Image source, Getty Images

As we've been reporting, the Republican Party is projected to win the House of Representatives.

But what is it? Here are the basics:

• It has 435 seats, with 218 seats being the minimum a party needs to win a majority
• It is the lower chamber of Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber
• Representatives come from all 50 states - their positions are held for two years
• Members make and pass federal laws, which apply to everyone in the country
• It also has exclusive powers, including the power to initiate revenue bills, impeach federal officials, and elect the president in the case of a tie
• Republican Mike Johnson is the speaker of the House, its leader

As we mentioned in our last post, the BBC's US partner CBS projects that the Republicans will take control of the House of Representatives.

How? It's expected they will win a minimum of 218 seats, with their final number likely ending up between 220 and 222.

So far, the Democrats have 208, with nine still to be called.

This means Donald Trump now has full control of both chambers of Congress, having already bagged a majority in the Senate, the upper chamber.

When president, Trump will be able to have a smoother path to enacting policies, as there will likely be less push back from Congress.

Image source, EPA

For our audiences in the UK who are just starting their day, a quick catch-up:

• Donald Trump has nominated more allies to his incoming government - Congressman Matt Gaetz for attorney general, former Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard for director of national intelligence, and Senator Marco Rubio for secretary of state
• Trump also met outgoing President Joe Biden in the White House, where they discussed a smooth transition of power. At the Oval Office, Biden told Trump "welcome back" as they shook hands
• Republicans have retained control of the House, the BBC's US partner CBS News projects, which means Trump will have the support of both chambers of Congress, as he did in 2017 and 2018 during his first term
• Senate Republicans have elected John Thune as majority leader, replacing Mitch McConnell, the party's longest-ever leader in the chamber

Image source, Reuters

Donald Trump met Republican House members on Wednesday, where he made a comment about running for a third term as president.

"I suspect I won't be running again unless you say, 'He's good, we got to figure something else,'" the president-elect said, drawing laughter from some in the crowd.

The US Constitution bars presidents from running for a third term, consecutive or otherwise.

Tom Cole, chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, said "I think he's just having a little fun".

"This is the last run, unless there was a constitutional change that takes three-quarters of the states and two-thirds of Congress to move it through."

"So not likely to happen. But I'm old enough to remember Ronald Reagan teasing a little bit about that, so it's not unusual, particularly now right after a big win."

Democrat Daniel Goldman of New York criticised Trump's comments, saying any attempt to seek a third term would be "blatantly unconstitutional".

Image source, Getty Images

Election betting exploded into view during the homestretch of the campaign after platforms like crypto-fuelled Polymarket placed the odds heavily in favour of Donald Trump, contrary to what pollsters were saying about a close race.

Now Polymarket is under investigation by US authorities for allegedly accepting bets from US-based users, when its business was supposed to be limited to overseas users.

On Wednesday, federal authorities raided the New York home of its CEO, Shayne Coplan and seized the 26-year-old's phone, according to Reuters.

In a statement on X, Coplan said called it a "last-ditch effort to go after companies they deem to be associated with political opponents" and received support from Elon Musk.

Hundreds of millions of dollars were gambled on this election but new online gambling firms which employ so-called predictive market betting have come under scrutiny over alleged malpractice.

France's gambling regulator is also investigating whether Polymarket complied with its laws after a mystery French trader bet big on a Trump win and stood to make $80 million.

Image source, Reuters

Donald Trump has nominated three Republican members of the House for senior positions so far: Elise Stefanik as UN ambassador, Matt Gaetz as attorney general and Mike Waltz as national security advisor.

Gaetz has already resigned his seat and the other two will have to follow at some point if they are confirmed by the Senate, leaving vacancies pending elections to select their replacements.

All three serve in solidly Republican districts, so there’s little chance of those special elections changing the balance of power in the House.

However, with the Republicans projected to have a very narrow majority in the House, losing those three votes could make things tricky in the meantime for passing legislation, even if it is only for a few months.

Earlier, House Speaker Mike Johnson said he had "begged and pleaded" with Trump not to poach any more of his members.

Image source, Reuters

Tulsi Gabbard has been on a political journey, to put it mildly.

The military veteran had been a long-standing Democrat, who was elected to represent a Hawaii district in the House in 2013.

She campaigned for left-winger Bernie Sanders ahead of the 2016 election and ran to be the Democratic presidential candidate herself in 2020, before endorsing Joe Biden.

Gabbard was the first Hindu member of Congress and championed liberal issues like government-run healthcare, free college tuition and gun control during her presidential run.

Since leaving the House in 2021, she has moved to the right on some issues and has become an outspoken advocate for Donald Trump, helping him prepare for his debate against Kamala Harris.

Gabbard has taken on more conservative positions on issues including abortion and frequently attacks "woke" culture, before confirming a few weeks ago she has formally joined the Republican Party.

