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WASHINGTON — President-elect Donald Trump's transition team on Tuesday signed an agreement to allow the Justice Department to conduct background checks on his nominees and appointees after a weekslong delay. The step lets Trump transition aides and future administration staffers obtain security clearances before Inauguration Day to access classified information about ongoing government programs, an essential step for a smooth transition of power. It also allows those nominees who are up for Senate confirmation to face the background checks lawmakers want before voting on them. Teams of investigators have been standing by to process clearances for Trump aides and advisers. FILE - Susie Wiles watches as Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump speaks at a caucus night party in Des Moines, Iowa, Jan. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, File) "This agreement with the Department of Justice will ensure President Trump and his team are ready on Day 1 to begin enacting the America First Agenda that an overwhelming majority of our nation supported on Election Day," said Susie Wiles, Trump's designate to be White House chief of staff. The announcement came a week after the Trump transition team with the Biden White House to allow transition staff to coordinate with the existing federal workforce before taking office Jan. 20. The White House agreement was supposed to have been signed by Oct. 1, according to the Presidential Transition Act, and the Biden White House issued both public and private appeals for Trump's team to sign on. Security clearances are required to access classified information, including on ongoing operations and threats to the nation, and the Biden White House and outside experts emphasized to Trump's team the importance of having cleared personnel before Inauguration Day so they could be fully briefed and ready to run the government. President-elect Donald Trump arrives before the launch of the sixth test flight of the SpaceX Starship rocket Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024 in Boca Chica, Texas. (Brandon Bell/Pool via AP) Republican Senators also insisted on FBI background checks for Trump's nominees before they face confirmation votes, as has been standard practice for decades. Lawmakers were particularly interested in seeing the findings of reviews into Trump's designated nominee for defense secretary, former Fox News host Pete Hegseth, and for Rep. Tulsi Gabbard to be director of national intelligence. "That's why it's so important that we have an FBI background check, a committee review of extensive questions and questionnaires, and a public hearing," Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, said Monday. John Thune, incoming Senate Republican leader, said the Trump team "understands there's going to have to be a thorough vetting of all these nominees." Among President-elect Donald Trump's picks are Susie Wiles for chief of staff, Susie Wiles, 67, was a senior adviser to Trump's 2024 presidential campaign and its de facto manager. Trump 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 . 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 . 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, 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 to be director of national intelligence, keeping with the trend to stock his Cabinet with loyal personalities rather than veteran professionals in their requisite fields. Gabbard, 43, was a Democratic House member who unsuccessfully sought the party's 2020 presidential nomination before leaving the party in 2022. She endorsed Trump in August and campaigned often with him this fall. “I know Tulsi will bring the fearless spirit that has defined her illustrious career to our Intelligence Community,” Trump said in a statement. Gabbard, who has served in the Army National Guard for more than two decades, deploying to Iraq and Kuwait, would come to the role as somewhat of an outsider compared to her predecessor. The current director, Avril Haines, was confirmed by the Senate in 2021 following several years in a number of top national security and intelligence positions. Trump has picked John Ratcliffe, a former Texas congressman who served as director of national intelligence during his first administration, to be director of the Central Intelligence Agency in his next. Ratcliffe was director of national intelligence during the final year and a half of Trump's first term, leading the U.S. government's spy agencies during the coronavirus pandemic. “I look forward to John being the first person ever to serve in both of our Nation's highest Intelligence positions,” Trump said in a statement, calling him a “fearless fighter for the Constitutional Rights of all Americans” who would ensure “the Highest Levels of National Security, and PEACE THROUGH STRENGTH.” Trump has chosen former New York Rep. to serve as his pick to lead the . 