Control over , teetering between a Republican or Democratic majority with .
Follow the AP鈥檚 Election 2024 coverage at: .
Here鈥檚 the latest:
Why California takes weeks to count votes, while states like Florida are faster
One week after Election Day, control of the on just over a dozen races where winners haven鈥檛 yet been determined.
Nine states have at least one uncalled , some of which are so close they鈥檙e headed to a recount.
Then there鈥檚 California. About half of the are in the state, which has only counted about three-quarters of its votes statewide.
This isn鈥檛 unusual or unexpected, as the nation鈥檚 most populous state is consistently among the slowest to report all its election results. Compare it to a state like Florida, which finished counting its votes four days after Election Day.
These differences in how states count 鈥� and how long it takes 鈥� exist because the Constitution sets out broad principles for electing a national government, but leaves the details to the states. The choices made by state lawmakers and election officials as they sort out those details affect everything from how voters cast a ballot to how quickly the tabulation and release of results takes place.
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Trump picks former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee to be ambassador to Israel
President-elect Donald Trump will nominate former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee as ambassador to Israel, Trump announced Tuesday.
Huckabee is a staunch defender of Israel and his intended nomination comes as Trump has promised to align U.S. foreign policy more closely with Israel鈥檚 interests as it wages wars against Iran-backed Hamas and Hezbollah.
鈥淢ike has been a great public servant, Governor, and Leader in Faith for many years,鈥� Trump said in a statement. 鈥淗e loves Israel, and the people of Israel, and likewise, the people of Israel love him. Mike will work tirelessly to bring about Peace in the Middle East!鈥�
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Vice President Kamala Harris says there鈥檚 still work to get done
She told a crowd of supporters gathered outside the White House she was grateful for them, as cheers erupted from the staircase at the Eisenhower office building adjacent to the White House.
Her arrival for a private lunch with President Joe Biden coincided with Israeli President Isaac Herzog walking out of the West Wing to address reporters and the cheering briefly drowned him out.
Harris said: 鈥淟et鈥檚 get back to work because we still have work to get done.鈥� She said she was sending 鈥渁ll my love and thanks.鈥�
Trump has promised to 鈥榮ave TikTok鈥�. What happens next is less clear
After a tumultuous year filled with anxiety and a in the U.S., TikTok may have just been thrown a lifeline by the man who was once its biggest foe: Donald Trump.
President-elect Trump, the last time he was in the White House, has repeatedly pledged during his most recent campaign to on the short-form video app, which could happen as soon as mid-January if the company loses a court case that鈥檚 currently underway in Washington.
For months, TikTok, and its China-based parent company ByteDance, have been embroiled in a legal battle with the U.S. over a federal law that forces them to cut ties or stop operating in one of their biggest markets in the world. The measure, signed by President Joe Biden in April, gives ByteDance nine months to divest its stakes, with a possible three-month extension if a sale was in progress. If that happens, the deadline could be extended into the first 100 days of Trump鈥檚 presidency.
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Wall Street makes wagers on the likely winners and losers in a second Trump term
Wall Street is already making big bets on what take two for a White House led by Donald Trump will mean for the economy.
Since Election Day, for stocks of banks, fossil-fuel producers and other companies expected to benefit from . For retailers, meanwhile, the outlook is murkier because of uncertainty about whether they鈥檒l be able to absorb any of the higher costs created by tariffs.
Professional investors are warning about the risk of getting carried away by the momentum. While strong rhetoric on the campaign trail can cause these big swings, not all of the promises turn into actual policy. Plus, the broad U.S. stock market tends to move more on long-term growth in profits than anything else.
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Johnson says he expects to be at Trump鈥檚 Mar-a-Lago estate this weekend to talk about a policy roadmap
The comment from House Speaker Mike Johnson came in response to a question about whether he鈥檚 talked to Trump about funding the federal government beyond the current Dec. 20 deadline.
