646jili
Simeon Boikov has been variously described as a misinformation spreader, serial pest and Russian pawn But he may prove a "useful idiot" for the Australian government in securing the freedom of captured Melbourne man Oscar Jenkins. Mr Boikov has been holed up in the Russian consulate in Sydney's eastern suburbs since December 2022, after being charged with assaulting an elderly man at a pro-Ukraine protest in Sydney's CBD. While the self-styled "Aussie Cossack" is seeking asylum with the Russians of his own accord and is not a prisoner of the Australian judicial system, opposition foreign affairs spokesman Simon Birmingham said he could be used in an exchange to secure Mr Jenkins' release. "If he potentially proves himself to be, shall I say, a useful idiot in terms of a possibility for a Christmas swap, well that is something for the government to consider as it looks at ways to potentially bring an Australian free and break him from Russian custody," Senator Birmingham told ABC Radio on Tuesday. Mr Boikov volunteered himself to be exchanged with Mr Jenkins in a video posted on social media platform Telegram. "I'm sure the Russians will be happy to accept," Mr Boikov said. "We should bring him home, he shouldn't have been in Ukraine. "Let's do a deal." In a video posted to Russian social media on Sunday, Mr Jenkins is repeatedly slapped and interrogated by a Russian-speaking man assumed to be his captor. The man asks Mr Jenkins how it was he came to be in Kramatorsk, a town 700km east of Kyiv in the Donbas region, near the Russian-Ukrainian frontline. Standing in a forest and dressed in army fatigues, Mr Jenkins tells the man he wanted to help Ukraine. The footage was disturbing, Senator Birmingham said. "Obviously, all Australians would want to see and have confidence that this Australian citizen is going to be treated humanely, fairly, in accordance with the type of rules that should apply to prisoners of war," he said. Parading prisoners of war on social media is a breach of the Geneva Convention relative to the Treatment of Prisoners of War, which dictates that they must at all times be protected against insults and public curiosity. The Australian government was making representations to Russia about Mr Jenkins, acting foreign affairs minister Mark Dreyfus said. The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade was yet to determine his whereabouts but was first made aware about concerns for Mr Jenkins' wellbeing in November, the ABC reported. People close to the 32-year-old have not known his whereabouts for months. "If that's the case, then what steps has Australia taken to try to ascertain his whereabouts and seek to ensure his well being?" Senator Birmingham said. While Mr Jenkins is believed to be the first Australian captured while fighting against Russia in Ukraine, at least seven Australians are believed to have died in the conflict. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Nationals leader David Littleproud have both implored Australians not to go over. "This isn't some great adventure," Mr Littleproud told Nine's Today Show. "I had to bring back the remains of a young man from my own electorate, Jed Danahay, who was over there as a medic helping Ukrainians in the war zone and was tragically killed. "I never forget the look and the anguish and the pain in his mother's eyes when I handed back his ashes to her."
Not as it seems: Rise of deepfakes throughout the Crypto sectorFormer US president Bill Clinton hospitalized with fever
Innovative immunotherapy shows promise in early clinical trial for breast cancerLiberty Energy CEO Christopher Wright sells $588,480 in stock
Once a year, Buffalo Bills defensive back Cam Lewis gathers around a computer with his mom, Yvonne, and his brother, Brandon. The three get together to read personal essays by students at the high school Lewis attended. Lewis grew up around the 7 Mile Area of Detroit and went to Consortium College Prep, which is now called Voyageur College Prep. A couple of years ago, Lewis started a scholarship: the Cam Lewis Voyage to Success Scholarship. Bills cornerback Cam Lewis celebrates a play during a game in Seattle on Oct. 27. “I always wanted to give back in any certain way,” Lewis said. “I was able to get a scholarship coming out of high school, but not a lot of people are able to do that, so just any amount of money that I can give can help them in their college experience.” Every year, he awards $2,000 to five different graduating students, doling out $10,000 total per year. Applications revolve around five different criteria, including an essay that Lewis reads and judges himself, alongside Yvonne and Brandon. The prompt revolves around what students have overcome in their high school career. “It's cool,” Lewis said. “It's a glimpse into all these kids' lives. You never know what they're going through. Everybody goes through different things.” ‘He gives so much back’ This weekend, Lewis will return to Detroit as the Bills head to a major tilt with the 12-1 Lions. It’s an exciting homecoming for Lewis. “It shaped me a lot of different ways, but I’m just glad I grew up in Detroit,” Lewis said. Lewis gets back to Detroit a few times a year. When he does, he always catches up with his high school football coach, John Pittman. Pittman is so proud of how far Lewis has gone in football, and how much he gives when he returns. “Cam, he’s just such a hard worker, and he gives so much back,” Pittman said. “When he comes and talks to a lot of the students, he definitely gives a lot to each program.” Lewis doesn’t just visit Voyageur since Pittman has switched schools a couple of times. Lewis always goes wherever Pittman goes. “Every program I’m a part of, he always comes back, talks to the players, telling them how you know you can make it no matter where you go,” Pittman said. After high school, Lewis went on to play at University at Buffalo. There, he caught the eyes of the Bills. Lewis joined the Bills in 2019 as an undrafted free agent, and he worked his way up from the practice squad to cement a Swiss-army-knife role for the Bills' defense. “I never thought I'd be at this level playing for this long and stuff like that,” Lewis said. “So, anytime I can go back and see and then give some kids some knowledge and stuff like that, I always do that.” His advice takes on the flavor of the city that raised him. “Being from Detroit, you have a mentality that, I guess what we call it, like a hustler's mentality,” Yvonne said. “A hustler's mentality means you always have to go get it, just be a go-getter. So that's like a staple phrase, a hustler mentality for the city. And he's always had that. ... He’s a self motivator.” ‘Let’s just give it a shot’ Yvonne Lewis had her sons play all sorts of sports growing up. Baseball was a favorite for Cam, and he got involved early. When Cam was 5, older brother Brandon had an 8U game, coached by their dad. “We were short a player, and we needed somebody to go in the game,” Yvonne said. “So, they stuck Cameron in here. He was five years old. I was like, ‘Okay, you really going to let him play?’” Yvonne says Cam only came up to about the shoulders of his teammates. He recalls his legs being so much shorter that teammates caught up to him on the base paths. But he didn’t let that stop him. When he got older, Lewis transferred to Voyageur, so he couldn’t play his first year there. He also had a mindset slightly surprising for a player who would go on to play in the NFL. “His sophomore year, when he came in, he told me, he was like, ‘I’m a baseball player,’ ” Pittman said. “I was like, ‘What?’ ” But with Pittman’s encouragement, Lewis began to put more work into football. “ ‘If you think I’m good, then OK, let’s just give it a shot,’ ” Pittman recalls Lewis saying. “ ‘Let’s work at it.’ And it just went from there.” Yvonne had seen how Cam’s determination played out in the past. “Once he put his mind to it, he really says he gets stuck on it,” she said. “It's like his tunnel vision at that point.” Lewis was evolving as the program did, too. “When Cameron got there, that was actually our second season, going into our third season,” Pittman said. “We were actually building the program. So, he actually built the foundation of the program to where it is now today.” The team didn’t have a practice field or even a home field. Lewis remembers it being challenging. He embraced that. “We always go by the saying, ‘Embrace every struggle and live the grind,’ ” Pittman said. “So, we knew it was gonna be a struggle, just having the kids having some way to practice, building a weight room, and just giving them just belief in themselves. Like, ‘Hey, if you guys believe in yourself, sky’s the limit.’ And then they just bought in. It was just brotherhood.” The brotherhood was small. Pittman estimates there were around 24 players on the team. Lewis played all over the field except offensive line, Pittman said. “Relentless,” Pittman said. “He wanted to do it all. I mean, his senior year, we were struggling. We were questioning quarterbacks. He’s like, ‘Coach, give me the ball. I’m the quarterback.’ ” So, play quarterback he did. Lewis said he didn’t throw the ball a ton, but he was ready to step in. “We needed somebody on offense,” he said. “At the time, I was playing both ways, but the majority was just on offense. I was like I need somebody to hand me the ball, at least. I need to make some plays. But it was cool, though.” Bills cornerback Cam Lewis trips up 49ers tight end George Kittle during a game at Highmark Stadium on Dec. 1. An emotional return Lewis’ ability to play anywhere on the field has served him well at football’s highest level. “He can do it all, especially in the secondary,” Pittman said. “He’s not scared to go up against bigger and taller. He’s always been pretty much a smaller guy on the field. But I mean, heart is like a lion.” Now, it’s helping the Bills. Lewis has played a career-high 49% of defensive snaps this season (403 snaps). His previous high was 22% in 2020. “Position flexibility,” Bills head coach Sean McDermott said when asked what Lewis means to the team. “Just incredibly valuable for us: playing nickel, playing dime, playing special teams, playing safety. He’s just done a phenomenal job, and fun to watch him grow.” Lewis sees the uptick in both as a reflection of his determination to improve his game and his coaches’ trust in him. On Sunday at Ford Field, Lewis will have a chance to show his growth in front of a massive crowd of family and friends. “Fifty-five total,” Lewis said on expected attendance. “Yeah, it’s gonna be a lot.” Lewis said that number is about normal for when he plays in Detroit. He expects he’ll be a little emotional before the game. It's part of the journey. “I’m just happy to come from such a hustle city, grind city,” he said. “It did shape me to the guy I am today, molded me in the right direction to have my good mindset, my motivation of what I want to do. So yeah, I’m just glad to be from there.” Injury report The Bills’ secondary could be quite depleted Sunday. Cornerback Rasul Douglas (knee) has been ruled out of Sunday’s game. Douglas injured his knee against the Rams, and he did not practice all week. McDermott said ahead of practice that he was not yet ready to name who would start in Douglas’ place. The following Bills players are questionable: tight end Dalton Kincaid (knee), safety Taylor Rapp (neck/shoulder), safety Damar Hamlin (back/ribs), defensive end Casey Toohill (ribs), tight end Quintin Morris (shoulder/groin), offensive lineman Tylan Grable (groin), defensive end Dawuane Smoot (wrist) and linebacker Baylon Spector (calf). Rapp, Hamlin and Toohill were in red noncontact jerseys during the portion of practice open to media. Those three players were limited Friday. For the Lions, linebacker Trevor Nowaske (concussion) has been ruled out. No other Detroit players carry an injury designation. Get in the game with our Prep Sports Newsletter Sent weekly directly to your inbox! Sports reporter {{description}} Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items.TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Bucky Irving isn’t choosy. The rookie running back relishes any opportunity he gets to contribute to the success of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who have rebounded from a tough stretch to climb back into a tie for first place in the NFC South. Irving leads NFL rookies in rushing with 732 yards, averaging 5.5 yards