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'You can do the figuring': Bernie Sanders says this will 'probably' be his final termCEO killer suspect: golden boy who soured on US health system
A golf club has raised more than £13,000 for a cardiac charity. Corhampton Golf Club raised £13,004 for Heartbeat's 3D Heart Project, which aims to improve techniques for heart surgery. Heartbeat was chosen as the club captain's charity for 2024 after the club's captain, Dave Donovan, heard about Heartbeat and its 3D Heart Project. Corhampton Golf Club, near Bishop's Waltham, raised the impressive sum for Heartbeat at various events throughout the year The team raised the impressive sum for Heartbeat at various events to support the project, which will help clinicians at the University Hospital Southampton cardiac unit provide less evasive and more accurate pre-operative planning for surgery on children with congenital heart disease. The pioneering 3D printing program enables clinicians to create a model of a patient’s heart. A CT or MRI scan created by the hospital’s cardiac team can be sent to medical 3D printing form, Axial3D, who will produce an exact replica of the patient’s heart, offering an in-depth look at the organ which includes any tiny imperfections that may originally have been missed. The use of this new, cutting-edge technology means surgeons can plan any operations necessary and minimise the number of invasive procedures the child will undergo throughout his or her life. The events supported by members at Corhampton Golf Club included the Captain’s Charity Day Raffle, with a first prize provided by Your Golf Travel, the Captain’s Charity Parking Space, the Captain/Pro Challenge, the Captain’s Bottle Beer, contributions from the Ladies’ and Seniors’ sections and the Corhampton Golf Club 2024 calendar. The Heartbeat team was delighted to support both the Captain’s Day and the Captain’s Charity Day by providing much-needed refreshments with their popular halfway house gin bar. The presentation was made at the Captain’s Celebration Party on October 19, with Robbie Burns, cardiac patient and Heartbeat trustee, accepting the cheque on behalf of the charity. Mr Burns said: "We’re so grateful for this generous donation from Corhampton Golf Club. The 3D Heart Project is incredibly important because it will help cardiac teams ensure minimal impact for young cardiac patients while allowing them to accurately target treatment to meet each patient’s precise needs." Corhampton’s club captain, Dave Donovan, said: "I was so blown away when I heard Dr Tara Bharucha speaking about the 3D Heart Project at the Hampshire PGA Dinner in March of last year that I knew straight away I wanted to support Heartbeat in its invaluable work."
From intimate gallery shows to full-blown fairs, winter brings a host of art events to San Francisco. So why not give yourself to the gift of art over the holidays and into the New Year? Whether you’re looking for a way to entertain visitors or searching for an excuse to slip away, here are The Examiner’s critic’s picks for can’t-miss art in The City as the weather outside gets frightful. Kota Ezawa: A local force in political art, San Francisco-based artist Kota Ezawa has long used his signature, minimalist style to capture the contemporary climate of America. His first show with Fraenkel Gallery is — if coincidentally — his most incisive exhibition yet. Two pieces in the show are portraits of outgoing U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris — a print on wood of the then-California senator leaning into a microphone and gesturing emphatically, and an animated rendition of her grilling eventual Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh about abortion rights. Juxtaposing these is “Hand Vote,” a wooden sculpture of a group of people with their hands raised, casting an unsettling pall. What future might these people be in favor of? The creation of these artworks predates the most recent presidential election itself, stirring all the strangeness of a reality in which democracy leaves its own longevity up to chance. Fraenkel Gallery , 49 Geary St. #450: Through