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 , “We will restore US energy dominance, revitalize our auto industry to bring back American jobs, and make the US the global leader of AI.” “We will do so while protecting access to clean air and water,” he added. During his campaign, Trump often attacked the Biden administration's promotion of electric vehicles, and incorrectly referring to a tax credit for EV purchases as a government mandate. Trump also often told his audiences during the campaign his administration would “Drill, baby, drill,” referring to his support for expanded petroleum exploration. In a statement, Trump said Zeldin “will ensure fair and swift deregulatory decisions that will be enacted in a way to unleash the power of American businesses, while at the same time maintaining the highest environmental standards, including the cleanest air and water on the planet.” Trump has named Brendan Carr, the senior Republican on the Federal Communications Commission, as the new chairman of the agency tasked with regulating broadcasting, telecommunications and broadband. Carr is a longtime member of the commission and served previously as the FCC’s general counsel. He has been unanimously confirmed by the Senate three times and was nominated by both Trump and President Joe Biden to the commission. Carr made past appearances on “Fox News Channel," including when he decried Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris' pre-Election Day appearance on “Saturday Night Live.” He wrote an op-ed last month defending a satellite company owned by Trump supporter Elon Musk. Rep. Elise Stefanik is a 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. A Republican congressman from Michigan who served from 1993 to 2011, Hoekstra was ambassador to the Netherlands during Trump's first term. “In my Second Term, Pete will help me once again put AMERICA FIRST,” Trump said in a statement announcing his choice. “He did an outstanding job as United States Ambassador to the Netherlands during our first four years, and I am confident that he will continue to represent our Country well in this new role.” Trump will nominate former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee to be ambassador to Israel. Huckabee is a staunch defender of Israel and his intended nomination comes as Trump has promised to align U.S. foreign policy more closely with Israel's interests as it wages wars against the Iran-backed Hamas and Hezbollah. “He loves Israel, and likewise the people of Israel love him,” Trump said in a statement. “Mike will work tirelessly to bring about peace in the Middle East.” Huckabee, who ran unsuccessfully for the Republican presidential nomination in 2008 and 2016, has been a popular figure among evangelical Christian conservatives, many of whom support Israel due to Old Testament writings that Jews are God’s chosen people and that Israel is their rightful homeland. Trump has been praised by some in this important Republican voting bloc for moving the U.S. embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. Trump on Tuesday named real estate investor Steven Witkoff to be special envoy to the Middle East. The 67-year-old Witkoff is the president-elect's golf partner and was golfing with him at Trump's club in West Palm Beach, Florida, on Sept. 15, when the former president was the target of a second attempted assassination. Witkoff “is a Highly Respected Leader in Business and Philanthropy,” Trump said of Witkoff in a statement. “Steve will be an unrelenting Voice for PEACE, and make us all proud." Trump also named Witkoff co-chair, with former Georgia Sen. Kelly Loeffler, of his inaugural committee. Trump said Wednesday that he will nominate Gen. Keith Kellogg to serve as assistant to the president and special envoy for Ukraine and Russia. Kellogg, a retired Army lieutenant general who has long been Trump’s top adviser on defense issues, served as National Security Advisor to Trump's former Vice President Mike Pence. For the America First Policy Institute, one of several groups formed after Trump left office to help lay the groundwork for the next Republican administration, Kellogg in April wrote that “bringing the Russia-Ukraine war to a close will require strong, America First leadership to deliver a peace deal and immediately end the hostilities between the two warring parties.” (AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib) Trump asked Rep. Michael Waltz, R-Fla., a retired Army National Guard officer and war veteran, to be his national security adviser, Trump announced in a statement Tuesday. The move puts Waltz in the middle of national security crises, ranging from efforts to provide weapons to Ukraine and worries about the growing alliance between Russia and North Korea to the persistent attacks in the Middle East by Iran proxies and the push for a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas and Hezbollah. “Mike has been a strong champion of my America First Foreign Policy agenda,” Trump's statement said, "and will be a tremendous champion of our pursuit of Peace through Strength!” Waltz is a three-term GOP congressman from east-central Florida. He served multiple tours in Afghanistan and also worked in the Pentagon as a policy adviser when Donald Rumsfeld and Robert Gates were defense chiefs. He is considered hawkish on China, and called for a U.S. boycott of the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing due to its involvement in the origin of COVID-19 and its mistreatment of the minority Muslim Uighur population. Stephen Miller, an , 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, with Trump’s top priority of carrying out the largest deportation operation in the nation’s history. Homan, who served under Trump in his first administration leading U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, was widely expected to be offered a position related to the border, an issue Trump made central to his campaign. Though Homan has insisted such a massive undertaking