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| Donald Trump picks team and prepares to enter White House – politics live | Donald Trump picks team and prepares to enter White House – politics live |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| 5.58pm GMT | |
| 17:58 | |
| Benjamin Lee | |
| John Oliver’s first post-election show gave the host a chance to implore that people refrain from normalizing Donald Trump as president. | |
| The comedian used the episode of his show Last Week Tonight with John Oliver to express his dismay and concern over the result. “It turns out that instead of showing our daughters that they could someday be president, America proved that no grandpa is too racist to become leader of the free world,” Oliver said. | |
| 5.46pm GMT | |
| 17:46 | |
| From the transition pool: | |
| Spotted at Trump Tower heading up on an elevator about 12:30 p.m.: the President-elect’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner. He did not reply to our questions about the transition. Also spotted: Arizona state treasurer Jeff DeWit, whose Twitter account says he was COO/CFO for Trump campaign. Asked his role in the transition, Mr. DeWit said: ‘Getting things done.’ | |
| 5.14pm GMT | 5.14pm GMT |
| 17:14 | 17:14 |
| Supporters of Bernie Sanders are holding a sit-in at New York senator and likely future minority leader Chuck Schumer’s office: | Supporters of Bernie Sanders are holding a sit-in at New York senator and likely future minority leader Chuck Schumer’s office: |
| Bernie supporters are staging a sit-in at Schumer’s office. https://t.co/xle35VKImE | Bernie supporters are staging a sit-in at Schumer’s office. https://t.co/xle35VKImE |
| 5.04pm GMT | 5.04pm GMT |
| 17:04 | 17:04 |
| Speaking with the transition pool at Trump Tower, former Trump campaign manager Kellyanne Conway - we say “former” because there’s not really a campaign left to manage, is there? - spoke to reporters for roughly five minutes, by far the longest exchange any member of the president-elect’s team has spoken with the press pool since his election last Tuesday. | Speaking with the transition pool at Trump Tower, former Trump campaign manager Kellyanne Conway - we say “former” because there’s not really a campaign left to manage, is there? - spoke to reporters for roughly five minutes, by far the longest exchange any member of the president-elect’s team has spoken with the press pool since his election last Tuesday. |
| Conway said that Americans could “possibly” hear about nominations for cabinet secretaries as soon as this week, although she declined to go into specifics. | Conway said that Americans could “possibly” hear about nominations for cabinet secretaries as soon as this week, although she declined to go into specifics. |
| Of the appointments of RNC chair Reince Priebus as chief of staff and the controversial naming of Breitbart chair Steve Bannon as senior counsel to the president, Conway was positive. | Of the appointments of RNC chair Reince Priebus as chief of staff and the controversial naming of Breitbart chair Steve Bannon as senior counsel to the president, Conway was positive. |
| “I’ve worked closely with both of them,” Conway said. “I think it’s a great team. And I’ll continue to work closely with both of them in some capacity to be decided. They complement each other. They both have the most important thing: the ear of the boss.” | “I’ve worked closely with both of them,” Conway said. “I think it’s a great team. And I’ll continue to work closely with both of them in some capacity to be decided. They complement each other. They both have the most important thing: the ear of the boss.” |
| On Bannon specifically, Conway was defensive: | On Bannon specifically, Conway was defensive: |
| I worked very closely with Steve Bannon. He’s been the general of this campaign. And frankly people should look at the full resume. He has got a Harvard business degree. He’s a Naval officer. He has success in entertainment. I don’t know if you’re aware of that. And he certainly was a Goldman Sachs managing partner. Brilliant tactician. | I worked very closely with Steve Bannon. He’s been the general of this campaign. And frankly people should look at the full resume. He has got a Harvard business degree. He’s a Naval officer. He has success in entertainment. I don’t know if you’re aware of that. And he certainly was a Goldman Sachs managing partner. Brilliant tactician. |
| Does Bannon need to do anything to reassure people about his alt-right connections? | Does Bannon need to do anything to reassure people about his alt-right connections? |
