Trump picks son’s fiance Kimberly Guilfoyle for diplomat job and FBI director Wray says he’ll step down: Live updates

A New York City councilwoman is calling for the incoming Trump administration to launch a civil rights probe against the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office for its handling of the Daniel Penny subway choking case, accusing District Attorney Alvin Bragg of being racist.

“It’s really simple. The Manhattan D.A. has made this racial. We have seen what A.G. Bragg has been capable of and has tried to pursue, and I think between Trump and now, this is the icing on the cake, with Penny,” Vickie Paladino told Fox & Friends First on Tuesday.

Josh Marcus reports.

Self-described MAGA “firebrand” Matt Gaetz, who dropped out last month as Donald Trump’s choice for attorney general amid ongoing sexual misconduct allegations, has finally secured another full-time job now that he’s no longer in Congress.

After news leaked Monday night that he had agreed to host a primetime show for the little-watched right-wing conspiracy channel One America News, the network made it official on Tuesday with a press release and promotional video.

Gaetz taking the plunge and becoming a conservative television host is hardly a surprise.

Justin Baragona reports.

Donald Trump has recently tapped a former Trump administration official, who was allegedly caught on camera at the Capitol on January 6, to help his transition team with hiring.

Pete Marocco, who served in the Department of Defense, State and Commerce under Trump, was seen at Trump’s headquarters in Florida this past week conducting interviews and assisting with the hiring process, Politico reported on Monday.

Ariana Baio reports.

President-elect Donald Trump yet again poked fun at Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau after jokingly suggesting that his country become the 51st state of the United States.

“It was a pleasure to have dinner the other night with Governor Justin Trudeau of the Great State of Canada,” Trump wrote on Truth Social Monday night. “I look forward to seeing the Governor again soon so that we may continue our in-depth talks on Tariffs and Trade, the results of which will be truly spectacular for all!”

Gustaf Kilander has the story.

Donald Trump can’t promise the sweeping set of tariffs he has threatened to impose on the nation’s major trading partners won’t hike consumer prices.

During an interview on Sunday with NBC News, anchor Kristen Welker asked the president-elect about the widespread economic consensus that his plans to tariff China, Mexico, and Canada risk triggering inflation and raising prices.

“I can’t guarantee anything,” Trump said. “I can’t guarantee tomorrow.”

Josh Marcus reports.

John Bowden reports:

Is Joe Biden still calling the shots in the Middle East? That certainly doesn’t seem to be what Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel’s Trump-loving prime minister, is saying.

Washington awoke this week to news that broke early Sunday morning of the fall of the Assad regime — an end to one of the most murderous and oppressive dictatorships in the world, one that had persisted since the 1970s through consecutive US administrations which opposed it.

As Syrians celebrated across Damascus and elsewhere in the country, other powers in the region took action. Citing a supposed threat from anti-Israel militant groups in a country now undergoing a massive political upheaval, Israeli troops occupied five villages across the Golan Heights, an area in Syria’s southwest. It also struck countless other targets across the country.

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President-elect Donald Trump has spoken to his former primary rival, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, about appointing his daughter-in-law, Lara Trump, to the senate seat that’s expected to be vacated by secretary of state nominee Senator Marco Rubio, according to The Wall Street Journal.

Lara Trump, 42, stepped down from her post as co-chair of the Republican National Committee Sunday. She took the role earlier this year to help her father-in-law get elected to a second term.

Gustaf Kilander reports.

President Joe Biden on Tuesday said he is bequeathing President-elect Donald Trump what he described as “the strongest economy in modern history” and “the envy of the world” while warning that efforts by the next administration to roll back his economic policies would result in great harm to Americans’ pocketbooks.

Andrew Feinberg reports from Washington, DC.

Republican Senator Mitch McConnell fell during a Senate lunch today.

A medical team with a wheelchair was seen entering his office. Outgoing minority leader McConnell, 82, has had medical issues in the past. He was escorted back to his office by Senate Republican Conference Chair John Barrasso, who hosted the lunch meeting, The Hill reports.

There are also reports that McConnell was seen with a cut on his face.