would be humane, he has long been a loyal supporter of Trump's policy proposals, suggesting at a July conference in Washington that he would be willing to "run the biggest deportation operation this country’s ever seen.” Democrats have criticized Homan for his defending Trump's “zero tolerance” policy on border crossings during his first administration, which led to the separation of thousands of parents and children seeking asylum at the border. Dr. Mehmet Oz, 64, is a former heart surgeon who hosted “The Dr. Oz Show,” a long-running daytime television talk show. He ran unsuccessfully for the U.S. Senate as the Republican nominee in 2022 and is an outspoken supporter of Trump, who endorsed Oz's bid for elected office. Elon Musk, left, and Vivek Ramaswamy speak before Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump at an Oct. 27 campaign rally at Madison Square Garden in New York. Trump on Tuesday said Musk and former Republican presidential candidate Ramaswamy will lead a new “Department of Government Efficiency" — which is not, despite the name, a government agency. The acronym “DOGE” is a nod to Musk's favorite cryptocurrency, dogecoin. Trump said Musk and Ramaswamy will work from outside the government to offer the White House “advice and guidance” and will partner with the Office of Management and Budget to “drive large scale structural reform, and create an entrepreneurial approach to Government never seen before.” He added the move would shock government systems. It's not clear how the organization will operate. Musk, owner of X and CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, has been a constant presence at Mar-a-Lago since Trump won the presidential election. Ramaswamy suspended his campaign in January and threw his support behind Trump. Trump said the two will “pave the way for my Administration to dismantle Government Bureaucracy, slash excess regulations, cut wasteful expenditures, and restructure Federal Agencies.” Russell Vought held the position during Trump’s first presidency. After Trump’s initial term ended, Vought founded the Center for Renewing America, a think tank that describes its mission as “renew a consensus of America as a nation under God.” Vought was closely involved with Project 2025, a conservative blueprint for Trump’s second term that he tried to distance himself from during the campaign. Vought has also previously worked as the executive and budget director for the Republican Study Committee, a caucus for conservative House Republicans. He also worked at Heritage Action, the political group tied to The Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank. 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. 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. 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. McGinley was White House Cabinet secretary during Trump's first administration, and was outside legal counsel for the Republican National Committee's election integrity effort during the 2024 campaign. In a statement, Trump called McGinley “a smart and tenacious lawyer who will help me advance our America First agenda, while fighting for election integrity and against the weaponization of law enforcement.” 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. 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.

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President-elect Donald Trump asked the Supreme Court on Friday to pause the potential TikTok ban from going into effect until his administration can pursue a “political resolution” to the issue. The request came as TikTok and the Biden administration filed opposing briefs to the court, in which the company argued the court should strike down a law that could ban the platform by Jan. 19 while the government emphasized its position that the statute is needed to eliminate a national security risk. Related Articles “President Trump takes no position on the underlying merits of this dispute. Instead, he respectfully requests that the Court consider staying the Act’s deadline for divestment of January 19, 2025, while it considers the merits of this case,” said Trump’s amicus brief, which supported neither party in the case. The filings come ahead of oral arguments scheduled for Jan. 10 on whether the law, which requires TikTok to divest from its China-based parent company or face a ban, unlawfully restricts speech in violation of the First Amendment. Earlier this month, a panel of three federal judges on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit unanimously upheld the statute , leading TikTok to appeal the case to the Supreme Court. The brief from Trump said he opposes banning TikTok at this junction and “seeks the ability to resolve the issues at hand through political means once he takes office.” Related Articles