| I’m personally offended that you think I would manage a campaign where that would be one of the going philosophies. It was not. 56 million-plus Americans or so saw something else. I know people weren’t prepared for us to win. And so we’re reaching around to find extreme examples of - or perhaps those extreme examples of those who support the president. | I’m personally offended that you think I would manage a campaign where that would be one of the going philosophies. It was not. 56 million-plus Americans or so saw something else. I know people weren’t prepared for us to win. And so we’re reaching around to find extreme examples of - or perhaps those extreme examples of those who support the president. |
| And on Trump’s Twitter use: “I’ll leave that to him.” | And on Trump’s Twitter use: “I’ll leave that to him.” |
| 4.44pm GMT | 4.44pm GMT |
| 16:44 | 16:44 |
| The president of the People For the American Way has released a statement in response to president-elect Donald Trump tipping Breitbart chief Steve Bannon as his senior advisor: | The president of the People For the American Way has released a statement in response to president-elect Donald Trump tipping Breitbart chief Steve Bannon as his senior advisor: |
| “By choosing Steve Bannon as chief strategist, Trump has made clear that he intends to carry the racism and anti-Semitism of his campaign straight into the White House,” said Michael Keegan in the statement. “The website Bannon ran is a home for the White Nationalist Right that elevates racist, xenophobic, anti-Semitic tirades and conspiracy theories.” | “By choosing Steve Bannon as chief strategist, Trump has made clear that he intends to carry the racism and anti-Semitism of his campaign straight into the White House,” said Michael Keegan in the statement. “The website Bannon ran is a home for the White Nationalist Right that elevates racist, xenophobic, anti-Semitic tirades and conspiracy theories.” |
| “Congressional Republicans need to stand up and call out Trump for choosing Bannon as a senior adviser and ‘equal partner’ to Trump’s Chief of Staff. This isn’t about partisan politics; no one with Bannon’s record should be anywhere near the White House.” | “Congressional Republicans need to stand up and call out Trump for choosing Bannon as a senior adviser and ‘equal partner’ to Trump’s Chief of Staff. This isn’t about partisan politics; no one with Bannon’s record should be anywhere near the White House.” |
| 4.28pm GMT | 4.28pm GMT |
| 16:28 | 16:28 |
| Chelsea Manning makes appeal for release before Trump takes office | Chelsea Manning makes appeal for release before Trump takes office |
| Ed Pilkington | Ed Pilkington |
| Chelsea Manning has made a last-ditch appeal to Barack Obama to commute her sentence for leaking state secrets to time served, calling on him to release her from military prison so that she can have her “first chance to live a real, meaningful life”. | Chelsea Manning has made a last-ditch appeal to Barack Obama to commute her sentence for leaking state secrets to time served, calling on him to release her from military prison so that she can have her “first chance to live a real, meaningful life”. |
| With the clock running down on the current presidency, the US soldier is making her last, and what her supporters hope will be the most promising, stab at persuading Obama to set her free after more than six years in custody. Their assumption is that the prospects of incoming president Donald Trump showing her leniency rank as slim, to none. | With the clock running down on the current presidency, the US soldier is making her last, and what her supporters hope will be the most promising, stab at persuading Obama to set her free after more than six years in custody. Their assumption is that the prospects of incoming president Donald Trump showing her leniency rank as slim, to none. |
| Manning has already served considerably more time behind bars than any other official leaker in recent US history. In a letter that accompanies the petition, her lawyers, Nancy Hollander and Vincent Ward, liken the soldier’s plight to the many other criminal offenders that have already been given a second chance by Obama through his clemency powers. | Manning has already served considerably more time behind bars than any other official leaker in recent US history. In a letter that accompanies the petition, her lawyers, Nancy Hollander and Vincent Ward, liken the soldier’s plight to the many other criminal offenders that have already been given a second chance by Obama through his clemency powers. |
| The lawyers remind the sitting president that Manning carried out her massive leak of state secrets in 2010, that included hundreds of thousands of US diplomatic cables and warlogs from Afghanistan and Iraq, at a time when she was under huge psychological stress as a result of being a transgender woman. They also emphasise the prisoner’s harsh treatment when she was first brought from Iraq to the US including a prolonged spell in solitary confinement – an issue that Obama has embraced in recent moves to restrict the use of solitary in federal penal institutions. | The lawyers remind the sitting president that Manning carried out her massive leak of state secrets in 2010, that included hundreds of thousands of US diplomatic cables and warlogs from Afghanistan and Iraq, at a time when she was under huge psychological stress as a result of being a transgender woman. They also emphasise the prisoner’s harsh treatment when she was first brought from Iraq to the US including a prolonged spell in solitary confinement – an issue that Obama has embraced in recent moves to restrict the use of solitary in federal penal institutions. |
