The large mysterious drones reported flying over parts of New Jersey in recent weeks appear to avoid detection by traditional methods, like helicopters and radio, according to a state lawmaker briefed Wednesday by the Department of Homeland Security. In a post on the social media platform X, Assemblywoman Dawn Fantasia described the drones as up to 6 feet in diameter and sometimes traveling with their lights switched off. The Morris County Republican was among several state and local lawmakers who met with state police and Homeland Security officials to discuss the spate of sightings that range from the New York City area through New Jersey, westward into parts of Pennsylvania, including over Philadelphia. The devices do not appear to be being flown by hobbyists, Fantasia wrote. Dozens of mysterious nighttime flights started last month and have raised growing concern among residents and officials. Part of the worry stems from the flying objects initially being spotted near the Picatinny Arsenal, a U.S. military research and manufacturing facility; and over President-elect Donald Trump’s golf course in Bedminster. Drones are legal in New Jersey for recreational and commercial use, but they are subject to local and Federal Aviation Administration regulations and flight restrictions. Operators must be FAA certified. Most, but not all, of the drones spotted in New Jersey were larger than those typically used by hobbyists. The number of sightings has increased in recent days, though officials say many of the objects seen may have been planes rather than drones. It’s also possible that a single drone has been reported more than once. Gov. Phil Murphy and law enforcement officials have stressed that the drones don’t appear to threaten public safety. The FBI has been investigating and has asked residents to share any videos, photos or other information they may have. Two Republican Jersey Shore-area congressmen, U.S. Reps. Chris Smith and Jeff Van Drew, have called on the military to shoot down the drones. However, Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh told reporters Wednesday that “our initial assessment here is that these are not drones or activities coming from a foreign entity or adversary.” Many municipal lawmakers have called for more restrictions on who is entitled to fly the unmanned devices. At least one state lawmaker proposed a temporary ban on drone flights in the state. “This is something we’re taking deadly seriously. I don’t blame people for being frustrated,” Murphy said earlier this week. A spokesman for the Democratic governor said he did not attend Wednesday’s meeting. Republican Assemblyman Erik Peterson, whose district includes parts of the state where the drones have been reported, said he also attended Wednesday’s meeting at a state police facility in West Trenton. The session lasted for about 90 minutes. Peterson said DHS officials were generous with their time, but appeared dismissive of some concerns, saying not all the sightings reported have been confirmed to involve drones. So who or what is behind the flying objects? Where are they coming from? What are they doing? “My understanding is they have no clue,” Peterson said. A message seeking comment was left with the Department of Homeland Security. Most of the drones have been spotted along coastal areas and some were recently reported flying over a large reservoir in Clinton. Sightings also have been reported in neighboring states. James Edwards, of Succasunna, New Jersey, said he has seen a few drones flying over his neighborhood since last month. “It raises concern mainly because there’s so much that’s unknown,” Edwards said Wednesday. “There are lots of people spouting off about various conspiracies that they believe are in play here, but that only adds fuel to the fire unnecessarily. We need to wait and see what is really happening here, not let fear of the unknown overtake us.”The five-part series will debut globally on December 10, following elite global players on and off the field as they compete in the US Open Polo Championship in Wellington, Florida. A trailer for the series titled Polo, executive produced by Harry and Meghan, was released on Thursday, giving a behind-the-scenes look at the “fast-paced and glamorous world of polo”. In a statement, Harry said: “This series offers audiences an unprecedented, behind-the-scenes look into the passion and determination driving some of the world’s elite polo players, revealing the grit behind the glamour. “We’re proud to showcase the true depth and spirit of the sport — and the intensity of its high-stakes moments.” It has been produced by the Sussexes’ Archewell Productions, having previously released three documentaries with Netflix as part of a multimillion-pound deal with the streaming giant. Heart Of Invictus, which aired last August, followed a group of service members on their road to the Invictus Games, the Paralympic-style sporting competition set up by Harry in 2014 for injured and sick military personnel and veterans. Netflix also released the documentary series Live To Lead and the controversial six-part Harry & Meghan documentary in December 2022. Harry and Meghan moved to the US in 2020 after stepping down from royal duties.
