Miller, Boris Esphteyn, Natalie Harp and Dan Scavino walk off President-elect Donald Trump's plane on November 13.

President-elect Donald Trump announced Wednesday that four of his top campaign advisers will serve as White House senior staff in his second administration. They are Dan Scavino, Stephen Miller, James Blair and Taylor Budowich.

Miller will serve as assistant to the president, as well as deputy chief of staff for policy and homeland security adviser. CNN had previously reported that Miller would be slated for the deputy chief of staff for policy position.

Blair, the Trump campaign and Republican National Committee political director, will serve as assistant to the president and deputy chief of staff for legislative, political and public affairs.

Scavino will serve as assistant to the president and deputy chief of staff.

Budowich has been named assistant to the president and deputy chief of staff for communications and personnel.

“Dan, Stephen, James, and Taylor were ‘best in class’ advisors on my winning campaign, and I know they will honorably serve the American people in the White House,” Trump said in a statement. “They will continue to work hard to Make America Great Again in their respective new roles.”

Roughly a third of the military’s most senior officers are “actively complicit” in the perceived politicization of the US military, Fox News host and veteran Pete Hegseth — who was announced Tuesday as Donald Trump’s pick for secretary of defense in his new administration — said earlier this year.

Speaking on “The Hugh Hewitt Show” in June about his book, Hegseth railed against what he described as “woke, CRT, DEI things, gender stuff” that has “seeped into” the military. Asked what percentage of the roughly 800 general and flag officers “are not up to the standards of the old days,” Hegseth ultimately said a third.

While Hegseth did not provide many specifics as to what policies he took issue with, he did criticize the integration of women into combat units, saying it was the result of political pressure on the military.

And just last week, in a separate podcast interview, Hegseth said that in order to “course correct” the Pentagon, the incoming Trump administration would need to fire Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. CQ Brown and any senior leader “involved in any of the DEI woke sh*t.”

Brown became chairman in 2023 after serving as the first Black Air Force chief of staff — a position he was nominated for by then-President Trump.

The top Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee, Roger Wicker of Mississippi, said Wednesday he doesn’t have any concerns about Hegseth’s qualifications to run the Department of Defense.

First lady Jill Biden deliver remarks at an Italian American Heritage Month Reception in the East Room of the White House on October 16 in Washington, DC.

First lady Jill Biden joined President Joe Biden in greeting President-elect Donald Trump Wednesday morning as the former and future president returned to the White House, an official said.

Jill Biden extended an invitation to former first lady Melania Trump for the traditional meeting of incoming and outgoing first ladies, but Melania Trump declined, according to sources who cited a previously scheduled commitment related to her book.

Jill Biden, the White House official said, “gave Mr. Trump a handwritten letter of congratulations for Mrs. Trump, which also expressed her team’s readiness to assist with the transition.”

Elon Musk arrives to a House Republicans Conference meeting at the Hyatt Regency on Capitol Hill on November 13 in Washington, DC.

Elon Musk did not speak during President-elect Donald Trump’s address to House Republicans this morning, according to several sources in the room.

Musk was praised by Trump multiple times and acknowledged in the room.

GOP Senators are expected to cast their first ballots for leadership elections around 11:30 a.m. ET, according to Sen. Mike Lee.

The candidates: Florida Sen. Rick Scott, GOP Whip John Thune of South Dakota and Sen. John Cornyn of Texas are all vying for the role.

President Joe Biden meets with President-elect Donald Trump in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, DC, on November 13.

President Joe Biden on Wednesday told President-elect Donald Trump that he looks forward to a “smooth transition” in January, adding he will “make sure” his predecessor and successor is accommodated as he retakes the White House in January.

“Well, Mr. President-elect, former president, Donald,” Biden said as Trump sat next to him in front of a blazing fire in the Oval Office. “Congratulations.”

Biden said “welcome back” to the president-elect, and the two leaders then shook hands.

Trump responded: “Politics is tough, and it’s, in many cases, not a very nice world, but it is a nice world today, and I appreciate it very much.”

President Joe Biden meets with President-elect Donald Trump in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, DC, on November 13.

President-elect Donald Trump has arrived at the White House to meet with President Joe Biden.

The last time Trump was in the Oval Office, he scrawled out a two-page letter to Biden and slipped it into the drawer of the Resolute Desk.

He returns to the White House on Wednesday in vastly altered circumstances, basking in his return to power.

