Image source, Reuters

We're now getting the first pictures of newly-elected members of Congress posing just outside the Capitol building in Washington.

There are nine new senators and 60 new members of the House of Representatives set to take office on 3 January 2025.

Republicans secured control of both chambers, winning a three-seat majority in the Senate and at least 218 seats in the House.

• A reminder: There are seven House races yet to be called

Image source, Getty Images

Away from President-elect Donald Trump's nominations for his incoming administration, let's take a look at one of his key campaign pledges - abolishing the US Department of Education.

Trump has accused the department of "indoctrinating young people with inappropriate racial, sexual, and political material" and has promised to dismantle it.

But he can't do this alone. He would need congressional approval, and most likely a supermajority - 60 out of 100 senators.

While Republicans have a majority in the Senate, they do not have 60 members in the upper chamber, so they would need a few Democrats to vote to abolish the agency, which is seen as very unlikely.

Republicans have accused the education department of pushing what they describe as "woke" political ideology on to children.

They want the agency's authority handed to the US states, which run most education matters.

• You can read more about what the department does and why Republicans have wanted to dismantle it for some time in this detailed explainer

We can now bring you some more reactions to the news that Donald Trump is nominating Robert F Kennedy Jr to serve as his health secretary.

Kennedy, a vaccine sceptic who has a history of spreading health information that scientists say is false, said last week that he had no plans to take away vaccines.

Dr Krishanthi Subramaniam, a lecturer at the Institute of Infection, Veterinary and Ecological Sciences at the University of Liverpool, warns the announcement will bring a "heightened period of vaccine hesitancy" in the US, leading to "outbreaks of diseases".

Professor of psychiatry at King’s College London, Simon Wessely, says his jaw was "dropping, hitting the floor and rolling out of the door" when he heard the news."[Americans] deserve better, much better, than this," he adds.

Consultant paediatrician Dr David Elliman says while Kennedy's promise to tackle "the industrial food complex would be no bad thing", he has "perpetuated myths" about vaccination "with an utter disregard for the evidence".

Lawrence Gostin, global health expert and professor at Georgetown Law in Washington DC, said shortly before the announcement that it could put at risk a US government tradition of donating vaccines to other countries, such as mpox vaccines.

Image source, Getty Images

Former Trump aide Corey Lewandowski says vaccine-sceptic Robert F Kennedy Jr would make chronic diseases a priority if confirmed as health secretary.

"Diabetes is up 80% in the last decade, we have more childhood obesity than we have ever had, and we don't have a healthy country,” he tells BBC Newshour.

Defending RKF Jr's nomination, he says: “So if the goal of the department of health and human services is to make sure that the American population is as healthy as possible, then I think the outside-the-box thinking that RFK Jr brings to that is something that we should embrace."

Lewandowski also rejects suggestion that Trump was testing the loyalty of the Senate by nominating controversial candidates such as Kennedy, Matt Gaetz, and Tulsi Gabbard.

The head of the American Public Health Association (APHA) says the organisation will "absolutely oppose" Robert F Kennedy Jr's nomination as the next US health secretary.

Speaking to BBC's Newsday programme, APHA executive director Georges C Benjamin says Kennedy has no health background and has "already caused great damage in health in the country", referring to Kennedy's scepticism of vaccines.

"He is not competent by training, management skills, temperament or trust to have this job," Benjamin says, adding "he's just absolutely the wrong guy for it".

He says Kennedy is not qualified to oversee an agency that has a budget of $1.9 trillion and a workforce of 80,000.

"We're going to advocate as loudly and as often as we can to make sure that people know what a risk he is to the public and to the public's health."

The APHA is the oldest and largest organisation of public health professionals in the US, representing more than 25,000 members.

Let's turn our attention to another Trump nomination that has divided opinion: Florida congressman Matt Gaetz as the next US attorney general.

Gaetz quit the US House of Representatives on Wednesday this week, shortly after Trump made the announcement.

His resignation meant that an ongoing House ethics committee investigation into Gaetz was effectively halted as only members can be investigated.

The investigation started in 2021 and covers allegations of sexual misconduct, illicit drug use and misuse of campaign funds. Gaetz has denied all the allegations against him.

Earlier, US media were reporting the House committee could meet today to vote on whether to release details of its investigation but that meeting has since been cancelled.

Yesterday, the committee's chair Michael Guest reiterated to media that the report would not be released.

His comments came as top Senate Democrat Dick Durbin asked the committee to "preserve and share their report" into Gaetz, adding that the "sequence and timing" of his resignation raised "serious questions" about the report's contents.

Image source, Getty Images

As we've been reporting, President-elect Donald Trump has made a flurry of cabinet picks ahead of his inauguration in January.

Some of the key picks include:

Health secretary: Former independent presidential candidate and vaccine sceptic Robert F Kennedy Jr.

Secretary of veterans affairs: Former Georgia congressman Doug Collins, who served in Iraq with the US Air Force.