per carry while sharing the workload with starter Rachaad White and third-stringer Sean Tucker, who have combined to ease some of the burden on quarterback Baker Mayfield. A fourth-round draft pick out of Oregon, Irving is coming off rushing for a season-best 152 yards and a touchdown in last week’s 26-23 overtime win over the Carolina Panthers. He had another 33 yards receiving, giving him a rookie-leading 1,017 total yards from scrimmage through 12 games. The Bucs (6-6) on Sunday host the Las Vegas Raiders (2-10), who have an outstanding newcomer of their own with Brock Bowers on the verge of breaking the league’s record for catches by a rookie tight end. Bowers leads all players, regardless of position, with 84 receptions. He’s fourth with 884 yards receiving and second behind Irving among rookies with 895 total yards from scrimmage. “I don’t really like taking all the credit. It’s those guys up front,” Irving said, deferring to Tampa Bay’s improved offensive line. “I think I have to do something special for those guys for Christmas because they’re getting the job done.” The Bucs are eighth in the NFL in rushing at 137.2 yards per game. They’ve gained 100-plus yards on the ground in nine of 12 games after only doing it nine times in 34 games over the past two seasons. Irving, whose ability to make defenders miss and accelerate in the open field, has provided a spark to an offense that sputtered without injured wide receivers Mike Evans and Chris Godwin during a four-game losing streak. It doesn’t seem to bother the rookie that he still sits behind White on the depth chart. The starter had a 38-yard run in overtime to set up the winning field goal last week. Coach Todd Bowles continues to stress that the Bucs, tied with Atlanta for the NFC South lead, need both Irving and White to be successful. “In our room, all our success is one,” said Irving, who in the past two weeks became the first rookie since Miles Sanders in 2019 to string together consecutive games with 150-plus yards from scrimmage. “If I’m having success,’’ Irving added, “everybody in the room is having success.” Tampa Bay’s porous secondary figures to be tested by Bowers, the first tight end to lead the league in catches after Week 13 since Todd Christenson in 1986. The first-round draft pick out of Georgia needs three receptions to break Sam LaPorta’s season record (86 in 2023) for catches by a tight end. He’s 116 yards away from joining Mike Ditka (1,076 in 1961) and Kyle Pitts (1,026 in 2021) as the only rookie tight ends to finish with 1,000-plus yards receiving. “I thought he was one of the best tight ends coming out in a long time – not just this draft, but in a long time,” Bowles said. “He’s living up to expectations. He can play wideout, he can play tight end, he can do some fullback, he can run jet sweeps,” the Bucs coach added. “They do a lot of things with him and he’s a very talented guy.” The last time the Raiders went against Mayfield was two seasons ago when he came off a plane to play for the Los Angeles Rams. Despite having minimal time with the playbook and just one brief practice, Mayfield rallied the Rams to a 17-16 victory on a 23-yard touchdown pass with 10 seconds left. Raiders coach Antonio Pierce was the team’s linebackers coach at the time. “He plays the game kind of like Brett Favre, who I played against in (the) league,” Pierce said. “He’s very fiery. He’ll do whatever it takes to make a play. The play’s never dead with him. You’ve got to keep your eyes on him and then stay in coverage, so that’ll be a challenge.” Raiders quarterback Aidan O’Connell didn’t look as though he had missed nearly six weeks because of a broken thumb when he almost led Las Vegas to a victory at Kansas City last week. He completed 23 of 35 passes for 340 yards and two touchdowns in the Raiders’ 19-17 loss to the Chiefs. But O’Connell had a hard time looking at the positives given how close the Raiders came to beating the two-time defending Super Bowl champions. “Definitely some good plays, but it just stinks more than anything,” O’Connell said. “It was just a really hard loss. Even sometimes when you have a game right after, it’s easier to move on. But we had a longer week last week and so kind of really got to sit in it and it’s no fun.” AP Sports Writer Mark Anderson in Las Vegas contributed to this report. NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nflSimeon Boikov has been variously described as a misinformation spreader, serial pest and Russian pawn or signup to continue reading But he may prove a "useful idiot" for the Australian government in securing the freedom of captured Melbourne man Oscar Jenkins. Mr Boikov has been holed up in the Russian consulate in Sydney's eastern suburbs since December 2022, after being charged with assaulting an elderly man at a pro-Ukraine protest in Sydney's CBD. While the self-styled "Aussie Cossack" is seeking asylum with the Russians of his own accord and is not a prisoner of the Australian judicial system, opposition foreign affairs spokesman Simon Birmingham said he could be used in an exchange to secure Mr Jenkins' release. "If he potentially proves himself to be, shall I say, a useful idiot in terms of a possibility for a Christmas swap, well that is something for the government to consider as it looks at ways to potentially bring an Australian free and break him from Russian custody," Senator Birmingham told ABC Radio on Tuesday. Mr Boikov volunteered himself to be exchanged with Mr Jenkins in a video posted on social media platform Telegram. "I'm sure the Russians will be happy to accept," Mr Boikov said. "We should bring him home, he shouldn't have been in Ukraine. "Let's do a deal." In a video posted to Russian social media on Sunday, Mr Jenkins is repeatedly slapped and interrogated by a Russian-speaking man assumed to be his captor. The man asks Mr Jenkins how it was he came to be in Kramatorsk, a town 700km east of Kyiv in the Donbas region, near the Russian-Ukrainian frontline. Standing in a forest and dressed in army fatigues, Mr Jenkins tells the man he wanted to help Ukraine. The footage was disturbing, Senator Birmingham said. "Obviously, all Australians would want to see and have confidence that this Australian citizen is going to be treated humanely, fairly, in accordance with the type of rules that should apply to prisoners of war," he said. Parading prisoners of war on social media is a breach of the , which dictates that they must at all times be protected against insults and public curiosity. The Australian government was making representations to Russia about Mr Jenkins, acting foreign affairs minister Mark Dreyfus said. The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade was yet to determine his whereabouts but was first made aware about concerns for Mr Jenkins' wellbeing in November, the ABC reported. People close to the 32-year-old have not known his whereabouts for months. "If that's the case, then what steps has Australia taken to try to ascertain his whereabouts and seek to ensure his well being?" Senator Birmingham said. While Mr Jenkins is believed to be the first Australian captured while fighting against Russia in Ukraine, at least seven Australians are believed to have died in the conflict. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Nationals leader David Littleproud have both implored Australians not to go over. "This isn't some great adventure," Mr Littleproud told Nine's Today Show. "I had to bring back the remains of a young man from my own electorate, Jed Danahay, who was over there as a medic helping Ukrainians in the war zone and was tragically killed. "I never forget the look and the anguish and the pain in his mother's eyes when I handed back his ashes to her." Advertisement Sign up for our newsletter to stay up to date. We care about the protection of your data. Read our . Advertisement
(WRB) - Analyzing WR Berkley's Short InterestWASHINGTON — The House shut down Democrats' efforts Thursday to release the long-awaited ethics report into former Rep. Matt Gaetz, pushing the fate of any resolution to the yearslong investigation of sexual misconduct allegations into further uncertainty. Matt Gaetz talks before President-elect Donald Trump speaks during an America First Policy Institute gala at his Mar-a-Lago estate Nov. 14 in Palm Beach, Fla. The nearly party-line votes came after Democrats had been pressing for the findings to be published even though the Florida Republican left Congress and withdrew as President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for attorney general. Rep. Tom McClintock, R-Calif., was the sole Republican to support the effort. Most Republicans have argued that any congressional probe into Gaetz ended when he resigned from the House. Speaker Mike Johnson also requested that the committee not publish its report, saying it would be a terrible precedent to set. While ethics reports have previously been released after a member’s resignation, it is extremely rare. Shortly before the votes took place, Rep. Sean Casten, D-Ill., who introduced one of the bills to force the release, said that if Republicans reject the release, they will have “succeeded in sweeping credible allegations of sexual misconduct under the rug.” Gaetz has repeatedly denied the claims. Earlier Thursday, the Ethics panel met to discuss the Gaetz report but made no decision, saying in a short statement that the matter is still being discussed. It's unclear now whether the document will ever see the light of day as lawmakers have only a few weeks left before a new session of Congress begins. It's the culmination of weeks of pressure on the Ethics committee's five Republicans and five Democrats who mostly work in secret as they investigate allegations of misconduct against lawmakers. The status of the Gaetz investigation became an open question last month when he abruptly resigned from Congress after Trump's announcement that he wanted his ally in the Cabinet. It is standard practice for the committee to end investigations when members of Congress depart, but the circumstances surrounding Gaetz were unusual, given his potential role in the new administration. Rep. Michael Guest, R-Miss., the committee chairman, said Wednesday that there is no longer the same urgency to release the report given that Gaetz has left Congress and stepped aside as Trump's choice to head the Justice Department. “I’ve been steadfast about that. He’s no longer a member. He is no longer going to be confirmed by the Senate because he withdrew his nomination to be the attorney general,” Guest said. The Gaetz report has also caused tensions between lawmakers on the bipartisan committee. Pennsylvania Rep. Susan Wild, the top Democrat on the panel, publicly admonished Guest last month for mischaracterizing a previous meeting to the press. Gaetz has denied any wrongdoing and said last year that the Justice Department’s separate investigation against him into sex trafficking allegations involving underage girls ended without federal charges. His onetime political ally Joel Greenberg, a fellow Republican who served as the tax collector in Florida’s Seminole County, admitted as part of a plea deal with prosecutors in 2021 that he paid women and an underage girl to have sex with him and other men. The men were not identified in court documents when he pleaded guilty. Greenberg was sentenced in late 2022 to 11 years in prison. 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. Customs and Border Protection, with its roughly 60,000 employees, falls under the Department of Homeland Security. It includes the Border Patrol, which Rodney Scott led during Trump's first term, and is essentially responsible for protecting the country's borders while facilitating trade and travel. Scott comes to the job firmly from the Border Patrol side of the house. He became an agent in 1992 and spent much of his career in San Diego. When he was appointed head of the border agency in January 2020, he enthusiastically embraced Trump's policies. After being forced out under the Biden administration, Scott has been a vocal supporter of Trump's hard-line immigration agenda. He appeared frequently on Fox News and testified in Congress. He's also a senior fellow at the Texas Public Policy Foundation. 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. Get Government & Politics updates in your inbox! Stay up-to-date on the latest in local and national government and political topics with our newsletter.