Pearl Diver Credit Company Inc. Announces Offering of Series A Preferred StockNoneOne children's advocate counts 33 reports in 30 years into problems at Oranga Tamariki and its predecessors. Why is change at our child protection agency so hard to come by? Ten months after five-year-old Malachi Subecz was murdered by his carer, Chief Ombudsman Peter Boshier drove out to Porirua to visit the little boy's uncle and cousin. He was there to deliver the findings of his investigations into their complaint that Oranga Tamariki had dismissed concerns about Malachi being abused. As he sat across the table from Malachi's whanau, Boshier remembers choking up. "It was an incredibly emotional experience, traumatic, in fact," he recalls. "But it was the right thing to do, to acknowledge the terrible acts of abuse this poor child had suffered. "And I think they could see that. They could see that we actually cared to the point where it was quite emotional for us." Boshier had reason to be emotional. His investigation found a "litany of failures" by Oranga Tamariki to follow its own policies after the Children's Ministry dismissed or ignored several reports of concern about Malachi's care. Just a few months earlier, Boshier had delivered the findings of his investigation into the uplift of newborn pēpi, He Take Kōhukihuki , which found process, system and record-keeping issues. "These were also underlying factors in Oranga Tamariki's failings in the Malachi Subecz case," Boshier says. He remembers feeling "enormous change" would be needed to prevent another case like this happening again. "Oranga Tamariki assured me following my investigation into the case of Malachi Subecz that there would be dramatic change. "Of course, I hoped it would be the last time I would have to investigate such a case." It was not to be. In February this year, Boshier's office released another report. Children in Care: Complaints to the Ombudsman 2019-2023 again identified poor record-keeping, inaccurate information and failures to follow up reports of concern as recurring themes. An RNZ investigation last week highlighted similar failures in the cases of two families, with devastating consequences for both. This is the final part of an RNZ investigative series into Oranga Tamariki. Read Part 1 , Part 2 and Part 3 . And despite promises of system-wide changes by agencies involved in child protection following Malachi's death in 2021, a September analysis by Aroturuki Tamariki Independent Children's Monitor found vulnerable children are no better off now than when he died. The reports added to an already teetering pile. Child Matters chief executive Jane Searle counts 33 reviews into the ministry and its predecessors over the last 30 years. "They all say similar things. These problems are not new. It's just that they're getting worse." So if the problems are known, and the need for change recognised, what will it take to actually make it happen? A broken system For Jane Searle, radical investment in the ministry's structure and culture is the only thing that will break the cycle. "It's going to take a lot of time, a lot of resources and very good leadership to do that. We've struggled to have the political desire to do that on a large level." There are good social workers trying to do their best in a system that is broken, she says. "But there are also cases of bad practice that have happened over many years which are difficult to change because it is such a huge organisation." The many reports and reviews all suggest similar solutions, but few have actually been enacted. "We haven't invested in the training and capacity building of Oranga Tamariki social workers and also ensuring that their workloads are manageable. And we also haven't invested in the capacity for community organisations to respond and play the important role that they play." Searle is equally concerned the ministry doesn't have robust IT systems that allow staff to do their jobs properly. "It's a hard job to protect vulnerable children and young people anyway, but if the organisation is not set up structurally to do that, with the right leadership and investment, it is going to continue to fail." Central to the issue is Oranga Tamariki's two-decade-old case management system, CYRAS, which its chief social worker Nicolette Dickson admits is "old and difficult" to use. A $62.5 million upgrade will start next year and won't be completed until about 2030, though the first stage should be complete by the end of next year, Dickson says. "This will make a significant difference in the way we're managing record-keeping. We won't have solved the whole problem but we will have made a really good start." "I just want a clear picture" Behind every record - complete, partial or missing - is a person. Ihorangi Reweti-Peters was just seven months old when he was placed into state care. Now 19, he's had over 14 different placements and experienced abuse from caregivers who were meant to protect him. After