Image source, Reuters

Earlier, we reported on how talks between EU leaders at a summit in Budapest have centred on making Europe more competitive.

The leaders have now signed an agreement, dubbed the "Budapest declaration", to boost European competitiveness over the next five years.

Speaking at a news conference, Hungary's prime minister Viktor Orban - who hosted the summit and is a close ally of Trump - says Europe should take a leaf out of the president-elect's slogan book.

"If the Americans have decided to Make America Great Again, there is only one suitable possible European answer to that: Make Europe Great Again," he says.

Hungary previously made the slogan its motto as it took over the rotational presidency of the Council of the European Union in June.

Ukraine's presidential office has confirmed that Elon Musk was on a call earlier between Donald Trump and President Volodymyr Zelensky.

"President-elect Trump was on the call with Elon and gave him a phone, then President Zelensky thanked him for the Starlinks," a source in Ukraine’s presidential office tells the BBC.

When asked about the mood, the source says it was a “normal, working mood, a good conversation”.

“It was a short chat with Musk, but it was a good lengthy conversation with Trump. It lasted about half an hour,” the source says.

Starlink's satellite system, owned by Musk, is used in Ukraine to provide crucial internet access.

SpaceX began shipping the terminals to Ukraine within hours of the start of the Russian invasion in February 2022.

A federal judge just struck down President Joe Biden's plan for a pathway to US citizenship for undocumented immigrants married to American citizens.

The judge said the Biden administration lacked the authority to establish the programme, siding with a lawsuit filed by 16 Republican-led states

Read more here, external.

Image source, EPA

Journalist Bob Woodward, who recently penned a book about the president-elect, appeared on MSNBC's Morning Joe earlier in the day.

He called Trump "dangerous" and said he "just does not understand the responsibility of the president". But, he said, there are strong people in governmental institutions who could operate as possible barriers to Trump given their understanding of the rule of law and the US constitution .

"The people in the institutions are stronger. Can he (Trump) overpower them? Can he use the power of the presidency to destroy our constitution and legal system? We get to watch and see what that effort may be," he said.

The journalist, who broke the news of Watergate scandal alongside Carl Bernstein, has written multiple books on Trump. He has also written books covering wars under the administrations of George W. Bush and Barack Obama.

The US government has brought charges against an Afghan man in connection with an alleged Iranian plot to assassinate Donald Trump before he was elected the next president.

The Department of Justice on Friday unsealed an indictment against Farhad Shakeri, 51, alleging he was tasked with “providing a plan” to kill Trump.

The US government says Shakeri has not been arrested and is believed to be in Iran.

In July a man in Pennsylvania was killed after shooting at Trump during a rally, and his motives remain unclear. Then in September a man allegedly planning to assassinate Trump was arrested in Florida.

Donald Trump has hit back at California Governor Gavin Newsom in a post on Truth Social, writing that Newsom is "trying to kill our nation's beautiful California".

"For the first time ever, more people are leaving than are coming in," he adds, labelling the politician "Gavin Newscum".

Yesterday, we reported that the governor had called an emergency session to help bolster California's legal resources against "any unlawful action by the Trump administration".

Newsom has been a long-time critic of Trump, at one point calling him "unhinged" while disagreeing with him on major policy issues like climate change.

The European Union has the ability to withstand possible tariffs that President-elect Donald Trump may impose, but talks between trade partners should always come first, says German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Budapest on Friday.

Trump has pledged to increase levies on foreign goods, which he says would improve the American economy. His victory has fuelled concerns he could trigger a global trade war with new tariffs.

"I don't think we should speculate too much on this issue with the US. The EU has the competencies to do what is necessary. But we should all very clearly seek talks," says Scholz.

Earlier, Scholz also said the bloc would "continue to work well" with Trump as he insisted the EU "must do what is necessary" to guarantee the security of member states regardless of US involvement in supporting Ukraine in its war with Russia.

The Federal Communications Commission says it is investigating reports of racist text messages sent to black people across US this week.

In a statement, Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel says: "These messages are unacceptable. We take this type of targeting very seriously.”

The FBI and state law enforcement are also investigating.

Civil rights group NAACP says anonymous texts urged recipients in multiple states, including Alabama, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Virginia, to report to a plantation to pick cotton.

"These actions are not normal. And we refuse to let them be normalized," the group's president, Derrick Johnson, says.

"These messages represent an alarming increase in vile and abhorrent rhetoric from racist groups across the country," he adds.