In this May 2020 photo, John Ratcliffe sits during a Senate Intelligence Committee nomination hearing at the Dirksen Senate Office building on Capitol Hill on May 5, 2020 in Washington, DC.

Inside the US intelligence community, a deep wariness about a second Trump administration has set in, stoked by memories of the antagonistic relationship the nation’s spy agencies had with Donald Trump the last time he was president.

But when news broke Tuesday evening that Trump had selected John Ratcliffe, the former director of national intelligence, as his CIA director, some career officials were cautiously optimistic. They see Ratcliffe as a largely professional and potentially less disruptive choice than some other former officials believed to have been under consideration.

“As good as it was going to get,” said one intelligence official.

“Relief over alternative names suggested,” said another.

Current and former officials also cautioned not to assume that the intelligence community is uniformly opposed to Trump. Across the 18 agencies that make up the intelligence community, including a wide swath of its thousands of analysts and operators, there are plenty who support him and likely welcome his return.

“The IC is not a monolith,” one former senior official said.

Still, there remains a simmering concern that Trump will run roughshod over bureaucratic norms and cultural traditions. Broadly, multiple career officials told CNN, a sort of fatalism has set in across the community.

Read more on Ratcliffe here.

Elon Musk arrives to a House Republicans Conference meeting as Trump speaks at the Hyatt Regency on Capitol Hill on November 13 in Washington, DC.

President-elect Donald Trump joked to House Republicans Wednesday that he can’t get rid of Elon Musk, according to a source in the room.

“He loves Mar-a-Lago,” Trump said of the tech billionaire, who Trump yesterday announced as the co-leader of his new “Department of Government Efficiency.”

Musk’s influence: He flew on Trump’s plane to Washington on Wednesday.

The tech billionaire has been seen at Trump’s resort in Palm Beach, Florida, almost every day since the president-elect won the election last week, sources say. Musk has been in the room when multiple world leaders have phoned Trump, and he’s weighed in on staffing decisions, with the SpaceX and Tesla CEO even making clear his preference for certain roles.

Fox anchor Pete Hegseth interviews entrepreneur and venture capitalist Peter Thiel during "FOX & Friends" at Fox News Channel Studios on August 9, 2019 in New York City.

President-elect Donald Trump’s selection of Pete Hegseth as his pick for the next secretary of defense made many in Trump’s inner circle surprised and unhappy, a Trump ally told CNN, but Trump is obsessed with getting the “woke” out of the military and thinks Hegseth will do that.

The decision to pick Hegseth came together quickly, several sources told CNN. The veteran-turned-Fox News host was called Monday and asked to come to Mar-a-Lago, interviewed by Trump’s team Tuesday and officially announced as Trump’s pick hours later.

Some inside the transition process were also surprised because other names who fit the more traditional qualifications of a Pentagon chief on Trump’s list were never asked to sit for an interview.

There is also a push to pick someone with actual experience and expertise to be the Deputy Defense Secretary, a Trump ally told CNN.

This post has been updated with additional details.

House Speaker Mike Johnson speaks before President-elect Donald Trump arrives to meet the House GOP conference on November 13 in Washington, DC.

House Speaker Mike Johnson called President-elect Donald Trump the “comeback king” to House Republicans in their closed-door meeting before Trump arrived, according to a source in the room.

House Republicans have not raised a challenge to Johnson in the House GOP conference closed door meeting, multiple sources told CNN.

GOP Rep. Chip Roy suggested on Tuesday that Johnson could face a challenge to his speakership bid, as some of the right-wing has been frustrated with his leadership.

Republicans are currently meeting with President-elect Donald Trump.

Trump said he’s “with Johnson all the way,” according to a source in the room.

Later today, House Republicans will hold leadership elections, and Johnson is expected to be reelected as leader.

There will be votes on the House floor from 1:30 p.m. to 2 p.m. ET. Members will go back to the Hyatt, where Republicans have been meeting today, at 2:30 p.m. ET to vote for the leadership positions.

Remember: It will be a secret ballot and Johnson needs a simple majority at this point to win.

This post has been updated with additional details from the House GOP conference.

In this still from video, President-elect Donald Trump speaks to House Republicans in Washington, DC, on November 13.

President-elect Donald Trump Wednesday morning addressed a large group of House Republicans in Washington prior to his meeting with President Joe Biden at the White House.

