Image source, Getty Images

BBC's US partner CBS News has confirmed that billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk recently met Iran's ambassador to the United Nations, Amir Saeid Iravani.

Two sources familiar with the meeting said it took place at the ambassador's residence in New York.

There is no indication that Trump's national security transition team - including his pick for secretary of state Marco Rubio and his incoming national security advisor Michael Waltz - were aware of the meeting.

It is also not clear if Trump himself knew that the meeting took place, CBS reports.

The US does not have diplomatic relations with Iran. The Biden administration had communicated with Tehran indirectly via third parties. American companies are also forbidden from doing business with Iran due to sanctions.

The Iranian mission to the UN and the White House have both declined to comment.

Trump's communications director, Steven Cheung, told the New York Times that they would not comment "on reports of private meetings that did or did not occur.”

Paul Adams
Reporting from Kyiv

No-one here knows exactly what Donald Trump has in mind for Ukraine, but they know that change is coming.

Zelensky said he couldn’t predict when the war would end, but certainly, he said, it’ll end sooner with the policies of the new team in the White House. This was their promise to America.

He didn’t say whether Trump had made any demands regarding possible talks with Russia, but said he had not heard anything contrary to Ukraine’s position.

He was less complimentary about the German chancellor.

Olaf Scholz, he said, had opened a “Pandora’s box” by calling Vladimir Putin. Now there may be other conversations, he said, exactly what Putin has long wanted.

Zelensky could have mentioned, but didn’t, reports that Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin spoke a few days ago. These reports were vigorously denied by the Kremlin.

Image source, EPA

A little earlier today, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russia's war would "end sooner" under Donald Trump's incoming administration.

"With the policies of this [Trump's] team, which will now lead the White House, the war will end sooner," Zelensky told Ukraine's public broadcaster Suspilne.

He added that there remains no end date for the war and that "fair peace" is vital for Ukraine.

Image source, Reuters

Larry Kudlow met Donald Trump yesterday and made his pitch to lead the National Economic Council, CBS reports.

There have been rumblings throughout the day that Kudrow is among Trump's top picks to lead the treasury.

Kudlow, 77 years old, has previously been a economic adviser to Trump. He is a fixture on television as an economic analyst and has been commentator for decades.

Donald Trump has hailed his new appointments to his administration as long "trusted advisors".

"Steven Cheung and Sergio Gor have been trusted advisors since my first presidential campaign in 2016, and have continued to champion America First principles, all the way to our Historic Victory in 2024," Trump said in a statement.

"I am thrilled to have them join my White House as we, Make America Great Again!"

Image source, Reuters

Donald Trump's team has also just announced that Sergio Gor will take the role of assistant to the president and director of the presidential personnel office.

Gor is a business partner of Donald Trump Jr. He is the president and co-founder of the younger Trump's publishing company, Winning Team Publishing, which has published a book by the president-elect.

Image source, Getty Images

Donald Trump's campaign has announced that Steven Cheung will become his communications director.

Cheung previously served as chief spokesperson for Trump's 2024 campaign and worked on his 2020 and 2016 campaigns as well.

The involvement of Donald Trump’s close-knit family defined his first term in the White House.

Eight years later, his circle of advisers appears to have expanded, welcoming a cadre of media personalities and influencers.

Who’s in Trump’s orbit now? Which of his family members are raising their profiles, and who is taking a step out of the spotlight?

Sarah and Marianna examine who has the president-elect’s ear with Trump biographer Marc Fisher.

Listen to Americast: The Trump-whisperers.

Image source, Getty Images

Donald Trump’s pick for US Defence Secretary, Pete Hegseth, was investigated over a sexual assault allegation in 2017, officials in California have confirmed.

Hegseth was never arrested or charged and denies wrongdoing.

"These allegations were fully investigated and Mr. Hegseth was cleared, " his lawyer told CBS News, the BBC's partner in the US. "This should not have any impact on the confirmation process.”

Hegseth, a Fox News host and veteran of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, was a surprising choice for the top defence job because of his lack of management experience.

"President Trump is nominating high-caliber and extremely qualified candidates to serve in his Administration," Trump spokesman Steven Cheung said. “Mr Hegseth has vigorously denied any and all accusations, and no charges were filed.”

