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.

Trump is one step closer to washing away all his criminal casespublished at 16:25 Greenwich Mean Time 12 November

16:25 GMT 12 November

Kayla Epstein
Reporting from New York

Donald Trump’s tried and true legal delay tactics have won him yet another reprieve, this time in his New York criminal case.

Both prosecutors and Trump’s attorneys convinced a judge they needed more time to weigh the “unprecedented circumstances” before any decision about his sentencing could be made.

Trump’s re-election has changed everything for his legal battles. His two federal prosecutions are almost guaranteed to end once he assumes the presidency – and control over the US Department of Justice. His state election interference case in Georgia will go on hold until he’s out of office – in 2029.

Now he may be one step closer to sweeping away the one case that did make it in front of a jury.

Even Manhattan prosecutors who brought the charges acknowledged that they need time to sort out their next steps; they have asked Justice Juan Merchan to file their view by 19 November.

Trump’s lawyers are using his election to push even harder for a dismissal.

“The stay, and dismissal, are necessary to avoid unconstitutional impediments to President Trump’s ability to govern,” attorney Emil Bove wrote to the court.

Some legal experts have a hard time envisioning Trump will be sentenced before he takes office.

“I think the most likely outcome in the state case is the judge putting off sentencing until after Trump's term in office,” said Daniel Charles Richman, a professor at Columbia Law School.

“To actually impose a sentence would raise any number of messy issues in the short term,” including political ones, he said.

Image source, Getty Images

President-elect Donald Trump will meet with President Joe Biden at the White House on Wednesday.

This will be their first official meeting since Trump won the 2024 presidential election.

Biden will go through the top priorities for US domestic and foreign policy with Trump, according to national security adviser Jake Sullivan.

Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson has also invited Trump to Capitol Hill ahead of his meeting with Biden.

Mike Wendling
US reporter

Image source, Reuters

In March, Trump wrote on his Truth Social account that one of his first acts as president would be to “free the January 6 Hostages being wrongfully imprisoned!”.

He repeated the pledge at a National Association of Black Journalists forum in Chicago in July.

The events of 6 January 2021 - where at least 2,000 people stormed the Capitol - resulted in one of the largest federal investigations in US history. Nearly 600 people have been charged with assaulting, resisting, or impeding police officers.

Who exactly will be pardoned when Trump takes office, and when, is still an open question.

Derrick Evans, who was among those charged with non-violent offences, hopes he will be given a pardon.

Evans reached an agreement with prosecutors which saw him plead guilty to civil disorder and spent three months in federal prison in 2022.

“A pardon will be life changing,” Evans told the BBC, adding that he believes Trump is "a man of his word".

• You can read more about what's expected for the 6 January rioters.

Kayla Epstein
Reporting from New York

A New York court's decision on whether or not to uphold Trump's criminal conviction is delayed yet again.

All decisions are postponed until at least 19 November, when prosecutors have asked to advise the court on what they see as the appropriate next steps.

Justice Juan Merchan granted a request from both Trump's lawyers and Manhattan prosecutors to stay any current deadlines for another week while they sort through the unprecedented legal quandary before them.

"The people agree that these are unprecedented circumstances," prosecutor Matthew Colangelo wrote to the court.

We were expecting Justice Merchan to rule today whether to uphold the conviction and proceed to sentencing, or throw it out on the grounds of the US Supreme Court's decision on presidential immunity. Now the wait continues.

Congress is back today after breaking over the election period, and we are about to hear from House Speaker Mike Johnson.

You can watch Johnson's remarks on the election results by clicking watch live at the top of this page.

Image source, Getty Images

The race to control the House of Representatives has continued as votes are still being tallied.

In California's 27th Congressional District race, Republican Mike Garcia conceded to Democratic opponent George Whitesides on Monday, the BBC's US partner CBS reports.

The race was among a few closely watched contests in California that could influence the balance of power in Congress, where Republicans have gained control of the Senate.

Whichever party takes control of the House will have a narrow majority. Democrats were projected to win at least 210 House seats and Republicans 215 seats as of Tuesday morning. A party needs 218 seats in order to have the majority.

Image source, Getty Images

President-elect Donald Trump has been making senior appointments to his incoming administration before his return to the White House in January.

Here's a look at who has either joined his team or is being considered so far:

• Campaign co-chair Susie Wiles,Trump's so-called "ice maiden", will serve as his chief of staff
• Ex-police officer Tom Homan served in Trump's first term and will take on the role of "border tsar"
• Florida senator Marco Rubio is the frontrunner for US secretary of state, media reports suggest
• Florida congressman Mike Waltz is expected to be Trump's pick as the next national security adviser, sources told CBS News, the BBC's US news partner
• South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem is expected to serve as the next homeland security secretary - two sources familiar with the transition discussions confirmed to CBS
• New York congresswoman Elise Stefanik has been offered the role of United Nations ambassador, CBS reports
• Former New York congressman Lee Zeldin has agreed to lead the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), both he and Trump said. But it will require Senate confirmation
• Robert F Kennedy Jr is on a shortlist to run the health and human services department, multiple people close to the president-elect's campaign told CBS

• The New York judge who presided over President-elect Donald Trump's "hush money" case is expected to issue a crucial presidential immunity ruling
• Trump is expected to confirm further picks for his administration, including the secretary of state and homeland security secretary
• We're also expecting the final results in the race for the House of Representatives - the Republican Party is currently in the lead
• President Joe Biden will meet with Israeli President Isaac Herzog later today at the White House
• Congress will return to Washington for what is called a "lame duck" session - the period between Election Day and the end of the two-year congressional term
• House Speaker Mike Johnson and other representatives will hold a press conference on the steps of the United States Capitol on the election results

Stay with us as we bring you all the latest updates throughout the day.

Brandon Livesay
Reporting from New York

Image source, Reuters

Hello and welcome back to another big day in US politics.

We're expecting President-elect Donald Trump to continue to announce his picks for his administration, after a number of loyalists and key allies were announced over the past few days.

Some of the appointments - including secretary of state - will require senators' approval, although Trump has demanded that the next Senate leader let him bypass this. He can give out other jobs - like national security adviser - directly.

Elsewhere today we are still waiting on votes to be counted in the House, the lower chamber of Congress. Republicans control the Senate and are edging towards a majority in the House.

Stick with us as we bring you the latest news and analysis, one week on from an historic election day in America.