Dec. 21. Free. Tamara de Lempicka: A force in the early-20th century Art Deco movement, Tamara de Lempicka was a progenitor of post-cubist surrealism and queer art. The de Young Museum retrospective is the first of her work in the United States, offering a broad survey of her life and work, from Poland to Paris, the Bay Area and Mexico. The exhibition assembles the painter’s greatest hits alongside lesser known work from her earliest exhibitions in San Francisco in the 1930s and 40s. Many of Lempicka’s subjects were lovers, from her first husband, Tadeusz Łempicki, to her mistresses. Brazenly, Lempicka copied the work of great masters and her own contemporaries in a manner that anticipated postmodernism, with her own surrealist twist, integrating elements of their work into her own compositions. Lempicka’s stylistic interpretations make these influences her own, a singular vision shining through each luminous canvas. De Young Museum , Golden Gate Park, 50 Hagiwara Tea Garden Dr.: Through Feb. 9, 2025. $35. RugLife: From traditional textiles to conceptual interpretations of the everyday artform, “RugLife” at the Museum of Craft and Design examines the deeper meaning behind the titular household object. Fourteen artists from around the world offer their takes on the everyday artform and its deeper meaning in the fabric of society. Superstar artist Ai Weiwei’s spin on traditional Tibetan tiger rugs is a vivid call to awareness about endangered wildlife. Johannah Herr’s interpretation on the Afghanistan tradition of illustrative “war rugs” is a neon-hued remembrance of the 2019 El Paso Walmart shooting , centering an assault rifle surrounded by a floral pattern reminiscent of the department store’s logo. Sonya Clark’s rug made of combs weaves together the significance of hair and community to Black culture, while upending expectations of tradition. Throughout, we see how rugs weave cultural history, from global politics to hearth and home, while also delving into the history of the medium. Museum of Craft and Design , 2569 3rd St.: Dec. 14, 2024–Apr. 20, 2025. $10. SECA Art Award: If there’s one show that captures the current moment in The City’s art scene, this is it. Every two years, the Society for the Encouragement of Contemporary Art honors a juried selection of local artists with an exhibition at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, boosting the best the Bay Area has to offer. This year’s selection features Lauren D’Amato, Angela Hennessey and Rupy C. Tut, each working in different interpretations of artistic traditions. D’Amato deploys sign painting and photography to pay homage to lowrider culture. Hennessy creates abstract sculptures using domestic labor techniques from stitching, knotting and braiding, while a collaborative sound installation pulses throughout the gallery. Tut uses traditional Indian painting techniques to memorialize dreams we’ve had and left behind and visitors are invited to write down dreams of their own for an offering as well. Best of all, SFMOMA has made the SECA Award Exhibition free for the second iteration in a row, welcoming the local community to celebrate. SFMOMA , 151 3rd St.: Dec. 14, 2024–May 26, 2025. Free. FOG Design+Art: San Francisco’s art scene wastes no time kicking off 2025. FOG Design+Art, The City’s premier art and design fair, launches its 11th edition during the third week of January at Fort Mason Festival Pavilion. With over 50 participating local and international galleries, this year’s fair includes over a dozen newcomers, including London’s Lisson Gallery, New York’s Peter Blum Gallery, alongside returning Bay Area representatives the likes of Fraenkel Gallery, Jessica Silverman and Pt.2. For the second year running, the fair will also present FOG FOCUS, a selection of 13 smaller, up-and-coming galleries next door to the main fair at Pier 2, including locals House of Seiko, Johansson Projects, Jonathan Carver Moore, Municipal Bonds, and Rebecca Camacho Presents. The long weekend will also be chock-full of special events and talks, so plan on making more than one trip. FOG Design+Art , Fort Mason Center Piers 2 and 3: Jan. 23-26, 2025. $35.
