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USA TODAY

Trump transition live updates: Latest news as election winner makes moves

Marina Pitofsky, Bart Jansen, Savannah Kuchar, David Jackson, Riley Beggin and Joey Garrison, USA TODAY
Updated
9 min read

President-elect Donald Trump is making pivotal picks for his second administration, including tapping Stephen Miller, one of his longest-serving top immigration advisers, as deputy chief of staff for policy in the incoming White House.

The quick appointment of the hardline conservative signals Trump plans to move aggressively on the "America first" agenda he ran on. Miller was picked before traditional national security roles such as attorney general or secretaries of State and Defense.

  • Tom Homan, the former head of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, will become a “border czar” overseeing deportation policy.

  • Trump named Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., to be the next ambassador to the United Nations.

  • He asked Florida congressman Mike Waltz to serve as his national security adviser.

  • Trump's choices come as Republicans are poised to keep control of the House. Remember, a party needs 218 seats to lead the lower chamber, and Republicans have locked up 213 so far compared to Democrats' 203.

  • Trump asked former Rep. Lee Zeldin to serve as administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency.

Keep up with live updates from the USA TODAY Network.

Democrats flip Louisiana's 6th District

Democrat Cleo Fields won Louisiana's 6th Congressional District, which stretches from Baton Rouge to Shreveport.

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The district, redrawn this year, is the state's second majority-Black district. Fields' victory flips the seat from Republican to Democrat.

It is the second time in nearly 50 years that a Democrat has won the district. Fields will replace incumbent GOP Rep. Garret Graves, who did not seek reelection.

Fields previously served in the U.S. House for two terms beginning in 1993. He is now a state Senator.

- Riley Beggin

Trump's top allies are weighing in on the battle to succeed McConnell. Will Trump influence the race?

Donald Trump’s allies are adding their voices ? and pressure ? to this week's high-stakes election to pick Republican leader Mitch McConnell's heir, who would play a major role in the incoming administration's vision for the country.

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Trump allies Tucker Carlson, Vivek Ramaswamy, Elon Musk, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. and others are weighing in on the critical vote for the next Senate Republican leader, serving as a potent reminder that every major decision is ripe for influence in Trump’s Washington.

The only question now is whether it will work.

? Riley Beggin

Trump picks Lee Zeldin, former New York congressman, to lead EPA

Donald Trump has tapped former Rep. Lee Zeldin to serve as administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency.

As the head of the EPA, Zeldin is expected to be tasked with rolling back many of the environmental regulations from the Biden administration while Trump pushes an expansion of fossil-fuel energy.

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"Lee, with a very strong legal background, has been a true fighter for America First policies," Trump said in a statement. "He 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."

?Joey Garrison

Former U.S. Representative Lee Zeldin of New York speaks during the third day of the Republican National Convention at Fiserv Forum.
Former U.S. Representative Lee Zeldin of New York speaks during the third day of the Republican National Convention at Fiserv Forum.

Emboldened by Donald Trump victory, Rick Scott shakes up US Senate leadership race

U.S. Sen. Rick Scott is making waves in his push to become that chamber's majority leader – even though his opponents might have better odds in a process that typically favors insiders.

The Florida Republican received an endorsement Sunday from tech titan Elon Musk, immediately signed on to a request from President-elect Donald Trump to push appointments through while the chamber is in recess and is aggressively courting the diehard Trump wing of the GOP.

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Scott’s opponents for the position are Sens. John Thune of South Dakota and John Cornyn of Texas. Whoever wins will helm the Senate and will likely help push Trump’s legislative agenda through the chamber, in addition to ushering his appointments through the confirmation process.

?Gray Rohrer

Who will Donald Trump tap to serve as attorney general?

As Donald Trump organizes his administration, a key decision will be who to name as attorney general to run a Department of Justice he and his allies say was hopelessly politicized by the Biden administration.

Trump’s relationship with the department has been tumultuous.

During his first term, Trump tried to block the department’s investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 election he won. He demanded probes of baseless election fraud claims in the 2020 race he lost. After leaving office, Trump faced prosecution in two federal cases for alleged election interference and mishandling classified documents.

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Here is a sample of candidates – from among lawmakers, members of his first administration and appointees – who are being considered, according to news reports and people working on the transition:

Trump justice: Who will Donald Trump name as U.S. attorney general?

? Bart Jansen

Former Kamala Harris aide says Joe Biden should resign so she can serve as 47th president

Jamal Simmons, a former communications director for Kamala Harris, made an unlikely suggestion about how the vice president might still have a chance of becoming president in 2024: If Joe Biden steps down from office.

Asked on Sunday what they thought would be the most important thing to watch for in the 71 days until President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration, panelists on CNN's "State of the Union" Scott Jennings, Ashley Allison and Brad Todd pointed to the release of Israeli hostages in Gaza or Trump’s actions while setting up his administration.

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Simmons went in a different direction. Biden, he said, “could resign the presidency in the next 30 days (and) make Kamala Harris the president of the United States.”

