AP News in Brief at 11:59 p.m. EST
President-elect Trump names Susie Wiles as chief of staff, first woman in the post
WASHINGTON (AP) - President-elect Donald Trump has named Susie Wiles, the defacto manager of his victorious campaign, as his White House chief of staff, the first woman to hold the influential role.
Wiles is widely credited within and outside Trump´s inner circle for running what was, by far, his most disciplined and well-executed campaign, and was seen as the leading contender for the position. She largely avoided the spotlight, even refusing to take the mic to speak as Trump celebrated his victory early Wednesday morning. She resisted the formal title of campaign manager, avoiding becoming a target, given Trump´s history of cycling through people in that role.
Wiles´ hire is Trump´s first major decision as president-elect and one that could be a defining test of his incoming administration, as he must quickly build the team that will help run the massive federal government. Wiles doesn´t bring much federal government experience to the role, but has a close relationship with the president-elect.
On the campaign, Wiles was able to do what few others have been able to: help control Trump´s impulses - not by chiding him or lecturing, but by earning his respect and showing him that he was better off when he followed her advice than flouting it.
Eight years ago, Trump tossed the careful planning of his transition team and instead hired a motley assortment of campaign aides, family members and Republican insiders who spent the better part of his first year in office engaged in infighting that dominated news coverage of the new administration. It was what many experts consider a foundational mistake that hamstrung a president who was new to Washington and government upon his swearing in.
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GOP picks up more key House seats while Democrats insist they still have a path to a majority
WASHINGTON (AP) - Republican leaders projected confidence Thursday that they will keep control of the U.S. House as more races were decided in their favor, while Democrats insisted they still see a path toward the majority and sought assurances every vote will be counted.
The GOP picked up two more hard-fought seats in Pennsylvania, which became a stark battlefield of Democratic losses up and down the ticket. Democrats notched another win in New York, defeating a third Republican incumbent in that state.
Both parties in the House huddled privately on conference calls to assess the political landscape as Congress prepared to return next week to a changed Washington, where a sweep of MAGA-infused GOP power is within reach for President-elect Donald Trump.
"The latest data indicates that we will also hold - and likely grow - our Republican majority in the House," Speaker Mike Johnson said in a letter to colleagues, seeking their support to keep the gavel.
But Democratic Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said "it has yet to be decided" which party will control the House as several key races remained uncalled.
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Biden gets blamed by Harris allies for the vice president's resounding loss to Trump
WASHINGTON (AP) - Joe Biden's name wasn't on the ballot, but history will likely remember Kamala Harris' resounding defeat as his loss too.
As Democrats pick up the pieces after President-elect Donald Trump's decisive victory, some of the vice president's backers are expressing frustration that Biden's decision to seek reelection until this summer - despite long-standing voter concerns about his age and unease about post-pandemic inflation as well as the U.S.-Mexico border - all but sealed his party's surrender of the White House.
"The biggest onus of this loss is on President Biden," said Andrew Yang, who ran against Biden in 2020 for the Democratic nomination and endorsed Harris´ unsuccessful run. "If he had stepped down in January instead of July, we may be in a very different place."
Biden will leave office after leading the United States out of the worst pandemic in a century, galvanizing international support for Ukraine after Russia´s invasion and passing a $1 trillion infrastructure bill that will affect communities for years to come.
But having run four years ago against Trump to "restore the soul of the country," Biden will make way after just one term for his immediate predecessor, who overcame two impeachments, a felony conviction and an insurrection launched by his supporters. Trump has pledged to radically reshape the federal government and roll back many of Biden's priorities.
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132 structures destroyed in Southern California wildfire as fierce winds expected to subside
CAMARILLO, Calif. (AP) - A Southern California wildfire has destroyed 132 structures, mostly homes, in less than two days, fire officials said Thursday as raging winds were forecast to ease.
The fire started Wednesday morning in Ventura County and has grown to about 32 square miles (83 square kilometers) at 5% containment. Its cause has not been determined.
Ten people have been injured in the course of the fire, Ventura County Sheriff James Fryhoff said. Most of them suffered from smoke inhalation or other non-life-threatening injuries.
Fire officials said 88 other structures were damaged but did not specify whether they had been burned or affected by water or smoke damage.
Some 10,000 people remained under evacuation orders Thursday as the Mountain Fire continued to threaten some 3,500 structures in suburban neighborhoods, ranches and agricultural areas around Camarillo in Ventura County.
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Racist text messages referencing slavery raise alarms in multiple states and prompt investigations
WASHINGTON (AP) - Racist text messages invoking slavery raised alarm across the country this week after they were sent to Black men, women and students, including middle schoolers, prompting inquiries by the FBI and other agencies.
The messages, sent anonymously, were reported in several states, including New York, Alabama, California, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Tennessee. They generally used a similar tone but varied in wording.
Some instructed the recipient to show up at an address at a particular time "with your belongings," while others didn't include a location. Some of them mentioned the incoming presidential administration.
It wasn't yet clear who was behind the messages and there was no comprehensive list of where they were sent, but high school and college students were among the recipients.
The FBI said it was in touch with the Justice Department on the messages, and the Federal Communications Commission said it was investigating the texts "alongside federal and state law enforcement." The Ohio Attorney General's office also said it was looking into the matter.