Trump opened his remarks bragging about his swing-state sweep of Vice President Kamala Harris during last week’s election, noting how many traditional deep-blue Democrat strongholds swung strongly to the right.

“We won it every way, all seven swing states, by a lot,” Trump told the crowd.

He suggested “next time, if we go up even a fraction of what we went up,” that Republicans could flip states like New Jersey, New York and California.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries on September 26 in Washington, DC.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries acknowledged to members in a private meeting on Wednesday morning that they are likely to fall short in their bid to flip the House, according to two people who attended the meeting.

It’s Jeffries first remarks to members and the first time Democrats have conceded they will not win back the majority.

“The buck stops with me,” Jeffries told members about the failed effort to win back the House, the attendees said. Jeffries said there was a mathematical possibility they could win but that it is “unlikely.”

CNN has not yet called the House.

Ohio Sen. JD Vance has arrived at Capitol Hill for the Senate leadership elections.

The vice president-elect would not answer questions about who he is supporting for the top role, and whether he has discussed the leadership elections with President-elect Donald Trump.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell walks to the chamber at the Capitol in Washington, DC, on November 12.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell has arrived at the Capitol ahead of today’s leadership election.

It will be the first that he has not been a candidate for Republican leader in 18 years.

McConnell would not say who he is voting for to replace him as GOP leader, but quipped “is something happening today?” to the crowded press pen.

More senators have also trickled in, including Sen. Joni Ernst, who is running against Sen. Tom Cotton for GOP conference chair.

Sen.-elect Jim Justice and Sen. Lindsey Graham are also among those who have arrived.

President Joe Biden and President-elect Donald Trump.

The last time Donald Trump was in the Oval Office, he scrawled out a two-page letter to Joe Biden in his distinctive jagged penmanship, slipped it into the drawer of the Resolute Desk and — notwithstanding the note’s surprisingly gracious tone — walked away from the building defeated and bitter.

He returns to the White House on Wednesday for a meeting with Biden in vastly altered circumstances, emboldened by a likely popular vote victory in last week’s election and basking in his return to power.

No longer is Trump the pariah-like figure who even many Republicans said would never return to the White House after his role in instigating the January 6, 2021, riot.

Instead of shunned, Trump will sit down with Biden a few feet away from the very same dining room where he watched the attack unfold on his 60-inch television, resisting entreaties by his advisers to intervene.

Just picturing the scene would likely make Biden’s blood boil. But 1,393 days after Trump last walked out of the White House — skipping Biden’s inauguration in a fit of pique — the president will nonetheless welcome Trump back into the sanctum as he looks to demonstrate a peaceful transition of power following the Republican’s decisive win last week.

At least a morning, Biden will put those feelings aside, the imperative of a smooth transition overriding any personal animus. Despite the rancor expressed on the stump by both Biden and Trump toward the other, the tenor of Wednesday’s meeting is expected to remain professional.

Read more about the meeting.

Former first lady Melania Trump at the Palm Beach Convention Center on November 6, in West Palm Beach, Florida.

The office of former and incoming first lady Melania Trump has confirmed CNN’s reporting that she does not plan to attend the customary meeting with first lady Jill Biden Wednesday at the White House as their husbands meet in the Oval Office.

The statement also offered media criticism, continuing Trump’s long record of railing against the news media.

CNN reported earlier Wednesday that Melania Trump is unlikely to move to the White House full time when her husband takes office in January, and she is likely to spend a majority of her time between New York and Palm Beach.

President-elect Donald Trump's plane lands at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland on Wednesday.

President-elect Donald Trump’s plane has landed at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland ahead of his expected meeting at the White House with President Joe Biden.

Trump is also expected to join the House GOP conference this morning with Elon Musk, according to a source.

As President-elect Donald Trump visits the White House Wednesday, many aides who work inside the building are still reeling from the results of last week’s election.

But President Joe Biden’s public insistence since the election on adhering to the tradition of the sitting president extending an invitation to the incoming-president — as part of a broader peaceful transfer of power — has had the effect of helping to bring focus to the day.

Some aides told CNN they see no choice but to treat Wednesday as any other day, albeit with the expectation that it is likely to be a hectic one.

Elon Musk speaks in Paris in June 2023.

Elon Musk is expected to join former President Donald Trump at the House GOP conference meeting Wednesday morning, according to a person familiar.

Musk is not currently expected to accompany the president-elect to his meeting with President Joe Biden at the White House, two Trump advisers told CNN.