“Joe Biden’s been a phenomenal president,” Simmons said. “He’s lived up to so many of the promises he’s made. There’s one promise left that he can fulfill: being a transitional figure.”

– George Fabe Russell

Missouri Sen. Eric Schmitt pulls out of attorney general's race

The jockeying for jobs in the next Trump administration is well underway – and is starting to include the names of people who are pulling themselves out of the various races.

For example: Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., confirmed Monday he has asked Trump transition officials not to consider him for attorney general.

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"I ran for the U.S. Senate to represent the people of the Show Me State and I’m just getting started," Schmitt said in a post on X.

Among the names thought to still be under consideration for the Justice Department: Mike Lee, a senator from Utah; John Ratcliffe, Trump’s former Director of National Intelligence, and Jeffrey Clark, a former assistant attorney general.

– David Jackson

Trump advised Putin not to escalate war with Ukraine

President-elect Donald Trump spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin and advised him not to escalate the Ukraine war, a source familiar with the conversation told Reuters on Sunday, as President Joe Biden plans to urge Trump not to abandon Kyiv.

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Trump and Putin spoke in recent days, said the source. Trump spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday. Trump has criticized the scale of U.S. military and financial support for Kyiv, vowing to end the war quickly, without saying how.

– Reuters

Russian President Vladimir Putin and President Donald Trump are pictured shaking hands during a bilateral meeting at the G20 leaders summit in Osaka, Japan, in 2019.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and President Donald Trump are pictured shaking hands during a bilateral meeting at the G20 leaders summit in Osaka, Japan, in 2019.

Stephen Miller named Donald Trump's deputy chief of staff for policy

Donald Trump has tapped Stephen Miller, one of his longest-serving top immigration advisers, as deputy chief of staff for policy in the incoming White House.

Vice President-elect JD Vance congratulated Miller on his new role in a post on X after CNN first reported the move. "This is another fantastic pick by the president," Vance said.

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Miller's appointment comes after Trump campaigned for president in 2024 on mobilizing mass deportations of undocumented immigrants who are in the country unlawfully.

Miller, 39, served as senior advisor to Trump and director of speechwriting during the Republican's first term in the White House and is credited with shaping Trump’s immigration policies, which included separating migrant children from their families and a ban on travel from predominantly Muslim countries. Miller played a central role in Trump's 2024 campaign.

– Joey Garrison

Trump asks Mike Waltz to be national security adviser

Trump has asked Florida congressman Mike Waltz to serve as his national security adviser, according to two sources familiar with his selection.

Waltz, 50, is set join the new administration as it navigates several tense geopolitical fights, including the Ukraine-Russia and Israel-Hamas wars. The role Trump asked Waltz to serve in does not require Senate confirmation.

The three-term lawmaker has been a member of the House Armed Services Committee, served in civilian roles at the Pentagon and is a decorated Green Beret combat veteran. He's also an outspoken critic of the Defense Department’s diversity programs.

In Congress, Waltz has demanded more defense spending from NATO allies and questioned the United States’ “blank check” for Ukraine in its war with Russia.

- Tom Vanden Brook, David Jackson

Who will control the House next year? What about the Senate?

Republicans will take control of the Senate from Democrats in 2025. They're expected to control the chamber 53-47, though one Senate race in Arizona hasn't formally been called.

In the House, either party would need 218 seats to take control of the chamber. Republicans are poised to reach that crucial number: Of the 435 seats in the House, 203 have been called for Democrats, and 213 have been called for Republicans.

– Marina Pitofsky

Donald Trump picks Tom Homan, former head of immigration enforcement, to be 'border czar'

Tom Homan, the former head of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, will become a “border czar” overseeing deportation policy for undocumented immigrants and aviation security, President-elect Donald Trump announced.

Homan was a controversial figure in Trump’s first term because he oversaw the “zero tolerance” policy that separated families of undocumented immigrants.

But he has been a vocal defender of strict immigration enforcement for Trump, who vowed a mass deportation of an estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants will begin on his first day in office Jan. 20.

– Bart Jansen

Who is Elise Stefanik? Donald Trump picks major House ally to be next UN ambassador

Donald Trump has named Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., to be the next ambassador to the United Nations, according to multiplereports. The New York lawmaker has accepted the offer.

Trump's nomination of Stefanik, a longtime congressional ally, is his first cabinet pick after being reelected Tuesday for a second, nonconsecutive term in the White House.

One of Stefanik's most prominent moments came last year during a congressional hearing with college presidents from Harvard University, the University of Pennsylvania and MIT. During the hearing, she asked them whether calling for the genocide of Jews warranted disciplinary action.

All three presidents waffled and dodged the question, instead offering legal responses without directly condemning calling for the genocide of Jews. Two of the presidents, former Penn president Liz Magill, and former Harvard President Claudine Gay, have since left their posts.

– Savannah Kuchar

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump transition updates: Picks for UN ambassador, EPA lead are in

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