Lamont Paris admittedly hadn’t started his prep for USC Upstate this weekend. He planned to get around to studying his new opponent on Wednesday night, but he can’t help but know what game comes after this next one. South Carolina's Lamont Paris gestures from the sidelines during the game against East Carolina on Saturday, Dec. 7. After South Carolina plays the Spartans on Saturday, the focus will shift to the marquee matchup of the non-conference slate — the one that holds a little extra meaning in this state. Especially coming off a big win in football not too long ago. With the Gamecocks up 3-0-2 in the Palmetto Series, Paris knows his team has a chance to create a little more separation when No. 16 Clemson comes to Columbia next Tuesday. “With some of the Gamecock performances this year against the ole Tigers,” Paris said on ‘Carolina Calls’ with Derek Scott on the Gamecocks Sports Network, “we feel like we gotta hold up our end of the bargain.” Each of the first two games that Paris has coached in this rivalry have been thrilling to say the least. In only his second game as the program’s head coach, which happened to come on his birthday, Chico Carter Jr. hit a go-ahead jumper with 0.3 seconds remaining. Then last season, one year removed from South Carolina’s 60-58 win, the Gamecocks blew a late second-half lead at Littlejohn Coliseum to allow Clemson to pick up a 72-67 comeback win. Now this year, with both teams coming off great seasons — South Carolina reaching the NCAA Tournament for the first time in seven years and the Tigers advancing to the Elite Eight — the stakes are sure to be high come Tuesday night. “They’ve been good games. No reason to think this one won’t be either,” Paris said. “It’s a good game for us. Good game for them. Fun for the state to be able to rally around.” Clemson has picked up right where it left off from last season by winning nine of its first 10 games. The lone blemish on the schedule has been an 84-71 loss on the road to Boise State last month. Otherwise, it’s been a tremendous start for the Tigers with their signature win coming against No. 5 Kentucky in the SEC/ACC Challenge last Tuesday. Paris said, without mentioning what exactly, he notices “some similarities stylistically in some of our foundational beliefs.” Clemson no longer has PJ Hall or Joseph Girard III, its two leading scorers from a season ago. But the Tigers do return key contributors like Chase Hunter and Ian Schieffelin, who have already been impact players so far this year. Meanwhile, South Carolina has been playing a lot better basketball recently, rattling off three straight wins heading into Saturday’s game with Upstate. The Gamecocks have already beaten two other ACC opponents this year and seem to have put some of their early losses behind them. And this rivalry game gives them a chance to get right back in the mix for the early postseason hunt. With a win, it would also serve as a building block as the team gets ready for a grueling SEC schedule after the new year. “If you took our conference schedule as it stands right now, we have 15 of our 18 games are Quad I. 15 of our 18 games are Quad I. That’s crazy. That is just silly,” Paris said. “And some of that is you’re on the road and at Vandy, which would make it a Quad I. Whereas, if that game was a home game, maybe it’s a Quad II. “The way the cards shook out with the schedule, I told them it was a hard schedule before the season. I look pathetic now. It’s 15 out of 18 games being Quad I. That’s ridiculous.” South Carolina will face Clemson next Tuesday, Dec. 17 at Colonial Life Arena. Tip-off is at 7 p.m. on SEC Network. WHEN: 7 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 17 WHERE: Colonial Life Arena, Columbia WATCH: SEC Network Get local news delivered to your inbox!WASHINGTON — The House shut down Democrats' efforts Thursday to release the long-awaited ethics report into former Rep. Matt Gaetz, pushing the fate of any resolution to the yearslong investigation of sexual misconduct allegations into further uncertainty. Matt Gaetz talks before President-elect Donald Trump speaks during an America First Policy Institute gala at his Mar-a-Lago estate Nov. 14 in Palm Beach, Fla. The nearly party-line votes came after Democrats had been pressing for the findings to be published even though the Florida Republican left Congress and withdrew as President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for attorney general. Rep. Tom McClintock, R-Calif., was the sole Republican to support the effort. Most Republicans have argued that any congressional probe into Gaetz ended when he resigned from the House. Speaker Mike Johnson also requested that the committee not publish its report, saying it would be a terrible precedent to set. While ethics reports have previously been released after a member’s resignation, it is extremely rare. Shortly before the votes took place, Rep. Sean Casten, D-Ill., who introduced one of the bills to force the release, said that if Republicans reject the release, they will have “succeeded in sweeping credible allegations of sexual misconduct under the rug.” Gaetz has repeatedly denied the claims. Earlier Thursday, the Ethics panel met to discuss the Gaetz report but made no decision, saying in a short statement that the matter is still being discussed. It's unclear now whether the document will ever see the light of day as lawmakers have only a few weeks left before a new session of Congress begins. It's the culmination of weeks of pressure on the Ethics committee's five Republicans and five Democrats who mostly work in secret as they investigate allegations of misconduct against lawmakers. The status of the Gaetz investigation became an open question last month when he abruptly resigned from Congress after Trump's announcement that he wanted his ally in the Cabinet. It is standard practice for the committee to end investigations when members of Congress depart, but the circumstances surrounding Gaetz were unusual, given his potential role in the new administration. Rep. Michael Guest, R-Miss., the committee chairman, said Wednesday that there is no longer the same urgency to release the report given that Gaetz has left Congress and stepped aside as Trump's choice to head the Justice Department. “I’ve been steadfast about that. He’s no longer a member. He is no longer going to be confirmed by the Senate because he withdrew his nomination to be the attorney general,” Guest said. The Gaetz report has also caused tensions between lawmakers on the bipartisan committee. Pennsylvania Rep. Susan Wild, the top Democrat on the panel, publicly admonished Guest last month for mischaracterizing a previous meeting to the press. Gaetz has denied any wrongdoing and said last year that the Justice Department’s separate investigation against him into sex trafficking allegations involving underage girls ended without federal charges. His onetime political ally Joel Greenberg, a fellow Republican who served as the tax collector in Florida’s Seminole County, admitted as part of a plea deal with prosecutors in 2021 that he paid women and an underage girl to have sex with him and other men. The men were not identified in court documents when he pleaded guilty. Greenberg was sentenced in late 2022 to 11 years in prison. 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. 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.
Meet man who failed in NEET, JEE, studied in govt school, moved to Pune, went to MIT, he is now...
Party City surprises shoppers with going out of business sale before shuttering over 850 storesAP News in Brief at 6:04 p.m. EST
Rataj has 16 in Oregon State's 74-65 victory against CharlestonKenya knew about arrest of opposition figure: Uganda govt
Former US president Bill Clinton hospitalized with feverThe year in money: inflation eased, optimism ticked upward
His second term doesn’t start for a month, but Donald Trump is already sending shock waves around the world. His trade threats helped set off a cabinet crisis in Canada that has Prime Minister Justin Trudeau teetering. In Europe, tariff fears have weakened already-wobbling governments. Allied leaders are racing to find ways to keep up support for Ukraine as Trump drives for a quick deal to end Russia’s invasion. The prospect of talks has both sides pushing on the battlefield, with Moscow using its most sophisticated missiles and Kyiv taking the fight to the Russian capital with the brazen assassination of a general. In the Middle East, the Trump-friendly leaders of Israel and Turkey are pressing for advantage as Iran, a perennial target of the incoming president, reels from setbacks for its proxies Hezbollah and Hamas and the abrupt fall of the dictator it backed in Syria. China, which has largely avoided Trump’s post-election social media spotlight so far, is shoring up its trade defenses ahead of what’s expected to be an onslaught from the new administration. “We’re on Trump time and we want to get stuff done in a hurry,” Keith Kellogg, the retired general Trump has named as his special envoy for Ukraine and Russia, told Fox Business on Dec. 18 as he prepared for his first trip to the region — even before the inauguration. “He made promises on the campaign trail and we’re going to fulfill those promises.” While it’s not unusual for political leaders at home and abroad to jockey for the ear of an incoming president, the scale of Trump’s pre-inauguration influence is vast. “There’s new light all over the world, not just here,” Trump claimed in a Phoenix speech Sunday. That came after he’d warned Panama that the U.S. objects to rates to use the Panama Canal and is concerned about growing Chinese influence over the conduit — going so far as to say he might demand its return to American control. Domestically, he spent the last week steering talks on a spending bill to avoid a government shutdown. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said policymakers are beginning to factor in some of the president-elect’s potential moves, such as tariffs. The U.S. stock market and bitcoin have rallied since the election, something Trump likes to take credit for. President Joe Biden, meanwhile, has all but vanished from the stage. For the world, the turmoil is a taste of what the new Trump term is likely to bring, as the incoming president pushes his “America First” agenda without many of the guardrails that constrained his first term. Populist forces are on the rise in many countries, with Trump allies challenging establishment leaders. Fresh from a tweet storm that influenced the spending-bill talks in Washington, billionaire Trump confidant Elon Musk Friday turned his attention to Europe, endorsing the far-right AfD party as the only way to “save Germany.” That earned him a rebuke from embattled Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who faces snap elections in February with support for his party dropping amid deepening economic woes. Musk stepped up the pressure Saturday, calling on Scholz to resign after a deadly attack on a Christmas market. In the U.K., Trump’s ascent has emboldened Nigel Farage of the populist Reform U.K. party, who met with Musk at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate last week. U.K. lawmakers are weighing changing donation rules to prevent Musk from barging in. The stakes are possibly highest for Ukraine, where Russia’s full-scale invasion is nearly three years old and allied support for Kyiv is showing signs of flagging. Trump isn’t promising to deliver a deal to end the fighting even before he takes office as he did on the campaign trail, but Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has already given up his earlier demand that Russia cede all the land it’s taken as part of any ceasefire deal. Germany’s Scholz held his first direct talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in two years last month, drawing fierce criticism from Zelenskyy. Until now, it’s largely been Hungary’s Viktor Orban — a Putin sympathizer whom Trump is fond of — seeking to act as an intermediary. On Sunday, Trump himself left the door open to meeting the Kremlin leader, who he claimed “wants to meet me as soon as possible.” Scholz said this month he’s “confident that we can develop a joint strategy for Ukraine.” He has continued to decline to provide Ukraine with long-range Taurus missiles, breaking from Biden’s policy — one Trump thinks is a mistake. U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer spoke with Trump by phone and picked Peter Mandelson, a Labor Party veteran and trade specialist, as envoy to Washington. That choice drew criticism from Trump’s former campaign co-manager, Chris LaCivita, who called Mandelson “an absolute moron.” Trump’s impending arrival has also buoyed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. He has aligned himself with Trump, who faces fewer political pressures than Biden over the death toll from fighting in Gaza. Netanyahu also sent troops further into Syria after the fall of the Bashar al-Assad regime. Turkey, whose leader is another Trump ally, is expanding its reach Syria through groups it supports. “All of these leaders in the Middle East, they know the former president, now the president-elect, they know his team, so it’s kind of a unique moment in history where you have two presidents, and their teams, working on the ceasefire at the same time,” Morgan Ortagus, a former State Department spokeswoman during Trump’s first term, said on Bloomberg Television’s "Balance of Power," referring to talks on a deal in Gaza. In India, Trump’s arrival has coincided with an emboldened Narendra Modi preparing to host Putin for the first time since Russia invaded Ukraine. Modi is one of the world leaders Trump has cultivated through praise and shows of friendship. China has embarked on something of a charm offensive, including with U.S. allies, ahead of Trump’s return — while also preparing tools for a potential trade war in the form of limits on exports of critical minerals to the U.S. and by signaling a warming with both Japan and India. “In 2016, there was this constant sense of uncertainty, of alarm,” said Jon Alterman, director of the Middle East Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. “Now there’s a fairly robust data set of how Trump behaved and how other countries behaved in reaction to him, and what worked well and what didn’t.” But leaders are already learning that the carefully crafted strategies for dealing with the incoming president don’t always play out as planned. After Trump threatened to slap a 25% tariff on imports from Canada, Trudeau hopped on a plane to Trump’s Florida estate to talk the issue over at dinner. Then he offered a border-security plan to assuage Trump’s concern (even though Canadian officials say migrant flows across the frontier are tiny). Trump’s camp touted that as an early victory. “President Trump is already acting as the president,” Karoline Leavitt, his incoming press secretary, told Fox Business on Sunday. For his part, Trump offered no concessions and has spent the weeks since the dinner trolling Trudeau, suggesting Canada should become the 51st U.S. state and complaining about the trade imbalance between the countries. Now, Trudeau’s government is at risk after his top lieutenant quit, citing in her resignation letter a disagreement over spending and how to prepare for a potential Trump trade war. ©2024 Bloomberg L.P. Visit bloomberg.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
