President-elect Donald Trump’s pick of former Florida Representative Matt Gaetz to be his attorney general has sent shockwaves around Washington.
Gaetz resigned from his seat in the US House of Representatives in light of the news, Speaker Mike Johnson confirmed on Wednesday. This will effectively end the House Ethics probe into allegations of sexual misconduct and drug use made against him.
Republicans and Democrats are shocked by his nomination and there were audible gasps by House Republicans at a conference meeting on Wednesday when the news about Gaetz broke, according toAxios.
“I don’t think it’s a serious nomination for the attorney general,” Alaska Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski said.
Senator Peter Welch, a Vermont Democrat, told The Independent the announcement sounded like a headline in a satire publication. “That was in The Onion,” he said.
Trump has also chosen former Democratic Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard and Florida Republican Senator Marco Rubio to join his administration. Gabbard is set to serve as the director of national intelligence while Rubio has been nominated to be secretary of state.
Meanwhile, the Republicans have gained control of the House, completing their trifecta.
Key Points
- Trump nominates MAGA congressman Matt Gaetz as surprise attorney general pick
- Matt Gaetz resigns from House of Representatives
- Trump announces Tulsi Gabbard as director of national intelligence
- Republicans gain control of both houses of Congress
- Trump officially announces Marco Rubio as Secretary of State nominee
Watch: Donald Trump and Elon Musk perform bizarre duet of God Bless America at Mar-a-Lago
10:10
Rhian Lubin
Donald Trump and Elon Musk performed a bizarre duet of God Bless America at Mar-a-Lago.
The President-elect and his new chief efficiency officer joined opera singer Chris Macchio for a rendition of the American classic at a party on Wednesday evening.
RECAP: Republicans have full control of Washington
09:50
Rhian Lubin
Republicans have won enough seats to control the U.S. House, completing the party’s sweep into power and securing their hold on U.S. government alongside President-elect Donald Trump.
A House Republican victory in Arizona, alongside a win in slow-counting California earlier Wednesday, gave the GOP the 218 House victories that make up the majority. Republicans earlier gained control of the Senate from Democrats.
With hard-fought yet thin majorities, Republican leaders are envisioning a mandate to upend the federal government and swiftly implement Trump’s vision for the country.
Read more here.
Matt Gaetz’s nomination as attorney general sends shockwaves around Washington
09:30
Rhian Lubin
Republicans and Democrats are stunned by Trump’s nomination of Matt Gaetz as attorney general.
News of his appointment drew audible gasps from House Republicans at a conference meeting on Wednesday, according to Axios.
A House Republican described the response in the room as “stunned and disgusted,” the outlet reported.
“I’m sure that there will be a lot of questions raised at his hearing,” said Maine Republican Senator Susan Collins.
Alaska Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski said Gaetz’s name “was not on my Bingo card.”
“I don’t think it’s a serious nomination for the attorney general,” she said.
Senator Peter Welch, a Vermont Democrat, told The Independent the announcement sounded like a headline in a satire publication. “That was in The Onion,” Welch said.
WATCH: Chicago mayor calls Trump a threat to Black families in direct message to president-elect
09:15
Rachel Sharp
Why was Matt Gaetz investigated by the DOJ?
08:55
Josh Marcus
Matt Gaetz became part of a federal sex trafficking investigation targeting a former associate, Joel Greenberg. The pair were part of a group of Florida Republicans described in news reports as attending parties where participants used drugs and had sex with women who had been paid.
In 2021, Greenberg pleaded guilty to federal crimes including sex trafficking of a minor, identity theft, stalking, wire fraud, and conspiracy to bribe a public official, and received an 11-year sentence.
Gaetz has denied all wrongdoing.
In 2023, the Department of Justice declined to seek charges against the Florida congressman.
Gaetz was also the subject of a House ethics inquiry, featuring interviews with witnesses from the federal probe, who allege they attended the parties where Gaetz was allegedly present with women who were paid by Greenberg. A witness reportedly told investigators this summer Gaetz paid her for sex, which he denies.
The Republican has denied these claims and said the investigation is based on “lies intended solely to smear me.”
Gaetz’s resignation from Congress will end the House ethics investigation. Former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy claimed earlier this year Gaetz led a successful challenge to his leadership in an attempt to stop the ethics investigation.