A source familiar with the meeting says that the White House is not tracking a Musk appearance.

The tech billionaire is traveling with Trump to Washington, DC with Trump on his private plane.

Trump announced Tuesday that Musk, along with Vivek Ramaswamy, will lead a new “Department of Government Efficiency” in his second administration.

This post has been updated with additional information.

President elect Donald Trump and President Joe Biden

President Joe Biden, who is said to have believed right up until last week’s presidential election that he could have defeated Donald Trump again, plans to — however briefly — put aside any hard feelings Wednesday morning when he hosts his predecessor at the White House.

The two presidents’ remarkable meeting comes as aides and senior Democrats close to Biden have been working to get a clearer read on the president’s state of mind, as many stunned and despondent Democrats have been squarely blaming Biden for Trump’s pending return to the White House.

One senior administration official who has been in meetings with the president since Election Day described him as being “head down” and seemingly intent on being “focused on whatever the meeting is about.”

CNN had reported days before the election that Biden remained firm in his view that he would be able to defeat Trump if he had stayed at the top of the Democratic ticket. After the election, some advisers who have the president’s ear have continued to tell him that he could have won, one top Democrat close to the White House said.

The president is fully aware of the finger-pointing and blame that is being heaped on him in the aftermath of Vice President Kamala Harris’ defeat, and it is clear, this person said, that Biden is not happy about this and considers the incoming he is getting unfair.

What is less clear is how much Biden privately bought into the Harris campaign’s optimism in the final stretch that the vice president had a good shot at defeating Trump, even as he remained convinced he could defeat Trump a second time.

After 18 years under Mitch McConnell’s leadership, numerous Republican lawmakers are vying to become the majority leader in the new GOP-controlled Senate. The leadership election is expected to take place on Wednesday and will be submitted via a secret ballot, meaning that senators can vote anonymously.

Florida Sen. Rick Scott — the longshot candidate who is winning support of a handful of conservative senators and MAGA influencers — is jockeying for the job. But Scott is still a significant underdog, with GOP Whip John Thune of South Dakota and Sen. John Cornyn of Texas seen as the favorites.

Here’s what to expect: The election starts at 9:30 a.m. ET in the old Senate chamber.

The races for each leadership post will be voted on in descending order. The vote for Senate Republican leader will be first.

Thune, Cornyn and Scott can receive up to two nominating speeches, and then deliver their own remarks.

Nominating speeches: Thune will receive nominating speeches from Mike Rounds, a fellow South Dakotan senator and Sen. Steve Daines, the National Republican Senatorial Committee chairman who helped lead the Republicans to a GOP majority last week.

Scott will be nominated by Sen. Marco Rubio, a fellow Floridian, and Sen. Bill Hagerty of Tennessee.

Cornyn’s office is not saying who will give the nominating speeches.

A GOP leadership aide tells CNN there can also be discussion about the candidates following their speeches, which could take some time.

Secret ballot: Once discussion concludes, senators will vote by secret ballot. This means no other senator, no staffer and no, not even President-elect Donald Trump will know who voted for who.

Then, Sen. John Barrasso and his team will tabulate the votes. If no candidate reaches a majority, or 27 votes, then the candidate with the least votes drops off, and they vote again between the remaining two candidates, meaning there could be multiple rounds of voting.

Senate state of play: Winning the US Senate majority is a victory for Republicans, who have been locked out of the majority in the chamber since 2021. With one race still to be declared — Pennsylvania — Republicans will have at least 52 seats in the chamber.

Special Counsel Jack Smith delivers remarks on a recently unsealed indictment including four felony counts against President elect Donald Trump on August 1, 2023, in Washington, D.C.

Special counsel Jack Smith continues to discuss with Justice Department leadership the mechanics of winding down the federal prosecutions of Donald Trump, with the intention of stepping down before the former president returns to the White House, according to a DOJ official familiar with the discussions.

Trump has threatened to fire Smith, but Smith expects to be gone before Trump takes office.

The talks between Smith and DOJ leaders extend beyond Trump’s criminal cases to questions about what to do with other defendants in the classified documents case as well as the special counsel’s office and what happens to its budget and staff.

Smith is required to produce a report on his work for Attorney General Merrick Garland. It’s not clear whether the timing of Smith’s departure would be delayed if he has to submit his report to the Intelligence Community for approval, according to people briefed on the discussions.

