go no. 5

go no. 5 “If gold rust, what then will iron do? For if a priest be foul in whom we trust, no wonder that a common man should rust.” – Geoffrey Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales. On Sunday, 24 November 2024, I read a Ghana Web reportage carried under the banner headline: “2024 Elections: If your mother is at the funeral, you cannot be denied Tuo Zaafi – Bawumia to Walewale residents.” After reading the news report I became convinced instantly that Mahamudu Bawumia lacked the honesty, high moral character and proven integrity demanded of the high office of the President of Ghana under the 1992 Constitution. My memory sent me to a document I had been privy to as the Special Prosecutor in which the first of Nana Akufo-Addo’s guiding principles which he told to a friend who restated them in a handwritten recollection was as follows: “Ohene sƐ wo foro akoŋwa yi na sƐ wo aŋya sika a, wↄ bƐka sƐ wo yƐ okwasanpa ni”, however, that does NOT mean that ONLY ... [name] and ... [name] alone should make ALL the money ...the money must spread.” I have tried to type out the twi words in twi characters as written in hand using a computer as accurately as I can, which translated in my understanding means that: “ A chief who ascends a stool and does not get rich, would be said to be a foolish old man.” I shall explain how I came by Nana Akufo Addo’s guiding principles in due course. But I was flabbergasted, as I least expected that Dr. Mahamudu Bawunia, the son of my late friend, Alhaji Mumuni Bawumia, a two-time Chairperson of the Council of State under the 1992 Constitution, an honest and leading northern politician who fought tirelessly for the development of the British Protectorate of Northern Territories of the Gold Coast Colony and Ashanti (NT) until the North became part of a unitary Republic of Ghana would be so unlike his father and exhibit the highest degree of moral turpitude and selfishness in public office as a Vice-President wishing to become the next President of Ghana. I was puzzled at how this could happen to Alhaji Mumuni Bawumia’s son years after his demise and burial when the John Agyekum Kufuor government ignored the sad event without any state participation in the burial and funeral rites of such an honourable and distinguished Northerner of impeccable character and integrity. As I pondered upon how this could happen, my bank of knowledge brought to the fore the fact that the trait exhibited by Dr. Mahamadu Bawumia was an adulthood acquisition attributable to socialization through association with persons of a culture that endorses the new philosophy he propounded at the Walewale rally. The answer to the puzzle surfaced when my bank of knowledge rebooted to an incident which occurred in 2018 when I was the Special Prosecutor at the Office of the Special Prosecutor. One morning I was presented, without my asking, through an anti-corruption activist friend of mine with a document with the subject matter: “GUIDING PRINCIPLES???” which was a memorandum addressed in hand to President Nana Akufo Addo recounting a conversation between President Nana Akufo-Addo and a friend of his when he was the Foreign Minister then residing at his East Legon residence on the Ambassadorial Road just next to my late friend, DCOP Mr. J. A . Adams’ residence. I was so alarmed by the content of the document that instead of destroying it after reading it as I was instructed by the sender, I rather sent the document by special delivery to the United Kingdom for safekeeping in case anything untoward befell me as the Special Prosecutor. I had to refresh my memory with the exact words used in stating Nana Akufo-Addo’s guiding principles that rhymed with Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia’s pronounced “guiding principle” should he become President of Ghana. The reader who has been following my discourse on the 2024 elections and the competence of Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia as the anointed successor of President Akufo-Addo to be the sixth President of Ghana will recollect that I have been doubtful whether the Vice-President and flagbearer of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) was going to be any different from the governance style and principles of his mentor and promoter the President. Bawumia’s declaration of principle of one’s mother being at the funeral ensuring that one cannot be denied Tuo Zaafi, rhymes with Nana Akufo-Addo’s guiding principles before he became President as contained in the document I received when I was the Special Prosecutor in 2018. I, therefore, propose to set forth what Dr. Bawumia was quoted as having said to the residents of Walewale in his native West Mamprusi Municipal Assembly area alongside the message that was delivered to me in 2018 to put this matter into proper perspective. Ghana Web with source as 3news.com quoted the NPP flagbearer and incumbent Vice-President Mahamudu Bawumia as stating that: “We have just two weeks to elect a president for Ghana. Imagine the feeling when they say the President of Ghana is from your home. God has given us a great chance, and that power can be beneficial because, per our constitution, whatever the President says is final. Just imagine that the power is in your own house.” The news report paraphrased Dr. Bawumia as: “Citing a local proverb which means that if one has their own in the right places, what they deserve will not be denied them, the NPP flagbearer urged them to vote for none other than him,” and quoted him in the following words: “That is why we say, if your mother is at the funeral, you cannot be denied TZ (Tuo Zaafi). You will just be enjoying TZ with good soup every day. ... Therefore, we must not joke with this opportunity. God has given us a great gift. God has given us a penalty and chosen a goalkeeper for us to score. John Mahama has been President before, and he can only do four years, but I can do eight years by the grace of God,” President Nana Akufo-Addo’s “GUIDING PRINCIPLES???” I received which was dated 18 April 2018 contained three (3) distinct guiding principles , the first two of which the written recollection of the conversation listed as follows: (i) “.... that on the aircraft from Mali/Niger? to Accra, you told K4 that,..”Sir, wo ayƐ mistake” ...you should NOT have bought the Hotel on your name and should have used a TRUST to acquire it...and the answer was very simple; that K4 did NOT trust anybody (to do just that). ...” (ii) ...” “Ohene sƐ wo foro akoŋwa yi na sƐ wo aŋya sika a, wↄ bƐka sƐ wo yƐ okwasanpa ni”, however, that does NOT mean that ONLY ... [name] and ... [name] alone should make ALL the money ...the money must spread.” I have left out the names of the two persons named as not being the ONLY people alone to “make ALL the money...the money must spread.” I have also left out the third listed principle out of discretion and caution. My intention is not to vilify everybody in the government. I am just stating why in my considered view the electorate should not vote for Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia to replace Nana Akufo-Addo as President of Ghana on 7 December 2024. When one puts Nana Akufo-Addo’s suggested “GUIDING PRINCIPLES???” alongside his anointed successor, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia’s guiding principles one cannot escape the conclusion that Dr. Bawumia has internalized a new cultural, economic, political and social process of socialization that forms his present character through association with the President from 2008 when he chose him as his running mate to date. After refreshing my memory with what I read as Nana Akufo-Addo’s guiding principles I could not resist the fact that his government of family, friends and cronies from 7 January 2017 has reflected the principles contained in the document I received as the Special Prosecutor in 2018. Nana Akufo-Addo’s right hand man in actualizing the create, loot and share philosophy he espoused while he was John Agyekum Kufour’s Foreign Minister and throughout his contest to be President and assuming the Presidency has been none other than Dr. Mahamadu Bawumia. Nana Akufo-Addo actualized his guiding principles during his eight-year tenure of office with Bawumia and still wants more of those governing principles to continue by choosing to anoint his Vice-President and poodle as successor through their long game of election rigging for the succession. My responsibility as a constitutional activist is to inform the electorate of the facts to enable them to make an informed choice of the next President of Ghana. When Mahamudu Bawumia as Vice-President saw the opportunity to locate a STEM Senior High School in the northern sector of Ghana he sent it to his late mother’s home village in Kpasenkpe, in his native West Mamprusi Municipal Assembly Area. When there was an opportunity for a public/private partnership to develop the watermelon industry in the northern sector of Ghana, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia ensured that the factory was sited at Logri within the environs of Walewale in his native West Mamprusi Municipal Assembly Area. The citizens of Ghana living in the North East Region where Dr. Bawumia hails from have had occasion to complain bitterly of discrimination in the distribution of development in that region. In an article headlined “One-Sided Distribution Of Development In the North East Region” published on Modern Ghana one author lamented as follows: “The North East has experienced some massive development over the last 7 years in the sector of Education, Health, Roads, Sports etc. The question is how are these developmental projects fairly distributed among the various vulnerable and deprived Districts?” The author answers the question as follows: Obviously No, because, some districts have been denied and neglect their share of the Regional Developmental Agenda base on some political merits while others had their shares. All the developmental projects have been shifted to one of the Region, some Districts have had tremendous growth and development while others still remains deprived and neglected. This (sic) simply the division of the Region into two, the Mamprugu areas and non Mamprugu areas.” The author then highlighted the inequality in distribution of development projects in the region by writing that: “West Mamprusi Municipal, East Mamprusi Municipal and Mamprugu Moaduri have gained some massive development in all sectors compare to Chereponi, Yunyoo-Nasua and Bunkpurugu-Nakpanduri. Several people have been asking why the three Mamprugu Districts gained much development than the others. The question remain unanswered....” The foregoing rhymes with the Akufo-Addo/Bawumia principles as stated by Bawumia at his hometown of Walewale in the West Mamprusi Municipality: “That is why we say, if your mother is at the funeral, you cannot be denied TZ (Tuo Zaafi). You will just be enjoying TZ with good soup every day.” As acting President of Ghana Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia has shown zero competence for the protection of the citizens’ human security as evidenced by his inability to manage on-going conflicts in the country in the absence of the President from Ghana. This contrast very sharply with the character, honour, integrity and selflessness of his