being officially discharged from state care last year, he's been trying to piece together his early years from Oranga Tamariki's records, but chunks of his time in care are missing from his file. "There are parts of my time in care which are not accurately recorded or they are parts missing ... so I don't know what happened." Some of the records from his first year of life are missing - lost when the ministry transferred files from paper to digital in 2006, he says. "I just want to know my whole journey through Oranga Tamariki, from the day that the first report of concern was made to when I left. "I just want a clear picture, which may be able to provide me with some closure to the negative experiences that I've had within Oranga Tamariki." Reweti-Peters, who is now a state care advocate, says there are hundreds of others like him. He's hopeful, but sceptical, that improvements will be forthcoming. "Oranga Tamariki has on multiple occasions said they are working on changes to accurately record and gather data but we haven't seen the results of that yet. "This is really important work. I would hope it would be able to get done quicker, to provide closure to survivors and to accurately monitor and record information." The IT and record-keeping upgrade can't come soon enough for Aroturuki Tamariki Independent Children's Monitor chief executive Arran Jones, as it will finally allow him to do his job properly. His agency, established in 2019 to monitor Oranga Tamariki's compliance with National Care Standards regulations, has struggled to carry out this task for the last three years due to "gaps" in OT's data about the children in its care. The regulations prescribe basic standards that must be met for children in state care, such as regular school attendance or whether they see a dentist or doctor once a year. But Jones doesn't know if the ministry is complying with all these standards. "They just don't have the information centrally to be able to tell whether the kids are getting what they need. These are legal requirements on Oranga Tamariki, and they are still unable to provide the information." Through its own self-monitoring process, Oranga Tamariki admits it has only been "partially compliant" with the national care standards the last two financial years. Jones also worries the recent loss of 419 back office jobs at Oranga Tamariki - including cuts to its information management and a reorganisation of its data team - could hinder progress. "I have spoken to the chief executive to gain an assurance that it wouldn't impact on the supply of information to us so that we can do our work. I guess my response to this will be a wait and see what impact it may have." Nicolette Dickson says keeping track of 80 standards for more than 5000 children in state care is challenging, due to the limitations of the case management system. Instead, the ministry has opted to report on a few lead indicators, and Dickson says what it has reported so far has shown improvements. "For example, in 2022, 72 percent of children in care had had an assessment of their needs completed. By 2024, this had risen to 90 percent. "So whilst I do accept the monitor's concern that the level of our detail and data and information doesn't enable a full picture over every aspect of the care standards, we have progressively improved the quality of information we provided to the monitor and seen progressive improvements." The upgrade in the pipeline will allow them to provide better quality information about children in state care, she says. Children's and Young Person's Commissioner Claire Achmad says the ministry has a duty and obligation to collect information about a child's situation in state care that can be held on their file and made available to them - which needs to be done even without a reliable case management system. "Because that will form an important part of their understanding of their identity and their story, and so Oranga Tamariki needs to be maintaining a clear focus on this all the time, regardless of whether it's in the process of upgrading its information and record keeping system." Like Searle, she says this will take resourcing and a culture change to get right. "I continue to call for Oranga Tamariki to focus on getting the basics right to ensure every child in the care of the state has their full range of rights upheld in all circumstances every day. "We know right now that Oranga Tamariki is too far away from that. But I do believe that with that focus, change is possible." "We have an absolutely clear focus on what needs to change" Dickson admits the ministry has lost its focus. "Oranga Tamariki and its predecessors have had a history of trying to be all things to all communities, to all families, and falling short actually." Dickson should know. She's worked at the ministry for more than 20 years, starting as a social worker before rising up the ranks to management. She's now its chief social worker and deputy chief executive of