Trump picks Rubio for secretary of state and Noem for DHS chief as new cabinet takes shape: Live

MAGA Republican Kari Lake has lost her Arizona Senate race to Democrat Ruben Gallego, who will become the Grand Canyon State’s first Latino senator.

Gallego’s victory helps prevent the GOP from further expanding its majority in the upper chamber of Congress and continues his party’s successful run in Arizona over the past decade, where voters have repeatedly rejected candidates backed by Donald Trump.

Trump himself beat Kamala Harris there in last week’s presidential election, but he secured a clean slate in the swing states.

“Thank you, Arizona!” Gallego, 44, wrote the X after his victory was confirmed, thanking the state’s voters for a victory that nonetheless means Republicans still hold 53 of the 100 seats in the Senate.

Gallego is a five-term House member and a Marine Corps Reserve veteran of the Iraq War who will replace Kyrsten Sinema, whose 2018 victory as a Democrat created a formula the party has successfully copied ever since.

One last cabinet election and then we move on.

The president-elect is believed to be going after former New York congressman Lee Zeldin, a man who “voted against environmental legislation 85 percent of the time,” to lead the Environmental Protection Agency.

Another man who looks set to join Trump in Washington DC is Florida Representative Mike Waltz, who will step into shoes previously worn by HR McMaster, John Bolton and Robert O’Brien if indeed he becomes chosen.

In another key appointment, the president-elect has tapped the Republican Florida lawmaker who was a regular on the 2024 campaign trail with him to become the nation’s top diplomat, sources said. New York Times Monday evening.

The Cuban-American, 53, will be the first Latino to serve in the role when Trump takes office in January.

He will face a geopolitical landscape where several US allies are at war abroad, including Ukraine’s defense against the Russian invasion and Israel’s conflict with Hamas in Gaza.

He is also expected to deliver on key campaign promises closer to home, such as dramatically reducing illegal immigration at the US-Mexico border.

Rubio was elected to the Senate in 2010 and was reportedly considered a 2024 running mate by Trump.

He is considered a hawk on both China and Iran and a staunch supporter of Israel.

Here’s more from Graeme Massie and Josh Marcus.

The president-elect has chosen South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem to lead the Department of Homeland Security in his incoming administration as his White House team continues to take shape.

Noem is perhaps best known to millions around the world after revealing in her memoirs earlier this year that she had shot her disobedient dog Cricket, an anecdote ostensibly intended to convey her leadership qualities but may instead have cost her the chance to run as Trump’s vice presidential nominee, an honor that instead went to Ohio Sen. JD Vance.

Here is James Liddell on his most recent employment.

Donald Trump — who baselessly accuses President Joe Biden’s administration of “weaponizing” law enforcement and the court against him — will take office on Jan. 20, 2025, with a slew of executive powers at his fingertips.

He could soon prepare to seek revenge on those he believes have wronged him.

Senate Parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough, essentially a Senate judge, is responsible for making sure lawmakers follow the rules that govern how legislation moves forward. And it’s her role that could prove to be the last roadblock before Trump can enact sweeping immigration reforms.

“The fear is that career management and career employees everywhere will either leave or be driven out.”

The two marked Veterans Day on Monday at Arlington National Cemetary, where the two laid a wreath as part of the annual ceremony. Biden then delivered remarks at the ceremony and barely spoke about the election.

The Arlington event is nonpartisan, and the two appeared together, walking in solemn procession. The vice president appeared stoic with no hint of a smile during the ceremony, while Biden appeared slightly stiff and was fighting a cough. His eyes appeared closed during parts of the event.

President-elect Donald Trump is reportedly poised to name Stephen Miller, his former senior adviser and immigration hardliner, to serve as his deputy chief of staff for policy, CNN reported.