late distinguished father. Alhaji Mumuni Bawumia, the father of Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, worked with the Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC) government from 1988 to 7 January 1993 as Ghana’s Ambassador to Saudi Arabia. The NDC Government of Jerry John Rawlings appointed him as the first and second Chairperson of the Council of State under the Fourth Republic during the two tenures of that government. I was present as Deputy Attorney General representing the Attorney-General at a Council of State requested meeting to discuss matters affecting the development of Ghana which was convened at the Castle Gardens. Alhaji Mumuni Bawumia took everybody by surprise when, out of the blue, he raised the question of why the former NT which became part of independent Ghana in 1957 still could not boast of one single justice in the Supreme Court of Ghana responsible for adjudicating on cases for the whole country when the 1992 Constitution had enshrined regional balance in appointments to public office. Alhaji Mumuni Bawumia demanded to know whether the government was telling the public that there were no competent lawyers from Northern Ghana qualified to be appointed to the Supreme Court all those years since independence. President Jerry John Rawlings told the assembled gathering that Alhaji Mumuni Bawumia, had made a valid point but he would have wished that the issue had been raised privately and not to the glare of the media with GBC-TV and other TV houses capturing what he had said. Jerry John Rawlings undertook to handle the aberration in the appointments to the Supreme Court which was not representative of the whole country at the time. The first supreme Court justice from Northern Ghana was nominated, opposed by the Ghana Bar Association and the NPP, and appointed to the Court in 1995. Alhaji Mumuni Bawumia after performing his duty to the North as he had done during the colonial era and since independence, never got himself involved in who was nominated from the North to the Supreme Court. I was most humbled by Alhaji Mumuni Bawumia’s integrity and selflessness for equality in Mother Ghana’s non-discriminatory power distribution in appointments to public office as mandated by the 1992 Constitution. I have tried to follow in the footsteps of the honesty, integrity, selflessness and service of our forebearers from the NT which later became Northern Ghana after independence. This contributed to my shock and trauma when I read Dr. Bawumia’s guiding principles. Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia and his siblings during the lifetime of their father were known NDC sympathizers with Dr. Bawumia’s mother being the women’s organizer for the West Mamprusi Constituency of the NDC. Young Mahamudu after his father had arranged with President Rawlings for him to return home and to be employed at the Bank of Ghana in 2000 became restless in 2004 when the NDC at its delegates congress in Kumasi decided that the next NDC running mate should be a northerner and a Muslim. Mahamudu Bawumia lobbied behind the scenes with Jerry John Rawlings to be nominated, as I was informed by the late President, whilst at the Bank of Ghana but lost out. The choice was for Professor Mills to make and not former President Rawlings. Nana Akufo-Addo had identified and groomed the restless and ambitious Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia whilst he was at the Bank of Ghana and lobbying to become the next Vice Presidential candidate to the NDC and the NPP simultaneously. The established loyalists of the NPP tradition objected to Nana Akufo-Addo’s proposal to make Dr. Bawumia his running mate for the 2008 elections but lost the contest once Nana Akufo-Addo won the presidential primaries to represent the NPP in those elections. The process of grooming, cloning, and the socialization of Dr. Bawumia as Nana Akufo-Addo’s poodle began leading to the sharing of the similar governance principles Bawumia espoused at the Walewale rally. Nana Akufo-Addo has so succeeded in grooming Dr. Bawumia in his own character and image that he can rest assured that when Dr. Bawumia succeeds him as President the fruits of “Ohene sƐ wo foro akoŋwa yi na sƐ wo aŋya sika a, wↄ bƐka sƐ wo yƐ okwasanpa ni”, however, that does NOT mean that ONLY ... [name] and ... [name] alone should make ALL the money ...the money must spread” will be protected from auditing for his family, friends and cronies under his regime to sleep in peace. The choice that faces the electorate on 7 December 2024 is, therefore, to vote Mahamudu Bawumia as Nana Akufo-Addo’s anointed successor and continue suffering under the create loot and share principle they both hold in common or vote for change to enable probity and accountability as demanded by the Constitution to prevail. I cannot as a person born in the then NT recommend Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia as a person with the trait of honesty, integrity and selfless service exhibited by our forebearers from the NT to the Republic of Ghana to be elected on 7 December 2024 as President symbolizing a representation of northerners on an NPP ticket for Ghana. Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia is not only an opportunist and pretender, he has lost track of the high moral character associated with his own biological family and the forebearers of Northern Ghana. The Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia principle of “That is why we say, if your mother is at the funeral, you cannot be denied TZ (Tuo Zaafi). You will just be enjoying TZ with good soup every day” is inconsistent with and contravenes the Presidential Oath which Mahamudu Bawumia took as Vice-President which from his own Walewale confession he will abuse again should the electorate vote for him on 7 December 2024. Ghana needs a President from one of the two dominant political parties who can audit the economic mess the Nana Akufo-Addo/Bawumia inept government is going to leave behind. I have demonstrated hereinbefore that Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia is a clone and poodle of the incumbent President and is incapable of doing such an audit. With Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, it is the same old wine in a new bottle! We may as well put lipstick on a pig, as the saying goes. John Dramani Mahama is not a saint, but he is nobody’s poodle. He has the experience as a former President to audit the mess the Nana Akufo-Addo/ Bawumia government will leave behind. I have had problems with John Dramani Mahama in the past which are documented on my website. The constitutional situation on our hands, however, demands pragmatism to ensure probity and accountability after an eight year tenure of government. We need a candidate who can command a sizeable parliamentary representation to actualize an audit of the previous government. John Dramani Mahama whose audit Nana Akufo-Addo fears ought to be the best bet for the integrity of the 1992 Constitution in our present circumstances. The 1992 Constitution does not enshrine dynasty or inheritance by cronyism, that is why the electorate should aim for a change in government on 7 December 2024 to defend and preserve the Constitution of our Fourth Republic. Ghana must always come first! Martin A. B. K. Amidu 3 December 2024State funeral for former PM Manmohan SinghCanada 'Freedom Convoy' leader found guilty over trucker protest role

WASHINGTON — President-elect Donald Trump offered a public show of support Friday for Pete Hegseth, his choice to lead the Defense Department, whose confirmation by the Senate is in doubt as he faces questions over allegations of excessive drinking, sexual assault and his views on women in combat roles. Hegseth, a former Fox News host, Army National Guard major and combat veteran, spent much of the week on Capitol Hill trying to salvage his Cabinet nomination and privately reassure Republican senators that he is fit to lead Trump's Pentagon. "Pete Hegseth is doing very well," Trump posted on his social media site. "He will be a fantastic, high energy, Secretary of Defense." The president added that "Pete is a WINNER, and there is nothing that can be done to change that!!!" The nomination battle is emerging not only as a debate about the best person to lead the Pentagon, but an inflection point for a MAGA movement that appears to be relishing a public fight over its hard-line push for a more masculine military and an end to the "woke-ism" of diversity, equity and inclusion efforts. People are also reading... Nebraska transportation director: Expressway system won't be done until 2042 At the courthouse, Nov. 30, 2024 27-year-old Beatrice man sentenced for May assault Shoplifting investigation leads to arrest for possession of controlled substance They fell in love with Beatrice. So they opened a store in downtown. Nebraska football signing day preview: Potential flips and a 5-star up for grabs Hospice foundation helps with extra support Gage County Sheriff's Office helps catch Fairbury suspect Blue Springs family to host 2025 Cattleman's Ball Mother to Mother supporting families Beatrice company seeks to break China's stranglehold on rare-earth minerals Stabler scores 22 in Lady O's season opening win At the courthouse, Nov. 23, 2024 Holiday Lighted Parade happening Saturday Shatel: Emotions are still simmering, but Nebraska delivered the bottom line for 2024 — a bowl game Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump's nominee to be defense secretary, responds to reporters during a meeting with Sen. Mike Rounds, R-S.D., a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, at the Capitol in Washington, Thursday, Dec. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) Military leaders are rattled by a list of “woke” senior officers that a conservative group urged Pete Hegseth to dismiss for promoting diversity in the ranks if he is confirmed to lead the Pentagon. The list compiled by the American Accountability Foundation includes 20 general officers or senior admirals and a disproportionate number of female officers. It has had a chilling effect on the Pentagon’s often frank discussions as leaders try to figure out how to address the potential firings and diversity issues under Trump. Those on the list in many cases seem to be targeted for public comments they made either in interviews or at events on diversity, and in some cases for retweeting posts that promote diversity. Tom Jones, a former aide to Republican senators who leads the foundation, said Friday those on the list are “pretty egregious” advocates for diversity, equity and inclusion, or DEI, policies, which he called problematic. “The nominee has been pretty clear that that has no place in the military,” Jones said of Hegseth. Hegseth embraced Trump’s effort to end programs that promote diversity in the ranks and fire those who reflect those values. Other Trump picks, like Kash Patel for FBI director, have suggested targeting those in government who are not aligned with Trump. Trump's allies forcefully rallied around Hegseth — the Heritage Foundation's political arm promised to spend $1 million to shore up his nomination — as he vows to stay in the fight, as long as the president-elect wants him to. Vice President-elect JD Vance offers a public show of support for Pete Hegseth, the embattled choice to lead the Defense Department. "We're not abandoning this nomination," Vance told reporters during a tour of western North Carolina. "We're not abandoning this nomination," Vice-President-elect JD Vance said as he toured post-hurricane North Carolina. He said he spoke with GOP senators and believes Hegseth will be confirmed. The effort became a test of Trump's clout and of how far loyalty for the president-elect goes with Republican senators who have concerns about his nominees. Two of Trump's other choices stepped aside as they faced intense scrutiny: former Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., his first choice for attorney general, and Chad Chronister, a Florida sheriff who was Trump's first choice to lead the Drug Enforcement Administration. Thanking the president-elect for the support, Hegseth posted on social media, "Like you, we will never back down." Hegseth faces resistance from senators as reports emerged about his past, including the revelation that he made a settlement payment after being accused of a sexual assault that he denies. He promised not to drink on the job and told lawmakers he never engaged in sexual misconduct, even as his professional views on female troops came under intensifying scrutiny. He said as recently as last month that women "straight up" should not serve in combat. Biden is considering preemptive pardons for officials and allies before Trump takes office COLLEEN LONG, ZEKE MILLER and LISA MASCAROAssociated Press He picked up one important endorsement from Republican Sen. Katie Britt of Alabama, whose support was seen as a potentially powerful counterweight to the cooler reception Hegseth received from Sen. Joni Ernst, a former Army National Guard lieutenant colonel. Ernst, who is also a sexual assault survivor, stopped short of an endorsement after meeting with Hegseth this week. On Friday, Ernst posted on X that she would meet with him again next week. “At a minimum, we agree that he deserves the opportunity to lay out his vision for our warfighters at a fair hearing,” she wrote. On Friday, Trump put out the statement in response to coverage saying he lost faith in Hegseth, according to a person familiar with his thinking who was not authorized to discuss it publicly. The president-elect and his team were pleased to see Hegseth putting up a fight and his performance this week reiterates why he was chosen, the person said. They believe he can still be confirmed. Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump's nominee to be defense secretary, left, joined by his wife Jennifer Rauchet, attends a meeting with Sen. Mike Rounds, R-S.D., a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, at the Capitol in Washington, Thursday, Dec. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) What to know about Pete Hegseth, Trump's pick to serve as defense secretary By MEG KINNARD - Associated Press If Hegseth goes down, Trump's team believes the defeat would empower others to spread what they cast as "vicious lies" against every candidate Trump chooses. Still, Trump's transition team is looking at potential replacements, including former presidential rival Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. DeSantis plans to attend the Dec. 14 Army-Navy football game with Trump, according to a person familiar with the Florida governor's plans who spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity. DeSantis and Trump spoke about the defense secretary post Tuesday at a memorial service for sheriff deputies in West Palm Beach, Fla., according to people familiar with the matter who said Trump was interested in DeSantis for the post, and the governor was receptive. DeSantis is poised to select a replacement for the expected Senate vacancy to be created by Marco Rubio becoming secretary of state, and Trump's daughter-in-law Lara Trump is seen as the preferred choice by those in Trump's orbit. Trump Pentagon pick had been flagged by fellow service member as possible 'Insider Threat' By TARA COPP, MICHELLE R. SMITH and JASON DEAREN - Associated Press Pete Hegseth's mother says The New York Times made 'threats' by asking her to comment on a story By DAVID BAUDER - AP Media Writer Here are the people Trump picked for key positions so far President-elect Donald Trump Among President-elect Donald Trump's picks are Susie Wiles for chief of staff, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio for secretary of state, former Democratic House member Tulsi Gabbard for director of national intelligence and Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz for attorney general. Susie Wiles, White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, 67, was a senior adviser to Trump's 2024 presidential campaign and its de facto manager. Marco Rubio, Secretary of State Trump named Florida Sen. Marco Rubio to be secretary of state, making a former sharp critic his choice to be the new administration's top diplomat. Rubio, 53, is a noted hawk on China, Cuba and Iran, and was a finalist to be Trump's running mate on the Republican ticket last summer. Rubio is the vice chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee and a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. “He will be a strong Advocate for our Nation, a true friend to our Allies, and a fearless Warrior who will never back down to our adversaries,” Trump said of Rubio in a statement. The announcement punctuates the hard pivot Rubio has made with Trump, whom the senator called a “con man" during his unsuccessful campaign for the 2016 GOP presidential nomination. Their relationship improved dramatically while Trump was in the White House. And as Trump campaigned for the presidency a third time, Rubio cheered his proposals. For instance, Rubio, who more than a decade ago helped craft immigration legislation that included a path to citizenship for people in the U.S. illegally, now supports Trump's plan to use the U.S. military for mass deportations. Pete Hegseth, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, 44, is a co-host of Fox News Channel’s “Fox & Friends Weekend” and has been a contributor with the network since 2014, where he developed a friendship with Trump, who made regular appearances on the show. Hegseth lacks senior military or national security experience. If confirmed by the Senate, he would inherit the top job during a series of global crises — ranging from Russia’s war in Ukraine and the ongoing attacks in the Middle East by Iranian proxies to the push for a cease-fire between Israel, Hamas and Hezbollah and escalating worries about the growing alliance between Russia and North Korea. Hegseth is also the author of “The War on Warriors: Behind the Betrayal of the Men Who Keep Us Free,” published earlier this year. Pam Bondi, Attorney General Trump tapped Pam Bondi, 59, to be attorney general after U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz withdrew his name from consideration. She was Florida's first female attorney general, serving between 2011 and 2019. She also was on Trump’s legal team during his first impeachment trial in 2020. Considered a loyalist, she served as part of a Trump-allied outside group that helped lay the groundwork for his future administration called the America First Policy Institute. Bondi was among a group of Republicans who showed up to support Trump at his hush money criminal trial in New York that ended in May with a conviction on 34 felony counts. A fierce defender of Trump, she also frequently appears on Fox News and has been a critic of the criminal cases against him. Kristi Noem, Secretary of Homeland Security Trump picked South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, a well-known conservative who faced sharp criticism for telling a story in her memoir about shooting a rambunctious dog, to lead an agency crucial to the president-elect’s hardline immigration agenda. Noem used her two terms leading a tiny state to vault to a prominent position in Republican politics. South Dakota is usually a political afterthought. But during the COVID-19 pandemic, Noem did not order restrictions that other states had issued and instead declared her state “open for business.” Trump held a fireworks rally at Mount Rushmore in July 2020 in one of the first large gatherings of the pandemic. She takes over a department with a sprawling mission. In addition to key immigration agencies, the Department of Homeland Security oversees natural disaster response, the U.S. Secret Service, and Transportation Security Administration agents who work at airports. Doug Burgum, Secretary of the Interior The governor of North Dakota, who was once little-known outside his state, Burgum is a former Republican presidential primary contender who endorsed Trump, and spent months traveling to drum up support for him, after dropping out of the race. Burgum was a serious contender to be Trump’s vice presidential choice this summer. The two-term governor was seen as a possible pick because of his executive experience and business savvy. Burgum also has close ties to deep-pocketed energy industry CEOs. Trump made the announcement about Burgum joining his incoming administration while addressing a gala at his Mar-a-Lago club, and said a formal statement would be coming the following day. In comments to reporters before Trump took the stage, Burgum said that, in recent years, the power grid is deteriorating in many parts of the country, which he said could raise national security concerns but also drive up prices enough to increase inflation. “There's just a sense of urgency, and a sense of understanding in the Trump administration,” Burgum said. Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. ran for president as a Democrat, than as an independent, and then endorsed Trump . He's the son of Democratic icon Robert Kennedy, who was assassinated during his own presidential campaign. The nomination of Kennedy to lead the Department of Health and Human Services alarmed people who are concerned about his record of spreading unfounded fears about vaccines . For example, he has long advanced the debunked idea that vaccines cause autism. Scott Bessent, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, 62, is a former George Soros money manager and an advocate for deficit reduction. He's the founder of hedge fund Key Square Capital Management, after having worked on-and-off for Soros Fund Management since 1991. If confirmed by the Senate, he would be the nation’s first openly gay treasury secretary. He told Bloomberg in August that he decided to join Trump’s campaign in part to attack the mounting U.S. national debt. That would include slashing government programs and other spending. “This election cycle is the last chance for the U.S. to grow our way out of this mountain of debt without becoming a sort of European-style socialist democracy,” he said then. Lori Chavez-DeRemer, Labor Secretary Oregon Republican U.S. Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer narrowly lost her reelection bid this month, but received strong backing from union members in her district. As a potential labor secretary, she would oversee the Labor Department’s workforce, its budget and put forth priorities that impact workers’ wages, health and safety, ability to unionize, and employer’s rights to fire employers, among other responsibilities. Chavez-DeRemer is one of few House Republicans to endorse the “Protecting the Right to Organize” or PRO Act would allow more workers to conduct organizing campaigns and would add penalties for companies that violate workers’ rights. The act would also weaken “right-to-work” laws that allow employees in more than half the states to avoid participating in or paying dues to unions that represent workers at their places of employment. Scott Turner, Housing and Urban Development Scott Turner is a former NFL player and White House aide. He ran the White House Opportunity and Revitalization Council during Trump’s first term in office. Trump, in a statement, credited Turner, the highest-ranking Black person he’s yet selected for his administration, with “helping to lead an Unprecedented Effort that Transformed our Country’s most distressed communities.” Sean Duffy, Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy is a former House member from Wisconsin who was one of Trump's most visible defenders on cable news. Duffy served in the House for nearly nine years, sitting on the Financial Services Committee and chairing the subcommittee on insurance and housing. He left Congress in 2019 for a TV career and has been the host of “The Bottom Line” on Fox Business. Before entering politics, Duffy was a reality TV star on MTV, where he met his wife, “Fox and Friends Weekend” co-host Rachel Campos-Duffy. They have nine children. Chris Wright, Secretary of Energy A campaign donor and CEO of Denver-based Liberty Energy, Write is a vocal advocate of oil and gas development, including fracking — a key pillar of Trump’s quest to achieve U.S. “energy dominance” in the global market. Wright also has been one of the industry’s loudest voices against efforts to fight climate change. He said the climate movement around the world is “collapsing under its own weight.” The Energy Department is responsible for advancing energy, environmental and nuclear security of the United States. Wright also won support from influential conservatives, including oil and gas tycoon Harold Hamm. Hamm, executive chairman of Oklahoma-based Continental Resources, a major shale oil company, is a longtime Trump supporter and adviser who played a key role on energy issues in Trump’s first term. Linda McMahon, Secretary of Education President-elect Donald Trump tapped billionaire professional wrestling mogul Linda McMahon to be secretary of the Education Department, tasked with overseeing an agency Trump promised to dismantle. McMahon led the Small Business Administration during Trump’s initial term from 2017 to 2019 and twice ran unsuccessfully as a Republican for the U.S. Senate in Connecticut. She’s seen as a relative unknown in education circles, though she expressed support for charter schools and school choice. She served on the Connecticut Board of Education for a year starting in 2009 and has spent years on the board of trustees for Sacred Heart University in Connecticut. Brooke Rollins, Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins, who graduated from Texas A&M University with a degree in agricultural development, is a longtime Trump associate who served as White House domestic policy chief during his first presidency. The 52-year-old is president and CEO of the America First Policy Institute, a group helping to lay the groundwork for a second Trump administration. She previously served as an aide to former Texas Gov. Rick Perry and ran a think tank, the Texas Public Policy Foundation. Howard Lutnick, Secretary of Commerce Trump chose Howard Lutnick, head of brokerage and investment bank Cantor Fitzgerald and a cryptocurrency enthusiast, as his nominee for commerce secretary, a position in which he'd have a key role in carrying out Trump's plans to raise and enforce tariffs. Trump made the announcement Tuesday on his social media platform, Truth Social. Lutnick is a co-chair of Trump’s transition team, along with Linda McMahon, the former wrestling executive who previously led Trump’s Small Business Administration. Both are tasked with putting forward candidates for key roles in the next administration. The nomination would put Lutnick in charge of a sprawling Cabinet agency that is involved in funding new computer chip factories, imposing trade restrictions, releasing economic data and monitoring the weather. It is also a position in which connections to CEOs and the wider business community are crucial. Doug Collins, Secretary of Veterans Affairs Doug Collins is a former Republican congressman from Georgia who gained recognition for defending Trump during his first impeachment trial, which centered on U.S. assistance for Ukraine. Trump was impeached for urging Ukraine to investigate Joe Biden in 2019 during the Democratic presidential nomination, but he was acquitted by the Senate. Collins has also served in the armed forces himself and is currently a chaplain in the United States Air Force Reserve Command. "We must take care of our brave men and women in uniform, and Doug will be a great advocate for our Active Duty Servicemembers, Veterans, and Military Families to ensure they have the support they need," Trump said in a statement about nominating Collins to lead the Department of Veterans Affairs. Karoline Leavitt, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, 27, was Trump's campaign press secretary and currently a spokesperson for his transition. She would be the youngest White House press secretary in history. The White House press secretary typically serves as the public face of the administration and historically has held daily briefings for the press corps. Leavitt, a New Hampshire native, was a spokesperson for MAGA Inc., a super PAC supporting Trump, before joining his 2024 campaign. In 2022, she ran for Congress in New Hampshire, winning a 10-way Republican primary before losing to Democratic Rep. Chris Pappas. Leavitt worked in the White House press office during Trump's first term before she became communications director for New York Republican Rep. Elise Stefanik, Trump's choice for U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. Tulsi Gabbard, National Intelligence Director Former Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard has been tapped by Trump to be director of national intelligence, keeping with the trend to stock his Cabinet with loyal personalities rather than veteran professionals in their requisite fields. Gabbard, 43, was a Democratic House member who unsuccessfully sought the party's 2020 presidential nomination before leaving the party in 2022. She endorsed Trump in August and campaigned often with him this fall. “I know Tulsi will bring the fearless spirit that has defined her illustrious career to our Intelligence Community,” Trump said in a statement. Gabbard, who has served in the Army National Guard for more than two decades, deploying to Iraq and Kuwait, would come to the role as somewhat of an outsider compared to her predecessor. The current director, Avril Haines, was confirmed by the Senate in 2021 following several years in a number of top national security and intelligence positions. John Ratcliffe, Central Intelligence Agency Director Trump has picked John Ratcliffe, a former Texas congressman who served as director of national intelligence during his first administration, to be director of the Central Intelligence Agency in his next. Ratcliffe was director of national intelligence during the final year and a half of Trump's first term, leading the U.S. government's spy agencies during the coronavirus pandemic. “I look forward to John being the first person ever to serve in both of our Nation's highest Intelligence positions,” Trump said in a statement, calling him a “fearless fighter for the Constitutional Rights of all Americans” who would ensure “the Highest Levels of National Security, and PEACE THROUGH STRENGTH.” Kash Patel, Federal Bureau of Investigation Director Kash Patel spent several years as a Justice Department prosecutor before catching the Trump administration’s attention as a staffer on Capitol Hill who helped investigate the Russia probe. Patel called for dramatically reducing the agency’s footprint, a perspective that sets him apart from earlier directors who sought additional resources for the bureau. Though the Justice Department in 2021 halted the practice of secretly seizing reporters’ phone records during leak investigations, Patel said he intends to aggressively hunt down government officials who leak information to reporters. Lee Zeldin, Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Trump has chosen former New York Rep. Lee Zeldin to serve as his pick to lead the Environmental Protection Agency . Zeldin does not appear to have any experience in environmental issues, but is a longtime supporter of the former president. The 44-year-old former U.S. House member from New York wrote on X , “We will restore US energy dominance, revitalize our auto industry to bring back American jobs, and make the US the global leader of AI.” “We will do so while protecting access to clean air and water,” he added. During his campaign, Trump often attacked the Biden administration's promotion of electric vehicles, and incorrectly referring to a tax credit for EV purchases as a government mandate. Trump also often told his audiences during the campaign his administration would “Drill, baby, drill,” referring to his support for expanded petroleum exploration. In a statement, Trump said Zeldin “will ensure fair and swift deregulatory decisions that will be enacted in a way to unleash the power of American businesses, while at the same time maintaining the highest environmental standards, including the cleanest air and water on the planet.” Brendan Carr, Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission Trump has named Brendan Carr, the senior Republican on the Federal Communications Commission, as the new chairman of the agency tasked with regulating broadcasting, telecommunications and broadband. Carr is a longtime member of the commission and served previously as the FCC’s general counsel. He has been unanimously confirmed by the Senate three times and was nominated by both Trump and President Joe Biden to the commission. Carr made past appearances on “Fox News Channel," including when he decried Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris' pre-Election Day appearance on “Saturday Night Live.” He wrote an op-ed last month defending a satellite company owned by Trump supporter Elon Musk. Paul Atkins, Chair of the Securities and Exchange Commission Trump said Atkins, the CEO of Patomak Partners and a former SEC commissioner, was a “proven leader for common sense regulations.” In the years since leaving the SEC, Atkins has made the case against too much market regulation. “He believes in the promise of robust, innovative capital markets that are responsive to the needs of Investors, & that provide capital to make our Economy the best in the World. He also recognizes that digital assets & other innovations are crucial to Making America Greater than Ever Before,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. The commission oversees U.S. securities markets and investments and is currently led by Gary Gensler, who has been leading the U.S. government’s crackdown on the crypto industry. Gensler, who