Jaylon Johnson isn't interested in bright spots with the Bears' skid at 5 gamesTwo of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's top cabinet ministers met Friday with two of U.S. president-elect Donald Trump's cabinet picks in an attempt to stave off the looming prospect of tariffs on Canadian exports. Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly and Finance Minister Dominic LeBlanc flew to Florida to brief the presidential transition team on the government's plan for improving border security and to make the case that Trump's threat of steep tariffs on all Canadian exports to the U.S. would damage both countries' economies. Trump threatened last month to slap a 25 per cent tariff on all goods entering the U.S. from Canada and Mexico starting on Jan. 20, his inauguration day, unless the countries curb the flow of drugs and migrants across their borders. Joly and LeBlanc met Friday morning with Trump's nominee for secretary of commerce, Howard Lutnick, and his pick for secretary of the interior, Doug Burgum, at the president-elect's Mar-a-Lago resort, where his transition team is headquartered. "Both ministers outlined the measures in Canada's border plan and reiterated the shared commitment to strengthen border security as well as combat the harm caused by fentanyl to save Canadian and American lives," LeBlanc's spokesperson Jean-Sébastien Comeau said in an email to CBC News. While the ministers did not obtain a commitment to hold off on the tariffs, Comeau said the meeting was "productive" and positive, and that discussions would continue in the coming weeks. Trump departs a news conference at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Fla., followed by his nominee for secretary of commerce, Howard Lutnick, on Dec. 16. (Evan Vucci/The Associated Press) CBC News requested interviews Friday with Joly and LeBlanc, but they were not available. The Trudeau government has been scrambling for the past month to mount a response to the tariff threat, which has until now included the prime minister and Leblanc, then-minister of public safety, flying to Mar-a-Lago for a dinner meeting with Trump and unveiling a $1.3-billion suite of measures meant to disrupt the flow of fentanyl and strengthen 24/7 surveillance of the border. Trump taunts Trudeau by calling him 'governor' of 'a great state' Analysis Trump names his tariff man. Here's what he's said and what it means for Canada Meanwhile, Trump has followed up with a succession of Canada-focused social media posts, including taunting Trudeau as "governor," suggesting Canadians would be better off living in the 51st state , and claiming he'd urged former hockey star Wayne Gretzky to "run for prime minister ." Trudeau is currently in British Columbia on Christmas vacation, amid mounting questions about his leadership and an imminent threat that his government could fall next month in a non-confidence vote. CBC News asked Trump's transition team for comment on Friday's meetings but did not receive a response. Donald Trump urges Wayne Gretzky to run for prime minister 1 day ago Duration 4:24 U.S. president-elect Donald Trump claimed on social media that he urged hockey icon Wayne Gretzky to run for prime minister during a Christmas visit. It’s Trump’s latest comment on Canadian politics, following quips about Canada becoming the U.S.’s 51st state and meeting 'Governor' Justin Trudeau. Lutnick, CEO of Wall Street financial services giant Cantor Fitzgerald, was a major donor to Trump's campaign. The president-elect said Lutnick "will lead our tariff and trade agenda " when announcing his nomination as secretary of commerce. Trump's trade deficit concerns raised in meeting: source Trump's frustrations about the U.S. trade deficit with Canada came up at the meeting, a senior Canadian government source told CBC News. Trump has repeatedly inaccurately characterized the trade deficit — about $75 billion US in 2023 — as the U.S. subsidizing the Canadian economy. Doug Ford makes his case against Trump's tariffs in U.S. media interviews Economists say the trade deficit is almost entirely because of Canada's large petroleum exports. The U.S. imported more crude oil from Canada in 2023 than from all other countries combined, according to data posted by the U.S. Energy Information Administration. The source said it will be tricky for Canada to deal with Trump's trade deficit concerns. The president-elect has signalled he wants to renegotiate the terms of the tripartite trade agreement between the U.S., Canada and Mexico, a deal struck during Trump's first term in office. Canadian and American flags fly near the Windsor-Detroit Ambassador Bridge, a major trade link. (Rob Gurdebeke/The Canadian Press) The likely key objective for LeBlanc and Joly at the Mar-a-Lago meeting was to figure out if Canada's planned border measures will be enough to dissuade Trump from go through with his tariff threat, said Lori Turnbull, a political science professor at Dalhousie University. "I'm not sure if it's realistic that they're going to get an answer like that today," Turnbull told CBC News Network's Natasha Fatah in an interview Friday. Trump starts a victory dance over Canada border moves LeBlanc says he's meeting with Trump's border czar after Christmas to present $1.3B plan "But I think the point is to try to move toward that goal and to see what else might need to be done," Turnbull said. "I think more broadly, it's about relationship-building. It's about being there, establishing a conversation, keeping that line of communication open and having the conversation with people who are not Trump." Ahead of the meeting, LeBlanc's spokesperson had said that the ministers intended "to focus on Canada's efforts to combat fentanyl trafficking and illegal migration and the measures outlined in Canada's border plan, as well as the negative impacts that the imposition of 25 per cent tariffs on Canadian goods would have on both Canada and the United States." LeBlanc had previously said he would meet Trump's border czar Tom Homan "after Christmas" to present Canada's proposed plan to secure the shared border. However, LeBlanc did not meet Homan on Friday.