CARMEL, Ind. , Nov. 25, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Merchants Bancorp ("Merchants") MBIN , parent company of Merchants Bank of Indiana , today announced the closing of its previously announced underwritten public offering of 9,200,000 depositary shares, each representing a 1/40th interest in a share of its 7.625% Fixed Rate Series E Non-Cumulative Perpetual Preferred Stock (the "Series D preferred stock"), with a liquidation preference of $25.00 per depositary share. As a result of the public offering Merchants received proceeds of approximately $222.8 million , net of estimated expenses and underwriting discounts and commissions. Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC, UBS Securities LLC, Piper Sandler & Co., and Raymond James & Associates, Inc. acted as joint bookrunning managers for the offering. A shelf registration statement, including a prospectus, with respect to the offering was previously filed by Merchants with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") and was declared effective by the SEC on August 17, 2022 . A prospectus supplement relating to the offering has been filed with the SEC. The offering has been made by means of a prospectus supplement and accompanying prospectus. Copies of the prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus relating to these securities may be obtained free of charge by visiting the SEC's website at www.sec.gov , or may be obtained from Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC, 180 Varick Street, Second Floor, New York, NY 10014, Attention: Prospectus Department, or by emailing prospectus@morganstanley.com ; UBS Securities LLC, Attention: Prospectus Department, 1285 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10019, by telephone at (888) 827-7275 or by emailing ol-prospectus-request@ubs.com ; Piper Sandler & Co., Attention: Debt Capital Markets, 1 Greenwich Plaza, 1st Floor, Suite 111, Greenwich, CT 06830, or by emailing fsg-dcm@psc.com ; Raymond James & Associates, Inc., Attention: Equity Syndicate, 880 Carillon Parkway, St. Petersburg, Florida 33716, by telephone at (800) 248-8863 or by emailing prospectus@raymondjames.com . ABOUT MERCHANTS BANCORP Ranked as a top performing U.S. public bank by S&P Global Market Intelligence, Merchants is a diversified bank holding company headquartered in Carmel, Indiana operating multiple business segments, including Multi-family Mortgage Banking that offers multi-family housing and healthcare facility financing and servicing (through this segment Merchants also serves as a syndicator of low-income housing tax credit and debt funds); Mortgage Warehouse Financing that offers mortgage warehouse financing, commercial loans, and deposit services; and Banking that offers portfolio lending for multi-family and healthcare facility loans, retail and correspondent residential mortgage banking, agricultural lending, Small Business Administration lending, and traditional community banking. Merchants, with $18.7 billion in assets and $12.9 billion in deposits as of September 30, 2024, conducts its business primarily through its direct and indirect subsidiaries, Merchants Bank of Indiana , Merchants Capital Corp., Merchants Asset Management, LLC, Merchants Capital Investments, LLC, Merchants Capital Servicing, LLC, and Merchants Mortgage, a division of Merchants Bank of Indiana . For more information and financial data, please visit Merchants' Investor Relations page at investors.merchantsbancorp.com. View original content to download multimedia: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/merchants-bancorp-closes-depositary-share-offering-302315577.html SOURCE Merchants Bancorp © 2024 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
Video games have become an important part of millions of people’s lives, offering unique opportunities for recreation, entertainment and personal development. But what makes us spend hours in front of the screen, immersed in virtual worlds? The answer to this question lies in psychology. Games affect the brain by activating pleasure centers, stimulating creativity and developing skills. They create the perfect environment for achieving goals, socializing with like-minded people, and temporarily escaping from everyday life. In this article, we’ll delve into why we are so attracted to games and how they influence our thinking and behavior. Games as a source of fulfillment and challenge Games provide a unique opportunity to accomplish goals and overcome challenges. Completing a level, winning a tournament, or learning a new skill provides an instant sense of satisfaction, triggering the release of dopamine, the pleasure hormone. This makes games especially appealing to those looking for challenge and a clear goal. For competitive games such as Dota 2, it’s not just reactions that are important, but also the ability to strategize. The tips available on resources such as dota 2 betting tips help players improve their skills, making gameplay more fun and successful. The social side of gaming Games create a unique social space where people from different parts of the world can interact, share experiences and work in teams. This makes games a powerful tool for creating and strengthening social connections. Equally important are platforms such as https://egamersworld.com/ , which offer valuable tips for players, strategy discussions and news updates. Such resources bring the gaming community together, creating a sense of belonging and collaboration. Emotional fulfillment and escape from reality Games provide a safe space where we can distract ourselves from real-life problems and enjoy the process. They allow us to temporarily forget about stresses, creating worlds filled with adventure and possibilities. Games with an engaging story, such as The Last of Us or Red Dead Redemption, immerse us in emotional stories that help us cope with life’s challenges. For many players, these worlds become a source of inspiration and support during difficult times. Development and learning through games Many video games help develop cognitive skills such as attention, analytical thinking, and strategic planning. Simulation and strategy games like Civilization or Starcraft teach resource management and help you understand complex systems. For youth and adults, educational games like Minecraft: Education Edition become an important tool for learning math, physics, and even programming. Games teach through experimentation and creativity, making learning a fun process. Conclusion Video games are not only entertainment but also an important tool for personal and social development. They fulfill our need for achievement, create a space for socializing, and help us cope with everyday challenges. Resources such as dota 2 betting tips offer valuable advice and help players achieve success. And platforms like dota 2 betting tips support the gaming community by connecting people around the world. Gaming continues to inspire millions of players, helping them find joy, relaxation and meaning in virtual worlds.