Former Trump administration aide Cassidy Hutchinson claimed in a memoir Gaetz groped her on two occasions and tried to make a pass at her at Camp David.
Gaetz has denied the allegations but claimed the pair had once dated, which Hutchinson denies.
Trump’s win has been described as resounding. It was closer than you think
08:30
Rachel Sharp
Kamala Harris failed to improve on President Joe Biden’s national performance in the 2020 election, earning 9 million fewer votes and losing swing states that the president carried just four years ago.
While media members and political experts are labeling Trump’s win sweeping - the fact is Harris really lost the election by less than a million votes in the key swing states. If those votes went her way, she’d be the president-elect today even without winning the popular vote.
President-elect Donald Trump won 3.2 million more votes than the Democratic nominee in the race for most total votes. Such a close popular vote is not unusual for the 21st century, where presidential elections have often come to a knife’s edge in recent years. A deeper look at the results in key states from the 2024 races shows just how close Harris could have made it to the presidency.
WATCH: White House says Trump was 'gracious' in Biden meeting
08:00
Gustaf Kilander
Melania Trump likely won’t return to the White House. But she’s still a ‘constant voice in Donald’s ear’
07:00
Rhian Lubin
Melania Trump is likely to spend most of her time away from the White House as first lady – but she is still “a constant voice” in her husband’s ear.
Instead, Melania will spend most of her time between New York City, where 18-year-old Barron is studying at NYU, and Palm Beach, Florida, sources familiar with her plans told CNN.
While the sources reportedly said that Melania’s preference is “not to be publicly involved,” she was also cited as “a constant voice in her husband’s ear, giving him advice.”
Mike Pence is ‘literally praying’ that Trump doesn’t pardon the Jan 6 rioters
06:00
Ariana Baio
Former vice president Mike Pence, who became the target of a violent mob of Donald Trump supporters on January 6, 2021, said on Tuesday he prays that the president-elect maintains his commitment to the Constitution and does not pardon the rioters.
While speaking to an audience at the 2024 Dispatch Summit in Washington D.C., Pence, once again, said he hopes that Trump will view January 6 rioters in the same light he does, rather than patriots who were wrongly 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 per The Dispatch.
Prosecutor failed to show that Musk’s $1M-a-day sweepstakes was an illegal lottery, judge says
05:30
Maryclaire Dale
The $1 million voter sweepstakes linked to billionaire Elon Musk was allowed to continue through Election Day because Philadelphia’s top prosecutor failed to show that it was an illegal lottery, a judge said in a new opinion.
District Attorney Larry Krasner had filed suit last month to try to have the sweepstakes shut down under Pennsylvania law.
“Although (Krasner) alleges that America PAC and Elon Musk ‘scammed’ people,” Common Pleas Court Judge Angelo Foglietta wrote in the opinion Tuesday, “DA Krasner failed to provide any evidence of misuse beyond mere speculation.”
California teacher suspended after profanity-laced rant against ‘treasonous scum’ Trump
05:00
Michelle Del Rey
Students at a California school have staged a protest after a history teacher was suspended following a profanity-laced rant about Donald Trump’s re-election.
The instructor, a history teacher at Valley View High School in Moreno Valley, called Trump a “rapist draft-dodging coward” during a lecture last Wednesday. A recording of the lecture was circulated on X/Twitter. Officials with the Moreno Valley Unified School District have not publicly identified him.
The teacher reportedly told his students that Black and Latino voters did not cast their ballots for Vice President Kamala Harris because she has “a vagina and uterus.”
Trump threatens to use school funding to pay restitutions to ‘victims of DEI’
04:15
Ariana Baio
Donald Trump’s big plans for reshaping education in the United States include fining schools for implementing and engaging in diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs and using seized funds as restitution for “victims” of DEI policies.
On the campaign trail, the now-president-elect appealed to people who see progressive changes in education as “indoctrination” of children by promising to end all diversity programs that are meant to promote and maintain fair treatment among people who historically are underrepresented or discriminated against.
“Schools that persist in explicit unlawful discrimination under the guise of equity will not only have their endowment taxed, but through budget reconciliation, I will advance a measure to have them fined up to the entire amount of their endowment,” Trump said in a video posted in July.
Republicans maintain control of House
03:33
Katie Hawkinson
Republicans will maintain control of the House of Representatives, reaching the 218-seat majority needed on November 13.