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AP Sports SummaryBrief at 6:24 p.m. ESTSCBA reposes trust in constitutional bench Rauf Atta says they will not allow anyone to undermine integrity and disturb working of constitutional bench ISLAMABAD: President Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) Mian Muhammad Rauf Atta on Monday expressed full confidence in the formation of the constitutional bench and will not allow anyone to undermine the integrity and disturb the working of the constitutional bench for petty political whims. Rebutting Senator Hamid Khan press conference, Atta said that being the apex representative body of the entire legal fraternity, the SCBA had already approved the amendment passed by Parliament. He said that the recommendations of the legal fraternity have been fully enforced in the amendments and reiterated their full confidence in the constitution of a (the bench) and shall not allow anyone to undermine the integrity and disturb the working of the constitutional bench for petty political whims. He said that Senator Hamid Khan has held the press conference that aligned with a specific political stance, adding that his averments do not reflect the legal fraternity position. “He went on to unduly criticize the legitimacy of the constitutionally passed 26th constitutional amendment (the amendment) by the democratically elected parliament and the formulation of the constitutional bench (the bench) and has further announced the 30th of November 2024 as a date to start so-called lawyers agitation against the amendment”, Rauf Atta said. The SCBA president further said that authority to make a call for any lawyers strike/protest, or movement solely rests with the elected representatives of the legal fraternity, not with any unelected person, let alone any politically aligned personality such as Senator Hamid Khan, ASC. “Such calls are only meant to create division with the legal fraternity, which is highly disgraceful and I want to assert that this Association cannot allow anyone to promote political agendas using the shoulders of legal fraternity”, he added. He further said that the bench is working promptly, and hoped that it will contribute to reducing the substantial backlog of constitutional cases and will increase the efficiency of the Supreme Court. He said that aggrieved from the formation of the bench are those who do not want to see the efficient Supreme Court contributing speedy and expeditious dispensation of justice.Pick a social media platform and a fishing-related hashtag, say #patroutfishing on Instagram . It’ll turn up thousands upon thousands of posts. Anglers have long posed for photos with their latest and biggest catches, but the phenomenon of being able to pull out a smartphone and share your achievement globally is unique to the past 10 or 15 years. It’s something that’s been on Travis Pantaleo’s mind since the coronavirus pandemic drove so many of us into nature for socially isolated recreation — and it was the focus of his master’s research thesis in fisheries management at Oregon State University. Wednesday night, he brought his look into “Fish Out of Water” to Lost Tavern Brewing in Hellertown, as part of the Watershed Coalition of the Lehigh Valley’s Tap Talk series. “What impact, if any, does the use of social media have on recreational angling from a catch-and-release or even a mortality perspective?” is the question he posed. “And the reason that this is important is because some of your most dedicated anglers will do everything that they absolutely can to make sure that a fish swims off. But there’s still a 10% mortality assigned to any catch-and-release angling ... .” Travis Pantaleo, a member of the Cooks Creek Watershed Association in Bucks County and the Board of Directors for the Watershed Coalition of the Lehigh Valley, discusses catch-and-release fishing and snapping fish photos for social media during a coalition Tap Talk on Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2024, at Lost Tavern Brewing in Hellertown. Kurt Bresswein | For lehighvalleylive.com Numerous managers of fisheries across the United States offer tips — online, of course — on how to practice safe catch and release. The intersection of the internet and fishing isn’t necessarily a bad thing, Pantaleo said. Anglers can visit the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission’s GIS site for maps of trout streams; where-and-when details on the 4.4 million trout stocked this year in Pennsylvania, including 1.2 million stocked by cooperative nurseries that help raise trout for anglers to go out and catch; and more. Those who manage fishing can draw on information gleaned from social media to influence decision making on stocking and conservation, he said. Pantaleo admits to taking photos of some of the fish he catches while out on Cooks Creek in Upper Bucks or other local steams. But his research has shown the extra time to snap a shot can increase the risk to the fish. “When you go to take a photo, the chances are the percentage and times that you’re keeping that fish out of the water multiplies by 1.6,” he cited. “So keeping a fish out for 30 seconds just became 45. Keeping a fish out of water for 60 seconds