Donald Trump and his Republican Party have an ambitious agenda and (near) control of US Congress.
Trump has said he will “make heads spin” as he moves full-speed ahead after his inauguration on 20 January.
His team has said to expect a flurry of executive orders – directives from the US president – out of the Oval Office in the first week.
Policy experts and lawyers are already drafting those orders as part of the administration’s transition.
Advocacy groups and Democratic state governors have vowed to challenge at least some of those plans.
The vote for the majority leader of the Senate takes place today. The vote is to decide who will replace current Republican Senate leader Mitch McConnell, who has held the post since 2007.
There are three man contenders: Florida Senator Rick Scott, Texas Senator John Cornyn and South Dakota Senator John Thune.
Republican senators will vote in a secret ballot, with the process starting at 14:00 GMT (09:00 ET). If no candidate receives a majority in the first round, the candidate with the fewest votes is dropped and a second round begins.
Trump has said on his social media platform Truth Social that anyone seeking the position must agree to “recess appointments” – which allow the president to make temporary appointments when the Senate is not in session.
Florida’s Senator Rick Scott, who Elon Musk has endorsed, replied to Trump’s post saying: “100% agree. I will do whatever it takes to get your nominations through as quickly as possible.”
Amid news that Melania Trump will not attend a traditional meeting with outgoing First Lady Jill Biden, let’s take a look at what her role in her husband’s first administration and throughout this election cycle.
Melania’s first stint as first lady saw her notably absent from the White House. She often stayed in New York rather than Washington.
She delivered few speeches while first lady – a theme she continued during Trump’s re-election bid. She was never seen stumping for her husband, breaking tradition by attending the Republican National Convention but not giving a speech.
Melania declared her pro-choice stance in a memoir published earlier this year. Many noted the timing of the book release, which took place around the same time Trump was struggling to campaign on the issue of women’s reproductive rights.
Elon Musk’s path from tech disruptor to his new position at the very heart of government is probably one he himself would never have predicted 20 years ago.
He is likely to have some big, controversial ideas – as he has in his tech career – alongside his co-pilot Vivek Ramaswamy, whose previous proposals have included dismantling the department for education and the FBI.
And we know Musk can and will make brutal business decisions. Within weeks of buying X, he had laid off half the staff.
Critics of the Musk/Trump power coupling point out that Musk has successfully manoeuvred himself into a smart spot: a position of authority inside the very administration which fundamentally regulates, and often uses, his businesses.
But Musk is also a valuable asset to this new government, bringing with him a wealth of experience in building successful businesses in the US and an enormous fanbase.
Keep an eye on how these two men get on: they’re both volatile, argumentative and controversial. And both like to be number one – so if this new arrangement leaves one of them feeling they are not, Elon Musk’s new path could soon turn into a going of separate ways.
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