professional practice after the two roles were combined in a restructure earlier this year. She says the basic tenets of social work haven't changed much over that time - though it has become more complex with the rise of methamphetamine - but support for social workers has declined. "When I was a young social worker we had really strong systems of support, supervision, training and for a while that slipped away," she says. "I can't speak to why things may have slipped away, but I do know there's been a very clear shift back to focusing on the core fundamentals to make sure our social workers have the support they need to do a really busy, complex and demanding job." This shift came after a 2021 Oranga Tamariki ministerial advisory board report, Kahu Aroha, recommended the ministry get back to its core social work purpose and offer better support and training for social workers. "That's really provided a blueprint for making sure that we are focused on developing the best tools, resources, learning and support and coaching supervision for our staff," Dickson says. The ministry has three key priorities: providing a high level response to the kids that need it the most; enabling communities to take a lead and early response; and working with other agencies in health and education to plug the gaps. There's no timeframe for when these will be achieved, as it's about "progressive, long-term sustainable change over time," Dickson says. "Real, substantive, complex change isn't something that you can put a timeframe on. It's something you have to be relentlessly focused on day by day. "We have an absolutely clear focus on what needs to change." When it comes to record-keeping issues, the ministry regularly reviews cases and we "look at our practice really closely" so it knows where it can improve, she says. "We know there are areas where we've still got work to do, but what I am confident about as chief social worker, is that the areas that get in the way of our social workers doing a good job are actively being addressed." Despite the challenges, ministry social workers are doing amazing work every day, Dickson says. "We have social workers who, on a daily basis, are out there changing lives, sometimes saving lives. I understand why that's a narrative that sometimes doesn't get a lot of air time but there are truly amazing professionals we have working for this organisation." She strongly disagrees with suggestions that significant work is not being done to improve its record-keeping track record. "I do appreciate the sense that change isn't happening as quickly as people may want." She also rejects Boshier's assertion that the ministry intentionally or systematically provides incorrect information to the Family Court. "We've taken action in each case to understand the recommendations he's made. We've looked at areas of recording and the way we manage our court practices," she says. "These are longstanding challenging problems that exist across many care and protection systems across the world." But she agrees with Boshier that the ministry needs a sustained plan of improvement. "I have confidence that the plan is in place, underway and actively being worked on." A matter of records Proposed law changes may also beef up record-keeping at Oranga Tamariki, along with other government agencies. As part of its response to the Abuse in Care Inquiry, the government announced last week that it will amend the Public Records Act. The proposed changes will give greater powers to Archives New Zealand to make sure agencies are fulfilling their legal obligation to keep and maintain proper records of everything they do. The changes are a direct response to problems raised by survivors during the Inquiry about trouble accessing their state care records, including being given heavily redacted documents and incomplete files. The man in charge of ensuring all government agencies complies with their obligations is Archives New Zealand's director of government record-keeping Antony Moss. He believes the amendments could be a game-changer for a public sector that's "still struggling with the fundamentals of good record-keeping". "Overall we'd say the maturity in public sector information management is not at the level that we as the regulator would want it to be." At the moment, Archives can only audit government agencies on their information management practices every five years, and compliance with any issues that pop up are largely voluntary, Moss says. The proposed changes will allow Archives to conduct more frequent audits, issue improvement notices for any problems identified, and set deadlines for agencies to fix them. Moss says large, complex agencies like Oranga Tamariki, which have been through multiple reiterations over the years, often struggle with good record-keeping. A 2023 audit commissioned by Archives found most of the ministry's information practices were sub-optimal. Only five of the 20 areas assessed were operating well. While