If confirmed for his role by the US Senate, Hegseth will arrive at the Pentagon with decisions to make on issues such as military assistance for Israel during its campaign in Gaza, and on support for Ukraine in the face of Russia's invasion.

Image source, Reuters

In addition to tapping Matt Gaetz for a top role in his future administration, Donald Trump has in the week since being announced the winner of the presidential election been rewarding other loyalists with key positions.

Here's a quick look at the five main takeaways from the past week:

• Trump is building a loyal team to shake up government, choosing nominees who share his vision over experienced candidates in most cases
• The president-elect will have a supportive Senate. He's also projected to win a majority in the House of Representatives
• Trump, however, is already facing some resistance from Congress members in his party, with several expressing doubts over his cabinet picks
• There's still some uncertainty about what will happen to Trump's criminal conviction but there's an expectation it could soon be consigned to history
• China remains a top focus for the president-elect, as his cabinet choices suggest

For a more in-depth review of Trump's first week as president-elect, check out our colleague Gareth Evans's analysis.

Image source, Reuters

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson has advised against releasing a report into allegations of misconduct against Florida congressman Matt Gaetz, who is Trump's pick for US attorney general.

"I'm going to strongly request that the Ethics Committee not issue the report because that is not the way to do things in the House, and I think that would be a terrible precedent to set," he told reporters.

Gaetz was being investigated over allegations of sexual misconduct, illicit drug use and misuse of campaign funds.

He quit the House of Representatives earlier this week, shortly after Trump made the announcement of his post in the new administration.

His resignation meant that the current House Ethics Committee investigation into him was effectively halted as only members can be investigated.

“The rules of the House have always been that a former member is beyond the jurisdiction of the Ethics Committee,” Johnson, who met Trump at a Mar-a-Lago gala last night, said.

Image source, Reuters

House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries has just addressed a news conference in Congress.

Starting his remarks by saying House Democrats have fallen a few seats short of reclaiming a majority, Jeffries says they will work to find bipartisan common ground “whenever possible” with the incoming administration in the new Congress.

Jeffries spoke repeatedly of the need to focus on economic challenges and to “make the lives of hard-working American taxpayers better".

Jeffries says that in the new term, House Democrats will continue to defend Medicare, voting rights and “a woman’s freedom to make her own reproductive healthcare decisions at all times”.

Questioned on President-elect Donald Trump’s nominations for his new administration, Jeffries says that Trump has promised America the best economy, border security and administration possible.

“Are these the best individuals available for the incoming administration?” he asks, adding: “The answer should be clear.”

Not all of RFK's policy ideas are getting pushbackpublished at 16:55 Greenwich Mean Time 15 November 2024

16:55 GMT 15 November 2024

Madeline Halpert
Reporting from New York

Image source, Reuters

President-elect Donald Trump’s appointment of vaccine-skeptic Robert F Kennedy Jr is yet another nomination that is causing controversy this week.

The former Democrat has promoted a host of health claims that experts say are false, leading several health organisations to criticise his nomination, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American Public Health Association.

But not all of his policy ideas are getting pushback.

As a part of his “Make America Healthy Again” campaign, RFK Jr has said he wants to tackle chronic illnesses, including by banning ultra-processed food from school cafeterias as well as limiting food chemicals and additives.

It would mark a departure from some of Trump’s policies during his first-term, when he rolled back Obama-era initiatives to make school lunches healthier.

Consultant paediatrician Dr David Elliman told the BBC earlier that Kennedy's promise to tackle "the industrial food complex” would be “no bad thing".

Still, he and other scientists object to a number of RFK Jr’s other food policy plans, such as his threats to fire nutritionists at the US Food and Drug Administration as well as the promotion of controversial products such as raw milk.