鈥淢y plan is to be at Mar-a-Lago all weekend to iron out details on the plans ahead,鈥� Johnson said.
Johnson said it will be an ambitious agenda, but he declined to go into specifics.
鈥淚 told President Trump many times, as we鈥檝e all discussed. We believe we could be the most consequential Congress in the modern era, and he鈥檚 the most consequential president, because we quite literally have to fix almost every metric of public policy. Everything is a mess. Everything.鈥�
Will more House Republicans join Trump鈥檚 administration?
Speaker Mike Johnson says he doesn鈥檛 expect more House Republicans to join President-elect Donald Trump鈥檚 administration in the near-term because of the effect it would have on Republicans having enough votes to get priorities passed.
But he adds, 鈥淚鈥檒l leave that up to him.鈥�
Johnson says he expects Republicans to grow their slim House majority when all the votes are counted, but it would still be a slim one.
Johnson addressed the issue after it was disclosed that Trump has asked Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., to be his United Nations ambassador and Michael Waltz, R-Fla., to be his national security adviser.
鈥淓very single vote counts,鈥� Johnson said.
Billionaire hedge fund manager John Paulson says he won鈥檛 be joining Trump鈥檚 administration
Paulson said it in a statement Tuesday, nixing speculation that he would serve as Trump鈥檚 treasury secretary.
鈥淢y complex financial obligations would prevent me from holding an official position,鈥� he said in the statement. 鈥淗owever, I intend to remain actively involved with the President鈥檚 economic team and helping in the implementation of President Trump鈥檚 outstanding policy proposals.鈥�
Paulson is the founder of the New York-based hedge fund Paulson & Co. The 68-year-old money manager made his fortune betting against subprime mortgages ahead of the Great Recession. He was a major fundraiser for Trump鈥檚 latest presidential campaign.
Former George Soros money manager Scott Bessent, Cantor Fitzgerald CEO Howard Lutnick and Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin are among other names floated for the treasury secretary role.
Trump will meet with Speaker Mike Johnson at the Capitol on Wednesday
Johnson says he plans to meet with Trump in the morning before Trump goes to the White House.
The visit comes on the same day as House and Senate Republicans each have their own elections to determine their leadership in the next Congress.
Johnson has kept in close contact with Trump throughout the election cycle, discussing campaign strategy and efforts Republicans would undertake in the first 100 days of a second Trump presidency.
Speaker Mike Johnson: Republicans are 鈥榬eady to deliver鈥� on Trump鈥檚 mandate
House Speaker said Tuesday that Republicans are 鈥渞eady to deliver鈥� on President-elect mandate, ensuring they鈥檙e more prepared for a second-term agenda.
Standing on the steps of the U.S. Capitol with the House GOP leadership team, the Republican speaker said there would be no time wasted on Trump鈥檚 鈥淎merica First鈥� agenda of securing the southern border and other priorities in what he expects will be unified government, even though House control is still too early to call.
鈥淲e are ready to deliver on America鈥檚 mandate,鈥� said Johnson.
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Judge delays ruling on whether to scrap Trump鈥檚 conviction in hush money case
A judge is postponing a decision on President-elect Donald Trump鈥檚 conviction in his hush money case because of a U.S. Supreme Court ruling on presidential immunity.
New York Judge Juan M. Merchan had been set to rule Tuesday. Instead, he told Trump鈥檚 lawyers Tuesday he鈥檇 delay the ruling until Nov. 19.
According to emails filed in court, Trump鈥檚 lawyers asked for the delay over the weekend, arguing there are 鈥渟trong reasons for the requested stay, and eventually dismissal of the case in the interests of justice.鈥�
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Supreme Court rejects push to move Georgia case against ex-Trump chief of staff Mark Meadows
The Supreme Court refused Tuesday to let former Trump White House chief of staff move the election interference case against him in Georgia to federal court.