Smith is working to complete the report before Trump takes office, as Garland would need to approve the report and decide whether to release any of it publicly, one person familiar with the discussions said.

South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem speaks before Donald Trump takes the stage during a Buckeye Values PAC Rally in Vandalia, Ohio, on March 16.

In choosing South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem as his homeland security secretary, President-elect Donald Trump is tapping a long-time loyalist to helm an agency that’s expected to play a central role in his immigration crackdown.

She will work closely with two immigration hardliners, incoming deputy chief of staff for policy Stephen Miller and administration “border czar” Tom Homan — both early choices that signaled Trump is serious about his pledge to conduct mass deportations.

Noem, 52, is a former state legislator and four-term congresswoman who was elected governor of South Dakota in 2018 and reelected in 2022. Her profile grew during the Covid-19 pandemic, when she rejected mask mandates and social distancing.

But she is perhaps best-known nationally for the controversy that followed the publication of an excerpt of her memoir earlier this year, in which she revealed she’d shot and killed a family dog, a 14-month-old wirehair pointer named Cricket, in a gravel pit because the dog was was “untrainable” and “dangerous to anyone she came in contact with.”

Facing backlash, Noem defended her actions, writing on X that her book had “more real, honest, and politically INcorrect stories that’ll have the media gasping.”

She also retracted a story in the book about a meeting with North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un, indicating that such a meeting never happened.

It was part of a round of unflattering stories that appeared to have ended any hopes that Noem, who tied for first choice in a February poll at the Conservative Political Action Conference in which attendees were asked who they’d like to see Trump pick as his running mate, would receive the vice presidential nod.

Read more about the South Dakota governor here.

Sens. John Thunee, Rick Scott and John Cornyn.

There’s another important vote happening today in Washington that will greatly impact what President-elect Donald Trump can accomplish during his four years in office: Republicans in the Senate will vote by secret ballot to choose a new leader.

Come January, Republicans will control the Senate. While Trump has not endorsed a candidate in the Senate leadership race, he has called on senators to cede him some power and commit to allowing him to appoint Cabinet secretaries in recess appointments — a way for presidents to essentially bypass Congress that is a break from recent practice.

Trump’s most vocal supporters are organizing behind Florida Sen. Rick Scott, a controversial figure who is still viewed as the long-shot option. The more establishment options are Sen. John Thune of South Dakota, Republican whip and current Senate GOP leader Mitch McConnell’s No. 2, and Sen. John Cornyn of Texas, who has previously held Thune’s role.

Both Thune and Cornyn were first elected to the Senate during the Bush administration and have spent decades as senators. Both have at times been critical of Trump. Having lived through periods in the majority and the minority, both might be unwilling to drastically change the status quo in the Senate.

Scott, on the other hand, wants drastic change.

Ultimately, the question for Republican lawmakers is whether they want to pick a leader who has years of experience in the arcane practices of the Senate or a leader who was early to tap into the MAGA movement.

Read the full analysis.

When GOP senators meet this morning to elect a new leader after 18 years under Mitch McConnell, they will hear nominating speeches from the following members.

Sen. John Thune will receive nominating speeches from Sen. Mike Rounds, a fellow South Dakotan senator and Sen. Steve Daines, the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) chairman who helped lead the Republicans to a GOP majority last week.

Sen. Rick Scott will be nominated by Sen. Marco Rubio, a fellow Floridian, and Sen. Bill Hagerty of Tennessee.

Sen. John Cornyn’s office is not saying who will give the nominating speeches.

The Capitol building is seen in Washington, DC, on November 10.

House Republicans will hold leadership elections today when Speaker Mike Johnson is expected to be reelected as leader. Some House conservatives are privately discussing whether to float a challenger to Johnson in the speaker’s race, but it would be a symbolic gesture of protest.

Any real fight would come in January when Johnson will need near-unanimity of the conference to keep his gavel.

Here’s what to expect:

Remember: It will be a secret ballot and Johnson needs a simple majority at this point to win.

Here’s what else the conference will vote on:

Vivek Ramaswamy, Kristi Noem, John Ratcliffe and Mike Huckabee have all been picked by Donald Trump to serve in his adminstration.

It was a night of MAGA shock and awe that even Donald Trump’s most devoted fans might not have dreamed possible.

But the president-elect’s blizzard of Cabinet and staff picks on Tuesday, each one more unorthodox than the last, only bolstered fears among his critics that his chaotic crew is about to take the country on a dangerous ride.