failures to comply with the Public Records Act can incur fines of up to $10,000, not a single individual or organisation has ever faced prosecution since it was brought into force in 2005. Moss says it's better to work with government agencies to lift their game than to prosecute them, and he hopes the proposed changes will encourage the whole public sector to invest in this area. "Of course, getting those investment plans in place for agencies to keep their systems up to date over years and decades is always a challenge, certainly in the current fiscal environment." His small team audits around 20 of public agencies a year, but he's hoping this will increase, and that they can encourage more agencies to undergo self-audits to monitor their own progress. A long way to go It will take more than new IT systems and tinkering with laws to avoid the same mistakes being repeated at Oranga Tamariki, Peter Boshier says. He believes there are two fundamental reasons for the systemic failures in record-keeping at Oranga Tamariki: discipline and culture. Boshier, a former Family Court Principal, says he came from a background where there is a strong culture in record-keeping. "Other agencies like the police, or health, also have strong record-keeping cultures, so there is no reason why Oranga Tamariki cannot. "I just think there is a lack of culture in how important these things are. There needs to be a cultural change, that this is just as important as the social work itself." The culture of an organisation is driven by its leadership, he says, although he is reluctant to directly criticise Oranga Tamariki's leaders. "That's an area for discussion between the chief executive and the Minister," he says. "But you've got to ask, is there a disconnect between the head office of Oranga Tamariki and perhaps what senior leaders aspire to and the way that's being interpreted inside offices? "I don't know the answer, but I would suggest to you that that could be an issue." He's frustrated by the lack of consequences for the organisation when it makes the same mistakes again and again. "We've found in our various reports that the organisation's own policy and guidelines are not being followed and kept. "Is there a consequence? We were told that there was so in Malachi Subecz's case. The chief executive said: 'This is unacceptable to me, and I will take steps in that particular site to require accountability.'" This perhaps explains his exasperation when a few weeks ago he issued yet another opinion highlighting the same issues. "How come that happened? Why is it that leadership appears not to be able to bring about a change at that fundamentally important site office level?," he asks. Boshier doesn't have the answers. "I sense the culture of the organisation needs to be shifted, and that will take time. I would like to see strident, clear, forceful leadership of expectation and consequence in the same way that most agencies would require it." He believes that every time his office issues another repetitive warning highlighting the same problems "faith diminishes" in the ministry's ability to do its job. "People are bound to become a little cynical, so that really is what Oranga Tamariki is facing." And while he's critical and possibly also cynical himself, he is also genuinely hopeful - optimistic even - that positive change can occur. "I am an inherent optimist that behaviour is capable of change, and culture is capable of change, providing there is a will and a willingness, and there is strong, concerted, clear leadership. "Both of those things are going to ultimately determine whether this organisation is capable of the quantum shift that's needed. "I will only be satisfied when I have actual measures of change; I want to see a decrease in serious complaints of the kind I am seeing now. This agency has a long way to go."
Roy Keane issues scathing assessment of 'average' Manchester United team after Ruben Amorim's first gameNone
Awards season has arrived in the form of the Golden Globes nominations. The awards, which honor both movies and television programs, is often viewed as a preview of the upcoming Oscars. In this week's episode, co-hosts Bruce Miller and Terry Lipshetz go over the list, focusing largely on the movies, which tend to shine brightest at the ceremony. But they also take time to review a few of the TV shows, including the great, but rarely funny "The Bear," which is again in the comedy or musical category. We also have an interview with "Nickel Boys" director RaMell Ross, who spoke with Miller prior to the film receiving a nomination for best drama. Miller also talked with Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor, who starred in the film. “Wicked”; “Anora”; “Emilia Perez”; “Challengers”; “A Real Pain”; “The Substance” “The Brutalist”; “A Complete Unknown,”; “Conclave”; “Dune: Part Two”; “Nickel Boys;” “September 5” Jesse Eisenberg, “A Real Pain”; Hugh Grant, “Heretic”; Gabriel LaBelle, “Saturday Night; Jesse