OTTAWA - First Nations leaders in Manitoba are calling on the federal government to address a backlog in requests for Indigenous children to receive swift access to health care and other services. They say the delay in approval of requests under Jordan’s Principle has resulted in communities paying out of pocket for health, social or educational services that are supported under the principle, putting other important programming at risk. The Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs said the backlog has added financial strain to communities, forcing them to provide essential services with limited resources. “Many First Nations are trying to meet the needs of their families. They are not receiving funding to provide these services. They are currently running deficits,” acting Grand Chief Betsy Kennedy told reporters in Ottawa on Thursday during the Assembly of First Nations annual winter meeting. “First Nations need (Indigenous Services Canada) to fully resource and prioritize full and equitable funding and reimbursement for costs before year’s end.” Kennedy added First Nations often have to refer their members to other organizations that are also not getting fully funded to complete requests for assistance. The principle is named after Jordan River Anderson of Norway House Cree Nation in northern Manitoba. Born in 1999 with multiple disabilities, Anderson died at the age of five without ever leaving the hospital because federal and provincial governments couldn’t decide who should pay for his at-home care. The principle stipulates that when a First Nations child needs health, social or educational services, they are to receive them from the government first approached, with questions about final jurisdiction worked out afterward. Some projects in the 11 First Nations the Keewatin Tribal Council in northern Manitoba represents are at a standstill because money has had to be allocated to cover the costs of service requests, said Grand Chief Walter Wastesicoot. “There’s a deep, deep hole there right now,” he said. The Keewatin Tribal Council previously had to pay $7 million out of pocket for Jordan’s Principle requests before the federal government reimbursed them, said Wastesicoot. He said the Keewatin communities are currently owed millions, but could not provide an exact amount. Kennedy said a regional Indigenous Services Canada representative told the assembly that there may not be further funding for First Nations until the fiscal year ends. Indigenous Services Canada did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The department says on the government’s website that Ottawa has provided more than 8.2 million products, services and supports under the principle from 2016 to the end of October of this year. The office of Indigenous Services Minister Patty Hajdu previously told The Canadian Press that the department remains focused on ensuring First Nations children can access the services they need, and that since 2016, the federal government has allocated nearly $8.1 billion to meet the needs of First Nations children. The Manitoba chiefs’ complaints come as the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal has ordered Canada to address a backlog of requests. The First Nations Child and Family Caring Society raised concerns earlier this year that Ottawa was taking too long to process requests for financing through Jordan’s Principle, leaving children without access to services. Cindy Blackstock, executive director of the Caring Society, said the ever-growing backlog is of Canada’s own making. “Canada chose to create these backlogs,” she said while supporting chiefs on Thursday. “They’re not saying they’re overwhelmed and backlogged with thousands of cases under a Canadian pension plan or under an unemployment insurance. The government does this stuff. It is choosing not to do it and it’s making excuses for itself.” Urgent Jordan’s Principle requests are supposed to be processed within 24 hours. But they are taking up to one month to be reviewed, says Independent First Nations, an advocacy body representing a dozen First Nations in Ontario and Quebec. Blackstock filed an affidavit earlier this year that said nearly half of requests made by individuals from those First Nations in 2023-24 are still in review, along with 10 per cent of the files submitted in 2022-23. The tribunal ordered Canada to return to it with a detailed plan, timelines and targets to address the backlog before Dec. 10. — By Brittany Hobson in Winnipeg. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 5, 2024.Zscaler Raises Annual Revenue Forecast, Announces CFO's Retirement
House rejects Democratic efforts to force release of Matt Gaetz ethics report
Democratic Representative Jamie Raskin of Maryland announced on Monday his candidacy to be the top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee next year. Raskin's Announcement The move positions Raskin, a prominent constitutional law expert, as a pivotal figure in the Democratic Party 's preparations to fight a second Donald Trump presidency and a fortified Republican-controlled Congress . In a letter shared with colleagues and obtained by The Associated Press (AP), Raskin said, "House Democrats must stand in the breach to defend the principles and institutions of constitutional democracy. That is our historic assignment now. We dare not fail." Raskin's announcement comes after what he described as a week of consultation with fellow House Democrats and personal reflection on the party's path forward following its significant electoral losses last month that handed Republicans control of Congress and the White House. What Does Raskin Aim to Do? Currently serving as the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, Raskin outlined his vision for a Judiciary Committee under his leadership. He pledged it would serve as "the headquarters of Congressional opposition to authoritarianism" and safeguard constitutional norms amid potential challenges from a second Trump administration. This isn't Raskin's first time at the forefront of Democratic resistance against Trump. He previously helped draft articles of impeachment against the incoming president for his encouragement of the violent mob on January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol and led the impeachment prosecution in the Senate . He has also been a staunch defender of President Joe Biden against Republican-led probes over the past two years into Biden family business dealings. Opponent for the Position However, Raskin's decision sets up a potential clash with Judiciary Committee veteran and fellow Democratic Representative Jerry Nadler . The 17-term New York congressman has held the committee's top spot since 2019. Historically, House Democrats have rarely deviated from seniority-based assignments, making the outcome of this race uncertain. Both lawmakers remained tight-lipped about the looming contest as they did not respond to requests for comment, according to the AP. Raskin, however, expressed deep respect for Nadler in his letter, saying that he made this decision "with respect and boundless admiration." In addition, should he secure the post, Raskin pledged to seek Nadler's guidance in navigating the challenges ahead. "If I'm lucky enough to be chosen for this responsibility in the 119th Congress, I will turn to Jerry first and throughout for his always wise counsel and political judgment," Raskin added. This article includes reporting from The Associated Press.Justin Baldoni’s Lawyer Drops Statement Claiming Leaked Blake Lively Texts Were Taken Out Of Context
PHOENIX — Donald Trump suggested Sunday that his new administration could try to regain control of the Panama Canal that the United States “foolishly” ceded to its Central American ally, contending that shippers are charged “ridiculous” fees to pass through the vital transportation channel linking the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. President-elect Donald Trump speaks at AmericaFest on Sunday in Phoenix. Panama's conservative president José Raúl Mulino, who was elected in April on a pro-business platform, roundly rejected that notion as an affront to his country's sovereignty. The Republican president-elect's comment came during his first major rally since winning the White House on Nov. 5. He also used his comments to bask in his return to power as a large audience of conservatives cheered along. It was a display of party unity at odds with a just-concluded budget fight on Capitol Hill where some GOP lawmakers openly defied their leader's demands. People are also reading... Sex offender arrested for not reporting change in employment New director transitioning to role at community food pantry Beatrice man pleads guilty to receiving child sex abuse images Former Beatrice man sentenced for sex assault of runaway At the courthouse, Dec. 14, 2024 Fresh round of transfer portal targets emerges for Nebraska, including at quarterback At the courthouse, Dec. 21, 2024 Gage County says board had authority to deny permit for broadband provider Commendations given to Beatrice Police Zitel pleads not guilty to sex assault, child abuse charges How former Nebraska quarterback Daniel Kaelin landed with Virginia football Meyn, charged in death of 4-month-old, has case continued to March Nebraska volleyball libero Lexi Rodriguez signs with LOVB's Omaha team Perspective is reality Milke pre-trial hearing in Beatrice shooting death continued to March Addressing supporters at Turning Point USA’s AmericaFest in Arizona, Trump pledged that his “dream team Cabinet” would deliver a booming economy, seal U.S. borders and quickly settle wars in the Middle East and Ukraine. “I can proudly proclaim that the Golden Age of America is upon us,” Trump said. “There’s a spirit that we have now that we didn’t have just a short while ago.” His appearance capped a four-day pep rally that drew more than 20,000 activists and projected an image of Republican cohesion despite the past week's turbulence in Washington with Trump pulling strings from his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida as Congress worked to avoid a government shutdown heading into the Christmas holiday. House Republicans spiked a bipartisan deal after Trump and Elon Musk, his billionaire ally, expressed their opposition on social media. Budget hawks flouted Trump's request to raise the nation’s debt ceiling, which would have spared some new rounds of the same fight after he takes office Jan. 20, 2025, with Republicans holding narrow control of the House and Senate. The final agreement did not address the issue and there was no shutdown. Trump, in his remarks in Phoenix, did not mention the congressional drama, though he did reference Musk's growing power. To suggestions that "President Trump has ceded the presidency to Elon,” Trump made clear, “No, no. That’s not happening.” “He’s not gonna be president,” Trump said. The president-elect opened the speech by saying that "we want to try to bring everybody together. We’re going to try. We’re going to really give it a shot." Then he suggested Democrats have “lost their confidence” and are “befuddled” after the election but eventually will ”come over to our side because we want to have them.” A cargo ship traverses the Agua Clara Locks of the Panama Canal on Sept. 2 in Colon, Panama. Atop a list of grievances — some old, some new — was the Panama Canal. “We’re being ripped off at the Panama Canal,” he said, bemoaning that his country ”foolishly gave it away.” The United States built the Panama Canal in the early 1900s, as it looked for ways to facilitate the transit of commercial and military vessels between its coasts. Washington relinquished control of the waterway to Panama on Dec. 31, 1999, under a treaty signed in 1977 under President Jimmy Carter. The canal depends on reservoirs to operate its locks and was heavily affected by 2023 Central American droughts that forced it to substantially reduce the number of daily slots for crossing ships. With fewer ships using the canal each day, administrators also increased the fees that are charged all shippers for reserving a slot. With weather returning to normal in the later months of this year, transit on the canal has normalized. But price increases are still expected for next year. Mulino, Panama's president, has been described as a conservative populist who aligns with Trump on many issues. Panama is a strong U.S. ally and the canal is crucial for its economy, generating about one-fifth of that government’s annual revenue. Still, Trump said, that, once his second term is underway, "If the principles, both moral and legal, of this magnanimous gesture of giving are not followed, then we will demand that the Panama Canal be returned to the United States of America, in full, quickly and without question.” “I’m not going to stand for it," Trump said. "So to the officials of Panama, please be guided accordingly.” He did not explain how that would be possible. A short time after Trump's speech, Mulino released a video declaring that “every square meter of the canal belongs to Panama and will continue to belong” to his country. Without mentioning Trump by name, Mulino addressed the president-elect's complaints over rising fees for ships crossing the canal, saying that they are set by experts who take into account operational costs, and supply and demand factors. “The tariffs are not set on a whim” Mulino said. He noted that Panama has expanded the canal over the years to increase ship traffic “on its own initiative,” and added that shipping fee increases help pay for improvements. “Panamanians may have different views on many issues” Mulino said. “But when it comes to our canal, and our sovereignty, we will all unite under our Panamanian flag.” The canal aside, Trump’s appearance at Turning Point’s annual gathering affirmed the growing influence the group and its founder, Charlie Kirk, have had in the conservative movement. Kirk’s organization hired thousands of field organizers across presidential battlegrounds, helping Trump make key gains among infrequent voters and other groups of people that have trended more Democratic in recent decades, including younger voters, Black men and Latino men. ”You had Turning Point’s grassroots armies,” Trump said. “It’s not my victory, it’s your victory.” Earlier Sunday, Trump said that Stephen Miran, who worked at the Treasury Department in Trump's first term, was his choice to lead the Council of Economic Advisers. Here are the people Trump picked for key positions so far President-elect Donald Trump 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, White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, 67, was a senior adviser to Trump's 2024 presidential campaign and its de facto manager. Marco Rubio, Secretary of State 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, Secretary of Defense 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. Pam Bondi, Attorney General 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. Kristi Noem, Secretary of Homeland Security 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. Doug Burgum, Secretary of the Interior 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., Secretary of Health and Human Services 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, Treasury Secretary 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. Lori Chavez-DeRemer, Labor Secretary 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, Housing and Urban Development 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, Secretary of Transportation 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. Chris Wright, Secretary of Energy 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. Linda McMahon, Secretary of Education 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, Secretary of Agriculture 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. Howard Lutnick, Secretary of Commerce 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. Trump Transition FILE - Former Rep. Doug Collins speaks before Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump at a campaign event at the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre, Oct. 15, 2024, in Atlanta. Karoline Leavitt, White House press secretary 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. Tulsi Gabbard, National Intelligence Director 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. John Ratcliffe, Central Intelligence Agency Director 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, Federal Bureau of Investigation Director 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. Lee Zeldin, Environmental Protection Agency Administrator 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.” Brendan Carr, Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission 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. Paul Atkins, Chair of the Securities and Exchange Commission 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, NASA Administrator 