was nominated by President Joe Biden, announced last month that he would be stepping down from his post on the day that Trump is inaugurated — Jan. 20, 2025. Atkins began his career as a lawyer and has a long history working in the financial markets sector, both in government and private practice. In the 1990s, he worked on the staffs of two former SEC chairmen, Richard C. Breeden and Arthur Levitt. Jared Isaacman, NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman, 41, is a tech billionaire who bought a series of spaceflights from Elon Musk’s SpaceX and conducted the first private spacewalk . He is the founder and CEO of a card-processing company and has collaborated closely with Musk ever since buying his first chartered SpaceX flight. He took contest winners on that 2021 trip and followed it in September with a mission where he briefly popped out the hatch to test SpaceX’s new spacewalking suits. Elise Stefanik, Ambassador to the United Nations Rep. Elise Stefanik is a representative from New York and one of Trump's staunchest defenders going back to his first impeachment. Elected to the House in 2014, Stefanik was selected by her GOP House colleagues as House Republican Conference chair in 2021, when former Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney was removed from the post after publicly criticizing Trump for falsely claiming he won the 2020 election. Stefanik, 40, has served in that role ever since as the third-ranking member of House leadership. Stefanik’s questioning of university presidents over antisemitism on their campuses helped lead to two of those presidents resigning, further raising her national profile. If confirmed, she would represent American interests at the U.N. as Trump vows to end the war waged by Russia against Ukraine begun in 2022. He has also called for peace as Israel continues its offensive against Hamas in Gaza and its invasion of Lebanon to target Hezbollah. Matt Whitaker, Ambassador to NATO President-elect Donald Trump says he's chosen former acting Attorney General Matt Whitaker to serve as U.S. ambassador to NATO. Trump has expressed skepticism about the Western military alliance for years. Trump said in a statement Wednesday that Whitaker is “a strong warrior and loyal Patriot” who “will ensure the United States’ interests are advanced and defended” and “strengthen relationships with our NATO Allies, and stand firm in the face of threats to Peace and Stability.” The choice of Whitaker as the nation’s representative to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization is an unusual one, given his background is as a lawyer and not in foreign policy. David Perdue, Ambassador to China President-elect Donald Trump tapped former Sen. David Perdue of Georgia to be ambassador to China, saying in a social media post that the former CEO “brings valuable expertise to help build our relationship with China.” Perdue lost his Senate seat to Democrat Jon Ossoff four years ago and ran unsuccessfully in a primary against Republican Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp. Perdue pushed Trump's debunked lies about electoral fraud during his failed bid for governor. Pete Hoekstra, Ambassador to Canada A Republican congressman from Michigan who served from 1993 to 2011, Hoekstra was ambassador to the Netherlands during Trump's first term. “In my Second Term, Pete will help me once again put AMERICA FIRST,” Trump said in a statement announcing his choice. “He did an outstanding job as United States Ambassador to the Netherlands during our first four years, and I am confident that he will continue to represent our Country well in this new role.” Mike Huckabee, Ambassador to Israel Trump will nominate former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee to be ambassador to Israel. Huckabee is a staunch defender of Israel and his intended nomination comes as Trump has promised to align U.S. foreign policy more closely with Israel's interests as it wages wars against the Iran-backed Hamas and Hezbollah. “He loves Israel, and likewise the people of Israel love him,” Trump said in a statement. “Mike will work tirelessly to bring about peace in the Middle East.” Huckabee, who ran unsuccessfully for the Republican presidential nomination in 2008 and 2016, has been a popular figure among evangelical Christian conservatives, many of whom support Israel due to Old Testament writings that Jews are God’s chosen people and that Israel is their rightful homeland. Trump has been praised by some in this important Republican voting bloc for moving the U.S. embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. Steven Witkoff, Special Envoy to the Middle East Trump on Tuesday named real estate investor Steven Witkoff to be special envoy to the Middle East. The 67-year-old Witkoff is the president-elect's golf partner and was golfing with him at Trump's club in West Palm Beach, Florida, on Sept. 15, when the former president was the target of a second attempted assassination. Witkoff “is a Highly Respected Leader in Business and Philanthropy,” Trump said of Witkoff in a statement. “Steve will be an unrelenting Voice for PEACE, and make us all proud." Trump also named Witkoff co-chair, with former Georgia Sen. Kelly Loeffler, of his inaugural committee. Keith Kellogg, Special Envoy for Ukraine and Russia Trump said Wednesday that he will nominate Gen. Keith Kellogg to serve as assistant to the president and special envoy for Ukraine and Russia. Kellogg, a retired Army lieutenant general who has long been Trump’s top adviser on defense issues, served as National Security Advisor to Trump's former Vice President Mike Pence. For the America First Policy Institute, one of several groups formed after Trump left office to help lay the groundwork for the next Republican administration, Kellogg in April wrote that “bringing the Russia-Ukraine war to a close will require strong, America First leadership to deliver a peace deal and immediately end the hostilities between the two warring parties.” (AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib) Mike Waltz, National Security Adviser Trump asked Rep. Michael Waltz, R-Fla., a retired Army National Guard officer and war veteran, to be his national security adviser, Trump announced in a statement Tuesday. The move puts Waltz in the middle of national security crises, ranging from efforts to provide weapons to Ukraine and worries about the growing alliance between Russia and North Korea to the persistent attacks in the Middle East by Iran proxies and the push for a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas and Hezbollah. “Mike has been a strong champion of my America First Foreign Policy agenda,” Trump's statement said, "and will be a tremendous champion of our pursuit of Peace through Strength!” Waltz is a three-term GOP congressman from east-central Florida. He served multiple tours in Afghanistan and also worked in the Pentagon as a policy adviser when Donald Rumsfeld and Robert Gates were defense chiefs. He is considered hawkish on China, and called for a U.S. boycott of the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing due to its involvement in the origin of COVID-19 and its mistreatment of the minority Muslim Uighur population. Stephen Miller, Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy Stephen Miller, an immigration hardliner , was a vocal spokesperson during the presidential campaign for Trump's priority of mass deportations. The 39-year-old was a senior adviser during Trump's first administration. Miller has been a central figure in some of Trump's policy decisions, notably his move to separate thousands of immigrant families. Trump argued throughout the campaign that the nation's economic, national security and social priorities could be met by deporting people who are in the United States illegally. Since Trump left office in 2021, Miller has served as the president of America First Legal, an organization made up of former Trump advisers aimed at challenging the Biden administration, media companies, universities and others over issues such as free speech and national security. Tom Homan, ‘Border Czar’ Thomas Homan, 62, has been tasked with Trump’s top priority of carrying out the largest deportation operation in the nation’s history. Homan, who served under Trump in his first administration leading U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, was widely expected to be offered a position related to the border, an issue Trump made central to his campaign. Though Homan has insisted such a massive undertaking would be humane, he has long been a loyal supporter of Trump's policy proposals, suggesting at a July conference in Washington that he would be willing to "run the biggest deportation operation this country’s ever seen.” Democrats have criticized Homan for his defending Trump's “zero tolerance” policy on border crossings during his first administration, which led to the separation of thousands of parents and children seeking asylum at the border. Billy Long, Internal Revenue Service commissioner Former Rep. Billy Long represented Missouri in the U.S. House from 2011 to 2023. Since leaving Congress, Trump said, Long “has worked as a Business and Tax advisor, helping Small Businesses navigate the complexities of complying with the IRS Rules and Regulations.” Kelly Loeffler, Small Business Administration administrator Former Georgia Sen. Kelly Loeffler was appointed in January 2020 by Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp and then lost a runoff election a year later. She started a conservative voter registration organization and dived into GOP fundraising, becoming one of the top individual donors and bundlers to Trump’s 2024 comeback campaign. Even before nominating her for agriculture secretary, the president-elect already had tapped Loeffler as co-chair of his inaugural committee. Dr. Mehmet Oz, Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz, 64, is a former heart surgeon who hosted “The Dr. Oz Show,” a long-running daytime television talk show. He ran unsuccessfully for the U.S. Senate as the Republican nominee in 2022 and is an outspoken supporter of Trump, who endorsed Oz's bid for elected office. Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy to advise White House on government efficiency Elon Musk, left, and Vivek Ramaswamy speak before Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump at an Oct. 27 campaign rally at Madison Square Garden in New York. Trump on Tuesday said Musk and former Republican presidential candidate Ramaswamy will lead a new “Department of Government Efficiency" — which is not, despite the name, a government agency. The acronym “DOGE” is a nod to Musk's favorite cryptocurrency, dogecoin. Trump said Musk and Ramaswamy will work from outside the government to offer the White House “advice and guidance” and will partner with the Office of Management and Budget to “drive large scale structural reform, and create an entrepreneurial approach to Government never seen before.” He added the move would shock government systems. It's not clear how the organization will operate. Musk, owner of X and CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, has been a constant presence at Mar-a-Lago since Trump won the presidential election. Ramaswamy suspended his campaign in January and threw his support behind Trump. Trump said the two will “pave the way for my Administration to dismantle Government Bureaucracy, slash excess regulations, cut wasteful expenditures, and restructure Federal Agencies.” Russell Vought, Office of Management and Budget Russell Vought held the position during Trump’s first presidency. After Trump’s initial term ended, Vought founded the Center for Renewing America, a think tank that describes its mission as “renew a consensus of America as a nation under God.” Vought was closely involved with Project 2025, a conservative blueprint for Trump’s second term that he tried to distance himself from during the campaign. Vought has also previously worked as the executive and budget director for the Republican Study Committee, a caucus for conservative House Republicans. He also worked at Heritage Action, the political group tied to The Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank. Additional selections to the incoming White House Dan Scavino, deputy chief of staff Scavino, whom Trump's transition referred to in a statement as one of “Trump's longest serving and most trusted aides,” was a senior adviser to Trump's 2024 campaign, as well as his 2016 and 2020 campaigns. He will be deputy chief of staff and assistant to the president. Scavino had run Trump's social media profile in the White House during his first administration. He was also held in contempt of Congress in 2022 after a month-long refusal to comply with a subpoena from the House committee’s investigation into the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. James Blair, deputy chief of staff Blair was political director for Trump's 2024 campaign and for the Republican National Committee. He will be deputy chief of staff for legislative, political and public affairs and assistant to the president. Blair was key to Trump's economic messaging during his winning White House comeback campaign this year, a driving force behind the candidate's “Trump can fix it” slogan and his query to audiences this fall if they were better off than four years ago. Taylor Budowich, deputy chief of staff Budowich is a veteran Trump campaign aide who launched and directed Make America Great Again, Inc., a super PAC that supported Trump's 2024 campaign. He will be deputy chief of staff for communications and personnel and assistant to the president. Budowich also had served as a spokesman for Trump after his presidency. Jay Bhattacharya, National Institutes of Health Trump has chosen Dr. Jay Bhattacharya to lead the National Institutes of Health. Bhattacharya is a physician and professor at Stanford University School of Medicine, and is a critic of pandemic lockdowns and vaccine mandates. He promoted the idea of herd immunity during the pandemic, arguing that people at low risk should live normally while building up immunity to COVID-19 through infection. The National Institutes of Health funds medical research through competitive grants to researchers at institutions throughout the nation. NIH also conducts its own research with thousands of scientists working at its labs in Bethesda, Maryland. Dr. Marty Makary, Food and Drug Administration Makary is a Johns Hopkins surgeon and author who argued against pandemic lockdowns. He routinely appeared on Fox News during the COVID-19 pandemic and wrote opinion articles questioning masks for children. He cast doubt on vaccine mandates but supported vaccines generally. Makary also cast doubt on whether booster shots worked, which was against federal recommendations on the vaccine. Dr. Janette Nesheiwat, Surgeon General Nesheiwat is a general practitioner who serves as medical director for CityMD, a network of urgent care centers in New York and New Jersey. She has been a contributor to Fox News. Dr. Dave Weldon, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Weldon is a former Florida congressman who recently ran for a Florida state legislative seat and lost; Trump backed Weldon’s opponent. In Congress, Weldon weighed in on one of the nation’s most heated debates of the 1990s over quality of life and a right-to-die and whether Terri Schiavo, who was in a persistent vegetative state after cardiac arrest, should have been allowed to have her feeding tube removed. He sided with the parents who did not want it removed. Jamieson Greer, U.S. trade representative Kevin Hassett, Director of the White House National Economic Council Trump is turning to two officials with experience navigating not only Washington but the key issues of income taxes and tariffs as he fills out his economic team. He announced he has chosen international trade attorney Jamieson Greer to be his U.S. trade representative and Kevin Hassett as director of the White House National Economic Council. While Trump has in several cases nominated outsiders to key posts, these picks reflect a recognition that his reputation will likely hinge on restoring the public’s confidence in the economy. Trump said in a statement that Greer was instrumental in his first term in imposing tariffs on China and others and replacing the trade agreement with Canada and Mexico, “therefore making it much better for American Workers.” Hassett, 62, served in the first Trump term as chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers. He has a doctorate from the University of Pennsylvania and worked at the right-leaning American Enterprise Institute before joining the Trump White House in 2017. Stay up-to-date on the latest in local and national government and political topics with our newsletter.2024 in pop culture: In a bruising year, we sought out fantasy, escapism — and cute little animals

Bluesky has seen its user base soar since the U.S. presidential election, boosted by people seeking refuge from Elon Musk’s X, which they view as increasingly leaning too far to the right given its owner’s support of President-elect Donald Trump, or wanting an alternative to Meta’s Threads and its algorithms. The platform grew out of the company then known as Twitter, championed by its former CEO Jack Dorsey. Its decentralized approach to social networking was eventually intended to replace Twitter’s core mechanic. That’s unlikely now that the two companies have parted ways. But Bluesky’s growth trajectory — with a user base that more than doubled since October — could make it a serious competitor to other social platforms. But with growth comes growing pains. It’s not just human users who flocked to Bluesky but also bots, including those designed to create partisan division or direct users to junk websites. The skyrocketing user base — now surpassing 25 million — is the biggest test yet for a relatively young platform that branded itself as a social media alternative free of the problems plaguing its competitors. According to research firm Similarweb, Bluesky added 7.6 million monthly active app users on iOS and Android in November, an increase of 295.4% since October. It also saw 56.2 million desktop and mobile web visits, in the same period, up 189% from October. Besides the U.S. elections, Bluesky also got a boost when X was briefly banned in Brazil. “They got this spike in attention, they’ve crossed the threshold where it is now worth it for people to flood the platform with spam,” said Laura Edelson, an assistant professor of computer science at Northeastern University and a member of Issue One’s Council for Responsible Social Media. “But they don’t have the cash flow, they don’t have the established team that a larger platform would, so they have to do it all very, very quickly.” To manage growth for its tiny staff, Bluesky started as an invitation-only space until it opened to the public in February. That period gave the site time to build out moderation tools and other distinctive features to attract new users, such as “starter packs” that provide lists of topically curated feeds. Meta recently announced it is testing a similar feature. Compared to the bigger players like Meta’s platforms or X, Bluesky has a “quite different” value system, said Claire Wardle, a professor at Cornell University and an expert in misinformation. This includes giving users more control over their experience. “The first generation of social media platforms connected the world, but ended up consolidating power in the hands of a few corporations and their leaders,” Bluesky said on its blog in March. “Our online experience doesn’t have to depend on billionaires unilaterally making decisions over what we see. On an open social network like Bluesky, you can shape your experience for yourself.” Because of this mindset, Bluesky has achieved a scrappy underdog status that attracted users who grew tired of the big players. “People had this idea that it was going to be a different type of social network,” Wardle said. “But the truth is, when you get lots of people in a place and there are eyeballs, it means that it’s in other people’s interests to use bots to create, you know, information that aligns with their perspective.” Little data has emerged to help quantify the rise in impersonator accounts, artificial intelligence-fueled networks and other potentially harmful content on Bluesky. But in recent weeks, users began reporting large numbers of apparent AI bots following them, posting plagiarized articles or making seemingly automated divisive comments in replies. Lion Cassens, a Bluesky user and doctoral candidate in the Netherlands, found one such network by accident — a group of German-language accounts with similar bios and AI-generated profile pictures posting in replies to three German newspapers. “I noticed some weird replies under a news post by the German newspaper ‘Die Ziet,’” he said in an email to The Associated Press. “I have a lot of trust in the moderation mechanism on Bluesky, especially compared to Twitter since the layoffs and due to Musk’s more radical stance on freedom of speech. But AI bots are a big challenge, as they will only improve. I hope social media can keep up with that.” Cassens said the bots’ messages have been relatively innocuous so far, but he was concerned about how they could be repurposed in the future to mislead. There are also signs that foreign disinformation narratives have made their way to Bluesky. The disinformation research group Alethea pointed to one low-traction post sharing a false claim about ABC News that had circulated on Russian Telegram channels. Copycat accounts are another challenge. In late November, Alexios Mantzarlis, director of the Security, Trust and Safety Initiative at Cornell Tech, found that of the top 100 most followed named individuals on Bluesky, 44% at least one duplicate account posing as them. Two weeks later, Mantzarlis said Bluesky removed around two-thirds of the duplicate accounts he initiallydetected — a sign the site was aware of the issue and attempting to address it. Bluesky posted this month that it quadrupled its moderation team to keep up with its growing user base. Get local news delivered to your inbox!NFL ends investigation into sexual assault allegations against Watson

Republicans Could End Up Owning A Jump In Health Care Premiums2024 in pop culture: In a bruising year, we sought out fantasy, escapism — and cute little animals