| “Since Ms Manning’s arrest she has been subjected to torturous conditions while in military confinement. For nearly a year Ms Manning was held in solitary confinement while awaiting trial, and since her conviction, has been placed in solitary confinement for an attempted suicide,” they write. | “Since Ms Manning’s arrest she has been subjected to torturous conditions while in military confinement. For nearly a year Ms Manning was held in solitary confinement while awaiting trial, and since her conviction, has been placed in solitary confinement for an attempted suicide,” they write. |
| The new petition, which was first reported by the New York Times, comes on top of a previous clemency request and an ongoing appeal against her 35-year military sentence. In supporting material, Daniel Ellsberg, the source of the legendary Pentagon Papers that revealed secrets about the Vietnam war, tells Obama: “It is my firm belief that Ms Manning disclosed this material for the purpose of informing the American people of serious human rights abuses, including the killing of innocent people by the United States troops in Iraq.” | The new petition, which was first reported by the New York Times, comes on top of a previous clemency request and an ongoing appeal against her 35-year military sentence. In supporting material, Daniel Ellsberg, the source of the legendary Pentagon Papers that revealed secrets about the Vietnam war, tells Obama: “It is my firm belief that Ms Manning disclosed this material for the purpose of informing the American people of serious human rights abuses, including the killing of innocent people by the United States troops in Iraq.” |
| 4.20pm GMT | 4.20pm GMT |
| 16:20 | 16:20 |
| Mike Pence goes to court to prevent release of email | Mike Pence goes to court to prevent release of email |
| Vice president-elect Mike Pence is fighting against the release of an email sent to him in his capacity as governor of Indiana by a political ally, the Indianapolis Star reports, after he redacted the email’s contents before they were included in the public record. | Vice president-elect Mike Pence is fighting against the release of an email sent to him in his capacity as governor of Indiana by a political ally, the Indianapolis Star reports, after he redacted the email’s contents before they were included in the public record. |
| The email relates to an inquiry into Pence’s hiring of outside council to litigate a case against the Obama administration in 2014. | The email relates to an inquiry into Pence’s hiring of outside council to litigate a case against the Obama administration in 2014. |
| “It comes down to this: the court is giving up its ability to check another branch of government, and that should worry people,” Gerry Lanosga, an Indiana University media professor specializing in public records law, told the Indianapolis Star. | “It comes down to this: the court is giving up its ability to check another branch of government, and that should worry people,” Gerry Lanosga, an Indiana University media professor specializing in public records law, told the Indianapolis Star. |
| Pence’s refusal to release the contents of the email echoes the year-long brouhaha over the release of Hillary Clinton’s emails during her tenure as secretary of state - which likely helped cost Clinton the election. | Pence’s refusal to release the contents of the email echoes the year-long brouhaha over the release of Hillary Clinton’s emails during her tenure as secretary of state - which likely helped cost Clinton the election. |
| 4.05pm GMT | 4.05pm GMT |
| 16:05 | 16:05 |
| From the long-suffering transition pool: | From the long-suffering transition pool: |
| At 10:55 am Jason Miller, communications advisor to transition, entered the building and walked to the elevators. Pool swarmed him. We asked about timing of future appointments. ‘We’ll let you know as soon as we have something,’ he said. And he was gone. Pool resumed its vigil in the lobby. | At 10:55 am Jason Miller, communications advisor to transition, entered the building and walked to the elevators. Pool swarmed him. We asked about timing of future appointments. ‘We’ll let you know as soon as we have something,’ he said. And he was gone. Pool resumed its vigil in the lobby. |
| 4.00pm GMT | 4.00pm GMT |
| 16:00 | 16:00 |
| Lois Beckett | Lois Beckett |
