Live political coverage
Live coverage of the events surrounding the outcome of the U.S. presidential election and other U.S. political news
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Some world leaders fear a return of protectionism:
Pacific rim leaders eye China lead on trade after Trump win
ReutersLeaders of Pacific rim nations gathered in Peru on Friday, looking to China to salvage hopes for regional trade as prospects of a Donald Trump presidency in the United States sounded a possible death knell for the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) free trade pact. -


Trump agrees to settle real estate seminar lawsuits: source
ReutersU.S. President-elect Donald Trump has agreed to settle fraud lawsuits relating to his Trump University series of real estate seminars for $25 million, a person familiar with the matter said on Friday. -

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Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said he is "very concerned" about Donald Trump's selection of Senator Jeff Sessions as attorney general and indicated there would be tough questioning in the chamber's confirmation process.Given some of his past statements and his staunch opposition to immigration reform, I am very concerned about what he would do with the Civil Rights Division at the Department of Justice and want to hear what he has to say
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A guide to a Trump presidencyThe reality-TV star is upending the global order in real time.As CEOs, world leaders and investors try to interpret what's in store, a new Breakingviews e-book chronicles Trump the businessman, candidate, populist and president-elect. Who he surrounds himself with is paramount.
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Trump nears settlement in Trump University lawsuit

President-elect Donald Trump is nearing a settlement of about $20 million in fraud lawsuits relating to Trump University, a person familiar with the matter said on Friday.
Lawyers for the president-elect are squaring off against students who claim they were they were lured by false promises into paying up to $35,000 to learn Trump's real estate investing "secrets" from his "hand-picked" instructors.
There are three lawsuits relating to Trump University: two class actions in California and a case brought by New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman.
"As Attorney General Schneiderman has long said, he has always been open to a settlement that fairly compensates the many victims of Trump University who have been waiting years for a resolution," Eric Soufer, a spokesman for Schneiderman, said in a statement.
Neither Trump's lawyers nor lawyers representing the students immediately responded to calls for comment.
A spokesman for New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman declined to comment.
(Reporting by Doina Chiacu and Karen Freifeld; Editing by Bernadette Baum)
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HIGHLIGHTS FROM THIS MORNING'S TRANSITION STATEMENT- Trump formally picked Senator Jeff Sessions for attorney general, Representative Mike Pompeo as CIA director and General Mike Flynn as national security adviser.
- Trump called Sessions a 'world class legal mind' who is 'greatly admired by legal scholars' in the statement.
- He also said he was pleased to have Flynn by his side to help 'defeat radical Islamic terrorism.'
- Trump said Pompeo would be a 'brilliant and unrelenting leader' as CIA director.
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Trump nears settlement in Trump University lawsuit - CNBC
President-elect Donald Trump is nearing a settlement in the Trump University fraud lawsuits in New York and California, CNBC reported on Friday, citing an unidentified source.
Lawyers for the president-elect are squaring off against students who claim they were they were lured to pay up to $35,000 to learn Trump's real estate investing "secrets" from his "hand-picked" instructors, but that the courses didn't live up to their billing.
BREAKING: President-elect Trump is nearing a settlement in the Trump University fraud suits in New York & California, a source tells CNBC.9:44 AM - 18 Nov 2016- Reply
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(Reporting by Doina Chiacu; Editing by Bernadette Baum)
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SLIDESHOW: Trump's inner circle
Trump has tapped Senator Jeff Sessions for attorney general, Representative Mike Pompeo as CIA director and General Mike Flynn as national security adviser, a transition official said. -

Meet Trump's new CIA director, attorney general and national security adviser
- U.S. President-elect Donald Trump has tapped three conservative loyalists and Army veterans to lead his national security and law enforcement teams, including Senator Jeff Sessions for attorney general and Representative Mike Pompeo as CIA director, a transition official said on Friday.
- The official said retired Lieutenant General Mike Flynn was chosen as the president-elect's national security adviser, a position that does not require U.S. Senate confirmation.
All three men have accepted Trump's offer, and the announcements will be made formally later on Friday, according to the transition team member, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
Pompeo, 52, a third-term congressman from Kansas, was a surprise pick to lead the Central Intelligence Agency. He was on the House of Representatives intelligence and energy and commerce committees, as well as the committee investigating the 2012 attack on the U.S. diplomatic compound in Benghazi, Libya. Read more.
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SESSIONS ON TRUMP ON ROMNEY
"I think it's good that the president-elect is meeting with people like Mr. Romney," U.S. Senator Jeff Sessions of Alabama, one of Trump's closest confidants who has been chosen as his attorney general, told reporters at Manhattan's Trump Tower.
Sessions sounded far from certain Romney would be offered a job:
”There are a lot of talented people that he (Trump) needs good relationships with. And I think Mr. Romney would be quite capable of doing a number of things. But he will be one of those, I am sure, that's reviewed. Donald Trump will make that decision."
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Can Trump make coal great again? At least some companies think so
ReutersMost of the U.S. coal industry doubts Donald Trump can fulfill his promise to make the ailing industry great again in a country awash in dirt-cheap natural gas, a competing fuel. -

