Election 2024 live updates: Biden vows to ensure a peaceful transition to Trump in address to nation

Robert F Kennedy Jr, a likely political appointee in Trump’s new government, has already announced his intentions to clear out departments of the Federal Drug Administration.

On the campaign trail, Trump promised to let the former independent presidential candidate take over health, food and medicines government sectors during his second administration despite his much-derided obsession with debunked conspiracies.

Michelle Del Rey reports.

Kamala Harris’s collapse Tuesday evening was shocking to many in the political press, who had expected a tight election but one that, if anything, looked to be trending in her favor heading into Election Day.

There were real — or so it was thought — signs of her impending success, analysts thought.

John Bowden looks at what went wrong:

Now Donald Trump has won the 2024 presidential election, all eyes are on who he appoints as his top team.

The individuals selected for Cabinet positions are meant to be the president’s close allies, ideally with some interest or experience in the department they head.

But the former president has made it clear his priority will be appointing loyalists rather than those best suited for a position – a takeaway from his first administration where he faced record Cabinet turnover.

Ariana Baio reports.

Former Trump advisor and convicted felon Steve Bannon has floated the idea that Marjorie Taylor Greene should be appointed to the president-elect’s new administration as the head of Homeland Security.

Fellow Trump ally Greene, who was re-elected to Congress for the third time on Tuesday, spoke to Bannon following the sweeping Republican victory.

Mike Bedigan reports.

In the end, Donald Trump’s 2024 election victory was decided by Wisconsin, just as it was eight years ago in the presidential race against Hillary Clinton.

Clinton was the favorite to take the White House in 2016 and her defeat sent shockwaves around the country and the world.

This year’s results and how election night played out don’t just resemble the 2016 race – it was almost identical.

Rhian Lubin reports.

Rates of routine vaccinations among children are dropping, the percentage of children who are exempted from vaccine requirements is at an all-time high and cases of measles are being reported across the country.

And it could soon get worse.

Alex Woodward reports.

Anthony Cuthbertson writes:

As soon as it became apparent that Donald Trump was going to win the presidency, bitcoin’s price began to rally. A few hours before the Republican candidate declared victory, and with leads in all of the crucial swing states, the world’s most valuable cryptocurrency hit a new all-time high.

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Kevin Rudd, the Australian ambassador to the United States, deleted tweets criticizing Donald Trump in the campaign’s final week.

Rudd, the former Australian prime minister, scrubbed his X page of past anti-Trump remarks days before the Republican clinched the 2024 election on Wednesday morning, according to The Sydney Morning Herald.

He took down posts that referred to Trump as “the most destructive president in history” and as a “traitor to the West,” the outlet reported.

Kelly Rissman reports.

Donald Trump has clinched victory in the 2024 presidential election, sweeping several critical swing states to secure 292 Electoral College votes in a dramatic and historic night for America.

The Republican eliminated his Democratic rival Kamala Harris’s chances of making history as the first female president, and will now return to the White House in January 2025 to serve a second term.

Trump cemented his nationwide victory as the announcement of Wisconsin’s results took him over the line to surpass the 270 electoral votes needed to win the presidency.