| With Donald Trump in the White House, tourists from other states may soon be able to bring their guns to shops of Fifth Avenue, the plaza at Rockefeller Center and other New York City sights. | With Donald Trump in the White House, tourists from other states may soon be able to bring their guns to shops of Fifth Avenue, the plaza at Rockefeller Center and other New York City sights. |
| Advocates say they expect Congress to finally pass a sweeping gun rights law that could dismantle local gun-carrying restrictions in states including New York, New Jersey, Maryland, California and Hawaii. | Advocates say they expect Congress to finally pass a sweeping gun rights law that could dismantle local gun-carrying restrictions in states including New York, New Jersey, Maryland, California and Hawaii. |
| These changes could come soon. If Congress passes a federal right-to-carry law, it’s “certainly possible” that within a year or two, New York tourists might be able to carry a concealed weapon as they tour the city, said Robert Spitzer, a gun politics expert at SUNY Cortland. | These changes could come soon. If Congress passes a federal right-to-carry law, it’s “certainly possible” that within a year or two, New York tourists might be able to carry a concealed weapon as they tour the city, said Robert Spitzer, a gun politics expert at SUNY Cortland. |
| Trump, who himself has a permit to carry a concealed firearm, has already endorsed a new reciprocity law as part of his gun rights platform. Concealed-carry permits from one state “should be valid in all 50 states”, his platform reads, calling the proposal “common sense”. | Trump, who himself has a permit to carry a concealed firearm, has already endorsed a new reciprocity law as part of his gun rights platform. Concealed-carry permits from one state “should be valid in all 50 states”, his platform reads, calling the proposal “common sense”. |
| Gun control groups call national reciprocity “a threat to public safety” and have pledged to fight the legislation, as they have done before. But it’s not clear how successful they may be against a united government, with Republican majorities in the House and Senate and a Republican president. | Gun control groups call national reciprocity “a threat to public safety” and have pledged to fight the legislation, as they have done before. But it’s not clear how successful they may be against a united government, with Republican majorities in the House and Senate and a Republican president. |
| Gun rights advocates say the law would be a major victory for civil rights. Passing national carry reciprocity is a top priority for the National Rifle Association, one of Trump’s most loyal supporters throughout his campaign. | Gun rights advocates say the law would be a major victory for civil rights. Passing national carry reciprocity is a top priority for the National Rifle Association, one of Trump’s most loyal supporters throughout his campaign. |
| “We now have a president and Congress who understand that our fundamental right to self-defense does not stop at a state’s borders,” NRA spokeswoman Jennifer Baker said in a statement. “Our members and gun owners across the country look forward to the day when President Trump signs this important legislation into law.” | “We now have a president and Congress who understand that our fundamental right to self-defense does not stop at a state’s borders,” NRA spokeswoman Jennifer Baker said in a statement. “Our members and gun owners across the country look forward to the day when President Trump signs this important legislation into law.” |
| Adam Winkler, a gun politics expert at the University of California Los Angeles law school, said: “Right now, the NRA has got its way. It’s not clear why it would be looking for major compromises.” | Adam Winkler, a gun politics expert at the University of California Los Angeles law school, said: “Right now, the NRA has got its way. It’s not clear why it would be looking for major compromises.” |
| Updated | Updated |
| at 4.02pm GMT | at 4.02pm GMT |
| 3.39pm GMT | 3.39pm GMT |
| 15:39 | 15:39 |
| Vile conspiracist Alex Jones - forgive the editorializing, but he does think that the Sandy Hook massacre was a hoax perpetrated by the Obama administration and that the families of the 20 children murdered at the Connecticut elementary school are faking it - has announced in a video that president-elect Donald Trump called him over the weekend to thank him for his hard work in getting him elected. | Vile conspiracist Alex Jones - forgive the editorializing, but he does think that the Sandy Hook massacre was a hoax perpetrated by the Obama administration and that the families of the 20 children murdered at the Connecticut elementary school are faking it - has announced in a video that president-elect Donald Trump called him over the weekend to thank him for his hard work in getting him elected. |