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. Elise Stefanik, Ambassador to the United Nations 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. Matt Whitaker, Ambassador to NATO 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. David Perdue, Ambassador to China 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. Pete Hoekstra, Ambassador to Canada 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.” Mike Huckabee, Ambassador to Israel 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. Kimberly Guilfoyle, Ambassador to Greece Guilfoyle is a former California prosecutor and television news personality who led the fundraising for Trump's 2020 campaign and became engaged to Don Jr. in 2020. Trump called her “a close friend and ally” and praised her “sharp intellect make her supremely qualified.” Guilfoyle was on stage with the family on election night. “I am so proud of Kimberly. She loves America and she always has wanted to serve the country as an Ambassador. She will be an amazing leader for America First,” Don Jr. posted. The ambassador positions must be approved by the U.S. Senate. Guilfoyle said in a social media post that she was “honored to accept President Trump’s nomination to serve as the next Ambassador to Greece and I look forward to earning the support of the U.S. Senate.” Steven Witkoff, Special Envoy to the Middle East 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. Keith Kellogg, Special Envoy for Ukraine and Russia 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) Mike Waltz, National Security Adviser 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, Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy 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. Tom Homan, ‘Border Czar’ 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. Rodney Scott, Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Customs and Border Protection, with its roughly 60,000 employees, falls under the Department of Homeland Security. It includes the Border Patrol, which Rodney Scott led during Trump's first term, and is essentially responsible for protecting the country's borders while facilitating trade and travel. Scott comes to the job firmly from the Border Patrol side of the house. He became an agent in 1992 and spent much of his career in San Diego. When he was appointed head of the border agency in January 2020, he enthusiastically embraced Trump's policies. After being forced out under the Biden administration, Scott has been a vocal supporter of Trump's hard-line immigration agenda. He appeared frequently on Fox News and testified in Congress. He's also a senior fellow at the Texas Public Policy Foundation. Billy Long, Internal Revenue Service commissioner 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.” Kelly Loeffler, Small Business Administration administrator 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, Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services administrator 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 and Vivek Ramaswamy to advise White House on government efficiency 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, Office of Management and Budget 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. Kari Lake, Voice of America Trump says he’s picking Kari Lake as director of Voice of America, installing a staunch loyalist who ran unsuccessfully for Arizona governor and a Senate seat to head the congressionally funded broadcaster that provides independent news reporting around the world. Lake endeared herself to Trump through her dogmatic commitment to the falsehood that both she and Trump were the victims of election fraud. She has never acknowledged losing the gubernatorial race and called herself the “lawful governor” in her 2023 book, “Unafraid: Just Getting Started.” Additional selections to the incoming White House 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. Ron Johnson, Ambassador to Mexico Johnson — not the Republican senator — served as ambassador to El Salvador during Trump's first administration. His nomination comes as the president-elect has been threatening tariffs on Mexican imports and the mass deportation of migrants who have arrived to the U.S.-Mexico border. Johnson is also a former U.S. Army veteran and was in the Central Intelligence Agency. Tom Barrack, Ambassador to Turkey Barrack, a wealthy financier, met Trump in the 1980s while helping negotiate Trump’s purchase of the renowned Plaza Hotel. He was charged with using his personal access to the former president to secretly promote the interests of the United Arab Emirates, but was acquitted of all counts at a federal trial in 2022. Trump called him a “well-respected and experienced voice of reason.” Andrew Ferguson, Federal Trade Commission Ferguson, who is already one of the FTC's five commissioners, will replace Lina Khan, who became a lightning rod for Wall Street and Silicon Valley by blocking billions of dollars worth of corporate acquisitions and suing Amazon and Meta while alleging anticompetitive behavior. “Andrew has a proven record of standing up to Big Tech censorship, and protecting Freedom of Speech in our Great Country,” Trump wrote on Truth Social, adding, “Andrew will be the most America First, and pro-innovation FTC Chair in our Country’s History.” Jacob Helberg, undersecretary of state for economic growth, energy and the environment Dan Bishop, deputy director for budget at the Office of Budget and Management Leandro Rizzuto, Ambassador to the Washington-based Organization of American States Dan Newlin, Ambassador to Colombia Peter Lamelas, Ambassador to Argentina Stay up-to-date on the latest in local and national government and political topics with our newsletter.Kings County 2025 Forecast: Open for business, ready to fight
Kroger ( KR 1.33% ) Q3 2024 Earnings Call Dec 05, 2024 , 10:00 a.m. ET Contents: Prepared Remarks Questions and Answers Call Participants Prepared Remarks: Operator Good morning and welcome to The Kroger Co. third quarter 2024 earnings conference call. [Operator instructions] Please note, this event is being recorded. I'd now like to turn the conference over to Rob Quast, senior director, investor relations. Please go ahead. Robinson C. Quast -- Senior Director, Investor Relations Good morning. Thank you for joining us for Kroger's third quarter 2024 earnings call. I am joined today by Kroger's chairman and chief executive officer, Rodney McMullen; and interim chief financial officer, Todd Foley. Before we begin, I want to remind you that today's discussions will include forward-looking statements. We want to caution you that such statements are predictions, and actual events or results can differ materially. A detailed discussion of the many factors that we believe may have a material effect on our business on an ongoing basis is contained in our SEC filings. The Kroger Company assumes no obligation to update that information. After our prepared remarks, we look forward to taking your questions. In order to cover a broad range of topics from as many of you as we can, we ask that you please limit yourself to one question and one follow-up question, if necessary. I will now turn the call over to Rodney. W. Rodney McMullen -- Chair and Chief Executive Officer Thank you, Rob. Good morning, everyone, and thank you for joining us today. Before we begin, I'd like to provide an outline of our discussion topics this morning. I will start by sharing a recap of our third quarter performance and highlight how we continue to advance our go-to-market strategy, which powers our value creation model and drives long-term sustainable growth for our shareholders. Then Todd will cover our financial results for the third quarter and walk through updates to our full year guidance. And finally, I will close with some comments on our pending merger with Albertsons. Turning first to our performance. We delivered strong third quarter sales results, led by our pharmacy and digital performance, which reflects the versatility of our model. Customer engagement remains strong. Our convenient seamless shopping experience, along with incredible customer value through low prices, personalized offers, and great quality Our Brands products, drove growth in both total and loyal households. As we entered the last quarter of 2024, we are focused on providing the quality, fresh, and affordable products that make holiday celebrations special. Customer spending habits continue adjusting to current macroeconomic factors. As inflation normalizes, our premium and mainstream households are feeling more confident and are returning to their pre-pandemic shopping patterns more quickly. Mainstream households are the primary driver of our positive customer engagement trends. While overall consumer settlement remains low, expectations are improving, which positions us well for the holidays and into next year. As we said, near term, some customers are managing macroeconomic uncertainty. Spending from budget-conscious households remained under pressure as the effects of multiyear inflation and higher interest rates have had a larger impact on these households. Therefore, we expect it will take longer for these households to feel the benefits of economic improvement. Kroger is delivering on its long-standing commitment to provide customers with the value they are seeking. We are helping customers save in multiple ways, including competitive shelf prices and loyalty discounts, personalized offers, fuel rewards, and an expanded multitiered Our Brands portfolio. Digital offers are an important way we deliver savings to customers, and engagement continues to grow with 5% more digital offer clips so far this year, and that has led to 14% more savings for Kroger customers. We are always creating additional ways for our customers to save. This quarter, we celebrated and thanked our customers with a customer appreciation week, offering new great deals. And to help our customers enjoy a memorable Thanksgiving, we lowered the price of Thanksgiving meals for the third consecutive year by creating a meal bundle that served a group of 10 people for less than $5 per person. We are focused on executing our go-to-market strategy to deliver a differentiated customer experience through our focus areas of fresh, Our Brands, personalization, and seamless. We appreciate our associates' continued efforts to elevate the customer experience and bringing this strategy to life by improving on our key priorities of full, fresh, and friendly again this quarter. I would now like to cover how we are enhancing our go-to-market strategy. We are seeing long runways for growth in many areas of our strategy, starting with fresh. Customers connect strongly to our Fresh for Everyone brand promise, which is a key differentiator for Kroger. Improvements across the supply chain as part of our end-to-end fresh initiative are increasing days of freshness. For example, bagged salads now offer customers more than seven days of freshness. Customers are noticing, and it has led to identical sales in produce of more than 3% this quarter. In addition, we constantly evaluate new ways to apply data and technology to provide an even better fresh experience and deliver more days of freshness for our customers. One of the ways we are doing this is through recent implementation of RFID-embedded labels on bakery items. These labels provide us with greater insights into our fresh inventory, resulting in consistently fresher items and higher in-stock levels. We have seen encouraging results, including higher sales in locations and categories where we have piloted the RFID labels, and we look forward to scaling this to more stores. Turning to Our Brands, I would like to step back and talk about the significant investments we've made in Our Brands and how those investments are delivering value to both customers and shareholders. For years, the grocery industry offered private label products, with the primary goal of creating products at lower price points. Several years ago, we recognized an untapped opportunity for growth in these products and envisioned a future where our private label products would match or exceed the innovation, quality, and recognition of national brands, which is why we coined the phrase Our Brands. Guided by that vision, our teams built distinct and recognizable brands that our customers want and love, providing more value and meeting unique product needs that national brands cannot fill. Recently, we focused in on refining Our Brand architecture to optimize the portfolio and ensure each brand plays a unique role on the shelf. The successful addition of Smart Way, our new opening price point brand, played an important role in rounding out our multitiered portfolio and offering an attractive alternative to national brands at every price point. The next phase of the work involved refreshing designs and packaging, enhancing brand equity, and reinforcing quality and improving the shopability. For example, to reinforce our long-standing guarantee of quality and freshness, we are placing guarantees on labels across our Kroger-branded products. Innovation remains a driving force for Our Brands' growth. We utilize our data and insights to understand customer trends and meet increasing demands by consistently introducing new items to our portfolio, with a focus on growth areas, including free-from, organic, and multicultural. This innovation enables us to differentiate ourselves from both national brands and other private label brands, creating destination items that help build customer loyalty. Our manufacturing capabilities will continue to be an important advantage for Our Brands. With oversight over the quality and the supply, we can develop unique and differentiated products while keeping costs low, allowing us to pass the savings to customers while preserving our ability to grow margins. A true win-win for customers in Kroger. This quarter, Our Brands continued to deliver strong financial results, which Todd will cover in more detail. Next, to personalization. Our Kroger Plus program provides our loyal customers access to savings and rewards that, in turn, drive traffic to our seamless experience. As customers become more engaged, we gain deeper insights into customer trends while creating the data that enables us to grow Kroger Precision Marketing and deliver more effective promotions and relevant product recommendations. We are working to grow Boost, the next level of our loyalty program, through new benefits. And this quarter, we announced the addition of Disney+, Hulu, or ESPN+ streaming benefits with Boost annual memberships. Turning to seamless. Digital sales grew 11%, driven by an increase in both households and traffic. Within digital, delivery sales grew at 18% and continues to outpace other channels. Boost is one of the important ways we are increasing e-commerce penetration, providing customers an affordable membership model for free delivery. Increasing e-commerce penetration is important to our model as households who shop with us digitally and are in our stores are our most loyal customers and increase retail media monetization opportunities as well. As our digital business grows, particularly in our delivery network, it continues to have a larger impact on our financial results. Improving profitability is a key priority and becoming even more important to our financial model. Over nearly a decade, we made significant investments in our digital capabilities: building out our own properties, creating distribution channels in both pickup and delivery, investing in automation, enhancing personalization, and introducing an industry-leading retail media network. While each of these capabilities required significant investments, we now have a unique digital experience that our customers enjoy. Moving forward, we are committed to growing volumes, utilizing automation, and introducing new technology that will create efficiency gains while helping us narrow the profitability gap between online and in store. Narrowing that gap will generate meaningful operating margin benefits and help drive shareholder value over the next several years. By executing our go-to-market strategy, we are building loyalty, increasing