Trump picks Project 2025 co-author to lead FCC: Live updates

The president-elect’s choice to lead the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) was pictured looking slightly awkward in the company of Don Jr, Elon Musk and Mike Johnson over the weekend as the group posed with boxes of McDonald’s junk food aboard the Republican’s private plane.

That “Make America Healthy Again” agenda already appears to be in jeopardy.

Meanwhile, this is what one of RFK Jr’s predecessors in that office, Kathleen Sebelius, had to tell MSNBC anchor Jonathan Capehart about the seriousness of the role the notorious vaccine sceptic has been nominated to:

“I think that we’re talking about magnitudes of danger beyond erroneously making legal decisions. This is life or death. The HHS affects people from birth to their grave and is intimately connected with every state in the country. So this could be very dangerous. I think it’s totally disqualifying for anyone who seeks to lead the major health agency in this country and one of the leaders in the world to just unequivocally say there is no safe and effective vaccine.

“That in and of itself, from the bully pulpit of HHS, could end up killing people, could end up harming children. My grandson is too young to get a lot of vaccinations yet, and having him exposed to unvaccinated people with polio and measles is a terrifying thought. Having eradicated those diseases as a major health initiative, Jonathan, I think this is absolutely terrifying and people should understand how serious it is.”

This was the president-elect early this morning, reposting a claim from Judicial Watch founder Tom Fitton and endorsing it.

The president has authorised Ukraine’s use of long-range missiles to strike hundreds of miles inside Russia for the first time, according to reports.

The decision marks a major policy shift and comes after Russia warned that it would interpret the move to permit the use of US-made missiles as an “escalation”.

With Biden leaving office in two months, President-Elect Trump has indicated he will limit American support for Ukraine and has pledged to end the war quickly.

His predecessor’s decision has already led both Donald Trump Jr and Georgia Republican Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene to accuse Biden of attempting to start a Third World War.

The Republican has yet to announce his choice for treasury secretary and two new candidates for the position will reportedly be interviewed at his Mar-a-Lago residence on Monday: former Federal Reserve governor Kevin Warsh and Wall Street billionaire Marc Rowan.

Howard Lutnick, co-chair of Trump’s transition team, and Key Square Capital Management founder Scott Bessant were thought to be first in the line for the role but the incoming president is understood to be having second thoughts, according to The New York Times.

Elon Musk appears to favor Lutnick, hinting at the first significant difference of opinion between the president-elect and his influential backer.

Here’s James Liddell with the very latest.

Donald Trump has announced his latest cabinet pick, nominating Brendan Carr to be chairman of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), the body charged with regulating the US media.

Currently a commissioner with the FCC, Carr contributed to the controversial Project 2025 manifesto and was described by the president-elect as “a warrior for Free Speech… [who] has fought against the regulatory Lawfare that has stifled Americans’ Freedoms, and held back our Economy.

“He will end the regulatory onslaught that has been crippling America’s Job Creators and Innovators, and ensure that the FCC delivers for rural America.”

The pundits are already looking ahead to his possible role in realising Trump’s threat to revoke broadcast licences and benefiting Elon Musk.

Good morning and welcome to The Independent’s live coverage of the incoming Donald Trump administration as the president-elect continues to announce appointments to his next administration.