This ain't Texas—this is buffering. As Beyoncé gets ready to perform during the Houston Texans vs. Baltimore Ravens Christmas Day halftime show at NRG Stadium in her hometown of Houston, she couldn't help but poke a bit of fun at Netflix , who will be live-streaming the game on their platform. In a video posted to her social media accounts Dec. 24 , the Grammy winner could be seen sitting on a football field wearing a flowing cape, big hat and sunglasses and strumming a banjo to the tune of her hit "Texas Hold 'Em." As Beyoncé removes her sunglasses, the camera zooms in on her face before giving viewers the classic Netflix red circle buffer. The "Diva" singer—who shares children Blue Ivy Carter , 12, and twins Rumi Carter and Sir Carter , 7, with husband Jay-Z —can then be heard laughing over the buffer, before the video cuts to a reminder about the game. "I'm sending you big joy and love on this Cowboy Christmas Eve," the 43-year-old wrote alongside the promo. "I'll see y'all tomorrow, in my city HTX." And of course fans were delighted by the trolling, with Netflix even jumping in to share their own thoughts. "now hold on...," they wrote in the comments of her video on X , formerly Twitter, before changing their bio on the platform to, "roasted by beyoncé 12.24.25." Beyoncé's halftime performance marks the first time she's taken the stage since wrapping her Renaissance World Tour in October 2023, and also the first since the March release of her latest album, Cowboy Carter . And while the Texans-Ravens game will start streaming on Netflix at 4:30 p.m. ET, fans will still have three hours to catch her performance on the platform after the game ends, according to Variety . (Although if you're outside the United States, the game expires 24 hours after the stream ends.) But it's not all about football for Beyoncé, as mom Tina Knowles recently shared a few of the family's holiday traditions that they'll be enjoying this year. "For the kids, we buy toys just like in any other family," she told E! News . "That's what they like." And it's not just gifts they'll be enjoying, as Tina has another recipe for success up her sleeve, noting she'll be, "making my amazing gumbo." "I just made it for Thanksgiving," she added, "it was so many people that came over. Just good food and company and family." To see how more of your favorite stars are celebrating the holidays this year, keep reading. Christian Siriano The fashion designer attends David Barton and Susanne Bartsch ’s 25th annual toy drive at Gym U in New York City. Bronwyn Newport, Angie Katsanevas, Mary Cosby & Whitney Rose The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City costars escape the Utah snow to party at DIRECTV’s Christmas at Kathy’s bash in Beverly Hills. Larsa Pippen & Marysol Patton The Real Housewives of Miami costars rock Printfresh pajamas for Marysol's Recharge & Reset holiday pajama party. Kourtney Kardashian The Poosh founder gave fans a glimpse at her holiday decor, which included numerous Christmas trees all around her home, with one upside down. Kris Jenner The Kardashians star is definitely the most interesting to look at while attending Kathy & Nicky Hilton's Annual Holiday Printfresh Pajama Launch Party Benefitting Animal Haven and Camp Cocker Rescue in L.A. Cynthia Bailey & Crystal Kung Minkoff The Real Housewives stars co-host The Abbey’s 15th Annual Tree Lighting Ceremony in honor of World AIDS Day benefiting The Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation in West Hollywood. Kathy Hilton and Nicky Hilton The mother-daughter duo host the hottest holiday party in the 90210. Tarek El Moussa & Heather Rae El Moussa The lovebirds attend DIRECTV’s Christmas at Kathy’s party benefitting Ronald McDonald House charities. Heather Dubrow The Real Housewives of Orange County star swapped Prada for pajamas during Kathy & Nicky Hilton's Annual Holiday Printfresh Pajama Launch Party. Cynthia Bailey The Bravolebrity is pretty in pink at Kathy & Nicky Hilton's Annual Holiday Printfresh Pajama Launch Party. Lisa Barlow & Kathy Hilton The Real Housewives stars belt out a number at Kathy's DIRECTV bash in Beverly Hills. Dylan Mulvaney & Ashley Park The influencer and Emily and Paris star ring in the holidays in the comfiest way possible. Crystal Kung Minkoff The RHOBH alum attends BFF Kathy Hilton's holiday PJ party. John Janssen & Alexis Bellino The RHOC couple enjoy date night at DIRECTV’s Christmas at Kathy’s charity party. Kimora Lee Simmons The supermodel looks runway ready at Kathy & Nicky Hilton's Annual Holiday Printfresh Pajama Launch Party in L.A. Jennifer Tilly The RHOBH castmember is feeling festive at Kathy & Nicky Hilton's Annual Holiday Printfresh Pajama Launch Party. Nicky Hilton The entrepreneur kicks of the holiday season hosting a party alongside mom Kathy. Kathy Hilton The Real Housewives star is definitely feeling hunky dory this holiday season. Dorit Kemsley The RHOBH star strikes a pose in front of Kathy Hilton's Christmas tree. Kyle Richards & Faye Resnick The besties ring in the 2024 holiday season today at Kathy & Nicky Hilton's Annual Holiday Printfresh Pajama Launch Party. Erika Jayne The "Pretty Mess" singer has her hands full with some enviable stocking stuffers. Paula Abdul The "Straight Up" singer is comfy and cozy during Kathy & Nicky Hilton's Annual Holiday Printfresh Pajama Launch Party. Ashley Benson The actress stops by Kathy & Nicky Hilton's Annual Holiday Printfresh Pajama Launch Party. Jaime King The actress models a Kathy Hilton original.

Donald Trump said Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates has asked to visit him at the president-elect's Mar-a-Lago home in Florida. or signup to continue reading Part way through a Truth Social post on Friday morning, Trump referred to his Mar-a-Lago home, saying "Bill Gates asked to come, tonight. We miss you and x! New Year's Eve is going to be AMAZING!!! DJT." Trump provided no further details. Emails and calls to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation asking about a potential Gates visit to Mar-a-Lago were not immediately answered. Gates has been critical of Trump in the past, particularly over his first administration's response to the COVID-19 pandemic, but Gates publicly congratulated Trump on his November 5 election victory and expressed hope they could work together. Some of the biggest tech sector companies in the US have pledged donations to Trump's inaugural fund as they seek more favourable relations with the Republican president-elect before he takes office on January 20. In November, Meta Platforms CEO Mark Zuckerberg visited Trump at Mar-a-Lago. Meta has donated $US1 million ($A1.6 million) to Trump's inaugural fund, a company spokesperson told Reuters on December 12. Other tech companies that are donating $US1 million ($A1.6 million) to Trump's inaugural fund include Amazon and Uber Technologies . DAILY Today's top stories curated by our news team. WEEKDAYS Grab a quick bite of today's latest news from around the region and the nation. WEEKLY The latest news, results & expert analysis. WEEKDAYS Catch up on the news of the day and unwind with great reading for your evening. WEEKLY Get the editor's insights: what's happening & why it matters. WEEKLY Love footy? We've got all the action covered. WEEKLY Every Saturday and Tuesday, explore destinations deals, tips & travel writing to transport you around the globe. WEEKLY Going out or staying in? Find out what's on. WEEKDAYS Sharp. Close to the ground. Digging deep. Your weekday morning newsletter on national affairs, politics and more. TWICE WEEKLY Your essential national news digest: all the big issues on Wednesday and great reading every Saturday. WEEKLY Get news, reviews and expert insights every Thursday from CarExpert, ACM's exclusive motoring partner. TWICE WEEKLY Get real, Australia! Let the ACM network's editors and journalists bring you news and views from all over. AS IT HAPPENS Be the first to know when news breaks. DAILY Your digital replica of Today's Paper. Ready to read from 5am! DAILY Test your skills with interactive crosswords, sudoku & trivia. Fresh daily! Advertisement AdvertisementDana Hull | (TNS) Bloomberg News Jared Birchall, Elon Musk’s money manager and the head of his family office, is listed as the chief executive officer. Jehn Balajadia, a longtime Musk aide who has worked at SpaceX and the Boring Co., is named as an official contact. Related Articles National Politics | Biden will decide on US Steel acquisition after influential panel fails to reach consensus National Politics | Biden vetoes once-bipartisan effort to add 66 federal judgeships, citing ‘hurried’ House action National Politics | An analyst looks ahead to how the US economy might fare under Trump National Politics | Trump again calls to buy Greenland after eyeing Canada and the Panama Canal National Politics | House Ethics Committee accuses Gaetz of ‘regularly’ paying for sex, including with 17-year-old girl But they’re not connected to Musk’s new technology venture, or the political operation that’s endeared him to Donald Trump. Instead, they’re tied to the billionaire’s new Montessori school outside Bastrop, Texas, called Ad Astra, according to documents filed with state authorities and obtained via a Texas Public Information Act request. The world’s richest person oversees an overlapping empire of six companies — or seven, if you include his political action committee. Alongside rockets, electric cars, brain implants, social media and the next Trump administration, he is increasingly focused on education, spanning preschool to college. One part of his endeavor was revealed last year, when Bloomberg News reported that his foundation had set aside roughly $100 million to create a technology-focused primary and secondary school in Austin, with eventual plans for a university. An additional $137 million in cash and stock was allotted last year, according to the most recent tax filing for the Musk Foundation. Ad Astra is closer to fruition. The state documents show Texas authorities issued an initial permit last month, clearing the way for the center to operate with as many as 21 pupils. Ad Astra’s website says it’s “currently open to all children ages 3 to 9.” The school’s account on X includes job postings for an assistant teacher for preschool and kindergarten and an assistant teacher for students ages 6 to 9. To run the school, Ad Astra is partnering with a company that has experience with billionaires: Xplor Education, which developed Hala Kahiki Montessori school in Lanai, Hawaii, the island 98% owned by Oracle Corp. founder Larry Ellison. Ad Astra sits on a highway outside Bastrop, a bedroom community about 30 miles from Austin and part of a region that’s home to several of Musk’s businesses. On a visit during a recent weekday morning, there was a single Toyota Prius in the parking lot and no one answered the door at the white building with a gray metal roof. The school’s main entrance was blocked by a gate, and there was no sign of any children on the grounds. But what information there is about Ad Astra makes it sound like a fairly typical, if high-end, Montessori preschool. The proposed schedule includes “thematic, STEM-based activities and projects” as well as outdoor play and nap time. A sample snack calendar features carrots and hummus. While Birchall’s and Balajadia’s names appear in the application, it isn’t clear that they’ll have substantive roles at the school