Kayla Epstein
reporting from New York

As he builds his new White House team, Donald Trump is recruiting from the US House of Representatives for key administration posts.

He has announced he will name New York Republican Elise Stefanik and Florida's Mike Waltz to his cabinet.

The appointments would be taking two lawmakers off the table when the battle for control of the US House remains razor thin.

Even so, things will probably be fine for Republicans in the House in the long term. Both of those lawmakers are in safely Republican districts, meaning the party has less of a chance of losing the seats to a Democrat. In New York and Florida, special elections will be called to fill the vacant seats.

Holding those special elections however, could take some time - perhaps a couple of months after the new US Congress is gavelled into session. And if partisan control of the US House turns out to be very narrow - as it is predicted to be - once all the races are called, any absence could have an impact during contentious votes.

It remains to be seen how many other sitting members of Congress Trump will choose for his new administration.

Trump also reportedly has plans to nominate Florida Senator Marco Rubio as Secretary of State, but his seat is guaranteed to stay in conservative hands. The state's Republican governor, Ron DeSantis, gets to name Rubio's replacement if he is appointed to the cabinet, and it is inconceivable that he wouldn't pick a member of the same party.

Image source, Getty Images

The road for John Ratcliffe - who Donald Trump just nominated to be head of the CIA in his second term - to become America's top intelligence official during the last Trump administration was long and winding.

He was first nominated to be the director of national intelligence in 2019, days after his high-profile questioning in Congress of former Special Counsel Robert Mueller.

Mueller, you may remember, was the ex-FBI director who led an inquiry into allegations of collusion between Russia and Trump's 2016 election campaign.

But Trump withdrew the nomination days later after objections from both parties over concerns about his qualifications.

Trump nominated him again in 2020, after saying that Ratcliffe had been "treated very badly, very harshly by the press".

Ratcliffe's second nomination also came after the then-congressman worked on Trump's team in Congress during the president-elect's first impeachment.

Image source, Reuters

Trump has announced that he has appointed real estate developer Steve Witkoff to be his special envoy to the Middle East.

Witkoff is a close friend of the president-elect, a major donor to his campaign and his long-time golf partner. In fact, Witkoff was golfing with Trump in September during the second assassination attempt against the former president.

The 67-year-old New Yorker testified in Trump's defence at his Manhattan criminal fraud trial. He told the court that the two met in 1986 after a business transaction. He said he bought Trump a sandwich because Trump didn't have any cash with him at the time.

In his statement on Tuesday, Trump says that Witkoff is a leader who "has made every project and community he has been involved with stronger and more prosperous".

"Steve will be an unrelenting Voice for PEACE, and make us all proud."

On Saturday, Trump announced that he had tapped Witkoff to be co-chairman of the committee planning his inauguration.

We're just hearing of a new appointment to the president-elect's cabinet - Donald Trump has announced William Joseph McGinley will serve as his White House counsel.

In a press release, Trump calls the Republican a "smart and tenacious lawyer", who will advance an "America First agenda".

McGinley served during the first Trump administration as White House Cabinet Secretary.

Trump also praises the "major role" that he says the lawyer played during his election victory as the Republican National Committee's outside counsel for election integrity.

Trump has chosen his former Director of National Intelligence to serve as his Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).

John Ratcliffe "has always been a warrior for Truth and Honesty with the American Public," Trump says in his statement.

The former Texas congressman has been a vocal defender of Trump in the face of Democratic critics. Trump's statement praises his loyal record in Congress.

Why Trump is deploying Huckabee to Israelpublished at 22:25 Greenwich Mean Time 12 November

22:25 GMT 12 November

Sam Cabral
Reporting from Washington DC

Image source, Getty Images

As we've been reporting, Mike Huckabee is Donald Trump's pick to be the next US ambassador to Israel.

Though he is the first non-Jew to fill the post in 13 years, Huckabee, 69, is a long-time pro-Israeli voice in the American evangelical community and could boost Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu's goal of annexing portions of the West Bank.

The former Arkansas governor and Baptist minister made his first trip to Israel in 1973 and has since led dozens of Christian missions to the country, with whom he he has declared a "visceral, personal" connection. During a 2018 visit, he donned a hard hat and laid bricks for a new housing complex in the West Bank settlement of Efrat, saying he “might one day like to purchase a holiday home” there.

In his first run for president in 2008, Huckabee said: "There's really no such thing as a Palestinian." When he ran again in 2016, before dropping out and endorsing Trump, he vowed to back the expansion of settlements in the West Bank, which he called "an integral part" of Israel.