Natalie Sherman
New York business reporter

The stock market's rise this week goes beyond Tesla, with investors buying up shares of financial firms and energy companies and piling into crypto - which has sent Bitcoin prices to a record high.

Interestingly, the fortunes of Donald Trump’s own company, Trump Media, have been more mixed.

Shares are down more than 20% since their most recent high, on 25 October.

But they have been rallying today, after the president-elect went on the company's social media platform, Truth Social, and vowed not to sell his stake.

"I HAVE NO INTENTION OF SELLING!" he wrote in a post accusing "market manipulators or short sellers" of spreading "fake, untrue and probably illegal rumours" that he was interested in selling shares of the company.

He also called for "the appropriate authorities" to investigate those allegedly promoting rumours.

Image source, Getty Images

A senior Democrat says Trump may offer the UK a "lane" that eases trade between the two allies as Donald Trump is expected to deliver on his pledge to raise tariffs on imported foreign goods.

"If I had to speculate I would say there's a lane for the UK," New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy tells the press at the US embassy in London.

Murphy, who knows Trump personally, also foresees there being "less of a lane for the EU and Nato".

"I can't speak for the president but I think there is an embedded sympathy for someone who leaves a bureaucracy, leaves a club," Murphy says in an apparent reference to the UK's withdrawal from the European Union.

The prospect of an ad hoc deal for the UK has been echoed by Reform UK leader Nigel Farage, who says he is "supremely confident that with the right negotiation" the UK can avoid trade tariffs.

Image source, Reuters

The EU is ready to continue cooperating with the US on key issues including the ongoing wars in Ukraine and the Middle East now that Donald Trump has been elected, the president of the European Council, Charles Michel, says.

"We are ready to strengthen the transatlantic ties," he adds.

He says there are three important areas to work together on: bilateral relations - including trade ties - security, and global challenges such as climate change.

Speaking at the end of a two-day meeting of European leaders in Budapest, Michel adds the EU must "defend their values" as he points out that the challenges are the same now as they were before Trump won.

Will Grant
Reporting from Florida

Donald Trump's announcement that Susie Wiles will be his chief of staff makes her the first woman to hold that role in US history.

She is an seasoned political operator and a very formidable character indeed. She was his co-campaign manager and he respects her a great deal having described her as "innovative" and "tough".

The one question about her is perhaps her lack of experience in governing rather than campaigning, but I don't think that is a concern for Trump.

There is a lot of speculation about other key roles in the administration, such as whether the world's richest man Elon Musk will take up a government post, which would be an extraordinary development and is very possible.

In terms of the vital role of foreign affairs, secretary of state, there is speculation about Marco Rubio - the Cuban American Florida senator; Bill Haggarty - a Tennessee senator; or Robert O'Brien - one of Trump's four former chiefs of staff.

Former CIA head Mike Pompeo might be in the running for defence secretary. He was secretary of state for half of Trump's first term.

One thing for certain is that there are a lot of people coming to Trump's home at Mar-a-Lago in Florida, trying to stake their claim for some of those jobs.

Natalie Sherman
New York business reporter

Tesla’s market value just shot back above $1tn for the first time since 2022.

That’s after a nearly 30% surge in the share price this week, including roughly 7% so far on Friday.

The gains make the electric car company, led by Elon Musk, perhaps the biggest winner of the post-election bets in financial markets.

The company is currently the subject of numerous investigations by safety regulators looking at its cars' features such as self-driving. But there is widespread speculation that that pressure will recede once Donald Trump, whom Musk spent more than $100m to help elect, is in office.

Musk's own wealth has been helped by the rise of Tesla - he's worth more than $300bn thanks to the rally, according to Forbes.

Image source, Reuters

The top Democrat in the US House of Representatives, Hakeem Jeffries, says that his party should be “proud” of the legislative accomplishments of the Biden administration.

“It’s a record that both progressives and centrist members of both the House and the Senate supported,” Jeffries said on New York’s Spectrum News.

By example, he pointed to a disaster relief fund, an infrastructure deal and climate change legislation.

He added that he believed more needed to be done to meet the needs of everyday people and that too many were living from pay cheque to pay cheque.

Votes are still being counted for the House, with Republicans appearing close to keeping their majority at this stage. Republicans also took control of the Senate from Democrats in the election.

If there is a surprise victory and Democrats take control of the House, Jefferies would become the chamber's leader as Speaker.