once it’s operational. Musk, Birchall and Balajadia didn’t respond to emailed questions. A phone call and email to the school went unanswered. Access to high quality, affordable childcare is a huge issue for working parents across the country, and tends to be an especially vexing problem in rural areas like Bastrop. Many families live in “childcare deserts” where there is either not a facility or there isn’t an available slot. Opening Ad Astra gives Musk a chance to showcase his vision for education, and his support for the hands-on learning and problem solving that are a hallmark of his industrial companies. His public comments about learning frequently overlap with cultural concerns popular among conservatives and the Make America Great Again crowd, often focusing on what he sees as young minds being indoctrinated by teachers spewing left-wing propaganda. He has railed against diversity, equity and inclusion efforts, and in August posted that “a lot of schools are teaching white boys to hate themselves.” Musk’s educational interests dovetail with his new role as Trump’s “first buddy.” The billionaire has pitched a role for himself that he — and now the incoming Trump administration — call “DOGE,” or the Department of Government Efficiency. Though it’s not an actual department, DOGE now posts on X, the social media platform that Musk owns. “The Department of Education spent over $1 billion promoting DEI in America’s schools,” the account posted Dec. 12. Back in Texas, Bastrop is quickly becoming a key Musk point of interest. The Boring Co., his tunneling venture, is based in an unincorporated area there. Across the road, SpaceX produces Starlink satellites at a 500,000-square-foot (46,000-square-meter) facility. Nearby, X is constructing a building for trust and safety workers. Musk employees, as well as the general public, can grab snacks at the Boring Bodega, a convenience store housed within Musk’s Hyperloop Plaza, which also contains a bar, candy shop and hair salon. Ad Astra is just a five-minute drive away. It seems to have been designed with the children of Musk’s employees — if not Musk’s own offspring — in mind. Musk has fathered at least 12 children, six of them in the last five years. “Ad Astra’s mission is to foster curiosity, creativity, and critical thinking in the next generation of problem solvers and builders,” reads the school’s website. A job posting on the website of the Montessori Institute of North Texas says “While their parents support the breakthroughs that expand the realm of human possibility, their children will grow into the next generation of innovators in a way that only authentic Montessori can provide.” The school has hired an executive director, according to documents Bloomberg obtained from Texas Health and Human Services. Ad Astra is located on 40 acres of land, according to the documents, which said a 4,000-square-foot house would be remodeled for the preschool. It isn’t uncommon for entrepreneurs to take an interest in education, according to Bill Gormley, a professor emeritus at the McCourt School of Public Policy at Georgetown University who studies early childhood education. Charles Butt, the chairman of the Texas-based H-E-B grocery chain, has made public education a focus of his philanthropy. Along with other business and community leaders, Butt founded “Raise Your Hand Texas,” which advocates on school funding, teacher workforce and retention issues and fully funding pre-kindergarten. “Musk is not the only entrepreneur to recognize the value of preschool for Texas workers,” Gormley said. “A lot of politicians and business people get enthusiastic about education in general — and preschool in particular — because they salivate at the prospect of a better workforce.” Musk spent much of October actively campaigning for Trump’s presidential effort, becoming the most prolific donor of the election cycle. He poured at least $274 million into political groups in 2024, including $238 million to America PAC, the political action committee he founded. While the vast majority of money raised by America PAC came from Musk himself, it also had support from other donors. Betsy DeVos, who served as education secretary in Trump’s first term, donated $250,000, federal filings show. The Department of Education is already in the new administration’s cross hairs. Trump campaigned on the idea of disbanding the department and dismantling diversity initiatives, and he has also taken aim at transgender rights. “Rather than indoctrinating young people with inappropriate racial, sexual, and political material, which is what we’re doing now, our schools must be totally refocused to prepare our children to succeed in the world of work,” Trump wrote in Agenda 47, his campaign platform. Musk has three children with the musician Grimes and three with Shivon Zilis, who in the past was actively involved at Neuralink, his brain machine interface company. All are under the age of five. Musk took X, his son with Grimes, with him on a recent trip to Capitol Hill. After his visit, he shared a graphic that showed the growth of administrators in America’s public schools since 2000. Musk is a fan of hands-on education. During a Tesla earnings call in 2018, he talked about the need for more electricians as the electric-car maker scaled up the energy side of its business. On the Joe Rogan podcast in 2020, Musk said that “too many smart people go into finance and law.” “I have a lot of respect for people who work with their hands and we need electricians and plumbers and carpenters,” Musk said while campaigning for Trump in Pennsylvania in October. “That’s a lot more important than having incremental political science majors.” Ad Astra’s website says the cost of tuition will be initially subsidized, but in future years “tuition will be in line with local private schools that include an extended day program.” “I do think we need significant reform in education,” Musk said at a separate Trump campaign event. “The priority should be to teach kids skills that they will find useful later in life, and to leave any sort of social propaganda out of the classroom.” With assistance from Sophie Alexander and Kara Carlson. ©2024 Bloomberg News. Visit at bloomberg.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

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Councils' mixed reactions to 'significant' road funding for Hull and East Yorkshire

The new Mariyung fleet that entered service in New South Wales this week is the first refresh of the state’s intercity trains in almost two decades. The rolling stock update cost more than $4bn and the trains arrived in the state in 2019. But their debut on routes such as Sydney-Newcastle, and soon on the Blue Mountains and South Coast lines, was delayed by five years due to a number of issues, including concerns they were too wide, technical disputes and modification works demanded by unions that cost $1bn. Now, the years-long wait is over. So how do the new trains stack up? Arriving at the country departures hall at Central station, the new Mariyung engines look shinier and fresher than their tired and blackened intercity predecessors on neighbouring platforms. Digital screens on the side of each carriage display trip information – a sign of the technological leap forward. Onboard, the carriages are a pleasant temperature. They are well air-conditioned despite the heat of the day. But not chilly. They feel clean and new (because, of course, they are). This is noteworthy because train rides on intercity routes in NSW have been starved of that fresh “new-train smell” for decades, with most commuters stuck on 1970s rolling stock. Seats on the new Mariyung are configured two by two with an aisle down the middle. There are upper and lower decks, as Sydney metropolitan passengers have become accustomed to in recent decades. While the seats don’t flip to face in either direction – an iconic feature of Sydney’s double-decker city trains – they have tray tables that fold down. More importantly, the seats are comfortable, have decent headrests and are spacious enough that my knees – as a 182cm man – don’t get crunched up. They’re also relatively lean and without too much bulk underneath, meaning it’s easy to stretch your legs out under the seat in front. It’s certainly more comfortable than the average economy seat on a domestic flight. Perhaps the most impressive technological leap onboard is the charging facilities at each seat. While passengers must share an outlet with their neighbour, each double seat has a USB-A and conventional wall plug socket. The USB charging speed, while not fast, means you won’t deplete your phone’s battery on an hours-long trip. This charging capability, coupled with the tray tables, makes taking out a laptop and getting work done on intercity trips more feasible. However, some shortcomings make the Mariyung seats far from a comfortable remote office. The size and position of the tray tables are at a slightly strange angle for typing and looking at your screen – especially if you’re on the taller side. And, more crucially, despite the modernity of these trains being hailed by successive governments, there’s no onboard wifi. Instead, you’ll need to hotspot off your phone. And while reception is generally better on this fleet – avoiding the that eliminated reception inside older intercity train carriages in NSW – there are still blackspots between Sydney and Newcastle. (The other routes, west over the Blue Mountains and south through Wollongong, are due to start running Mariyung trains in the coming months.) The wifi situation is far from ideal. However, there are plenty of other positives. The Mariyung trains are quieter – something you really notice in the designated “quiet” carriages. Special areas to stow suitcases, luggage and bikes are welcome, as are the relatively spacious bathrooms with sensor taps. The toilets were clean and comfortable when I travelled this week. However, there were fast food wrappings left inside one, and less than a day after the trains entered service, photos shared online showed graffitied toilet seats. Ultimately, while the new Mariyung trains make for a much more pleasant trip, they don’t feel revolutionary like the Sydney Metro that opened in August does. It has genuinely changed lives by allowing people to move more easily and swiftly across the city. The Metro also offered a glimpse into the future of train travel, with its grand stations and speedier trips, whereas the Mariyung’s charging outlets and modern fit-outs are more about catching up to what has become standard on intercity trains elsewhere. The new intercity trains also don’t shave any time off the roughly 2.5-hour journey between Sydney and Newcastle – even on the express run. Speeds across much of regional NSW are firmly stuck in the 20th century. Indeed, a non-stop Sydney to Newcastle service about 100 years ago, the Newcastle Flyer, completed the trip in just over two hours. So despite the modern trimmings, the Mariyung trains don’t feel like a huge leap forward. The billions to allow for more express services with fewer stops. That would deliver actual time savings. For those wanting a significantly faster trip, hopes lie in the federal government’s current high-speed rail project, but the wait for that could be decades, not years.