just became a minute and a half. “And so it kind of extrapolates the possibility of harming that fish without even really thinking about it. And when you see a lot of photos online, they look pretty good. You know, if you’re anything like me, if you go take a picture of a fish, you’re rushing. Like for me it’s quick, it’s awful because the photo comes out really bad because I’m just trying to get it back in the water and I’m not a good photographer.” Pantaleo is a member of the Cooks Creek Watershed Association and a board member at the Watershed Coalition of the Lehigh Valley, a nonprofit organization that encompasses 13 waterway groups in all. His research shows that the time a fish spends out of water, assuming it’s being released, can cause serious damage. “It’s not too different from if you were to try to hold your breath under the water for 60 seconds or more,” he said. “The only thing is where we would asphyxiate because we would take in too much water, fish kind of have the opposite: They have a large buildup of carbon dioxide. When they’re reintroduced into the water, to put it simply, the oxygen moves through their body so fast that it causes cardiac issues.” That sudden exchange can kill a fish, or cause difficulty righting or balancing itself, or lead to reproductive problems, Pantaleo said, voicing particular concern for native populations of brook or brown trout. “There can be injury to the fish,” Pantaleo said. “So depending on how you hook it, if you hook a fish relatively deep inside of its throat with its gills, there’s a good chance it’s going to swim away bleeding and ultimately die from loss of blood. You can scrape it, it can get infected.” Some examples of best practices for catch-and-release fishing include using barbless hooks, going with a silicone or rubber-mesh net instead of nets with knots, and wetting hands or gloves to reduce harm to the protective slime covering the fish’s skin. Anglers are good partners in conservation, said Stefanie Green, who coordinates the Watershed Coalition of the Lehigh Valley’s Tap Talk series. Rod and gun clubs promote coalition events. They organize stream cleanups. Pennsylvania’s fishing license sales estimated at 782,989 in 2023-24 help protect native species, conserve the outdoors and enhance waterways , according to Fish and Boat. Pantaleo cited examples of anglers calling others out on social media, over pics of fish that have been dropped or which are covered in dust or dirt. “And on the opposite side of that, you have other forums where people are very encouraging of folks to go out and experience this type of experience for themselves,” he told about 18 people gathered for Wednesday night’s Tap Talk. “So it goes back to that idea that social media can both be a positive and a negative.” The Watershed Coalition started its Tap Talks in spring 2019 at Birthright Brewing Co. in Nazareth. They’re held in conjunction with the Penn State Extension, whose master watershed steward coordinator for Lehigh and Northampton counties, Shannon Frankosky, was in attendance Wednesday. The series grew out of visits to local businesses that use Lehigh Valley water, and the talks don’t always take place at beer breweries. The members have held events at Portch Tea, a kombucha-tea maker in the Emmaus area; Taylor House Brewing Co. and Blocker’s Coffeehouse in Catasauqua; Seven Sirens Brewing Co. in Bethlehem; and Black River Farms Vineyard & Winery in Lower Saucon Township. “Give us something delicious with local water and we’re there,” said Green, who is president of the Bertsch-Hokendauqua-Catasauqua Watershed Association. For more tips on safe catch-and-release fishing, including to keep both the fight and the fish’s time out water as brief as possible, visit the websites of the National Park Service website or National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration . The Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife is blunt in its recommendation: “ Photos can be so stressful. SKIP SOCIAL MEDIA! But if you feel you must get a picture, prepare for taking photos with your fish safely under the water surface. When lifting the fish out of the water, do it for 5 second intervals or less. Try to get the shot (within reason), but return your fish to the water for a rest between attempts. Take it slow down below.” More tips from keepfishwet.org include making sure your camera is easily accessible and ready to use and being mindful of conditions where a photo simply isn’t a good idea , like if the water is warm or the fish is deeply hooked. Pennsylvania Fish and Boat also offers a video on “How to Handle Fish for Safe Catch and Release” : Learn more about the Watershed Coalition of the Lehigh Valley on Facebook . Wednesday’s event was free, though participants were asked to register at eventbrite.com . President Rebecca Hayden says its next Tap Talk is planned for January on pollution trapped in snow and its year-round effects on both surface water and groundwater. more lehigh valley outdoors news Red leaves and white veggies, rufous hummers and snowy owls | Lehigh Valley Nature Watch Autumn snow dumps nearly a foot in Poconos, as hunting calendar heats up Pennsylvania lifts bans on permitted fires on state land Deer season preview: Promising prospects await Pennsylvania’s firearms hunters Better care, checkup urged after hunters die of heart attacks while hauling away deer Kurt Bresswein may be reached at kbresswein@lehighvalleylive.com .From strength to strength: Simpfendorfer's lifelong commitment to serving others