Director of national intelligence: Former congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard, who once ran for president as a Democrat in 2020, has been named for the role.

Defense secretary: Army veteran and Fox News host Pete Hegseth. He's also the former head of two advocacy groups for military veterans.

Secretary of state: Florida senator Marco Rubio. He opposed Trump in the 2016 Republican primary but has since mended fences.

Attorney general: Florida congressman Matt Gaetz. Some Senate Republicans have already signalled their opposition to his nomination.

National security adviser: Florida congressman Mike Waltz, who previously served 27 years in the US Army and National Guard.

Homeland security: South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem. Shewas earlier passed over to be Trump's running mate after she told a story about how she killed her pet dog.

Border tsar: Former acting director of the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) in Trump's first term, Tom Homan.

Department of Government Efficiency: Billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk and one-time presidential hopeful Vivek Ramaswamy will lead the new department.

Chief of staff: Trump's campaign co-chair Susie Wiles, who has been dubbed "the ice maiden" by the president-elect.

There are still key cabinet positions that are yet to be filled, including the secretaries for treasury, education, transportation and more.

Image source, Reuters

Robert F Kennedy Jr ran as an independent presidential candidate this election, before dropping out and endorsing Donald Trump. Here are some the policies he shared during his campaign:

• Reverse 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. The World Health Organization (WHO) says fluoride reduces tooth decay
• Tackle 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

As Robert F Kennedy Jr's nomination for health secretary comes under scrutiny, let's take a look at some of his health challenges he shared publicly:

"I cannot listen to myself on TV"

Last June, while on the presidential campaign as an independent candidate, RFK Jr opened up about how his diagnosis with a rare neurological disease, external left him with raspy voice.

Spasmodic dysphonia affects about 50,000 in the US and 100,000 in the UK. Symptoms include having a strangled sounding voice and can cause difficultly in projecting.

Heroin addiction began at 15

In an interview with the LA Times earlier this year, external, RFK Jr said his heroin addiction started when he was 15, shortly after his father Robert F Kennedy was assassinated.

At 29, he overdosed on a flight and was arrested for possession of the drug. He has attended recovery meetings by Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) for more than 40 years "because the rest of my life works when I go".

Brain worm

Earlier this year, the New York Times published a report, external that said RFK Jr had experienced severe memory loss and brain fog, which Kennedy said was "caused by a worm that got into my brain and ate a portion of it and then died".

His campaign responded by saying he was in "robust health" and the brain parasite issue was resolved more than a decade ago.

Image source, Getty Images

Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy's Department of Government Efficiency (Doge) is on the lookout for "super high-IQ" individuals to help with cost-cutting, while working over 80 hours a week. Musk has hinted the work might be unpaid.

"We are very grateful to the thousands of Americans who have expressed interest in helping us at Doge," says a post from Doge's new X account, published on Thursday.

"We need super high-IQ small-government revolutionaries willing to work 80+ hours a week on unglamorous cost-cutting. If that’s you, DM this account with your CV."

When an X user mentioned the task would require a lot of work, Musk responded from his personal X account, seemingly agreeing and hinting the roles might be unpaid.

"Indeed, this will be tedious work, make lots of enemies & compensation is zero. What a great deal!" Musk wrote, adding a cry-laughing emoji.

Robert F Kennedy Jr, who gained attention after being nominated as health secretary, comes from one of the most well-known political families in US history.

The 70-year-old is the nephew of America's 35th President, John F Kennedy, who was assassinated in 1963, a defining moment in American history. He was survived by his wife, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis.

His father, former Attorney General Robert F Kennedy, was also killed by an assassin just five years after his older brother John. He was campaigning for the Democratic nomination when he died.

Robert F Kennedy Jr is also the nephew of Ted Kennedy, who was a US Senator from 1962 until his death in 2009.

Image source, Reuters

Imogen Foulkes
Reporting from Geneva

Image source, Reuters

The World Health Organisation (WHO) this morning described vaccines as "absolutely critical" to global health, adding that many people alive today would not have survived childhood without them.

Vaccines recommended by the WHO are both safe and effective, the organisation added, and go through rigorous tests before receiving WHO approval.

Responding to questions about Donald Trump’s nomination of vaccine sceptic Robert F Kennedy Jr as health secretary, a WHO spokeswoman in Geneva was cautious, saying it was up to individual UN member states to decide on government appointments. She described the US as a "vital partner" of the WHO, adding that she was sure the "fantastic work" would continue in the future.

On Thursday, the WHO published its annual measles statistics, showing a 20% surge in cases compared with 2022. Although some of the cases are due to conflict and poor health systems, some are due, the WHO believes, to vaccine scepticism.

As we're seeing more political reactions to Robert F Kennedy Jr's nomination for health secretary, the stock market has taken notice too.