The Republican party now holds majorities in both chambers of Congress, meaning Donald Trump has a clear path to enact his policy agenda when he takes office in January.
Sebastian Coe: Donald Trump will want hugely successful Olympics in Los Angeles
03:30
Jamie Gardner
Olympic presidential candidate Sebastian Coe cannot believe Donald Trump would do anything to harm the Los Angeles Games in 2028.
Trump’s victory in the United States presidential election last week means he is set to occupy his country’s highest office while it stages arguably the world’s two biggest sporting events.
The US will host the men’s football World Cup alongside Canada and Mexico in 2026 and then LA will host the summer Olympics for the second time in 2028, having done so previously in 1984.
The impact of Trump’s presidency on global sport is difficult to predict, but Coe is confident that whatever else might happen, the 78-year-old will be determined for LA to put on a good show.
Watch moment Biden and Trump come face-to-face for first time since election
02:45
Kate Gill
President Joe Biden and Donald Trump came face-to-face for the first time since the country’s November 8 election during a traditional meeting as part of the handoff of power.
The President-elect shook Biden’s hand inside the White House’s Oval Office during Wednesday’s face-to-face meeting — having declined to participate in the ritual four years ago.
“Donald, congratulations,” Biden said, greeting Trump with a handshake.
“Thank you very much,” Trump added.
“Politics is tough, and it is, in many cases, not a very nice world.
“But it is a nice world today, and I appreciate it very much.”
President Biden once again reiterated the Democrat’s wishes for a “smooth transition” of power ahead of Trump’s inauguration in February.
Rudy Giuliani’s lawyers abruptly quit defamation case
02:27
Alex Woodward
Rudy Giuliani’s lawyers have abruptly quit representing him in his defamation case after attorneys for the women he defamed accused the disgraced former New York City mayor of hiding property he has been ordered to turn over.
Giuliani’s lead counsel Kenneth Caruso and attorney David Labkowski filed a motion in federal court in New York on Wednesday citing several reasons for their withdrawal, pointing to a “fundamental disagreement” with Donald Trump’s former attorney.
‘The least qualified nominee in American history’: Why Trump picked Fox News host Pete Hegseth for defense
02:24
Alex Woodward
The second in command to the nation’s military could end up being a Fox News pundit who wants to launch a “frontal assault” against top brass, kick women out of combat, and implement Donald Trump’s sweeping agenda for the world’s third-largest standing fighting force.
Read more:
The Guardian leaves X, calling it a ‘toxic media platform’
02:00
Lynn Rusk
The Guardian newspaper has announced it will stop posting on X, formerly Twitter, describing the social media platform as “toxic”.
The news outlet wrote on its website on Wednesday that it had considered the decision for a while due to the “often disturbing content promoted or found on the platform”, but the US election earlier in November “underlined” its decision.
“This is something we have been considering for a while given the often disturbing content promoted or found on the platform, including far-right conspiracy theories and racism,” The Guardian wrote.
The f-word is having a heyday around the US election. This lexicographer has researched it for decades
01:15
Sheila Flynn
It’s a word that’s been gleefully co-opted by both sides of the political spectrum for their most basic rallying cries (F*** Joe Biden. F*** Trump), and it’s having a veritable heyday this week in the wake of US presidential election results – as Republicans and Democrats exclaim the expletive with polar-opposite emotion: F*** yes versus F*** no.
In Germany, one weekly newspaper even went so far as to run a Wednesday piece with a one-word headline featuring only the four-letter profanity. “F***,” Die Zeit wrote bluntly.
Luckily, as the world deems the swear word uniquely applicable in various capacities after an emotionally exhausting and far-reaching shift in US politics, there’s a brand-new edition of a book dedicated to the definition, uses and etymology of the f-word.
Republicans insist Trump was ‘joking’ about unconstitutional third term. A Democrat wants to make sure he won’t try
01:00
Josh Marcus
Donald Trump mused on Wednesday about the prospect of serving a constitutionally barred third term as president, though his Republican colleagues insist he was just joking.
“I suspect I won’t be running again, unless you do something,” Trump reportedly told his GOP colleagues in the House, as they met ahead of congressional leadership elections. “Unless you say, ‘He’s so good, we have to just figure it out.’”