| “He said, Listen, Alex, I just talked to kings and queens of the world, world leaders, you name it, but he said it doesn’t matter, I wanted to talk to you, to thank your audience, and I’ll be on the next few weeks to thank them,” said Jones, who believes that the government is secretly poisoning water with chemicals that turn frogs gay. | “He said, Listen, Alex, I just talked to kings and queens of the world, world leaders, you name it, but he said it doesn’t matter, I wanted to talk to you, to thank your audience, and I’ll be on the next few weeks to thank them,” said Jones, who believes that the government is secretly poisoning water with chemicals that turn frogs gay. |
| “I said, ‘is this is a private call?’ And he said ‘no, I want to thank your viewers, thank your listeners for standing up for this republic, we know what you did early on, throughout this campaign, standing up for what’s right.’” | “I said, ‘is this is a private call?’ And he said ‘no, I want to thank your viewers, thank your listeners for standing up for this republic, we know what you did early on, throughout this campaign, standing up for what’s right.’” |
| 3.11pm GMT | 3.11pm GMT |
| 15:11 | 15:11 |
| A northern Michigan police officer has been suspended with pay after he was seen off-duty driving a pickup truck bearing a Confederate flag around a group protesting against the election of Donald Trump as president, the Associated Press reports. | A northern Michigan police officer has been suspended with pay after he was seen off-duty driving a pickup truck bearing a Confederate flag around a group protesting against the election of Donald Trump as president, the Associated Press reports. |
| There have been numerous reports of threats, intimidation and racially charged violence around the country since Trump defeated Democrat Hillary Clinton on Tuesday. | There have been numerous reports of threats, intimidation and racially charged violence around the country since Trump defeated Democrat Hillary Clinton on Tuesday. |
| Officer Michael Peters’ suspension was announced on Sunday by Traverse City police chief Jeff O’Brien, who earlier said an internal investigation would start on Monday to see whether Peters broke any departmental rules. | Officer Michael Peters’ suspension was announced on Sunday by Traverse City police chief Jeff O’Brien, who earlier said an internal investigation would start on Monday to see whether Peters broke any departmental rules. |
| “He is not working as a police officer,” O’Brien told the Traverse City Record-Eagle. “I do not condone his actions.” | “He is not working as a police officer,” O’Brien told the Traverse City Record-Eagle. “I do not condone his actions.” |
| O’Brien confirmed that Peters was in a photo taken at Friday’s rally. The newspaper could not reach Peters for comment, and the Associated Press was unable to find a telephone number for Peters. | O’Brien confirmed that Peters was in a photo taken at Friday’s rally. The newspaper could not reach Peters for comment, and the Associated Press was unable to find a telephone number for Peters. |
| The Confederate battle flag is seen by many people as a symbol of hatred and intimidation of African Americans following the civil war and the end of slavery. | The Confederate battle flag is seen by many people as a symbol of hatred and intimidation of African Americans following the civil war and the end of slavery. |
| 2.54pm GMT | 2.54pm GMT |
| 14:54 | 14:54 |
| From the transition pool: | From the transition pool: |
| Greetings from the benches opposite the bank of elevators at Trump Tower. At 9:34 am we spotted Steve Mnuchin, a candidate for TreasurySecretary, entering an elevator. Tacked to the back of the elevator was a picture of the President-elect. | Greetings from the benches opposite the bank of elevators at Trump Tower. At 9:34 am we spotted Steve Mnuchin, a candidate for TreasurySecretary, entering an elevator. Tacked to the back of the elevator was a picture of the President-elect. |
| 2.22pm GMT | 2.22pm GMT |
| 14:22 | 14:22 |
| Reince Priebus: Steve Bannon 'was a force for good' on the campaign | Reince Priebus: Steve Bannon 'was a force for good' on the campaign |
| Reince Priebus, chairman of the Republican National Committee and President-elect Donald Trump’s newly named White House chief of staff, appeared on MSNBC’s Morning Joe today and addressed concerns by Jewish groups about Breitbart News chief Steve Bannon’s new role as chief strategist and senior counselor to the president. | Reince Priebus, chairman of the Republican National Committee and President-elect Donald Trump’s newly named White House chief of staff, appeared on MSNBC’s Morning Joe today and addressed concerns by Jewish groups about Breitbart News chief Steve Bannon’s new role as chief strategist and senior counselor to the president. |
| “He was a force for good on the campaign at every level that I saw, all the time,” Priebus said of Bannon. “I’ve only seen a generous, hospitable, wise person to work with.” | “He was a force for good on the campaign at every level that I saw, all the time,” Priebus said of Bannon. “I’ve only seen a generous, hospitable, wise person to work with.” |
