Middle Eastern Headlines at 9:52 a.m. GMT

Democratic strategist David Axelrod argued President-elect Trump's second administration has a "wholly different feel" from his first team. "Say what you will about the direction he wants to take the country but this is a wholly different feel from 2016. Trump is stocking his admin with seasoned loyalists who will not guide, but rather BE...

Former national security adviser John Bolton said Wednesday that former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (Hawaii) and Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.)—President-elect Trump's nominees for director of national intelligence (DNI) and attorney general, respectively— should not appear for their Senate confirmation hearings until they are investigated by the FBI. In an interview on NewsNation's "The Hill," Bolton said...

There might not be any love lost between Melania Trump and Jill Biden. The current first lady extended an invitation to the White House for tea on Wednesday, Nov. 13, but Melania isn't coming. Her husband, President-elect Donald Trump, is meeting with President Joe Biden, so it was an opportunity for the two women to ...

New York Rep. Elise Stefanik, President-elect Donald Trump's pick for US ambassador to the United Nations, is now refusing to stand by her previous push for Ukraine's NATO membership — a stance she once framed as critical to regional stability.

The Taliban Supreme Court on Wednesday announced the public execution of a convicted murderer in Afghanistan's eastern province of Paktia. Taliban officials and local residents observed the execution, which took place in a sports stadium in the regional capital Gardez. In a statement, the Supreme Court identified the convicted murderer as Ayaz Asad, a local resident of the province who had intentionally killed another Afghan using a Kalashnikov rifle. The execution was carried out after the vict

White House Down Babyish billionaire Elon Musk and Donald Trump have been growing closer recently, though the President-elect's team is reportedly weary of their relationship. "He's behaving as if he's a co-president and making sure everyone knows it," one person familiar with the matter told NBC News. Recently, Trump announced that Musk and former Republican [...]

President Joe Biden and President-elect Donald Trump met in the Oval Office for nearly two hours on Wednesday, resuming a hallmark of America's peaceful transfer of power that Trump himself flouted in 2020. President Biden spoke first, calling for a "smooth transition" and telling Trump he would do "everything we can to make sure you're accommodated." "Politics is tough, and it's, in many cases, not a very nice world but it is a nice world today," Trump said.

Former Fox News host Gretchen Carlson said she was "stunned" Tuesday by Donald Trump's intention to nominate Fox & Friends host Pete Hegseth as his Secretary of Defense. "From silly diner interviews on Weekend Fox and Friends to Secretary of Defense?" Carlson wrote on X. "I never thought I'd say I'm stunned about any pick after the election but nominating Pete Hegseth for this incredibly important role? Yes he's a veteran ... and?" Others with ties to Fox were "stunned" as well, but in a more posi

Rep. Matt Gaetz is resigning from Congress, effective immediately, just hours after President-elect Donald Trump named the Republican firebrand as his selection for attorney general. House Speaker Mike Johnson confirmed the news to reporters Wednesday night, saying that he hopes to have a replacement for his seat by Jan. 3. "He issued his resignation letter effective immediately," Johnson said. "That caught us by surprise a little bit."

The move comes after Musk became one of Trump's staunchest supporters, and biggest financial backers, during the last stage of his presidential campaign

Israel suffered one of the deadliest days of its ground offensive against Hezbollah in Lebanon on Wednesday when six of its soldiers were killed in combat near the border.Their deaths mean 47 Israeli troops have been killed in combat with Hezbollah since September 30, when Israel sent ground forces into Lebanon.

House GOP leadership will speak Tuesday morning after clinching the majority in last week's election, handing Republicans full control of Congress and the White House next year. Their remarks come as the House weighs whether to complete lawmakers' annual funding work by the Dec. 20 deadline or punt it to next year, when President-elect Trump...

Pollster Nate Silver said he believes there is "hidden good news" for Democrats in the 2024 election results, despite the party wondering where its messaging went so wrong. In his newsletter, Silver Bulletin, Silver broke down his thoughts on the election and the major loss for Democrats. Silver discussed the party pointing fingers about Vice...

The last time Donald Trump was in the Oval Office, he scrawled out a two-page letter to Joe Biden in his distinctive jagged penmanship, slipped it into the drawer of the Resolute Desk and — notwithstanding the note's surprisingly gracious tone — walked away from the building defeated and bitter.

Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Ala.) said he believes President-elect Trump will move the Space Command to Alabama in his first week in office. During an interview with Mobile, Ala., radio FM Talk 106.5 that aired Monday, Rogers, who is the House Armed Services Committee chair, said he expects Trump will immediately reverse the decision made by...

Wanda Sykes said that even though she "got her hopes up," about Kamala Harris potentially winning the election, she wasn't surprised when Donald Trump won—and she revealed why on Tuesday's Jimmy Kimmel Live. "I mean it's so many reasons why you can say it happened," Sykes said on the show, "But I think you know, a lot of us aren't, like, totally shocked" because "sometimes America is just gonna America." Even though she wasn't floored by the results, Sykes admitted she's not feeling great about

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -President-elect Donald Trump on Wednesday named incendiary Republican U.S. Representative Matt Gaetz to be his nominee for attorney general, selecting an ally who has faced Justice Department scrutiny to run the agency. "Matt will end Weaponized Government, protect our Borders, dismantle Criminal Organizations and restore Americans' badly-shattered Faith and Confidence in the Justice Department," Trump said in a statement announcing the selection, which would be subject to confirmation by the Republican-majority Senate. The choice of a 42-year-old congressman who has never worked in the Justice Department or as a prosecutor at any level of government was the latest in a wave of Trump nominations of candidates with scant experience.

UPDATED, with Gaetz resigning his congressional seat: Donald Trump has nominated Rep.. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) to serve as attorney general, a surprise pick that will please the president-elect's MAGA allies but may prove to be a flashpoint in the confirmation process. There already are doubts that Gaetz will have the Senate votes, even with the ...

"I am very encouraged by the early appointments by the president-elect," the former vice president adds The post Mike Pence Says He Is 'Literally Praying' Trump Doesn't Pardon Jan. 6 Rioters Who Attacked Police appeared first on TheWrap.