By HALELUYA HADERO, Associated Press President-elect Donald Trump asked the Supreme Court on Friday to pause the potential TikTok ban from going into effect until his administration can pursue a “political resolution” to the issue. The request came as TikTok and the Biden administration filed opposing briefs to the court, in which the company argued the court should strike down a law that could ban the platform by Jan. 19 while the government emphasized its position that the statute is needed to eliminate a national security risk. “President Trump takes no position on the underlying merits of this dispute. Instead, he respectfully requests that the Court consider staying the Act’s deadline for divestment of January 19, 2025, while it considers the merits of this case,” said Trump’s amicus brief, which supported neither party in the case. The filings come ahead of oral arguments scheduled for Jan. 10 on whether the law, which requires TikTok to divest from its China-based parent company or face a ban, unlawfully restricts speech in violation of the First Amendment. Earlier this month, a panel of three federal judges on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit unanimously upheld the statute , leading TikTok to appeal the case to the Supreme Court. The brief from Trump said he opposes banning TikTok at this junction and “seeks the ability to resolve the issues at hand through political means once he takes office.”UK might activate snapback mechanism against Iran, BBC reportsBillionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk strengthened his support for the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, calling the group the country’s “last spark of hope” in an opinion piece published Saturday. Musk, who spent more than a quarter billion dollars supporting Donald Trump ‘s election in the U.S., wrote that AfD “can lead [Germany] into a future where economic prosperity, cultural integrity and technological innovation are not just wishes, but reality.” Germany will elect a new government on Feb. 23 following the collapse of the three-party governing coalition last month. The country has been plagued by economic stagnation. “The traditional parties have failed in Germany,” he Tesla CEO and X owner wrote. “Their policies have led to economic stagnation, social unrest, and the erosion of national identity.” This is not the first time Musk has supported AfD. Last week, he shared a video on X from a far-right political activist and wrote, “Only the AfD can save Germany.” The AfD, which has been growing in popularity, espouses a “Germany first” ideology. The party supports virulently anti-immigrant and white supremacist views and has advocated for mass deportations . Its leader has proposed segregating disabled students from regular schools. The party, which has connections to neo-Nazis, has been deemed “suspected extremist” by German authorities while its youth wing has been classified as “confirmed extremist.” In September, the party won a state election in Thuringia, marking the first time a far-right party has had that kind of victory since the Nazi era. While it is unlikely AfD will win the national election in February, and Germany’s other leading parties have said they will not form a coalition government with AfD, its rising popularity is causing concern. Musk’s opinion piece drew the ire of left-leaning German politicians. “It’s unacceptable that foreign billionaires try to influence our political landscape and support parties that undermine our democratic values,” Matthias Miersch, general secretary of Germany’s ruling Social Democrats (SPD), told the Handelsblatt newspaper. Miersch also criticized media conglomerate Axel Springer for the “shameful and dangerous” decision to allow the piece to run in one of its papers, Welt am Sonntag. Axel Springer also owns Politico. Editor’s picks The 100 Best TV Episodes of All Time The 250 Greatest Guitarists of All Time The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time The 200 Greatest Singers of All Time Welt opinion editor, Eva Marie Kogel, resigned in protest of Musk’s article. “I always enjoyed leading the opinion section of WELT and WAMS. Today an article by Elon Musk appeared in Welt am Sonntag. I handed in my resignation yesterday after it went to print,” Kogel wrote on X shortly after the piece was published online. Along with Musk’s opinion piece, the paper published an article by Welt’s soon-to-be editor-in-chief, Jan Philipp Burgard, who wrote, according to The Washington Post, “Musk’s diagnosis is correct, but his therapeutic approach, that only the AfD can save Germany, is fatally wrong.” Per The Post , Burgard and the Welt group’s current editor-in-chief, Ulf Poschardt, said in a statement to German Press Agency, dpa, that Musk’s opinion piece prompted a discussion that was “very insightful.” “Democracy and journalism thrive on freedom of expression,” they added.

