November 15, 2024 | Read Online

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Good morning. Trump's cabinet is coming together on all fronts — foreign policy, immigration, national security, public health, law enforcement. There's a lot to get into, so let's jump right in.

Mentioned in this edition: RFK Jr., Matt Gaetz, Tom Homan, Kristi Noem, Marco Rubio, Ron Paul, Elon Musk, Jared Polis, Dave McCormick, a House ethics probe, judicial nominees, the FBI, and more.

WHAT WE'RE WATCHING

⚕️Trump tapped RFK Jr. to lead Health and Human Services. Trump, who wrote he was "thrilled" to pick Kennedy (the only time he has used that description in his cabinet announcements), had previously said he would let RFK Jr. "go wild" with his plans to restrict the use of dangerous chemicals in food. Kennedy faces an uncertain path to confirmation in the Senate.

🚨 Matt Gaetz's Attorney General nomination is already in trouble. Two moderate senators, Susan Collins (R-ME) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), have already indicated that they are unlikely to vote for him, with Murkowski saying his nomination was "not serious." With only 53 GOP seats, Gaetz can only lose four votes, as Democrats are unlikely to vote for him.

👨‍⚖️ Democrats are rushing to confirm Biden's judicial nominees. Democrats still control the Senate until January 3rd — and they are hoping to use that time to ram through over 24 judges. President-elect Donald Trump has urged Republicans to do all they can to slow the confirmations.

📈 The GOP House candidate in Alaska is likely to win the seat. Two years ago, Rep. Mary Peltola captured Alaska's single House seat for the Democrats for the first time since the 1970s. At present, Republican candidate Nick Begich leads with about 9,000 votes; with only 26,000 left to count, Peltola will likely not recover.

🦅 THE EXECUTIVE

President Biden and Donald Trump exchanged views on the Middle East during a courteous meeting at the White House.
Elon Musk endorsed Gaetz's nomination, saying he would be a "great" attorney general.
Colorado Gov. Jared Polis (D) was very enthusiastic about Trump's selection of RFK Jr. to lead head HHS — until he soon after backtracked.
Trump appointed Todd Blanche, his lawyer in his recent New York trial, as deputy attorney general.

🏛️ CONGRESS

Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) announced she will run for a sixth term in 2026.
A House ethics report reportedly contains testimony from a woman who says she had sex with Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) when she was underage.
Sen. Joe Manchin (I-WV) said he would vote to approve Joe Biden's judicial appointees, even if they received no GOP support.

Trump's foreign policy picks draw mixed reactions

President-elect Donald Trump's foreign policy team is starting to take shape with the announcement of key appointments to cabinet-level positions.

Rep. Mike Waltz (R-FL) was selected by Trump to be his National Security Advisor (NSA). Waltz, who fought in Afghanistan, also currently serves on the House Armed Services Committee…

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Meet the hardliners carrying out Trump's immigration policies

President-elect Donald Trump has made immigration a centerpiece of all three of his presidential campaigns — but this year, a newer promise took center stage: mass deportations. And from his early cabinet picks, it seems like he is gearing up to carry them out…

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