Bezalel Smotrich, Israel's far-right finance minister, has already tweeted his congratulations to "a consistent and loyal friend" with whom he vowed to "strengthen Israel's security and strength".

Itamar Ben-Gvir, the far-right national security minister, wrote: "Mike Huckabee" with flag and heart emojis.

Orientation sessions for new members of Congress began today on Capitol Hill.

Republicans are preparing to return to the Senate majority in January, with six new members of the caucus.

Mitch McConnell, the outgoing Republican leader, posted a photo alongside five senators-elect - from left, Montana's Tim Sheehy, Indiana's Jim Banks, Utah's John Curtis, Pennsylvania's Dave McCormick and Ohio's Bernie Moreno.

Image source, X@LeaderMcConnell

Representative Andy Kim, the new senator for New Jersey, posted a group photo of his own with his five new colleagues - Delaware's Lisa Blunt Rochester, California's Adam Schiff, Michigan's Elissa Slotkin, Arizona's Ruben Gallego and Maryland's Angela Alsobrooks.

Image source, X/@AndyKimNJ

Lawmakers are returning to the nation's Capitol today as Congress is back in session. It marks the beginning of a busy legislative session post-election on Capitol Hill:

Here are a few things to keep an eye out for:

• Trump to visit Congress?: House Speaker Mike Johnson said earlier this morning that President-elect Donald Trump is expected to meet with congressional Republicans tomorrow, ahead of his meeting with President Joe Biden at the White House.
• Freshmen lawmakers descend on Capitol Hill: Fresh off winning their various elections, new lawmakers are at the Capitol for orientation and briefings. Michigan Senator-elect Elissa Slotkin, a Democrat, posted a photo on X of the six Senate Democrats who are part of the freshman class. She wrote that they've received a tour of the Senate floor and cloakrooms, taken ID pictures, received briefings on employment rules and laws and ate lunch with sitting members. One Democratic senator, Tim Kaine of Virginia, was seen high-fiving members of his staff after returning to the Capitol for the first time since defending his seat.
• Senate leadership election: For Senate Republicans, an internal battle is shaping up as they ready to make their picks on who will be the next majority leader as current leader Mitch McConnell plans to step down. Republican senators are meeting this evening to hear from the three lawmakers vying to serve as the Senate Republican leader - Florida Senator Rick Scott, South Dakota Senator John Thune and Texas Senator John Cornyn. The vote will take place on Wednesday morning.

Image source, Getty Images

As Donald Trump continues to assemble his cabinet, Florida Congressman Mike Waltz has been named as the new national security adviser for the president-elect's second administration.

The national security adviser - a position which does not require Senate confirmation - counsels the president on various threats to the US. Waltz would help navigate the US position on the wars Gaza and Ukraine and security matters.

Waltz, 50, is a military veteran and a long-time Trump supporter. He is a decorated Green Beret and army veteran, having served multiple tours in Afghanistan, the Middle East and Africa.

The House lawmaker, who chairs the Armed Services Subcommittee on Readiness, has taken a tough line on China and argued the US needs to do more to prepare for conflict in the Pacific.

He has also said the US should maintain its support for Ukraine, but in recent weeks has advocated for a reassessment of US spending on aid for the war effort.

In a post on X, Waltz said he was "deeply honoured" to serve in Trump's cabinet, adding: "There is no higher calling than defending our nation’s values, freedoms, and the safety of every American."

US President Joe Biden has met Israeli President Isaac Herzog at the White House on Tuesday, where they discussed the conflict in the Middle East.

During the meeting, Biden reiterated his "iron-clad" support for Israel.

Herzog thanked Biden for his support and called on him, as well as the next administration, to ensure Iran "cannot fulfil its evil intentions".

Image source, Reuters

A crowd of staff cheered Vice-President Kamala Harris a little earlier as she arrived at the White House for a lunch meeting with President Joe Biden.

Harris thanked the crowd and said she was grateful for them, adding: "We've still got a lot of work to do".

"Listen, we do the best work anybody can do, to dedicate ourselves to the people, to public service, to lifting folks up. We make a difference," she said to the group.

"So let's get back to work, because we still have work to get done and I am sending all my love and thanks."