Those in the room later said the president-elect was only kidding. The 22nd Amendment of the Constitution specifies that presidents can only serve up to two full terms.
“That was a joke. It was clearly a joke,” Rep. Tim Burchett of Tennessee told The Hill. “I leaned over to somebody beside me, [Arizona Rep.] Andy Biggs, and I said, that’ll be the headlines tomorrow, ‘Trump trying to thwart the Constitution,’ which — there’s nothing further from the truth.”
Not everyone seemed to feel that way.
Matt Gaetz selection as Attorney General draws quick blowback from halls of Congress and social media
00:45
Katie Hawkinson, Eric Garcia
Donald Trump has tapped GOP Representative Matt Gaetz of Florida for Attorney General, prompting concern and disdain among lawmakers and social media users on both sides of the aisle.
Trump’s nomination of Gaetz comes after the lawmaker and his associates were at the center of a sex trafficking investigation carried out by current Attorney General Merrick Garland. Gaetz was ultimately never charged with a crime but remains the subject of a House ethics committee investigation regarding, among other claims, allegations he had sex with a minor. Gaetz has denied all wrongdoing.
“He is a Champion for the Constitution and the Rule of Law,” Trump wrote in his announcement. “Matt 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.”
Dick Van Dyke, 98, makes dark joke about Trump’s second term
00:30
Inga Parkel
Legendary actor Dick Van Dyke has reacted in disdain to Donald Trump’s second-term presidential win after previously endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris.
The Mary Poppins star, who turns 99 next month, was recently out and about with his 52-year-old wife, Arlene Silver, when he was approached by a reporter and asked if he thought the future looked bright for America.
“I hope you’re right,” Dyke can be heard telling the reporter in a clip published by The Daily Mail.
When asked if he thinks Trump is capable of making America great again, the Chitty Chitty Bang Bang actor quipped: “Fortunately, I won’t be around to experience the four years.”
Matt Gaetz resigns from House of Representatives
00:30
Katie Hawkinson
Representative Matt Gaetz handed his resignation letter to House Speaker Mike Johnson on Wednesday, just after Donald Trump named him the nominee for Attorney General.
Johnson told reporters the Florida lawmaker’s resignation is “effective immediately.” Gaetz’s resignation also ends the House ethics committee investigation into allegations against him of sexual misconduct and drug use, among other claims.
Far-right House members suggest rebellion against Johnson could be on the horizon
00:10
John Bowden
Republican members of the House of Representatives emerged from their caucus meeting on Wednesday with their moods bolstered by the successful retention of their majority - but with clear signs that a post-election unity period may be short-lived.
There’s clearly no appetite among the GOP’s party elders for another drawn-out leadership fight similar to the one that consumed the party in the fall of 2023, or the more than a dozen votes required to elect Kevin McCarthy as speaker at the beginning of that same year.
But that isn’t likely to stop the party’s rowdy and camera-ready rank and file members, who indicated to reporters on Wednesday that Speaker Mike Johnson had yet to consolidate the kind of support he would need to avert such a conflict in January.
Bull doge! Dogecoin soars as Trump announces a government efficiency group nicknamed DOGE
Wednesday 13 November 2024 23:45
Stan Choe
Wow, much bull market.
Dogecoin, the cryptocurrency whose mascot is a super-cute dog that muses things like “much wow,” has been surging in value since Donald Trump won the presidential election last week. It’s hitting the afterburners now, after Trump named Tesla‘s Elon Musk as one of the heads of a new “Department of Government Efficiency,” which is not a government agency but does have the acronym DOGE.
All this makes sense and is maybe humorous for anyone who’s chronically online. For others, here’s some explanation about what’s going on:
Lindsey Graham on Gaetz nomination: ‘I’ll think about that one’
Wednesday 13 November 2024 23:30
Gustaf Kilander
Lindsey Graham and other top senators on the Senate Judiciary Committee non-committal on Matt Gaetz as AG pic.twitter.com/zmRoqfpdCP
— Manu Raju (@mkraju) November 13, 2024
VOICES: Is Musk’s new megajob for best business buddy Trump too much for even him to handle?
Wednesday 13 November 2024 23:15
James Moore
Just when you thought Elon Musk’s involvement in politics was over after he helped to secure the election of his new BFF, Donald Trump, it was announced that he is going to be a key figure in the running of the US for the foreseeable future.