Now Trump has nominated her to be his director of intelligence, a wide-ranging role overseeing US intelligence agencies like the CIA and NSA.

Image source, Getty Images

Donald Trump's wife Melania is "unlikely" to return to the White House full-time as first lady, CNN reports, external.

It quotes sources close to her as saying she plans to split her time between New York and Florida.

Melania did not attend the White House on Wednesday when Trump met Joe Biden, having been invited to meet Jill Biden. She confirmed she had declined the invitation in a post on X.

Melania made occasional public appearances alongside her husband during his first term but has was almost entirely absent from his campaign this year.

Image source, Reuters

You may remember that much of the drama last year in Washington centred on the ousting of former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy - which was brought about by Trump's choice for attorney general, Matt Gaetz.

Gaetz was able to push McCarthy out because of a rule that allowed a single member of Congress to call for a no-confidence vote to remove the speaker.

Earlier today, House Republicans announced they reached an agreement to raise the threshold to oust a speaker and avoid a similar situation in the future.

Speaker Mike Johnson said: "Because of this agreement, we are in a better position to move forward the Republican agenda."

Image source, Reuters

More now on that ongoing House investigation into allegations faced by Matt Gaetz.

As we've been reporting, his immediate departure from Congress throws doubt about whether a report into claims of sexual and financial misconduct - which he strongly denies - will ever see the light of day.

House precedent indicates a report into someone who is no longer a serving member would not be released.

We're now hearing via our US partner CBS news that the ethics committee had been poised to make a decision on whether to release the report.

A vote is said to have been scheduled for Friday on whether to release the findings, according to three sources with knowledge of the committee's work. Other US outlets have also reported these plans.

Gaetz's resignation, which came soon after being nominated as Donald Trump's new attorney general, now means it's possible the report is never released.

The nomination of Matt Gaetz, who has had plenty of run-ins with people in his own party over the years, has been met with mixed responses among Republicans in Congress - ranging, according to reports, from support, through disbelief, to laughter.

The combative Congressman had not been strongly linked to the job publicly and Republican Senator Kevin Cramer said it was "a surprise".

The North Dakota senator told CBS News, the BBC's US news partner, Gaetz would have to respond to questions around an ethics investigation into him as part of his confirmation process.

"He wants to be the top cop, so I would say that yeah, he's certainly going to have to answer all those things, whether they're legit or not legit," Cramer said.

Asked whether he supported the nomination, Cramer said: "Matt could earn that, but I'm not there right out of the chute with Matt."

As we've been reporting, Gaetz has faced allegations of sexual and financial misconduct, which he strongly denies. A criminal investigation into him was dropped but a House probe has been ongoing.

We've been bringing you the latest on one of Donald Trump's most eye-catching appointments yet: Florida congressman Matt Gaetz as attorney general.

The job of the nation’s top federal law enforcement officer is a highly coveted post.

Gaetz has faced allegations - which he strenuously denies - of sexual misconduct and financial impropriety. While the Department of Justice ultimately did not bring charges against Gaetz, a House ethics committee had been continuing its investigation.

The Harris-Walz campaign has sent a statement to supporters criticising the appointment, which still has to be confirmed by the Senate.

"Donald Trump is making good on his promise to install loyalists who will do his bidding and that starts with nominating Matt Gaetz to be Attorney General," the email reads.

"They will weaponize the [Department of Justice] to protect themselves and their allies and we must stop them from executing Trump's plans for revenge and retribution."

We've been bringing you the news that Donald Trump has nominated Matt Gaetz, a loyal supporter and controversial figure in Washington, to be his attorney general.

Here are some of the moments which have earned him an opinion-splitting reputation over recent years.

Matt Gaetz is a polarising choice for attorney generalpublished at 01:08 Greenwich Mean Time 14 November 2024

01:08 GMT 14 November 2024

Gary O'Donoghue
Senior North America correspondent

The Trump team has been saying attorney general would be their most important appointment.

Donald Trump is placing a lot of store in the Department of Justice and how it goes about its business, given the frustrations he had with it in his first term and after he left office.

Matt Gaetz has been a controversial figure. He’s very much on the right of the party, very outspoken and very pro-Trump.

He has faced some real difficulties of his own, legally speaking: There was an investigation into him that was then dropped by the Department of Justice into whether or not he had had sex with a minor.

Gaetz also faced a House ethics committee probe into allegations around financial impropriety and sexual misconduct. He denies all the allegations that have ever been made against him. The criminal investigation by the DoJ was dropped.

He is a polarising figure, there is absolutely no question about that.

Some might have thought that Trump could temper his plans for the Department of Justice, pardoning those who rioted on 6 January or going after his foes for retribution or revenge. I’d think again with Gaetz in that job.

We have more details now on the news that Matt Gaetz has resigned from Congress.