Four things are true about Trump’s shocking picks for top staffers on Tuesday:

But Trump is also taking a risk. While it makes sense to pick outside revolutionaries to tear down governance, many of his picks lack the kind of in-depth experience and knowledge of the departments they will run. They could be churned up by the agencies they’re meant to transform.

Read the full analysis.

Colorado Gov. Jared Polis and Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker.

Democratic Governors JB Pritzker of Illinois and Jared Polis of Colorado are forming a new group designed to help governors around the country organize to combat potential attacks on democratic institutions under President-elect Donald Trump’s new administration.

Pritzker and Polis are both co-chairs of the newly formed Governors Safeguarding Democracy, a nonpartisan coalition backed with donations from the nonprofit Governors Action Alliance, which was launched Wednesday to allow states to share tools and resources to strengthen democratic institutions in states and “ensure the rule of law serves all people,” according to the group.

Pritzker and Polis said that while they expect potential opportunities to work alongside the incoming Trump administration, their main objective is to push back against expected threats to their states once Trump takes office.

Among the possible areas of concern addressed by Pritzker and Polis were threats to the safety and security of state agencies, courts and elections administrators, and the potential for state sovereignty to be violated by Trump’s proposal to implement mass deportations of people who immigrated to the US illegally. Pritzker and Polis condemned any effort by the Trump administration to use state National Guard troops to help carry out mass deportations.

The new organization mimics the structure of the Reproductive Freedom Alliance, a group of 23 Democratic governors formed in 2023 with the goal of combatting state-level abortion restrictions in Republican-led states by sharing strategies to solidify access to reproductive health care.

Pritzker and Polis said they’ve reached out to both Democratic and Republican governors around the country but declined to share who specifically they’ve reached out to or to what extent other governors will be involved in the organization.

A convoy of Israeli security forces' vehicles drives through Aqaba village in the occupied West Bank during a raid on November 9, 2024.

Mike Huckabee, President-elect Donald Trump’s choice to be ambassador to Israel, said Wednesday that it was possible that the US would back the Israeli government were it to try to annex the West Bank.

In an interview on Israeli Army Radio that aired Wednesday, Huckabee was asked whether the Trump administration would support annexation in the West Bank, known in Israel as applying “sovereignty.”

“From the moving of the embassy, recognition of the Golan Heights and Jerusalem as the capital. No one has done more than President Trump. And I fully expect that that will continue.”

Some background: Israel has occupied the West Bank since seizing the territory from Jordan in 1967. In the decades since, it has expanded Jewish settlements in the area, which are considered illegal under international law, despite signing a series of peace agreements with the Palestinians in the 1990s. Around half a million Israelis live in West Bank settlements.

Israel’s far-right finance minister, Bezalel Smotrich, on Monday ordered preparations for the annexation of settlements in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, instructing his department to “prepare the necessary infrastructure for applying sovereignty.”

Huckabee has in the past said that he believes there is “no such thing as a Palestinian.”

In the interview aired Wednesday, Huckabee said: “I have been, as you know, a frequent visitor to Judea and Samaria,” using the term Israelis – but not Palestinians, or the US government – use for the West Bank.

Federal Trade Commission Chair Lina Khan prepares to testify before the House Judiciary Committee in the Rayburn House Office Building on Capitol Hill on July 13, 2023.

Lina Khan’s days at the helm of the Federal Trade Commission, where she has overseen billions of dollars worth of scuttled corporate tie-ups — and become a political lightning rod — are numbered. And Wall Street is salivating.

As Donald Trump prepares to retake the White House, it’s almost certain he’ll fire Khan, the most aggressive antitrust regulator in a generation and, therefore, an enemy of billionaire corporate executives who stand to profit from the industry consolidation that she’s spent the past three-plus years fighting.

Wall Street, which has been on a tear since Trump’s decisive victory last week, appears to be ready to turn the page on the Khan era.

In conjunction with the Justice Department’s antitrust division, the FTC under Khan has blocked dozens of deals over concerns that greater consolidation undermines competition and makes it easier for companies to jack up prices and exploit their workers.

Of course, business leaders (and the politicians who kowtow to them) don’t love the government getting in the way and tend to argue that regulation stifles innovation. To them, Khan and her DOJ partner in trustbusting, Jonathan Kanter, represent a threat to the bottom line.

Read the full analysis.