Image source, EPA

Mexico's new president, Claudia Sheinbaum, says that Trump brought up the US-Mexico border when they spoke in a phone call on Thursday.

"He raised the issue of the border, and he just said it, and I told him: 'Yes, there is the issue of the border, but there will be space to talk about it,'" she tells reporters at a press conference.

It was the first time the pair had spoken since he was elected and it was a "very cordial" conversation, she says.

At the same press conference, Foreign Minister Juan Ramon de la Fuente says Mexico's migrant program is working and will stay in place.

He referred to data that showed the number of migrants caught by US authorities at the border had fallen 76% since last December.

Donald Trump made immigration a huge part of his campaign, and has indicated he plans to carry out the "mass deportations" he promised.

Bernd Debusmann Jr
Reporting from the White House

Since Donald Trump won the election earlier this week, I've exchanged dozens of messages with voters I've met on the campaign trail in states including Pennsylvania, Michigan and Nevada.

Many of them are Latino voters.

And while Latino support for Trump rose in this year's election, a slim majority of Latino voters - 53% nationally - still voted for Kamala Harris, according to early data. Some of those voters have told me that days after the election, they are still experiencing a sense of disbelief.

"We're upset, and at the same time I'm worried about what policies he might implement," said Moses Santana, a Puerto Rican US Army veteran in North Philadelphia who I first interviewed in the wake of the now-infamous "garbage" joke at Trump's rally in Madison Square Garden.

Santana said that he is worried about the possibility of a Republican-controlled White House, Senate and House of Representatives.

"It's hard not to see that doing a lot of damage," added Santana, who works at a harm reduction facility in Fairhill, a heavily Latino neighbourhood. "The mood is really sombre right now."

Image source, EPA

EU leaders will unveil a plan to make Europe more competitive before Donald Trump re-enters the White House following a summit in Budapest this week.

They have been examining a list of 170 proposals from Italian economist and former Prime Minister Mario Draghi. He warns that without urgent action, the EU project is doomed.

However, the group is struggling to agree on where the money should come from - whether it's from national or EU funds, and if they can be borrowed on the international markets.

"Though we feel the impact of the vote this week with elections in the United States, my belief is that we need to continue focusing on the solutions we are looking to deliver right here in Europe: we need action, regardless of who is in the White House," says European Parliament President Roberta Metsola.

Image source, Getty Images

Women's rights group Women's March is planning a series of protests following the re-election of Donald Trump and will host a rally on Saturday at Columbus Circle, Washington DC, to "resist".

On 18 January 2025, two days before Trump's inauguration, they have plans for a march in Washington DC and "everywhere" else that people want to join in from.

The group held their first march the day after Trump's inauguration in 2017 - it is considered one of the US's biggest single-day demonstrations.

In the lead-up to the election, much of the focus was on the seven swing states where either presidential candidate stood a chance of winning.

Let's have a look at just how close the votes ended up in these battleground states, with the caveat that counting hasn't yet finished in Arizona. In the other six, Trump triumphed with varying margins.

Wisconsin - the state that finally tipped the scales in Trump's favour to give him at least 270 electoral college votes to win the election - has the smallest vote margin of just 0.8 of a percentage point (Trump 49.6%, Harris 48.8%).

Michigan was the next closest race with 1.4 points separating the two (Trump 49.7%, Harris 48.3%) followed closely by the Keystone State of Pennsylvania on a margin of 2 (Trump 50.5%, Harris 48.5%).

Georgia, which Biden won by 13,000 votes in 2020, flipped Republican with a margin of 2.2 percentage points (Trump 50.7%, Harris 48.5%).

North Carolina, where Trump held his first rally after an assassination attempt in July, saw a margin of 3.3 (Trump 51%, Harris 47.7%), with Nevada in similar territory on 3.4 (Trump 50.8%, Harris 47.4%)

In Arizona, where about 77% of the vote has been counted, the tally is currently leaning Trump who has 52.5% of the vote, with Harris on 46.6%.

Image source, Reuters

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov has said that preparations are not yet under way for a phone call between President Vladimir Putin and US President-elect Donald Trump.

"Preparatory work in terms of coordinating, matching schedules, or any more specific planning of the format of such a contact is not under way," he told the Interfax news agency.

Yesterday, Putin congratulated Trump on his election victory, calling him a "courageous man".

He said that Trump's claim that he could help end the war in Ukraine "deserves attention at least". During his campaign, Trump repeatedly said he could end the war “in a day” but has never elaborated on how that could happen.