Beyond the Boardroom: Grainger College of Engineering's Rashid BashirNoneThe year in review: Influential people who died in 2024
On paper, Luigi Mangione had it all: wealth, intellect, athleticism, good looks. But the child of a prominent Maryland family may have spurned it all in a spasm of violence, in a killing that has mesmerized Americans. The 26-year-old was arrested Monday and charged with the murder of Brian Thompson, a health insurance chief executive and father of two who was gunned down in Manhattan last week by someone who, evidence suggests, has endured his own debilitating health crises and grew angry with the privatized US medical system. The cold-blooded killing has laid bare the deep frustration many Americans feel toward the country's labyrinthine health care system: while many have condemned the shooting, others have praised Mangione as a hero. It has also prompted considerable interest in how a young engineer with an Ivy League education could have gone off the rails to commit murder. News of his capture at a Pennsylvania McDonald's triggered an explosion of online activity, with Mangione quickly amassing new followers on social media as citizen sleuths and US media tried to understand who he is. As Americans have looked for clues about a political ideology or potential motive, a photo on his X account (formerly Twitter) includes an X-ray of an apparently injured spine. Mangione lived in Hawaii in 2022 and, according to his former roommate R.J. Martin, suffered from back pain, and was hoping to strengthen his back. After a surfing lesson, Mangione was "in bed for about a week" because of the pain, Martin told CNN. Earlier this year, Martin said, Mangione confirmed he'd had back surgery and sent him photos of the X-rays. Police said the suspect carried a hand-written manifesto of grievances in which he slammed America's "most expensive health care system in the world." "He was writing a lot about his disdain for corporate America and in particular the health care industry," New York police chief detective Joseph Kenny told ABC. According to CNN, a document recovered when Mangione was arrested included the phrase "these parasites had it coming." Meanwhile, memes and jokes proliferated, many riffing on his first name and comparing him to the "Mario Bros." video game character Luigi. Many expressed at least partial sympathy, having had their own harrowing experiences with the US health care system. "Godspeed. Please know that we all hear you," wrote one user on Facebook. Mangione hails from the Baltimore area. His wealthy Italian-American family owns local businesses, including the Hayfields Country Club, according to local outlet the Baltimore Banner, and cousin Nino Mangione is a Maryland state delegate. A standout student, Luigi graduated at the top of his high school class in 2016. A former student who knew Mangione at the elite Gilman School told AFP the suspect struck him as "a normal guy, nice kid." "There was nothing about him that was off, at least from my perception," the person said. Mangione attended the prestigious University of Pennsylvania, where he completed both a bachelor's and master's degree in computer science by 2020, according to a university spokesperson. While at Penn, Mangione co-led a group of 60 undergraduates who collaborated on video game projects, as noted in a now-deleted university webpage. On Instagram Mangione shared snapshots of his travels, and shirtless images of himself flaunting a six-pack. X users have scoured Mangione's posts for potential motives. His header photo includes an X-ray of a spine with bolts attached. Finding a political ideology that fits neatly onto the right-left divide has proved elusive, though he had written a review of Ted Kaczynski's manifesto on online site Goodreads, calling it "prescient." Kaczynski, known as the Unabomber, carried out multiple bombings in the United States from 1978 to 1995, in a campaign he said was aimed at halting the advance of modern society and technology. Mangione has also linked approvingly to posts criticizing secularism as a harmful consequence of Christianity's decline, and retweeted posts on the impact mobile phones and social media have on mental health. ia/abo-mlm/nro
Speaker schedules opposition motions after Tories opt against own non-confidence voteCEO killer suspect: golden boy who soured on US health system
DES MOINES — Iowa’s 2024 general election results are official — including the recount in an Eastern Iowa congressional district — after a state panel’s certification Monday. The Iowa Board of Canvass, which is comprised of top state officials, met Monday via telephone to officially certify the state’s election results. The certification nearly completes the Nov. 5 elections in Iowa. The state’s presidential electors will meet later this month to commit Iowa’s six Electoral College votes to Republican President-elect Donald Trump, who won the state. Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate participates in the certification of Iowa's 2024 general election results during the Iowa Board of Canvass meeting on Monday, Dec. 2, 2024 in the Iowa Secretary of State's Office at the Iowa Capitol in Des Moines. The state Canvass Board is made up of the governor, Secretary of State, Auditor, Treasurer and Secretary of Agriculture. The certification puts the final, official seal of approval on Iowa’s election results, including recounts. One such recount was in Southeast Iowa’s 1st Congressional District, where Republican incumbent Mariannette Miller-Meeks won reelection over Democratic challenger Christina Bohannan. Miller-Meeks appeared to win reelection when unofficial results reported shortly after the election showed her ahead by 802 votes. She declared victory, but Bohannan asked for a recount. After a full recount in the 20-county district, which includes Scott and Muscatine counties, the official results certified by the Canvass