| “That’s not the Steve Bannon that I know and I’ve spent a lot of time with him,” Priebus said, when asked about accusations of anti-Semitism against Bannon. “And here’s a guy who’s a Harvard Business School, London School of Economics, 10-year Naval officer advising admirals. He was a force for good on the campaign at every level that I saw, all the time. But look, you know, this is all about achieving president-elect Trump’s agenda and I can assure you - and I think it’s really important and I know that president-elect Trump wants everyone to understand this - that all Americans out there, no matter your race, your gender, your ethnic background, he wants to make you proud of our country. He wants to serve you.” | “That’s not the Steve Bannon that I know and I’ve spent a lot of time with him,” Priebus said, when asked about accusations of anti-Semitism against Bannon. “And here’s a guy who’s a Harvard Business School, London School of Economics, 10-year Naval officer advising admirals. He was a force for good on the campaign at every level that I saw, all the time. But look, you know, this is all about achieving president-elect Trump’s agenda and I can assure you - and I think it’s really important and I know that president-elect Trump wants everyone to understand this - that all Americans out there, no matter your race, your gender, your ethnic background, he wants to make you proud of our country. He wants to serve you.” |
| When pressed on Bannon - whose reign at Breitbart has seen the website become a hotbed of conspiracy theories, racial invective and not-so-coded anti-Semitism - by another panelist, Priebus doubled down, calling him “a generous, hospitable, wise person.” | When pressed on Bannon - whose reign at Breitbart has seen the website become a hotbed of conspiracy theories, racial invective and not-so-coded anti-Semitism - by another panelist, Priebus doubled down, calling him “a generous, hospitable, wise person.” |
| “Well, I think everyone out there can agree that you judge people as you see them, not as other people have said,” Priebus said. “That’s what I would say, is that it’s what people do, it’s how people act on a day-to-day basis, and that’s nothing I’ve ever seen. I’ve only seen a generous, hospitable, wise person to work with.” | “Well, I think everyone out there can agree that you judge people as you see them, not as other people have said,” Priebus said. “That’s what I would say, is that it’s what people do, it’s how people act on a day-to-day basis, and that’s nothing I’ve ever seen. I’ve only seen a generous, hospitable, wise person to work with.” |
| 1.23pm GMT | 1.23pm GMT |
| 13:23 | 13:23 |
| Today in transition 2016 | Today in transition 2016 |
| Good morning and welcome to the Guardian’s politics live blog, where we are continuing to document every step of President-elect Donald Trump’s journey from upstart reality TV star to leader of the free world. | Good morning and welcome to the Guardian’s politics live blog, where we are continuing to document every step of President-elect Donald Trump’s journey from upstart reality TV star to leader of the free world. |
| There are 67 days until Trump takes the oath of office. | There are 67 days until Trump takes the oath of office. |
| During their private White House meeting on Thursday, Mr Obama walked his successor through the duties of running the country, and Mr Trump seemed surprised by the scope, said people familiar with the meeting. Trump aides were described by those people as unaware that the entire presidential staff working in the West Wing had to be replaced at the end of Mr Obama’s term. After meeting with Mr Trump, the only person to be elected president without having held a government or military position, Mr Obama realized the Republican needs more guidance. He plans to spend more time with his successor than presidents typically do, people familiar with the matter said. | During their private White House meeting on Thursday, Mr Obama walked his successor through the duties of running the country, and Mr Trump seemed surprised by the scope, said people familiar with the meeting. Trump aides were described by those people as unaware that the entire presidential staff working in the West Wing had to be replaced at the end of Mr Obama’s term. After meeting with Mr Trump, the only person to be elected president without having held a government or military position, Mr Obama realized the Republican needs more guidance. He plans to spend more time with his successor than presidents typically do, people familiar with the matter said. |
| The @nytimes sent a letter to their subscribers apologizing for their BAD coverage of me. I wonder if it will change - doubt it? | The @nytimes sent a letter to their subscribers apologizing for their BAD coverage of me. I wonder if it will change - doubt it? |
| Happening today: | Happening today: |
| Updated | Updated |
| at 2.11pm GMT | at 2.11pm GMT |