Trump accuses Iowa pollster of ‘possible election fraud’ as controversy grows over cabinet picks: Live updates

After Donald Trump tried to distance himself from Undertaking 2025 on the marketing campaign path, the group behind it “sort of went darkish,” an official admitted.

After Democrats hit Undertaking 2025 exhausting in marketing campaign adverts, the group confronted widespread backlash and had no alternative however to quietly again away. Trump’s marketing campaign additionally publicly shunned the proposals. “We didn’t anticipate that,” a Heritage official advised Politico’s Playbook. “And want it didn’t occur. However you realize, we needed to do what we needed to do.”

Their president, Kevin Roberts, even pushed his personal e book publication launch again from September to after the election.

Now the e book, titled Daybreak’s Early Gentle, the foreword of which is penned by vice president-elect JD Vance, has been revealed, and the temper appears to be altering within the group, who’re creeping again out of the shadows into Trump’s sphere after months of fierce criticism.

Final week in Washington D.C, the group marked the e book’s publication with a cocktail get together the place one Heritage official, with “a nervous snort,” advised Politico’s Playbook: “We’re so again.”

The second in command to the nation’s navy might find yourself being a Fox Information pundit who desires to launch a “frontal assault” towards high brass, kick girls out of fight, and implement Donald Trump’s sweeping agenda for the world’s third-largest standing combating pressure.

The president-elect has nominated Pete Hegseth as his secretary of protection, overseeing a finances of roughly $850 billion and roughly 3 million service members and personnel serving within the nation’s oldest-running company whereas the US is embroiled in world conflicts in a interval of escalating tensions.

The workplace was created within the aftermath of the Second World Warfare to centralize governance of the newly renamed Division of Warfare and the varied branches of the navy, writes Alex Woodward.

President-elect Donald Trump is filling key posts in his second administration, placing an emphasis up to now on aides and allies who have been his strongest backers in the course of the 2024 marketing campaign.

Right here’s a take a look at who he’s chosen up to now.

Speaker Mike Johnson posted images of the “enjoyable break” he loved as a part of Trump’s entourage to Madison Sq. Backyard on Saturday evening.

Connie Schultz, the Pulitzer Prize profitable columnist who spent a lot of her profession at The Cleveland Plain Vendor shared what it was like on Election Night time when her husband, Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown, discovered that his time representing the Buckeye State was coming to an finish.

Brown was one of many few remaining high-profile progressive voices left representing Ohio because the state shifted crimson in 2016. He took workplace in 2006 after he defeated now Ohio Governor Mike DeWine. His 2024 opponent, Republican Bernie Moreno, a automotive supplier, defeated him on Election Day.

Shultz recalled in a put up on her Substack the difficult and sometimes awkward early days of her relationship with Brown. As a columnist at a significant Ohio newspaper, relationship a politician raised moral questions on the earth of journalism and drew lots of consideration.

He advised Fox Information‘ Maria Bartiromo that he and Musk have been planning to make “deep cuts” in contrast to any in latest historical past.

“Elon and I aren’t on this for the credit score,” Ramaswamy stated on Sunday. “However I believe we’re gonna construct the consensus to make the sort of deep cuts that haven’t been made for many of our historical past.”

Bartiromo requested particularly in regards to the Division of Schooling, and if Ramaswamy and Musk have been planning on shutting down departments.

In response, he stated: “We count on mass reductions. We count on sure companies to be deleted outright.”

“My shopper testified to the Home Ethics Committee that she witnessed Matt Gaetz having intercourse with a minor,” Leppard advised the outlet.

Gaetz denies any wrongdoing.

Learn the complete story beneath.

This week, a report emerged revealing police investigated Hegseth for alleged sexual misconduct in Monterey, California in 2017.

The Put up, citing a press release from Hegseth’s lawyer Timothy Parlatore, reported that Hegseth was “visibly intoxicated” when he encountered a girl in Monterey seven years in the past.

Parlatore stated on this assertion that the lady contacted the police, they usually concluded, “the Complainant had been the aggressor within the encounter.”

Nonetheless, Monterey police didn’t verify this to the Put up.

Hegseth later agreed to pay the lady as a part of an NDA as a result of he was involved he’d be fired by Fox Information, the Put up reviews. The NDA and fee got here after she threatened to litigate additional in 2020, the Put up reviews, citing Hegseth’s lawyer.

Trump spokesperson Steven Cheung advised the Put up that Hegseth “vigorously denies” all wrongdoing.

Katie Hawkinson has the complete story.

A put up made by the division’s account stated it was searching for the “high 1 p.c” of X candidates who’ve a “tremendous high-IQ” and are “small-government revolutionaries” to work 80-plus hour weeks figuring out allegedly wasteful authorities spending.

Primarily based on one in all Musk’s replies, it seems these tremendous sensible authorities gutters gained’t really be paid for his or her work.

“Certainly, this might be tedious work, make numerous enemies, & compensation is zero,” Musk wrote. “What a fantastic deal!”

Along with the 15 officers Trump will select to affix his cupboard, there are a whole bunch of positions, together with ambassadors and lower-level roles, that sometimes require Senate approval.

Nominees face a grilling in the course of the Senate affirmation course of because it sometimes requires them to submit monetary disclosures and testify earlier than a committee.

Members from each political events get an opportunity to interrogate nominees about their plans for the put up and their backgrounds.

The Senate committee votes on the nominee following the listening to and if it passes, it then goes to the complete Senate for a vote.

Nonetheless, Trump has signaled he might bypass the method through recess appointments.

“Any Republican Senator searching for the coveted LEADERSHIP place in america Senate should comply with Recess Appointments (within the Senate!), with out which we won’t be able to get individuals confirmed in a well timed method,” Trump wrote in a social media put up on X final weekend earlier than John Thune was confirmed as the subsequent majority chief, changing the outgoing Mitch McConnell.

Recess appointments would enable Trump to make administration appointments with out a vote within the Senate whereas the higher chamber is in recess. The method shouldn’t be unconstitutional, and it has been executed earlier than by different administrations.