customer engagement, and creating more growth opportunities. First, with alternative profit businesses, which had another solid quarter, Kroger Precision Marketing continued to deliver the most significant growth from our alternative profit businesses. Next, in health and wellness, as the pharmacy industry continues to transform, Kroger has a unique opportunity to play a bigger role in helping patients live healthier lives while growing our share of the industry. We are excited about this area of the business, and its performance this quarter demonstrates we can grow this business profitably in a way that supports our customers to live healthier lives. Sales and profitability this quarter were well ahead of last year, led by growth in both GLP-1s and vaccines. Our strong growth in vaccines reflect patient trust in Kroger to vaccinate them and their families during the start of the cold and flu season, the peak quarter of the year for vaccinations. Our health and wellness teams did an excellent job this quarter in building awareness around our vaccine capabilities, growing share, and administrating significantly more vaccines this year versus a year ago. These helped offset the product mix pressures from GLP-1s. Our vaccine efforts are leading to new patient scripts, which is important as these customers are more likely to become loyal households and spend more across the store. We appreciate our associates for their continued efforts to elevate the customer experience by delivering on our key priorities of full, fresh, and friendly. Team consistency leads to a better customer experience, and we are excited about another quarter of improvement in retention. Our focus on retention reflects a holistic strategy, including investments in wages and benefits, as well as enhancing the associate experience through training, technology, and career development opportunities. With that, I will hand it over to Todd to take you through our third quarter financial results. Todd. Todd Foley -- Interim Chief Financial Officer Thanks, Rodney, and good morning, everyone. Kroger's third quarter results reflect the durability of our model, with strong pharmacy results that helped offset lower fuel profitability as we cycled strong fuel results from a year ago. As we head into the final quarter of the year, we are narrowing the ranges on our identical sales without fuel, adjusted FIFO operating profit, and adjusted EPS guidance. The strength of our model gives us confidence in our ability to deliver on this full year guidance. Before I walk through our third quarter financial results, I would like to start off by covering a couple of items from the quarter that affected our financial results. First, during the third quarter, we finalized the sale of our Kroger Specialty Pharmacy business for $464 million. The sale reduced total company sales in the third quarter by approximately $340 million compared to the same period last year, and annualized sales will be approximately $3 billion lower going forward. KSP was a low-margin business. As a result, the sale of the business increased both Kroger's gross margin and operating general and administrative costs as a rate of sales. It had no material effect on operating profit. Second, on a year-over-year basis, the combined hurricane season and port strike had approximately a 20-basis-point favorable impact on sales as customers stocked up in anticipation of these events. These events had an unfavorable impact on OG&A. Together, this did not have a material impact on total operating profit. I'll now take you through our third quarter financial results. We achieved identical sales without fuel growth of 2.3%. As Rodney mentioned earlier, identical sales without fuel were led by strong pharmacy and digital sales. We're also encouraged by the continuation of positive customer metric trends, including increases in total and loyal households. Our Brands had a strong quarter with sales outpacing national brands again this quarter, led by mid-single-digit growth in our most premium brand, Private Selection. Customers continue to demand premium products but, at the same time, are looking for value. Our Private Selection brand is a perfect solution by offering our customers premium quality at an attractive price. These results demonstrate the breadth of Our Brands portfolio and the ability to meet customers' needs for quality and value. Digital sales delivered another quarter of double-digit growth, led by 18% growth in delivery solutions, driven by our customer fulfillment centers. The CFCs are offering customers a superior digital experience with excellent in-stocks, fresh items, and a white-glove on-time delivery. CFC growth was driven by a significant increase in households and trips, as well as an increase in basket size. Our third quarter identical sales without fuel results were affected by the Boar's Head recalls that began in the second quarter. We acted quickly with the safety of our customers in mind as soon as we became aware of the situation. Boar's Head is a strategic supplier, with brand-loyal customers that are an important driver of our deli sales. As a result, some customers have temporarily migrated away from the category. It will take some time for those customers to resume their prior purchasing behavior, and we expect this to remain a headwind to sales in the near term. The unfavorable sales effect from Boar's Head this quarter was largely offset by the favorable sales impact from the hurricane and port strike. Turning to margins. Gross margin was 22.9% of sales, and our FIFO gross margin rate, excluding fuel, increased 51 basis points compared to last year and was ahead of expectations. The increase in rate was primarily attributable to the sale of Kroger Specialty Pharmacy, Our Brands performance, and lower shrink, partially offset by lower pharmacy margins. The result reflected Kroger's ability to improve margin while being competitive on price and helping customers manage their budgets. The OG&A rate, excluding fuel and adjustment items, increased 22 basis points, driven by the sale of Kroger Specialty Pharmacy and increased incentive plan costs, partially offset by the continued execution of cost savings initiatives. Excluding the sale of Kroger Specialty Pharmacy, fuel, and adjustment items, our OG&A rate to sales would have been nearly flat year over year, demonstrating that our model can leverage expenses when we achieve our long-term id sales without fuel goal of 2% to 4%. This is made possible by our relentless focus on productivity and cost savings initiatives, which remain an essential part of our model. These initiatives are focused on simplification and utilizing technology to enhance the associated experience without impacting the customer experience. This quarter, we launched a new, internally developed, generative AI-powered sell-through tool, which helps us better manage inventory in both fresh and center store departments through real-time insights tracking sales and shipments. This enables our teams to increase freshness on shelves and prioritize sell-through, optimizing both sales and margins. Looking ahead, we plan to further enhance the AI capabilities on this platform by extending into improved forecasting and end-to-end inventory management. During the third quarter, we recorded a LIFO charge of $4 million, compared to a charge of $29 million for the same period last year, due to lower expected year-over-year inflation. Adjusted FIFO operating profit was 1.02 billion, and adjusted EPS was $0.98 per diluted share, an increase of 3% compared to last year. Fuel is an important part of our strategy. Fuel rewards through our Kroger Plus program help build customer loyalty. Fuel sales were significantly lower this quarter compared to last year, attributable to a lower average retail price per gallon. Fuel profitability was also meaningfully behind a year ago as a result of fewer gallons sold and lower cents per gallon margin. I wanted to provide a brief update on inflation as it remains a topic of interest for many investors. Inflation was down slightly in the third quarter compared to the second quarter but remains around 1%. We expect inflation to remain consistent in the fourth quarter. I would now like to provide a brief update on associates and labor relations. During the third quarter, we ratified new labor agreements for Dillons Columbia and Missouri clerks; Central Division, Ottawa, and Streator clerks; Northern Illinois meat clerks; Fred Meyer Portland retail stores; and the Foods Co. contract in Northern California, all covering nearly 13,000 associates. We respect associates' right to collectively bargain. We're also communicating to local unions. And coming to the table with proposals that do not balance investing in associates with keeping groceries affordable for our customers and supporting a growing and profitable business model are untenable. These proposals stand in the way of operating our business in a way that ensures job security and advancement opportunities for associates. Turning to cash flow. Kroger continues to generate strong adjusted free cash flow or consistent operating results. Free cash flow generation is an important part of our model and is enabling us to invest in our business for growth. At the end of the third quarter, Kroger's net total debt to adjusted EBITDA ratio was 1.21, compared to our target range of 2.3 to 2.5. Our strengthened balance sheet provides us flexibility to pursue growth and enhance shareholder value. We continue to take a disciplined approach to deploying capital, prioritizing the highest growth opportunities that strengthen our business and deliver solid returns for our shareholders. We're committed to maintaining our investment-grade debt rating, increasing our dividend over time, subject to board approval, and returning excess capital to shareholders when we are able to do so. I would now like to provide some additional color on our outlook for the rest of the year. After delivering solid third quarter results, we're narrowing the ranges of identical sales without fuel, adjusted FIFO operating profit, and adjusted EPS guidance. Additionally, we have updated our guidance for adjusted effective tax rate and expect it to be 22.5%. We now expect identical sales without fuel for the year to be in the range of 1.2% to 1.5%, with quarter-to-date trends signaling we will be near the midpoint of this range. Identical sales without fuel results year to date have largely been in line with our expectations, with Q3 being slightly ahead of expectations due the favorable effects from the hurricanes, the port strike, and strong vaccine growth during the peak season for immunizations. Our expectations for fourth quarter identical sales without fuel are consistent with our forecast at the beginning of the year. We expect Q4 identical sales to remain strong but sequentially lower than third quarter, partially due to the cycling of weather benefits from the fourth quarter of 2023 that are not built into our current forecast for Q4 2024. We now expect adjusted FIFO operating profit to be in the range of $4.6 billion to $4.7 billion, and adjusted net earnings per diluted share is expected to be in the range of $4.35 to $4.45. Looking to next year, we are in the process of finalizing our 2025 business plan. While we still have many unknowns, we do expect Kroger to deliver FIFO operating profit growth on a stand-alone basis. During our fourth quarter earnings call, we plan to share our full year 2025 outlook in more detail. In closing, we are happy to deliver another quarter of strong results, which reflect the resilience of our value creation model. While macroeconomic conditions remain uncertain, our model has multiple levers, which enable us to navigate any environment, including grocery, health and wellness, fuel, and alternative profit businesses. This gives us flexibility in the ways we create shareholder value and confidence in our ability to generate attractive and sustainable returns for shareholders. I will now turn the call back to Rodney. W. Rodney McMullen -- Chair and Chief Executive Officer Thanks, Todd. Before I open it up to Q&A, I'd like to speak briefly about our pending merger with Albertsons. First, I would like to express my appreciation for our associates and their incredible commitment. It has been a long journey, and our associates have done an excellent job serving customers and running the day-to-day operations of our business while also preparing for the merger. I would like to extend a special thanks to those who supported the litigation in federal and state courts, both the associates who testified and the teams who prepared a compelling case about the meaningful and measurable benefits of the merger. Our teams are ready to ensure a seamless transition for our customers and associates from day one. It is exciting to see the complementary strengths of both Kroger and Albertsons organizations. And we look forward to combining these strengths to provide customers with an even better experience. As we await the court rulings in the regulatory challenges to the merger, we remain confident in the facts and the strengths of our position. The retail industry continues to be more competitive. And we know how our customers shop. Every day, they are making decisions on where to eat and where to buy their groceries. They shop at a wide range of competitors, from Costco to Amazon to dollar stores, and they eat at restaurants. They shop digitally and brick and mortar. And as I've said before, we remain committed to closing the merger because it will provide meaningful and measurable benefits for customers, for associates, and for communities across the country. And we look forward to bringing these commitments to life. Regardless of the outcome of the trials, Kroger is operating from a position of strength. And we are optimistic about our future. Our business is more diverse than ever, and our value creation model provides us with multiple ways to drive sustainable growth. Our strong free cash flow and strengthened balance sheet provides us with the ability to invest in our business and enhance shareholder value. With that, Todd and I look forward to taking your questions. Because we are still in litigation, we will not be taking questions on the merger this morning. Questions & Answers: Operator Thank you. [Operator instructions] Our first question for today comes from Simeon Gutman of Morgan Stanley. Your line is now open. Please go ahead. Simeon Gutman -- Analyst Good morning, Rodney, Todd. My question is on the P&L for 2024. If you take out the extra week lap and then you pull out some of the merger-related costs, the big ones, it looks like the core business is growing pretty nicely on EBIT and really nicely, potentially mid-single, even high single-digit percentage. And that's despite lower fuel profitability, and the environment has been pretty tough. So, first, is that a fair characterization? And is it mixing the way you would have thought between the core business and the alternative? Thanks. Todd Foley -- Interim Chief Financial Officer Great question, Simeon. Thanks for that. And I think that's a fair read on how you've described it. You know, we were obviously very happy with the results that we've seen coming from not only the core business but inclusive of pharmacy. We're particularly pleased with the results we saw in the pharmacy. You heard Rodney talk about it today. So, despite that lever in fuel giving us a headwind this quarter, we were pleased with the core growth coming from the core business and see that continuing. The mix relative to alternative and core business, I think the growth expectations that we have around the alternative profit business are relatively consistent to what we expected to see. And so, I think that those are -- continue to be as balanced as we expected going into the quarter. W. Rodney McMullen -- Chair and Chief Executive Officer And, you know, longer term, as everyone knows, the alternative business -- profit businesses, we continue to see a great opportunity, and the margins on that business is meaningfully higher than the supermarket business. And the whole flywheel between our brick-and-mortar