Shares of pharmaceutical giants Pfizer, Moderna, and Novavax have fallen by at least 2% following Donald Trump's announcement of RFK Jr - a well-known vaccine sceptic - as his choice for America's top health position. All three companies produce Covid-19 vaccines.

RFK Jr has repeatedly made debunked claims about vaccines causing harm, which have been widely debunked. However, he has denied being anti-vaccination and just last week stated he wouldn't "take away anybody's vaccines".

Image source, Getty Images

All morning, we've been reporting plenty of reactions to Robert F Kennedy Jr's nomination for Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services.

But what does this role involve, and how much influence would he have?

Here are three of the main responsibilities:

• Overseeing a budget of around $700bn (£552.66bn) and roughly 65,000 employees. It's the largest department in the federal government in terms of budget
• Monitoring 11 agencies, including the Food and Drug Administration and the National Institutes of Health, which is the country's medical research centre, as well as Medicare
• Advising the president on health matters and responding to public health emergencies

Image source, EPA

Here's another Democrat who supports Robert F Kennedy Jr.

Former Democratic presidential candidate Marianne Williamson, who challenged Joe Biden this year and is known as Oprah Winfrey's former "spiritual advisor," takes to social media to congratulate RFK Jr.

Speaking to ABC, she says that although she disagrees with him on some issues, she "agreed with and campaigned on" many of his points.

She also highlights what she describes as the "malicious way the system sought to remove him from the conversation".

Williamson mentions that she offered her health policy to the Democratic Party as an alternative after Kennedy endorsed Trump, but felt their "disinterest displayed a profound lack of understanding of people’s health concerns".

Image source, Getty Images

We've mentioned that Democrats might find common ground with some of Robert F Kennedy Jr's policies. Now, let's hear from Jared Polis, the Democratic governor of Colorado.

Speaking on X, the former House representative says Kennedy will "help make America healthy again by shaking up [Department of Health and Human Services] and FDA [Food and Drug Administration]".

Polis cites some of RFK Jr's promises, like capping prescription drug prices, cutting certain FDA departments, and moving away from "pesticide-intensive agriculture", as reasons for his excitement.

An hour later, Polis wrote: "Re my thoughts on Robert Kennedy Jr, science must remain THE cornerstone of our nation’s health policy and the science-backed decision to get vaccinated improves public health and safety."

"Lest there by any doubt, I am vaccinated as is my family," he adds, referring to Kennedy's vaccine scepticism.

Image source, Reuters

We can bring you some more reaction now to Donald Trump nominating Robert F Kennedy Jr to America's top health job.

Beyond his scepticism of vaccines, some of Kennedy' agenda would receive bipartisan support, the Washington Post's national health reporter, Dan Diamond, tells BBC Radio 4's Today programme.

Kennedy's agenda "sounds like something a lot of Democrats would propose", Diamond says, even sharing similar policy stances on food and the "power of the pharmaceutical industry" with progressive Senator Bernie Sanders.

For context: RFK Jr made a pledge he would remove processed food from school lunches and "get the chemicals" out of the food industry.

Other polices like seeing chronic disease going down would also receive bipartisan support, Diamond tells says.

But, he adds, for public health officials, Kennedy's vaccine scepticism is "a matter of life or death".

Our last post took you through some of the president-elect's latest picks for his administration, including his choices for several big cabinet jobs.

Expect the flurry of announcements to continue, with over half of the cabinet posts left to fill. This is how it's shaping up so far:

In the last 24 hours, Donald Trump has announced a several more picks for his new administration - here's a look at the new recruits:

Health secretary: Former independent presidential candidate Robert F Kennedy Jr, a vaccine sceptic who has repeatedly made widely debunked claims about them causing harm.

Secretary of veterans affairs: Former Georgia congressman Doug Collins, who served in Iraq with the US Air Force.

Deputy attorney general: Todd Blanche, a lawyer who represented Trump at his criminal trial in New York earlier this year, in which he was convicted of falsifying business records.

Solicitor general: Dean John Sauer, former solicitor general for the Missouri state Supreme Court. He also represented Trump in a US Supreme Court case and in the appeal of his New York civil fraud case.

US attorney for the Southern District of New York: The influential role, often called "the sheriff of Wall Street," is given to Jay Clayton, former chair of the US Securities and Exchange Commission.

Trump tests Senate majority with cabinet pickspublished at 07:35 Greenwich Mean Time 15 November

07:35 GMT 15 November

Jessica Parker
Reporting from Florida

Image source, Reuters

Donald Trump's picks for attorney general pick, Matt Gaetz, and health secretary, Robert F Kennedy Jr, both need Senate confirmation.

This is interesting because the president-elect could have given RFK Jr a more advisory role, like health tsar, which had been discussed.

He didn’t need to give him the health secretary role, overseeing multiple agencies - yet he opted for these more contentious cabinet choices.

It seems Trump is keen to really test the new Republican Senate majority. These appointments do exude confidence and a willingness to fight and test and push the boundaries of his power.

In a way, it’s vintage Donald Trump.