Plemons, “Kinds of Kindness”’ Glen Powell, “Hitman”; Sebastian Stan, “A Different Man” Amy Adams, “Nightbitch”; Cynthia Erivo, “Wicked”; Karla Sofia Gascón, “Emilia Pérez”; Mikey Madison “Anora”; Demi Moore, “The Substance”; Zendaya, “Challengers” Pamela Anderson, “The Last Showgirl′′; Angelina Jolie, ”Maria”; Nicole Kidman, “Babygirl”; Tilda Swinton, “The Room Next Door”; Fernanda Torres, “I’m Still Here”; Kate Winslet, “Lee” Adrien Brody, “The Brutalist”; Timothée Chalamet, “A Complete Unknown’; Colman Domingo, “Sing Sing”; Ralph Fiennes, “Conclave”; Sebastian Stan, “The Apprentice’’ “Alien: Romulus”; Beetlejuice Beetlejuice”; Deadpool & Wolverine”; “Gladiator II”; “Inside Out 2”; “Twisters”; “Wicked”; “The Wild Robot” “All We Imagine As Light′′; ”Emilia Pérez”; “The Girl With the Needle”; “I’m Still Here”; “The Seed of the Sacred Fig”; “Vermiglio” “Flow”; “Inside Out 2”; “Memoir of a Snail”; “Moana 2”; “Wallace and Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl”; “The Wild Robot” Selena Gomez, ”Emilia Pérez”; Ariana Grande, “Wicked”; Felicity Jones, “The Brutalist”; Margaret Qualley, “The Substance”; Isabella Rossellini, “Conclave”; Zoe Saldaña, ”Emilia Pérez” Yura Borisov, “Anora”; Kieran Culkin, “A Real Pain”; Edward Norton, “A Complete Unknown”; Guy Pearce, “The Brutalist”; Jeremy Strong, ”The Apprentice”; Denzel Washington, “Gladiator II” Jacques Audiard, “Emilia Pérez”; Sean Baker, ”Anora”; Edward Berger, “Conclave”; Brady Corbet, “The Brutalist”; Coralie Fargeat, “The Substance”; Payal Kapadia, “All We Imagine As Light” Jacques Audiard, “Emilia Pérez”; Sean Baker, ”Anora”; Brady Corbet, Mona Fastvold, “The Brutalist”; Jesse Eisenberg, “A Real Pain”; Coralie Fargeat, “The Substance”; Peter Straughan, “Conclave” Volker Bertelmann, “Conclave”; Daniel Blumberg, “The Brutalist”; Kris Bowers, “The Wild Robot”; Clement Ducol, Camille “Emilia Pérez”; Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross, “Challengers”; Hans Zimmer, “Dune: Part Two” “Beautiful That Way” from “The Last Showgirl” (music/lyrics by Andrew Wyatt, Miley Cyrus, Lykke Zachrisson); “Compress/Repress” from “Challengers’ (music/lyrics by Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross, Luca Guadagnino; “El Mal” from EL MAL” from “Emilia Pérez” (music/lyrics by Clément Ducol, Camille, Jacques Audiard; “Forbidden Road” from ”Better Man′′ (music/lyrics by Robbie Williams, Freddy Wexler, Sacha Skarbek); “Kiss the Sky” from “The Wild Robot′′ (music/lyrics by Delacey, Jordan K. Johnson, Stefan Johnson, Maren Morris, Michael Pollack, Ali Tamposi); ”Mi Camino′′ from “Emilia Pérez” (music/lyrics by Clément Ducol, Camille) “Shogun”; “The Diplomat”; “Slow Horses”; “Mr. and Mrs. Smith”; “The Day of the Jackal”; “Squid Game” “Abbott Elementary”; “The Bear; “Hacks”; “Nobody Wants This”; “Only Murders in the Building”; “The Gentlemen” Donald Glover, “Mr. and Mrs. Smith”; Jake Gyllenhaal, “Presumed Innocent”; Gary Oldman, “Slow Horses”; Eddie Redmayne, “The Day of the Jackal”; Hiroyuki Sanada, “Shogun”; Billy Bob Thornton, “Landman” Kathy Bates, “Matlock”; Emma D’Arcy, “House of the Dragon”; Maya Erskine, “Mr. & Mrs. Smith”; Keira Knightley, “Black Doves”; Keri Russell, “The Diplomat”; Anna Sawai, “Shogun” Kristen Bell, “Nobody Wants This”; Quinta Brunson, “Abbott Elementary”; Ayo Edebiri, “The Bear”; Selena Gomez, “Only Murders in the Building”; Kathryn Hahn, “Agatha All Along”; Jean Smart, “Hacks” Adam Brody, “Nobody Wants This”; Ted Danson, “A Man on the Inside”; Steve Martin, “Only Murders in the Building”; Jason Segel, “Shrinking”; Martin Short, “Only Murders in the Building”; Jeremy All White, “The Bear” “Baby Reindeer”; Disclaimer"; “Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story”; “The Penguin”; “Ripley”; “True Detective: Night Country” Cate Blanchett, “Disclaimer''; Jodie Foster, ”True Detective: Night Country"; Cristin Milioti, “The Penguin''; Sofia Vergara, ”Griselda"; Naomi Watts, “Feud: Capote vs. The Swans”; Kate Winslet, “The Regime” Colin Farrell, “The Penguin”; Richard Gadd, “Baby Reindeer”; Kevin Kline, “Disclaimer”; Cooper Koch, “Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story”; Ewan McGregor, “A Gentleman in Moscow”; Andrew Scott, “Ripley” Liza Colón-Zayas, “The Bear”; Hannah Einbinder, “Hacks”; Dakota Fanning, “Ripley”; Jessica Gunning, “Baby Reindeer”; Allison Janney, “The Diplomat”; Kali Reis, “True Detective: Night Country” Tadanobu Asano, “Shogun''; Javier Bardem, “Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story”; Harrison Ford, “Shrinking”; Jack Lowden “Slow Horses”; Diego Luna, “La Maquina”; Ebon Moss-Bachrach, “The Bear” Jamie Foxx, “Jamie Foxx: What Had Happened Was”; Nikki Glaser, “Nikki Glaser: Someday You'll Die”; Seth Meyers, “Seth Meyers: Dad Man Walking”; Adam Sandler, "Adam Sandler: Love You"; Ali Wong, “Ali Wong: Single Lady”; Ramy Youssef, “Ramy Youssef: More Feelings” —List compiled by The Associated Press Receive the latest in local entertainment news in your inbox weekly!