If you're just joining us, here's the latest:

• Donald Trump has appointed Mike Waltz to serve in his cabinet as national security advisor
• The President-elect has also nominated Mike Huckabee to be the next US ambassador to Israel
• House Speaker Mike Johnson says Trump is expected to meet with House Republicans tomorrow, ahead of his meeting with President Joe Biden at the White House
• Melania Trump, who was also invited to the White House, is not expected to attend the traditional tea with First Lady Jill Biden
• A New York court's decision on whether or not to uphold Trump's criminal conviction has been delayed until at least 19 November
• A judge will rule whether Trump's conviction in the "hush money" case should be dismissed in light of the US Supreme Court's decision on presidential immunity

Stay with us we bring you further updates on Trump's picks for his incoming administration and the House of Representatives race.

Mike Huckabee's nomination to be the ambassador to Israel is the latest in a string of announcements from Donald Trump over the past few days.

He's slowly building his team up with loyalists and key allies.

Here are some of the other people who have been tapped to join his administration:

Image source, Getty Images

Donald Trump has just announced that former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee is his nominee to be the US ambassador to Israel.

"Mike has been a great public servant, Governor, and Leader in Faith for many years. He loves Israel, and the people of Israel, and likewise, the people of Israel love him. Mike will work tirelessly to bring about Peace in the Middle East!" the president-elect said in a statement.

Huckabee, an evangelical pastor and former Fox News host, ran for president in 2008 and in 2016.

His daughter, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, served as a Trump White House press secretary and is the sitting governor of Arkansas.

We reported earlier that Florida congressman Mike Waltz was expected to be President-elect Donald Trump's pick for the next national security adviser.

Trump has just confirmed that decision.

"Mike has been a strong champion of my America First Foreign Policy agenda, and will be a tremendous champion of our pursuit of peace through strength!" Trump wrote in a post on his social media platform.

Waltz, 50, a military veteran and a long-time Trump supporter, was re-elected to Congress last week.

Waltz is a decorated Green Beret and army veteran, having served multiple tours in Afghanistan, the Middle East and Africa.

Image source, Getty Images

Arizona's Senate race was called overnight for Democrat Ruben Gallego - and it means Republicans will hold a 53-47 majority in the congressional chamber in the new year.

Gallego, who currently serves in the House of Representatives (the other chamber of Congress), will be the first Latino to represent Arizona in the Senate.

His victory also marks another first - at least one senator of Latino descent will represent each of the four US border states. That list includes Ted Cruz of Texas, Alex Padilla of California and Ben Ray Lujan of New Mexico.

Also joining them will be Ohio's senator-elect Bernie Moreno. A Latina, Catherine Cortez Masto, represents Nevada.

Latinos are the fastest growing demographic in America, representing more than 90% of population growth since 2020, according to a Brookings Institution study.

President Joe Biden just wrapped up a meeting with Israeli President Isaac Herzog. The two spoke to reporters at the White House.

Biden reiterated that his support for Israel is "ironclad".

"You've been an incredible friend of Israel and the Jewish people for decades, and we will never forget, ever in history, how you stood up with us in our darkest hour," Herzog said.

Image source, Getty Images

We reported earlier that President-elect Donald Trump will be visiting President Joe Biden in the White House tomorrow.

However Melania Trump, who was also invited, is not expected to attend the traditional tea with First Lady Jill Biden, BBC's US partner CBS News reports.

Melania attended a meeting with former first lady Michelle Obama in 2016, after Trump won the presidential race against Hilary Clinton.

But she will seemingly not be following the White House tradition this time around.

Biden and Trump are expected to speak about top priorities for US domestic and foreign policy.

Image source, Getty Images

President-elect Donald Trump is expected to meet with House Republicans tomorrow, House Speaker Mike Johnson said in a statement earlier.

Johnson said there were preliminary plans for Trump to visit Capitol Hill before his meeting with President Joe Biden at the White House later in the day.

Johnson also said he will be visiting Trump at Mar-a-Lago in Florida later this week to discuss plans for the new Congress in January.

Johnson and other Republican House leaders were speaking outside the Capitol, where they talked of the importance of attaining a unified Congress, calling it a "decisive win".

Johnson said Americans had given them a clear mandate to deliver on lowering costs, growing the economy, securing borders, and restoring energy dominance, adding that they are more prepared this time than they were in 2016.

Image source, EPA

US President Joe Biden is set to meet Israeli President Isaac Herzog at the White House today.

The pair are expected to discuss the war in Gaza and Lebanon.

Stay with us as we bring you the updates, analysis and commentary.