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Trump Treasury candidate's bank accused of discrimination
ReutersTwo California housing advocacy groups have alleged that a bank formerly controlled by Steven Mnuchin, a top candidate to be President-elect Donald Trump's Treasury secretary, engaged in discriminatory practices against black and Latino communities. -
President-elect Donald Trump now appears to be considering (former?) arch-rival Mitt Romney for one of the most prestigious postings in his administration: secretary of state.Trump and Romney, a former governor of Massachusetts, haven't exactly been friendly over the course of the presidential race. Here's a look back at some of their more virulent exchanges.Back in March, Romney - who ran against President Obama in 2012 - called Trump a 'fraud' and urged Republicans not to throw their support behind the real estate mogul in the primaries.Here's what I know. Donald Trump is a phony, a fraud.
After Romney accused Trump of being a racist in June, the now president-elect ripped him apart in a campaign speech:"The guy let us down, he choked...The guy is a stone-cold loser," Trump said, reiterating that he is 'the least racist person."A month earlier, in May, Romney posted the following on Facebook:It is disqualifying for a modern-day presidential nominee to refuse to release tax returns to the voters, especially one who has not been subject to public scrutiny in either military or public service. Tax returns provide the public with its sole confirmation of the veracity of a candidate's representations regarding charities, priorities, wealth, tax conformance, and conflicts of interest. Further, while not a likely circumstance, the potential for hidden inappropriate associations with foreign entities, criminal organizations, or other unsavory groups is simply too great a risk to ignore for someone who is seeking to become commander-in-chief.
Mr. Trump says he is being audited. So? There is nothing that prevents releasing tax returns that are being audited. Further, he could release returns for the years immediately prior to the years under audit. There is only one logical explanation for Mr. Trump's refusal to release his returns: there is a bombshell in them. Given Mr. Trump's equanimity with other flaws in his history, we can only assume it's a bombshell of unusual size.
(Anticipating inquiries regarding my own tax release history, I released my 2010 tax returns in January of 2012 and I released my 2011 tax returns as soon as they were completed, in September of 2012.)
Mitt Romney 11/17/2016 9:36:00 PM4:36 PMIn October, just a month before the Nov. 8 election, Romney commented on lewd remarks about women that Trump made in 2005.I was offended and dismayed by what was said and done by Mr. Trump.
He also tweeted this:Hitting on married women? Condoning assault? Such vile degradations demean our wives and daughters and corrupt America's face to the world.8:10 PM - 07 Oct 2016- Reply
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UPDATE: The White House said the Trump transition team has completed steps for an initial group of individuals to receive briefing materials at agencies. The White House also said it expects to receive additional names from Trump team for briefings on a 'rolling basis.' -

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NBC News is reporting that Donald Trump is considering Mitt Romney for secretary of state:New: A source close to Donald Trump tells @MSNBC Mitt Romney is being considered for Secretary of State.Retweeted by NBCNews3:06 PM - 17 Nov 2016- Reply
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BREAKING: Donald Trump is considering Mitt Romney for position of Secretary of State, source tells @NBCNews.3:09 PM - 17 Nov 2016- Reply
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Here are a few other names that have been floated for secretary of state over the past couple of days:* Rudy Giuliani, former mayor of New York City* Nikki Haley, governor of South Carolina* John Bolton, former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations under President George W. Bush* Bob Corker, U.S. senator from Tennessee and chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee* Newt Gingrich, former U.S. House of Representatives speaker* Zalmay Khalilzad, former U.S. ambassador to Iraq -

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Who's on Trump's list?
Factbox: Short list of potential picks for Trump administration
ReutersNew candidates to serve in U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's Cabinet emerged on Wednesday, including U.S. Senator Ted Cruz as a potential attorney general and North Carolina Governor Nikki Haley as secretary of state, as he works to fill administration positions ahead of his inauguration on Jan. 20. -

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Chinese "Trump" pheasant the pride of Zhejiang
Reuters"Little Red", a golden pheasant at a safari park in China, becomes an internet sensation after visitors notice his remarkable resemblance to U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, especially their "glittering" hair. Mana Rabiee... -

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At a joint news conference with Germany's Merkel, Obama said of Donald Trump:"He ran an incredibly unconventional political campaign that resulted in the biggest political upset of...perhaps modern political history."The U.S. president went on to say that during his private meeting with the president-elect he told Trump that what may work in an election campaign may be different to what works to unite the country."He has indicated he understands that," Obama said of Trump. -
This entire press release is a subtweet of @realDonaldTrump, who wrongly said the paper had lost thousands of subs https://t.co/b9sfBzmdW312:15 PM - 17 Nov 2016- Reply
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The @nytimes Adds 41,000 New Subscriptions Since Election Day https://t.co/dIjSvZXoow https://t.co/JeeVedetrW
12:05 PM - 17 Nov 2016- Reply
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- The Director of U.S. National Intelligence James Clapper said today that he submitted his letter of resignation but would stay until the end of the Obama administration.
- Clapper declined to comment when asked if Russia shared hacked information from Democratic Party organizations with Americans.
- Clapper also said he had no reason to question if FBI Director Comey broke protocol in disclosing Clinton email review before election.

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by House Republicans via twitter 11/17/2016 4:11:09 PM -
JUST IN: Republican leaders want to fund federal government at current levels until March - U.S. House Appropriations Committee member.Incoming Trump administration wants temporary funding bill in order to have input into fiscal 2017 government spending - House Appropriations panel member -

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UPDATE FROM OBAMA'S LAST TOUR ABROAD -In Berlin, President Obama told German ARD Television that 'if Trump can get the same number of people medical insurance and better than I could, then I would support that.'
U.S. President Barack Obama walks past the Brandenburg Gate during his visit to Berlin, Germany November 17, 2016. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque
Plane taking Brazilian soccer team to cup final in Colombia crashes, 71 dead
LA UNION, Colombia/ CHAPECO, Brazil A plane taking Brazilian soccer team Chapecoense to a South American cup final crashed in Colombia after reporting an electrical fault, killing 71 people, including most of the team and accompanying journalists. | Video