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The Extra Innings podcast has returned a few days ahead of the holiday and the expected transaction made by the Mariners on the eve of Thanksgiving. Times beat writer Ryan Divish and Adam Jude are joined by Jordan Shusterman of Yahoo Sports to discuss the start of the Mariners offseason, including the inevitable reacquisition of infielder Austin Shenton, the non-tender deadline and what it means for the expected additions and the Mariners budget limitations. Besides Soundcloud, the Extra Innings podcast is also available on iTunes , Stitcher and Spotify .

The French Prime Minister Michel Barnier has said it is "possible" he could survive a no-confidence vote in his minority government. Opposition parties have tabled the motion to oust the former Brexit negotiator after he used special powers to force through his budget without a vote . In the interview with French TV channels on Tuesday, Barnier pleaded his case before the public, saying that he remained open to budget talks with opposition parties despite being widely predicted to lose the vote. He also sought to distance himself from France's ongoing state of political instability, saying he was not at fault. The French prime minister also rejected the idea that President Emmanuel Macron should resign to unblock the country's current crisis, calling him a "guarantee of stability". In the interview with the TF1 and France 2 television channels, Barnier said: "It's not a question of political survival for me. "I've been in this office for three months. I arrived there on 5 September, telling myself that I could leave the next morning," he added. "This is the first time since 1958 that there is no majority at all. No majority possible between three major groups. I know that this is a fragile and ephemeral situation." France has been beset by political uncertainty since Macron called snap elections over the summer which resulted in a hung parliament where no group had an absolute majority. While a left-wing alliance won most seats, Macron appointed the conservative Barnier in a bid to reinstate stability. But his government has been consistently undermined because it does not have a majority. On Monday, Barnier opted to push through controversial reforms to social security by invoking presidential decree after failing to win enough support for the measures. The budget bill sought to deliver €60bn (£49bn) in tax rises and spending cuts. But Barnier was forced to cave in to changes demanded by critics due to his lack of a parliamentary majority. He is now expected to become the shortest-lived prime minister in France's Fifth Republic, with the left wing bloc in the National Assembly, as well as the far-right, predicted to back the motion against him. If he does not survive the vote, he will remain in place as caretaker prime minister until Macron announces a new government. While Macron - who is on a state visit to Saudi Arabia - has reportedly begun considering his pick for the next prime minister, the process could take weeks, as it did in summer.Trending News Today Live Updates: In today's fast-paced world, staying informed about the latest developments is more important than ever. Trending News Today brings you the most current and impactful stories from across the globe, covering a wide range of topics including politics, technology, entertainment, sports, and social issues. Whether it's a significant political event, a groundbreaking technological innovation, or the latest in pop culture, we provide you with up-to-the-minute updates and in-depth analysis. Our goal is to ensure that you're always in the loop, aware of the trends that are shaping the world around us. Stay tuned for the latest news that matters. Trends News Today Live: The Spencer Stare: Royal fans obsessed with William, Charlotte, and George’s striking resemblance to Diana

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