Meadows was one of 19 people and accused of participating in an illegal scheme to keep then-president Donald Trump in power after he lost the 2020 election. Trump was also charged, though after he won reelection last week any trial appears unlikely, at least while he holds office. Both men have denied wrongdoing.
It鈥檚 unclear what affect the election results could have on others charged in the case, which is largely on hold after an appeals court agreed to review Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis over her romantic relationship with the special prosecutor she had hired to lead the case.
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The lesser choices of voters for losing candidates could decide a Maine US House seat
A was beginning Tuesday, after neither Democratic U.S. Rep. Jared Golden nor Republican Austin Theriault won more than 50% of first-place votes.
Maine voters rank candidates in order of preference on ballots, and if necessary to reach a majority, the lesser choices of the last-place finisher鈥檚 supporters are reallocated.
Ballots from the 2nd Congressional District were brought to a building in the state capital where election workers will scan them and reallocate any valid votes on the more than 12,000 ballots that didn鈥檛 name Golden or Theriault.
But that won鈥檛 be the end of it. A requested recount will begin after the process determines a majority winner. Election workers will try to complete both tasks before the state鈥檚 Nov. 25 certification deadline.
South Korean president takes up golf again to forge a bond with Trump
South Korean President has dusted off his golf clubs in an attempt to forge a bond with President-elect , an avid golf lover.
The presidential office said Tuesday that Yoon began practicing the game for the first time in eight years in preparation for a possible round of golf with Trump.
Since his election, Trump鈥檚 鈥淎merica first鈥� approach has raised concerns it could negatively affect the U.S. defense commitment to South Korea and hurt the trade interests of the Northeast Asian country in various ways, including .
Some experts say it鈥檚 important to build a close personal friendship with Trump during the before he formally takes office in January.
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Congress returns to unfinished business and a new Trump era
Congress returns to a changed Washington as President-elect hard-right agenda is quickly taking shape, buoyed by eager Republican allies eyeing a full on Capitol Hill while Democrats are sorting out what went wrong.
Even as final election results are still being tallied, the House and Senate leadership is pushing ahead toward a second-term Trump White House and what he鈥檚 called a for governing, with of the federal government.
Trump is already testing the norms of governance during this presidential transition period 鈥� telling the Senate to forgo its advise-and-consent role and simply nominees 鈥� and he is and finding lawmakers willing to bend those civic traditions.
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California Gov. Gavin 撸奶社区om will spend part of week in DC as he tries to Trump-proof state policies
California Gov. Gavin 撸奶社区om plans to meet with the Biden administration this week to discuss zero-emission vehicles and disaster relief 鈥� issues that have been targeted in the past by
The Democratic governor is leaving for Washington on Monday and will return home Wednesday, his office said. 撸奶社区om will also meet with California鈥檚 congressional delegation.
He is seeking federal approval for state climate rules, a $5.2 billion reimbursement for emergency funding during the COVID-19 pandemic and updates to the state鈥檚 Medicaid program, along with other priorities.
The trip comes days after 撸奶社区om called for state lawmakers to in December to protect California鈥檚 liberal policies ahead of Trump鈥檚 return to office in January.
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Judge set to rule on whether to scrap Trump鈥檚 conviction in hush money case
A judge is due to decide Tuesday President-elect Donald Trump鈥檚 conviction in his hush money case because of a U.S. Supreme Court ruling on presidential immunity.
New York Judge Juan M. Merchan, who presided over Trump鈥檚 historic trial, is now tasked with deciding whether to toss out the jury verdict and order a new trial 鈥� or even dismiss the charges altogether. The judge鈥檚 ruling also could speak to whether the former and now future commander-in-chief will be sentenced as scheduled Nov. 26.
Just over a month after a jury of falsifying business records, the that ex-presidents can鈥檛 be prosecuted for actions they took in the course of running the country, and prosecutors can鈥檛 cite those actions even to bolster a case centered on purely personal conduct.
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The Associated Press