A short while ago, House Speaker Mike Johnson told reporters he received the resignation letter and it was “effective immediately”.

Johnson said he asked Gaetz what his reasons were - and the Florida lawmaker said “you can’t have too many absences”.

Johnson then explained the timeline, saying under Florida state law it takes about eight weeks to select and fill a vacant seat. With Gaetz’s resignation today, his replacement could be ready by 3 January.

A reporter asked Johnson about the ongoing House Ethics Committee probe into Gaetz.

Johnson said: "The House Ethics Committee would have no further jurisdiction over the person, no further authority over them”.

For context: Gaetz needed to resign from the House of Representatives in order to become attorney general, the role which Donald Trump has nominated him for. However, he still must be confirmed by the Senate before he gets that job - and the controversial lawmaker may not have an easy ride through Senate confirmation, according to some of his fellow Republicans.

Image source, Reuters

Florida Congressman Matt Gaetz, who Trump has nominated to be his attorney general, has resigned from the House of Representatives.

House Speaker Mike Johnson confirmed to BBC's US partner CBS News that he has received the resignation.

Johnson said he had reached out to Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, and he hoped the seat could be filled as soon as January.

Stick with us, we will bring you the latest updates on this situation shortly.

Cubans anxious of Rubio nominationpublished at 00:13 Greenwich Mean Time 14 November 2024

00:13 GMT 14 November 2024

Will Grant
Mexico, Central America and Cuba Correspondent

Image source, Getty Images

If there is one name which the Cuban Government - and Cubans in general - would have least wanted to see nominated as President-elect Trump’s Secretary of State, it is Marco Rubio.

As a Florida Senator he was Havana’s bête noire, perhaps the leading voice against engagement with Cuba during the final years of the Obama Administration - which had sought to normalise relations after six decades of hostilities.

After President Trump won in 2016, Rubio advocated for rolling back that policy, making it harder for Americans to visit the island and ramping up the US economic embargo to its harshest possible expression under a doctrine of maintaining “maximum pressure” on the communist-run island.

Cuba is, of course, uniquely personal to Rubio — while his parents emigrated to the US before the Cuban Revolution came to power in 1959, his grandfather fled a couple of years later, forced into exile as Fidel Castro took Cuba further into the arms of the Soviet Union. His grandfather was a big influence on the young Marco as he came to political consciousness.

Despite his popularity in Miami, most Cubans who live on the island shudder to think what Rubio will have in store if confirmed as secretary of state. There are still a few places where sanctions could yet be ramped up. Direct commercial flights to Cuba could be banned and diplomatic ties broken, shuttering the US Embassy in Havana.

One thing is clear: At a time when the island is suffering widespread blackouts and chronic shortages, Rubio is unlikely to extend any form of lifeline to Cuba, but rather attempt to further strangle the mainstay of its faltering economy, tourism.

For Cuba’s close socialist allies in the Western Hemisphere, Venezuela and Nicaragua, it is also likely to be a time of greater hostility with Washington over the next four years.

Donald Trump has nominated a series of people for roles in his administration. Most of them will also require Senate confirmation before they get the jobs, but some roles do not require that additional step - such as Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, and Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy's government efficiency titles.

Earlier, Donald Trump announced controversial Florida congressman Matt Gaetz would be his choice for attorney general. That's America's top lawyer.

The choice sent shockwaves through Capitol Hill, even among some fellow members of Gaetz’s own Republican Party.

Republican Mike Simpson of Idaho responded to the nomination news with an abrupt: "Are you shittin’ me?"

Ohio Congressman Max Miller, also a Republican, told Axios that "Gaetz has a better shot at having dinner with Queen Elizabeth II than being confirmed by the Senate".

Lisa Murkowski, a more moderate Republican who has spoken out against Trump in the past, told reporters she didn't think Gaetz was a "serious nomination" and that "we need to have a serious attorney general”. "This one was not on my bingo card," she added.

In order to fill the role, Gaetz will need Senate confirmation.

As well as making a return to the White House for a presidential meeting, Donald Trump has spent the day announcing the names of some of his proposed Cabinet members.

One of these - Matt Gaetz - has drawn a lot of criticism since Trump announced he wanted him to be attorney general.

And a Republican Congressman admits that the Trump pick won’t get an easy ride when put before the Senate to be confirmed.

Speaking to BBC News, Jake LaTurner accepts that Gaetz is a “controversial figure”.

“Without question it will be a very interesting and controversial Senate hearing,” he says. “They will run Matt through the wringer, they’ll have a lot of questions… It will be a very controversial newsworthy spectacle, no doubt about it.”

And, pressed on whether he believes Gaetz should become attorney general, LaTurner stresses that Trump has the right to nominate who he likes after his election victory, but adds that these nominees must still go through the process set out by the constitution.