business and our seamless business, pickup and delivery, is the engine behind driving that continuation there, which we're very excited about. Todd Foley -- Interim Chief Financial Officer That's a great call, Rodney. We saw the digital growth, again, at low double-digit growth, which is an important part of the growth that you talked about, Simeon. And that -- again, when you talk about mix in our business and our omnichannel, that low double-digit growth is right on what we expected and helps drive both the core business and the alternative profit, as Rodney described. Simeon Gutman -- Analyst And the one follow-up, this is more toward a comment Rodney made. All year, we talked about the mainstream, the premium, and the lower end. It felt like there may have been an inflection whereas the mainstream has been resilient and the premium has been healthy. I thought your comments today on mainstream inflected a little more positively. I'm not sure if that's reading too much in. Lower income sounds about the same. Curious if that's fair. W. Rodney McMullen -- Chair and Chief Executive Officer Yeah, the mainstream customers certainly performed -- connected with us better in the third quarter than the second quarter. How much of that is driven because of things we did and how much they're just feeling better, we don't know. Now, they're telling us they feel better. And certainly, customers that are on a budget continue to be under a lot of strain. And the cumulation of inflation and other aspects and higher interest rates have affected -- continue to affect them more. And I think the other thing that's always important to remember is that customer, in many cases, are starting out in careers and things and they don't have as many physical assets on -- you know, a house or a little bit of savings and those things, and those inflation obviously affects that person a little harder than others. Thanks, Simeon. Operator Our next question comes from Rupesh Parikh of Oppenheimer. Rupesh, your line is now open. Please go ahead. Rupesh Parikh -- Analyst Good morning and thank you for taking my question. So, just going back to your guidance, so you did narrow the operating profit range to the lower end of the range for the full year. So, just curious what's driving that. W. Rodney McMullen -- Chair and Chief Executive Officer Todd, I'll let you start. Todd Foley -- Interim Chief Financial Officer Yeah. Well, you know, with one quarter left, Rupesh, we wanted to try to narrow the range because there should be less variability in our expectations. When you look at the sales part of the guidance, down at 1.2 to 1.5, I think that's pretty consistent with what we've been thinking for the year. The midpoint on that range is a tick higher than I think what we have been thinking before. And frankly, when you look at where we expect to be in Q4, I think that's right on how we've been thinking about it all year, relative to all of that. Q3 actually is the one that was really strong. And we talked about -- Rodney talked about the pharmacy and the digital growth there, particularly in the vaccine space. We were really pleased. We've been working hard to grow our vaccine business, and we saw that throughout the quarters early in this year. But with Q3 being that key vaccine -- you know, Super Bowl season for vaccines, we were really pleased to see that that growth continue and that it paid off in that point in time. So, that's where we saw Q3 being really strong and that Q4 guidance being really what we expected. When you look at it on the EPS side of our guidance, Rupesh, again, we narrowed the range there. We took a nickel off the top side and the bottom side. And really, that midpoint of the range is pretty consistent with where we've been thinking about it for the year. As we think about that range and some of the key factors for that range in the fourth quarter, a couple of key things that we're keeping an eye on. One is weather. We alluded to it in our prepared comments. There were several meaningful weather events a year ago that, you know, drove some benefits. And we just don't forecast weather, you know, on a forward-looking basis. So, if we see the number and magnitude of weather events in the fourth quarter this year, I think that would be something that could push us toward the higher end of that range. And then the other one is fuel. Certainly, we -- you know, fuel tends to be pretty volatile, and we've seen that this year. And really, we have fuel expectations to be pretty in line with where they were last year. And frankly, from a gallon trend and from a cents per gallon trend, in the fourth quarter, we're pretty consistent sequentially from where we've been performing over the last few periods. So, if we have variance in the fuel profitability, either positive or negative, I think that could lean us toward the top or the bottom end of that range, respectively. W. Rodney McMullen -- Chair and Chief Executive Officer Todd said this, but I think it's important to just highlight it. You know, if you look at the range for the year, fuel in the third quarter was a tougher quarter than what we expected it to be, and that really -- relative to the top side. And the other thing that Todd mentioned, we don't budget weather because we just don't know. Obviously, there's been some major storms, but those storms haven't been in places where we operate stores. So, it really hasn't affected us so far. And generally, that's a positive when we have weather because people eat at home as opposed to going to restaurants. Rupesh Parikh -- Analyst And then my very quick follow-up question, just on the Boost membership, you added the Disney perk as well, just, you know, overall, are you guys happy with the signups that you're seeing and the retention with that program? W. Rodney McMullen -- Chair and Chief Executive Officer I would say we're very happy, but the thing that I guess I get more excited about is the potential because it's an incredible value for customers and customers love it and they -- and we have a high renewal rate and a high NPS score. So, our job is to continue to educate more customers on it. So, I'm really more excited about, you know, the opportunity going forward and the overall deeper connection with customers. So, great question. Thanks, Rupesh. Operator Thank you. Our next question comes from Leah Jordan of Goldman Sachs. Your line is now open. Please go ahead. Leah Jordan -- Analyst Good morning. Thank you for taking my question and thanks for the commentary on inflation this morning and how you're thinking about it in the fourth quarter. But as you plan with your vendors, seeing if you can add more color on how you're thinking about inflation into next year. You know, what are you seeing across categories in hearing from those partners? Todd Foley -- Interim Chief Financial Officer Yeah. No, a great question. Maybe still a little early to think about next year. But, you know, if you think about where we were this year, obviously, coming into the year, we were coming out of that crazy disinflation that we had a year ago. And inflation has played out more or less the way we expected. It's maybe a little bit less than what we expected, but it's been relatively stable at just under 1%, maybe even saw, I think, a slight step back in Q3 relative to Q2, which, as we said, we expect to see for next year. As we look to next year at this point, looking at, you know, both some of the macro and governmental studies, as well as conversations with vendors, again, it's still early to tell and we might see a slight expansion to inflation next year but really don't expect to see anything meaningfully different or inconsistent with what we're kind of seeing right now with inflation. W. Rodney McMullen -- Chair and Chief Executive Officer We are continuing to see CPGs be a little more aggressive on trade dollars. And, you know, over time, you know, that obviously affects inflation a little bit as well. Leah Jordan -- Analyst Great. Thank you. And I just wanted to follow up on some of your fresh initiatives. I know you've been working on improving days of freshness in produce for a while, so great to see some improvement there. But it seemed like the RFID tags within bakery is new to me. You know, just wanted more color there. You know, what degree of lift are you seeing when you add that to the category? How many of your stores have it today and how should we think about the rollout over time? W. Rodney McMullen -- Chair and Chief Executive Officer Well, we are -- you know, as I mentioned, we're testing it. We're happy with the initial result. The benefits are as much helping our associates be able to do their job a little bit easier. And, you know, it's too early -- it's early enough to be excited about the potential. It's too early to say, you know, this much we can budget in terms of what we would do. But, you know, the thing that we're excited about for our customers, it's helping us make sure we have fresher product for the customer and stay in stock better. And, you know, it's super exciting. You know, we will look at other areas of the store to see what kind of opportunity it is. The cost per tag is still higher than we would like. So, we still need to continue to work on focusing on the getting the cost per tag down. But positive early results really early in the process and excited about the potential. Thanks, Leah. Operator Thank you. Our next question comes from Ken Goldman of J.P. Morgan. Your line is now open. Please go ahead. Ken Goldman -- Analyst Hi. Thank you. I wanted to follow up on the topic of next year, I appreciate it's too early to -- for specifics, and I'm not asking for any numbers. But to Simeon's question, you agreed that it's a fair read that the core underlying business is doing very well -- I think those were the words -- despite when you ex out the merger cost and the digital mix and fuel and so forth. And you talked a little bit about inflation being sort of steady and predictable and consistent in that low single-digit range. Are there any other unusual tailwinds or headwinds that we should consider, just directionally, as we think about next year? Just trying to get a sense for what would kind of throw you off from having another, you know, reasonably good year. You did say that operating profit would be up, but you didn't kind of tell us how much, and your longer term amount goes 3% to 5%, of course. W. Rodney McMullen -- Chair and Chief Executive Officer Yeah, and it's -- it would be way too early to tell you specifics. And obviously, we're awaiting for the ruling on the merger, which will affect guidance as well. The other thing that -- I guess, from a positive standpoint that I'm excited about, in the third quarter, we opened or expanded the most number of stores that we've done I think it's actually in a quarter in seven years. And as you know, last year, we talked about it that we will open more stores this year than we have in several years, and we would expect to continue to open more stores. And so far, the stores that we've opened, we're happy with the way they're connecting with customers and we're happy in terms of the volumes they're creating and the early read on, you know, the profitability of the stores as well. So, over time, we would hope that that would continue to be a tailwind. And obviously, on seamless, we continue to see that as really critical to our five- or 10-year future to be awesome there. And we still have a lot of work to do to make -- where we're indifferent, whether somebody shops with us online or in store, and we'll continue to put a lot of effort there. In terms of headwind, Todd, I'll let you -- anything that you can think of that's -- Todd Foley -- Interim Chief Financial Officer I can't think of anything unusual headwinds or tailwinds as we sit here today, frankly, Ken. But, you know, going into next year, part of what has us optimistic and feeling good about the strength of our value creation model is a lot of the momentum we have in the things that are in our high-growth areas today. We've talked about a lot of them already. It's pharmacy. It's our digital business. It's our alternative profit. And we have good momentum in those spaces and are executing on those. And from a headwind standpoint, we're going to continue to invest in the business, we're going to invest in price. You've heard Rodney say it before, we assume every year is going to be more competitive than the last, and that view hasn't changed. And so, we'll continue to engage in customers, make sure we're delivering value to them by investing in price and investing in their shopping experience. And we're committed to continue to invest in wages. So, some of those are headwinds. They're just the parts of our model that is we deliver the value in our model through all their different value propositions, we're able to use that to invest in the business to keep the flywheel moving. Ken Goldman -- Analyst OK. Thank you for that. And then speaking about price investments, you know, Rodney, you mentioned that CPGs continue to be a little bit more aggressive on trade dollars. Your largest competitor or -- you know, in food retail -- we'll see if the judges agree that it's a competitor or not. But your largest competitor in food retail had more kind of commentary last week or this week about, you know, how they would like to see more of those price investments from key vendors. Rodney, your tone, you know, since I've known you has always been more sort of agnostic about that. You know, if investor -- if your vendors don't invest with that, you'll be happy to sell customers more private label. I'm just curious where you stand in terms of are you content with the level of price investment or are you more just sort of agnostic and saying, look, whatever our vendors want, it'll play out either way beneficially for you. W. Rodney McMullen -- Chair and Chief Executive Officer Yeah. I guess a little bit of both. The -- if you look at tonnage growth in CPGs, there's a lot of CPGs that cannot be satisfied with their tonnage growth. And I believe that trade dollars and being more aggressive on partnering with us to make sure the right customer gets access to those benefits is good long term for the customer, long-term benefit for both of us on tonnage. If they're not willing to do that, it really gets back to the comment that we talked about. Our Brands, and, you know, Todd and I both mentioned it, had a strong quarter. The profitability of Our Brands is, you know, several 100 basis points higher than national brand. And if the CPGs are willing to continue to give up share to Our Brands, we're OK with that because what we find is once a customer tries Our Brands, the repeat rate of customers coming back is incredibly high because what they find is they have -- there's no compromise on quality and they have a great value for the money. So, you know, at the end of the day, the customer wins when they buy Our Brands. But it really is -- we try to run a business where the customer decides what they want to buy as opposed to forcing them to buy something. Thanks, Ken. Operator Thank you. Our next question comes from Ed Kelly of Wells Fargo. Your line is now open. Please go ahead. Edward Kelly -- Analyst Hi. Good morning, everyone. W. Rodney McMullen -- Chair and Chief Executive Officer Good morning. Edward Kelly -- Analyst Curious about the gross margin. You've had a couple of good quarters, you know, on the gross margin front. I think you admit this quarter was better than expected. How are you thinking about gross margin in Q4, and then, you know, even like into -- I don't know, you're not going to get next year, but sort of like the outlook for the gross margin? And I'm talking like ex-Spec Pharma divestiture and maybe, you know, just talk about the puts and takes around that. Todd Foley -- Interim Chief Financial Officer Yeah. No, great question, Ed, and I think you hit on a key part of thinking about it, excluding KSP. You know, we talked about, you know, it was a strong quarter in gross margin, and about half of that year-over-year benefit was a result of the divestiture. But the other piece of it really came -- we highlighted both of them. Rodney -- layers in well with what Rodney was just talking about -- was our growth in Our Brands. We continue to have Our Brands sales growth outpacing national brands, and that is always going drive, you know, solid margin expansion. And so, that's certainly what we saw again in the third quarter, very similar to what we saw in the second. And then shrink had another nice quarter. So, we've got, you know, cautiously optimistic on the progress we're making there, but we are making progress in the shrink space that really helped us in the third. As we look to the fourth, I think, you know -- excluding KSP, I think, overall, we'll probably be slightly favorable in the fourth. Reflecting KSP, when you pull that out, I think we'll probably be relatively flat on that, relative to some of the puts and takes, again, if we over-indexed in things like Our Brands and whatnot, but we may be a little bit favorable. But overall, I think we'll be relatively consistent, relatively flat year over year on the margins in Q4. W. Rodney McMullen -- Chair and Chief Executive Officer I totally agree with everything Todd said, and Todd said the big pieces. I would also add a couple of smaller pieces that's helping on gross margin that should continue is, if you look at our warehouse and transportation costs, we continue to make some progress there. And the customer continue to buy more value-added product, and fresh continues to grow as well. So, those are things that help on mix, in addition to things that Todd talked about. Edward Kelly -- Analyst And just to -- Rodney, a quick follow-up. This one is for you, and you kind of hinted at it or talked about it. But, you know, Albertsons would be a transformational deal. How do you feel about Kroger's position, you know, if the deal is rejected? And do you need to hunt for something else more transformational or is it just simply more prudent to double down on what you have and reward shareholders for their patience with return of capital? W. Rodney McMullen -- Chair and Chief Executive Officer Yeah, it's a great question. You know, if you look at the balance sheet capacity that we have, there's probably no -- nothing else that would be transformational that would use the balance sheet capacity that we would have. So, I don't know that we would be out there trying to find what's the next Albertsons. As you know, and you just said it, we try -- we've always made sure that we don't need to do mergers to make our business successful. And that was one of the reasons that we've always been proud of what Kroger has done. We're super excited about Albertsons and the potential, and we believe we will be able to add a ton of value for giving customers better value. The people there, we'll be able to provide security, and grow our business and create additional career opportunities and support communities. But if it doesn't happen, we'll continue to go on. As you know, we always will continue to look at how -- ways to grow the business. Mergers is always one of those ways of growing the business. But we try to make sure that we only do a merger when it makes sense. And we're not chasing something, and we won't get in a position where we are having to chase something. So, great question, and thanks, Ed. Operator Thank you. Our next question comes from Michael Lasser of UBS. Your line is now open. Please go ahead. Michael Lasser -- Analyst Good morning. Thank you so much for taking my question. As of the second quarter, Kroger had made a point in its presentation that it was on track to deliver more than 20% media growth this year, and that line was removed this quarter. So, is it right to interpret that the media growth, which is an important driver of the alternative revenue stream, is starting to slow perhaps as there are more platforms for advertisers to choose and direct its advertising dollars? And if that's the case, how does Kroger accelerate that element of its algorithm in order to support the long-term outlook for the business? Todd Foley -- Interim Chief Financial Officer Yeah, let me start there, Michael. Thanks for the question. It's a good call. We do still expect to see our retail media growth be in that 20% range for the year. It's still a fast-growing part of our business, and the outcomes that we're seeing continue to demonstrate that we're well-positioned for that growth. You know, as we look at those CPGs that are advertising with us, we see the outsized return on ads spend that they're generating. And so, that's why I say we're able to demonstrate and we're seeing those results. And not coincidentally, the sales for those CPGs at Kroger are strong. And so, I think the proof points continue to be there, but as you say, there's a proliferation of options as everybody's kind of got their own flavor of what this is. So, I think we just need to continue to demonstrate that to CPGs because I think the proof will be in the results. W. Rodney McMullen -- Chair and Chief Executive Officer Todd's last point, to me, and if CPGs are listening, and that's the only reason why I'm adding on top, the CPGs that increased spending the most had the highest tonnage growth with us on -- which, to me, is it shows you the power of our platform. And, you know, Todd said it. I just wanted to double down on it. Michael Lasser -- Analyst OK. And my follow-up question is what do you need to drive -- what do you need to happen in order to drive the -- back -- Kroger to achieve the sales piece of its long-term algorithm in 2025? This year, there's been a contribution from the GLP-1 drug, some storm-related spending. Perhaps don't -- won't -- those won't be as meaningful contributors next year. So, is it that you would be banking on, A, market share stabilizing and is that realistic; and B, some acceleration in inflation to offset what have been driving the -- some of the comp this year? W. Rodney McMullen -- Chair and Chief Executive Officer Yeah, we wouldn't -- we would not be dependent on inflation. And it's really -- we continue to double down on the customer experience. And when we find that we improve the customer experience, our business follows that or the customer rewards us for that. And it's -- you know, it really gets back to -- you've heard us say it a million times -- full, fresh, and friendly. The other thing that we're increasingly supporting is allocating capital to growth areas, and that would be, you know, storing; obviously, continuation of seamless. Our online business continues to have outside growth. And then specific projects that support cost reductions and sales opportunities. Todd Foley -- Interim Chief Financial Officer Yeah, I agree with everything you said, Rodney, especially the storing, which you hit on earlier as well. You mentioned GLP-1, and that certainly has been part of this year. But as we sit here today, I think we continue to expect to see growth in that area as more manufacturers get in the mix and the supply continues to become more available and more and more patients continue to utilize that drug. So, I think we'll still see -- expect to see growth in the GLP-1 space as well for the -- at least near future -- foreseeable future. W. Rodney McMullen -- Chair and Chief Executive Officer Thanks, Michael. Operator Thank you. Our next question comes from John Heinbockel of Guggenheim Partners. Your line is now open. Please go ahead. John Heinbockel -- Analyst Hey, Rodney, can you talk about the -- you referenced in your release the initiatives -- productivity initiatives on in-store order selection. How broadly is that rolled out? And when I think about how much you can take the cost per order down, can you take that down double digit from where we are today? W. Rodney McMullen -- Chair and Chief Executive Officer Over time, we would certainly expect to take it down double digit from where we are today. And when I talk about over time, I'm talking about over the next two or three years. And it's -- we still have a reasonable amount to roll it out. Now, as you -- you followed Kroger long enough to know that we will start -- whenever we roll something out, we start with the biggest opportunity places first. So, it's the highest volume locations and those kind of things. The thing that I think is fascinating and exciting is if you look at the fundamental things behind the software, we're learning that we can actually use that same technology in other areas of the business. And I would hope that we'll continue to find those kind of opportunities. So, I feel, you know, confident and comfortable that, certainly, well, you know, double-digit-type stuff of improvement. But, you know, our team is not going be satisfied until they get to where it's indifferent, how somebody shops with us. Operator Thank you. Our next question comes from Michael Montani of Evercore ISI. Your line is now open. Please go ahead. Michael Montani -- Analyst Yes. Good morning. Thanks for taking the question. I just wanted to ask first, did I miss the fuel CPG contribution for this quarter? Wondering if you could give some added color there. And then just had a follow-up. Todd Foley -- Interim Chief Financial Officer Yeah. Thanks, Michael. We don't typically -- we stopped a few quarters ago given -- giving details around CPG. You did catch on to the point that -- I think that Rodney brought out that both gallons and CPG were down in the third quarter, again, with some of the volatility in fuel. But as we looked at the fourth quarter relative to our expectations versus a year ago, we think fuel will be a little bit -- our expectation is that fuel will be a little bit more stable year over year in Q4, and that's supported by some of the trends that we've seen over the last few periods in both gallons and margins. Operator Thank you. Our next question comes from Rob Dickerson of Jefferies. Your line is now open. Please go ahead. Robert Dickerson -- Analyst Great. Thanks so much. Rodney, you know, I know you said upfront and it seems like consumer settlement is still low, but maybe, you know, there are some green shoots. Maybe it's improving a little bit. So, I'm just wondering kind of as you got through the Thanksgiving holiday and then as we're kind of, you know, in a real time in the current holiday season, like have you seen any, you know, incremental, almost like sequential traffic improvement in the actual retail stores? W. Rodney McMullen -- Chair and Chief Executive Officer We feel good about where we are. The thing I guess I would say that we still don't quite under -- it'll take time as there's five less shopping days between Thanksgiving and Christmas. So, we feel good about where we are. We're tracking a little bit better than where we thought we would be. But we still are cautious because of the five less shopping days and how does that play out. And as you mentioned, we are seeing the customer -- most of the customers are starting to feel a little bit more relaxed and comfortable in terms of where they stand and what's coming, what -- how things look going forward. Operator Thank you. Our next question comes from Jacob Aiken-Phillips of Melius Research. Your line is now open. Please go ahead. Jacob Aiken-Phillips -- Melius Research -- Analyst Good morning, everyone. Thanks for the question. I just wanted to go back to inflation a little bit. So, you showed that you were able to kind of leverage SG&A given, like, flat comps, excluding KSP. How do we think about that relationship going forward in terms of wage inflation and wage investment? And then also, with tariffs, aware of the view that it could be a self-fulfilling prophecy in terms of, like, people buying stuff and causing inflation, even if there aren't actually tariffs happening. I just wanted your thoughts on that. Todd Foley -- Interim Chief Financial Officer Yeah, I'll start with the wage investments. It's a great question. You -- we've talked a lot about how important it is for us to invest in our associates because they're so critical in delivering our customer experience. But, you know, we will continue to balance those wage investments with the other profitability enhancement items that we say. So, in any inflationary environment and in any sales leverage environment, you know, we've demonstrated that our model enables us to pull the levers to be able to balance those wage increases accordingly over time. So, given the comments that we've said with fairly balanced inflation, we think we'll be able to leverage our SG&A, including wage investments. Rodney, I don't know if you want to comment on tariffs. W. Rodney McMullen -- Chair and Chief Executive Officer Tariffs, for us, you know, first of all, you know, the effect on us is probably a little less than most companies. And we buy products internationally, but it's pretty modest. If you look in the fresh departments, it's, you know, less than 20% of the stuff. If you look in the center store, it's a fraction of that. So, we would see the tariffs affecting others generally more than us, and we feel like we'll be able to manage whatever is done because our competitors will have to deal with the same thing. Thanks, Jacob. Operator Thank you. Our next question comes from Chuck Cerankosky of Northcoast Research. Your line is now open. Please go ahead. Chuck Cerankosky -- Analyst Good morning, everyone. Rodney, you mentioned that the mainstream and premium customers were pretty close to spending how they had been before COVID. But they are also, from what I can observe, the groups that are more likely to be going to restaurants, which seem to be doing fairly well right now. How do you sort of offset that with Kroger's prepared food offerings and maybe what changes are you making in those categories? W. Rodney McMullen -- Chair and Chief Executive Officer Well, first of all, we believe that that's a huge opportunity. You know, our market share -- you know, half of meals bought at a restaurant is consumed in a car or at home. Actually, I think it's a little over half. So, we see that as a huge opportunity. I would say we're trying a lot of different things. We've -- we're working with a couple of outside companies trying to help us there. But, you know, to me, it's more of a -- we -- in the future, we have a bigger opportunity than we've been able to unlock so far, and we believe it's a huge opportunity because what we've found is that a customer can buy a meal from us and it's usually the cost is one-third to one-fourth versus going out to a restaurant. So, it's -- for us, it's a great opportunity, but we're just scratching the surface. Operator Thank you. At this time, we'll take no further questions, so I'll hand it back to Rodney for any further remarks. W. Rodney McMullen -- Chair and Chief Executive Officer Thank you for all the questions. And as always, we have a lot of our associates listening in. First, I would like to send our thoughts and prayers to those impacted by the recent hurricanes. I would also like to take a moment to express my gratitude and appreciation for our dedicated team of associates, especially during this time. They just did amazing things on supporting communities. And as you know, our stores are vital to each community we serve. And during these types of times, our customers rely on us to provide them with food and other essential items. And I am so proud of our associates who have stepped up to be there for our customers, communities, and each other. Thank you for everything that you do for Kroger and our customers and thank you for everyone joining us today. We wish you a very happy holiday season, Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year. Operator [Operator signoff] Duration: 0 minutes Call participants: Robinson C. Quast -- Senior Director, Investor Relations W. Rodney McMullen -- Chair and Chief Executive Officer Todd Foley -- Interim Chief Financial Officer Rodney McMullen -- Chair and Chief Executive Officer Simeon Gutman -- Analyst Rupesh Parikh -- Analyst Leah Jordan -- Analyst Ken Goldman -- Analyst Edward Kelly -- Analyst Ed Kelly -- Analyst Michael Lasser -- Analyst John Heinbockel -- Analyst Michael Montani -- Analyst Robert Dickerson -- Analyst Jacob Aiken-Phillips -- Melius Research -- Analyst Chuck Cerankosky -- Analyst More KR analysis All earnings call transcripts