Board confirmed Miller-Meeks’ victory, by 799 votes out of more than 427,000 cast. Iowans cast 1,674,011 votes in the presidential election, according to the certified results. That just trails the just more than 1.7 million cast in the 2020 presidential election, which is the state’s all-time high. Voter turnout for the 2024 general election was 74.1%, Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate said Monday. He called that turnout “impressive and significant.” It also slightly trailed 2020 turnout, which was 75.8%. During the brief Canvass Board meeting, Pate praised Iowa’s voters and local elections officials. He said their work helped ensure Iowa’s elections were “safe, fair and accurate.” “The commitment of our officials, the diligence of our election workers and the engagement of our citizens are what makes this process possible,” Pate said during the meeting. “From our 99 county auditors to the 10,000-plus poll workers — your friends and neighbors — we have the best of the best serving their communities, working long hours on Election Day and doing their part to ensure fair elections across the state,” Pate said. “Our local election officials are some of the hardest working Iowans.” Gov. Kim Reynolds praised Pate and elections officials for continuing to “uphold the integrity of the election process in the state of Iowa.” The certified results displayed a shift in partisan voter behavior: more Republicans than Democrats voted early in Iowa in the 2024 general election. Republicans cast 268,899 early votes in Iowa this fall; Democrats cast 257,634 early votes, according to the certified results. Historically, more Democrats have voted early while more Republicans have voted on Election Day. That script flipped in Iowa this year. Pate said that could be explained by many variables, but noted in particular Republicans’ focus on early voting this year in contrast to the 2020 presidential election, when Trump frequently criticized early voting — without evidence — as being rife with fraud. “There was resistance four years ago to vote absentee by the Republican Party, to some extent, but I think they got much more comfortable with that, and that shifted (the early voting results),” Pate told reporters. Pate also noted that the shift in voter behavior only really changed the timing of the votes, not the overall totals. While the early voting trends flipped, Pate noted, overall turnout was down less than 2 percentage points. “If you look at the trends from 2016 to today, voter turnout still is about the same. It’s just the method in which they choose to do it,” Pate said. “I’ve always said this: Voter turnout is not something my office gets to really control. It’s really based on the candidate and the messaging.” Iowa’s presidential electors will meet Dec. 17 to commit the state’s six Electoral College votes to Trump. The president-elect defeated Democrat Kamala Harris by 13.1 percentage points in the state. The presidential electors are selected by the state’s political parties during their respective conventions. They are bound by state law to cast the state’s Electoral College votes for the candidate who received the most votes in the state. For the first time in four years, Republicans are suddenly feeling good about the economy. Economically speaking, only one thing has changed. 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, 67, was a senior adviser to Trump's 2024 presidential campaign and its de facto manager. 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, 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. 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. 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. 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. 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, 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. 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 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 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. 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. 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, 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. 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 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, 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. 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. 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.” 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.” 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. 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. 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. 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.” 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. 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. 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) 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, 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. 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. 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, 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 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. 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. William McGinley, White House counsel McGinley was White House Cabinet secretary during Trump's first administration, and was outside legal counsel for the Republican National Committee's election integrity effort during the 2024 campaign. In a statement, Trump called McGinley “a smart and tenacious lawyer who will help me advance our America First agenda, while fighting for election integrity and against the weaponization of law enforcement.” 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. 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.
Sarah McBride says transgender bathroom bans at Capitol are 'attempt to misdirect' from big issues