The Tesla boss has been appointed to head up the newly created Department of Government Efficiency alongside Vivek Ramaswamy, the businessman who briefly competed with Trump for the Republican ticket until the Iowa caucus, in which he finished fourth. He’s also a billionaire – just – albeit a relative pauper when compared to Musk, the world’s richest man.
We’re told that the Doge – coincidentally, also the name of both a meme and a cryptocurrency Musk is fond of promoting – won’t officially be a government agency. Presumably, then, there won’t be any need for things like confirmation hearings before the Senate, at which the opposition has a habit of asking awkward questions. Rather, it will offer “advice and guidance” to the president and work alongside the Office of Management and Budget to drive reforms and create an “entrepreneurial” approach to government.
Stephen King addresses ‘rumor’ Elon Musk has banned him from X over brutal Trump joke
Wednesday 13 November 2024 22:45
Jacob Stolworthy
Stephen King has addressed a “rumor” about Elon Musk after claims the author was banned from X/Twitter.
The writer has spoken out against Musk numerous times, making no secret of his dislike for the billionaire.
In the run-up to the 2024 US presidential election, King questioned Musk’s defence of Donald Trump and, in the days after Trump’s victory, has repeatedly poked fun at Tesla and SpaceX founder Musk for his staunch support of the president-elect.
It was claimed this week that King, 77, had made a jibe that angered Musk, 53, so much that he blocked the Shining and ‘Salem’s Lot author from posting on X/Twitter, which Musk owns. According to the rumor, King had jokingly referred to Musk as Trump’s “first lady”.
Who is in Trump’s Cabinet so far? The MAGA ally, the Fox News host and the ex-Democrat
Wednesday 13 November 2024 22:30
Thomas Beaumont, Ariana Baio
President-elect Donald Trump is filling key posts in his second administration, putting an emphasis so far on aides and allies who were his strongest backers during the 2024 campaign.
Here’s a look at who he’s selected so far.
Trump made anti-trans themes key to his campaign. Transgender teenagers are scared
Wednesday 13 November 2024 22:15
Jocelyn Gecker, Sharon Lurye
Transgender youth in America have been flooding crisis hotlines since the election of Donald Trump, who made anti-transgender themes central to his campaign.
During his presidential bid, Trump pledged to impose wide-ranging restrictions and roll back civil rights protections for transgender students. And his administration can swiftly start work on one major change: It can exclude transgender students from Title IX protections, which affect school policies on students’ use of pronouns, bathrooms and locker rooms.
One ad that aired over 15,000 times crystallized Trump’s stance on rights for transgender and nonbinary Americans: “Kamala is for they/them. President Trump is for you.”
Don Lemon highlights alarming change to X’s terms of service as he leaves the platform
Wednesday 13 November 2024 22:00
Mike Bedigan
Don Lemon has announced that he will be leaving X due to his belief that the platform no longer serves the purpose of being a place for “honest debate and discussion, transparency and free speech” – and because of a specific new rule the platform, formerly known as Twitter, is introducing.
The former CNN anchor, who has clashed with the platform’s ownerElon Musk previously, delivered the news in a video posted on X on Wednesday, while highlighting several concerning changes to the terms of service of the company.
“I have loved connecting with all of you on Twitter and then on X for all of these years, but it’s time for me to leave the platform,” Lemon said.
Who is Pete Hegseth? The Fox News anchor turned nominee for Defense secretary
Wednesday 13 November 2024 21:45
Amber Raiken
The 47th president of the United States, Donald Trump, has announced his pick for Secretary of Defense: Fox News star Pete Hegseth.
Trump issued a statement on Tuesday to nominate Hegseth for the position in the US Department of Defense. “Pete has spent his entire life as a Warrior for the Troops, and for the Country. Pete is tough, smart and a true believer in America First,” the president-elect said. “With Pete at the helm, America’s enemies are on notice – Our Military will be Great Again, and America will Never Back Down.”
The decision to pick the current Fox contributor was met with a mixture of praise, criticism and confusion due to his lack of national security experience.
Republican Representative’s reaction to Gaetz nomination: ‘Are you sh***** me?'
Wednesday 13 November 2024 21:40
Gustaf Kilander
Republican Idaho Rep Mike Simpson had a straightforward reaction when asked about Matt Gaetz’s nomination as attorney general.