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Federal Reserve cuts its key interest rate by a quarter-point amid postelection uncertainty
WASHINGTON (AP) - The Federal Reserve cut its key interest rate Thursday by a quarter-point in response to the steady decline in the once-high inflation that had angered Americans and helped drive Donald Trump´s presidential election victory this week.
The rate cut follows a larger half-point reduction in September, and it reflects the Fed´s renewed focus on supporting the job market as well as fighting inflation, which now barely exceeds the central bank´s 2% target.
Asked at a news conference how Trump's election might affect the Fed's policymaking, Chair Jerome Powell said that "in the near term, the election will have no effects on our (interest rate) decisions."
But Trump´s election, beyond its economic consequences, has raised the specter of meddling by the White House in the Fed´s policy decisions. Trump has argued that as president, he should have a voice in the central bank´s interest rate decisions. The Fed has long guarded its role as an independent agency able to make difficult decisions about borrowing rates, free from political interference. Yet in his previous term in the White House, Trump publicly attacked Powell after the Fed raised rates to fight inflation, and he may do so again.
Asked whether he would resign if Trump asked him to, Powell, who will have a year left in his second four-year term as Fed chair when Trump takes office, replied simply, "No."
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Argentine prosecutors charge 3 people linked to the death of former One Direction star Liam Payne
BUENOS AIRES (AP) - Three people have been charged in connection with the death of Liam Payne, a former member of musical group One Direction who died after falling from the balcony of his hotel room in Buenos Aires last month, Argentine prosecutors said Thursday.
Prosecutor Andrés Madrea charged the three suspects, whose identities were not revealed, with the crimes of "abandonment of a person followed by death" and "supplying and facilitating the use of narcotics," the prosecutor´s office said. Madrea also requested their arrest to judge Laura Bruniard, who ruled the three cannot leave the country.
Payne fell from his room's balcony on the third floor of his hotel in the upscale neighborhood of Palermo, in the Argentine capital. His autopsy said he died from multiple injuries and external bleeding.
Prosecutors also said that Payne´s toxicological exams showed that his body had "traces of alcohol, cocaine and a prescribed antidepressant" in the moments before his death.
Investigators said hours after Payne´s death that he was by himself when he fell. But the prosecutors' office said Thursday that one of the people charged was often with the singer during his time in Buenos Aires. The second is a hotel staffer who allegedly gave Payne cocaine during his stay between Oct. 13 and 16. And the third is a drug dealer.
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Canada's Trudeau revives a Cabinet-level panel to address concerns about a Trump presidency
TORONTO (AP) - Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Thursday he is re-establishing a special Cabinet committee on Canada-U.S. relations to address his administration's concerns about another Donald Trump presidency.
Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland, who is also the country's finance minister, will chair the committee, which also will include other top officials including ministers of foreign affairs, public safety and industry.
"Following the election of President Donald Trump for a second term, the Cabinet Committee will focus on critical Canada-U.S. issues," Trudeau's office said in a statement Thursday.
Canada is one of the most trade-dependent countries in the world, and 75% of Canada´s exports go to the U.S.
During Trump's first time, his move to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement, or NAFTA, and reports that he was considering a 25% tariff on the auto sector were considered an existential threat in Canada at the time.
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Cuba left reeling after Category 3 hurricane ravages island and knocks out power grid
HAVANA (AP) - Cuba was left reeling Thursday after a fierce Category 3 hurricane ripped across the island, destroying hundreds of homes, knocking out the country´s power grid and damaging other infrastructure.
No fatalities were immediately reported in Cuba, and Hurricane Rafael had weakened to a Category 2 storm as it swirled across the gulf toward Mexico where heavy rains were expected in the coming days.
Rafael crossed a western portion of Cuba on Wednesday evening about 75 kilometers (45 miles) west of Havana, where José Ignacio Dimas returned home from his night shift as a security guard to find his apartment building in the historic center of the city had collapsed.
"The entire front wall of the building fell," José Ignacio Dimas said in a tight voice as he scanned the damage early Thursday. Like many buildings in the capital, it was aging and lacked maintenance.
More than 461 homes collapsed because of the hurricane, Cuban authorities said. More than 283,000 people from across the country had been evacuated from their homes, 98,300 of which were in Havana, according to authorities.
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Fans flood @Pontifex account after it inadvertently cites New Orleans Saints amid dreadful season
ROME (AP) - The New Orleans Saints may be one of the worst teams in the NFL this season, but at least they can count on continued prayers from Pope Francis.
The pope - or at least someone in the Vatican communications office - has been inadvertently rooting for the Saints since Nov. 1 - All Saints Day - even as the team lost yet another game and fired their coach.
Thanks to an automatic function on X, formerly Twitter, the team´s fleur-de-lis emoji is automatically added to the hashtag #Saints. That has given the impression that the @Pontifex account on X, which has 18.4 million followers and happens to be tweeting a lot about saints lately, was talking about the team when in fact the pope was extolling how actual saints "are precious pearls and are always living and relevant."
The comments sections on the handful of papal #Saint tweets in recent days have blown up, with more than twice as many comments as normal @Pontifex tweets.
"They need more than what you can do Pope Francis. They need to consult the big guy," wrote @DaBears_26 on Nov. 2.