If you're just joining our coverage, welcome. Let's catch you up to the latest developments today so far:

• Robert F Kennedy Jr's nomination for health secretary has sparked a wave of criticism from health experts questioning his suitability over his stance on vaccination
• The House Ethics Committee cancelled a meeting where members were expected to vote on whether to release a report on its findings following an investigation into Matt Gaetz
• For a reminder of President-elect Donald Trump's latest picks for cabinet, you can check out our earlier post
• There are still positions waiting to be filled, including treasury and education secretary. We might be getting an announcement for the former later today
• Elon Musk is on the lookout for staff for his and Vivek Ramaswamy's newly-established Department of Government Efficiency
• Only "super high-IQ" individuals willing to work over 80 hours a week and looking for little to no remuneration need apply

Stick with us as we bring you the latest.

Image source, Reuters

We've been covering reaction to Robert F Kennedy Jr's nomination as health secretary today. But for those waking up in the US, here are some of his policies:

• Reversing the "chronic disease epidemic". He says he will reorient federal health agencies toward conditions such as obesity, diabetes, autism and cancer - and "rid them of Big Pharma’s influence"
• Removing fluoride from drinking water. Water fluoridation is a local government decision, and the World Health Organization (WHO) says fluoride reduces tooth decay
• Tackling America's substance abuse crisis. RFK Jr was addicted to heroin for 14 years in his youth
• Remove processed food from school lunches and "get the chemicals" out of the food industry

Image source, US Pool

House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries is speaking at a news conference.

We're monitoring what he says and will bring you the key moments.

Or you can watch it now by pressing the Watch live button above.

Image source, Getty Images

Some Democrat politicians have reacted positively to the nomination of Robert F Kennedy Jr to lead the Department of Health and Human Services.

But others are not so keen. Ohio congressman Greg Landsman said he was "genuinely worried" by the pick.

"With all these appointments, you've got to ask yourself, who's benefitting, who's going to get hurt by this," he said on CNN's This Morning programme.

President-elect Trump was benefitting, Landsman claimed, because he was picking people who would be loyal to him.

"People expected change, they want people to get to work to solve problems," Landsman went on.

"I don't think they wanted or expected super-wealthy folks plugged in to positions of power to do what they want at the expense of the rest of us."

CNN's chief medical correspondent Dr Sanjay Gupta says Robert F Kennedy's pledge to "make America healthy again" will be popular - but its direction is "unclear".

The US spends $4.5 trillion on healthcare, yet has "some of the worst outcomes in the developed world", Dr Gupta says. "The problem is I don't know what [make America healthy again] translates to," he adds.

Speaking about the impact of routine childhood vaccinations, Dr Gupta says for children born during 1994 and 2023 - these vaccinations prevented 1.1 million deaths.

"These vaccines are some of the most impactful preventative tools that we've seen in the world", he says.

In an interview with CNN's Kasie Hunt last year, Robert F Kennedy Jr said he was against mandates for vaccinating children.

Image source, Reuters

As we've been reporting, Donald Trump's pick for health secretary is a vaccine sceptic. But what does Trump think of them?

In March 2021, while Joe Biden was president, Donald Trump urged his Republican supporters to be vaccinated against Covid-19.

"I would recommend it to a lot of people that don't want to get it and a lot of those people voted for me, frankly," he said during an interview on Fox News Primetime.

He added: "It's a great vaccine, it's a safe vaccine and it's something that works."

Trump's conservative fan base was one of the main groups resistant to the vaccine programme, and Trump himself was criticised during his time in office for playing down the seriousness of the pandemic.

Image source, Reuters

A new friendship has been forming over election season, established over common ground on small government and deregulation - and it's only getting stronger.

Javier Milei, President of Argentina, arrived at Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida yesterday for the Conservative Political Action Conference - the first foreign leader to visit the president-elect.

Since the event Milei's X account has reposted over a hundred Trump-related posts: photos of Milei with Elon Musk, with Trump and his sister Karina (known as El Jefe - the boss) and various MAGA hats.

And the feeling appears to be mutual. Earlier this week, Trump told Milei he was his "favourite president".

Policy wise, there are clear similarities. Earlier this week Trump selected Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy to lead a new Department of Government Efficiency" (Doge) to remove government "waste".

Musk says he can cut at least $2 trillion from US government spending - from $6.75 trillion - and is looking to Argentina as an example of how to do it.

Milei has cut Argentina's public spending by 32%, according to the Center for Argentine Political Economy (CEPA).

Image source, @ElTrumpista/X