Biden is considering preemptive pardons for officials and allies before Trump takes officeWASHINGTON — 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. 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 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. 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) 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. 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.” 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. 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. 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, 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. 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. 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. 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. 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.” 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, 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. 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.
Thousands of social assistance cheques have not been distributed in British Columbia because of the Canada Post strike, prompting an investigation by provincial ombudsperson Jay Chalke. Chalke's office began investigating when he was told by the Ministry of Social Development and Poverty Reduction that many income and disability assistance cheques weren't delivered. Chalke says in a statement that he's concerned that many of B.C.'s most vulnerable people will be left without funds for food and shelter, especially during the upcoming holiday season. He says that despite the ministry's efforts to encourage direct deposit, thousands of hard-copy cheques are mailed every month, and the ministry says 40 per cent of those payments weren't sent last month. The potential for a Canada Post strike was widely reported before it happened, and Chalke says the ministry needed to have a plan for distributing the cheques without mail service. Chalke says his investigation will assess the adequacy of that plan. The statement says the investigation will also look into the ministry’s contingency planning before the strike was announced, as well as steps taken during the strike to distribute hard copy cheques to the 15 per cent of income and disability assistance recipients who don't get direct deposit. “The next social assistance payment date is Dec. 18. The end of December is when many ministry employees intend to be on vacation, which could present operational challenges,” Chalke says. "I am calling on the government to demonstrate it has a plan in place to achieve better and faster results for December’s cheques in the event the strike continues.” This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 6, 2024.Nutrien Ltd. stock falls Monday, underperforms market
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The Arlington Entertainment District is expected to have new areas where rideshare pick-up and drop-off won’t be allowed. The City Council voted unanimously to give initial approval to updates adding areas around Globe Life Field to the list of areas where rideshare can’t make stops for passengers. Get Arlington news that matters. Sign up for local stories in your inbox every Thursday. Arlington police told KERA in an emailed statement that the updates are more housekeeping than anything. Rules for rideshare and other for-hire drivers in the entertainment district were last updated before the opening of Globe Life Field. The changes also addressed some street name changes that have happened since the last update, such as Legends Way being renamed to AT&T Way. Many of these areas are already marked as no stopping or no pick-up and drop-off locations. Police said in the statement that the goal is to keep people safe, keep traffic flowing and make trips through to the Arlington Entertainment District or to events smoother. “Whenever we host a Cowboys game, Rangers game, or other major event, one of our primary goals is to get the thousands of visitors who attend those events in and out of the Entertainment District as safely and efficiently as possible,” police wrote in the statement. Having rules that prohibit drivers from stopping in the road to drop-off or load passengers means fewer people being let out at unsafe places and less chance a stopping car will disrupt traffic, police said. The stadiums in the entertainment district do have dedicated areas for rideshare pick-up and drop-off, though. Uber, Lyft, Via and other rideshare services can stop at Lot C for Globe Life Field events and Lot 15 for trips to and from AT&T Stadium. Police said those designated spots are clearly marked with signs directing both passengers and drivers to those areas. “Following events, we often have traffic control measures in place such as lane closures and one-way roadways to help facilitate the mass exit of fans from the Entertainment District,” police told KERA. “As a result, a rideshare driver may not be able to navigate to where their rider is if that rider is at a non-designated location around the stadiums.” That can be confusing and cause delays for rideshare drivers and frustrating for passengers, police said. Having pick-up and drop-off in designated areas also makes it easier for authorities to keep an eye on things, increasing safety in the area. Restrictions on rideshare drop-off and pick-up locations aren’t new or uncommon. Cities across Dallas-Fort Worth have adopted similar rules in high-traffic areas in recent years, such as rules about where rideshare drivers can stop in Fort Worth’s West 7th entertainment district. Arlington City Council voted Tuesday to give initial approval to the changes. Council members are expected to vote again for final approval at the Dec. 17 evening meeting. James Hartley is KERA’s Arlington accountability reporter. Email him at jhartley@kera.org . Related Fort Worth Report is certified by the Journalism Trust Initiative for adhering to standards for ethical journalism . Republish This Story Republishing is free for noncommercial entities. Commercial entities are prohibited without a licensing agreement. Contact us for details. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License . Look for the "Republish This Story" button underneath each story. To republish online, simply click the button, copy the html code and paste into your Content Management System (CMS). Do not copy stories straight from the front-end of our web-site. You are required to follow the guidelines and use the republication tool when you share our content. The republication tool generates the appropriate html code. You can’t edit our stories, except to reflect relative changes in time, location and editorial style. You can’t sell or syndicate our stories. Any web site our stories appear on must include a contact for your organization. If you use our stories in any other medium — for example, newsletters or other email campaigns — you must make it clear that the stories are from the Fort Worth Report. In all emails, link directly to the story at fortworthreport.org and not to your website. If you share our stories on social media, please tag us in your posts using @FortWorthReport on Facebook and @FortWorthReport on Twitter. You have to credit Fort Worth Report. Please use “Author Name, Fort Worth Report” in the byline. If you’re not able to add the byline, please include a line at the top of the story that reads: “This story was originally published by Fort Worth Report” and include our website, fortworthreport.org . You can’t edit our stories, except to reflect relative changes in time, location and editorial style. Our stories may appear on pages with ads, but not ads specifically sold against our stories. You can’t sell or syndicate our stories. You can only publish select stories individually — not as a collection. Any web site our stories appear on must include a contact for your organization. If you share our stories on social media, please tag us in your posts using @FortWorthReport on Facebook and @FortWorthReport on Twitter. by James Hartley, Fort Worth Report December 11, 2024AURORA, Colo. (AP) — An apartment building that was the scene of a viral video that led former President Donald Trump to claim a Denver suburb had been taken over by a Venezuelan gang will likely close early next year, an official said Friday. The city of Aurora is seeking to close all but one building at a six-building complex where armed men were seen entering an apartment in August shortly before a fatal shooting outside, claiming the property has seen too much violent crime in addition to poor living conditions, Aurora City Attorney Pete Schulte said. While the property's owners, CBZ Management, have said they were unable to provide maintenance because a notorious Venezuelan gang, Tren de Aragua , took over the buildings, the city says the company essentially abandoned maintaining and running them, creating a vacuum that allowed crime to flourish. “They created an environment where the criminal element could move in and be unchecked,” said Schulte, who said gangs were responsible for some of the crime but that a lot of it was not gang-related. Schulte declined to say how much of the crime was specifically due to Tren de Aragua. He said that gang is known to “travel light and move often" and believes its members have likely moved on. Telephone messages seeking comment left for CBZ Management and its lawyer in the case were not immediately returned. During a court hearing on the criminal-nuisance action brought by the city Thursday, the owners said they agreed the buildings should be closed, Schulte said. Given that, he expects a judge to issue an order to close the buildings at the next court hearing in the case on Jan. 13. After a final decision, the city would give residents 30 days notice that they need to move, he said. During the hearing, the owners did not respond to the allegations that the property became a crime hub, Schulte said. Given that, there is potentially a chance they could ask for a trial instead, delaying any closure. Three of the six men shown in the video have since been arrested, according to Aurora police. Two of them were taken into custody in New York City under a federal arrest warrant last week. A statement from Immigration and Customs Enforcement said both were members of Tren de Aragua. According to Colorado court documents, the same rifle seen in the video was used in the fatal shooting about 10 minutes later outside the apartment complex. It was found disassembled in an oven in one of the apartments, according to an arrest warrant. One of the six buildings at the complex will not be closed because it is owned by a different branch of CBZ. It is being managed by an official appointed by the court at the request of the mortgage lender who is making improvements to the building, Schulte said. Colleen Slevin, The Associated Press
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