The Latest: Republicans grow their Senate majority with a win in Pennsylvania

President Joe Biden delivered remarks to the nation midday Thursday in his first appearance on camera in the aftermath of Donald Trump 's decisive victory over Kamala Harris.

Control over the U.S. House of Representatives hangs in the balance, teetering between a Republican or Democratic majority with dozens of races left to be called.

The Republicans won control of the U.S. Senate early Wednesday.

Follow the AP's Election 2024 coverage at: https://apnews.com/hub/election-2024.

Here’s the latest:

Pennsylvania’s David McCormick thanks voters after AP calls race in his favor

Pennsylvania Republican Sen.-elect David McCormick is thanking voters in a brief statement after The Associated Press called the race for him in his bid to oust three-term Democratic Sen. Bob Casey. On social media, the former CEO of the world's largest hedge fund said, "Thank you, Pennsylvania! Looking forward to representing every citizen of our great Commonwealth."

The victory pads Republicans' majority in the Senate, which they wrested from Democratic control this week, and clocked in as the nation's second-most expensive race.

Casey isn’t conceding. His campaign’s pointing to a statement from the state’s top election official saying that at least 100,000 ballots still remained to be counted, including provisional ballots and military and overseas ballots.

Casey’s campaign says it’ll “make sure every Pennsylvanian’s voice is heard.”

Racist text messages referencing slavery raise alarms in multiple states and prompt investigations

Racist text messages invoking slavery raised alarm across the country this week after they were sent to Black men, women and students, prompting inquiries by the FBI and other agencies.

The messages, sent anonymously, were reported in several states, including Alabama, California, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Tennessee. They generally used a similar tone but varied in wording.

Some instructed the recipient to show up at an address at a particular time “with your belongings,” while others didn’t include a location. Some of them mentioned the incoming presidential administration.

The FBI said it was in touch with the Justice Department on the messages, and the Federal Communications Commission said it was investigating the texts “alongside federal and state law enforcement.” The Ohio Attorney General’s office also said it was looking into the matter.

Republicans’ comfortable Senate majority grows their power

When Trump entered the White House the first time, Republicans held a 51-seat majority and many within the party were willing to resist his plans.

Now, Trump is going back with a healthy Senate majority — at least 53 seats — and a party transformed by his MAGA movement.

A couple of Republican senators are still willing to publicly buck Trump. But there are enough GOP senators to confirm Trump’s Cabinet -- or a possible Supreme Court justice -- even if a few split.

Republican leaders say they want to keep the Senate’s filibuster rules, which require a 60-vote margin for most legislation. But they’re also looking at using a process called budget reconciliation to pass some legislation with a simple majority.

Republican lawmakers want to extend tax cuts from Trump’s first term and fund tougher border enforcement measures.

Republicans grow their Senate majority

Republican Dave McCormick’s win in Pennsylvania added to his party’s Senate majority and completed their dominance in a state that was crucial to both the presidential and congressional elections.

McCormick unseated Democratic Sen. Bob Casey, giving Republicans their 53rd seat in the Senate.

Close races in Arizona and Nevada have not been called.

The GOP’s rise to a Senate majority for the first time in four years is prompting praise for Sen. Steve Daines, who chairs the Republican campaign arm, and has insisted on getting involved in primary races to help mainstream candidates.

AP Race Call: Republican Dave McCormick wins election to U.S. Senate from Pennsylvania, beating incumbent Bob Casey

Republican David McCormick won a Senate seat in Pennsylvania on Thursday, defeating Democratic Sen. Bob Casey and padding the GOP’s Senate majority. McCormick, 59, is a two-time Senate challenger and a former hedge fund CEO who served in former President George W. Bush’s administration. McCormick had strong support from Wall Street donors and contacts across the worlds of government, politics and finance. Casey had been seeking his fourth term and is perhaps Pennsylvania’s best-known politician, the son of a former two-term governor and Pennsylvania’s longest-ever serving Democrat in the Senate. The Associated Press declared McCormick the winner at 4:09 p.m. EST.

President-elect Trump names Susie Wiles as chief of staff

Susie Wiles was the manager of Trump’s victorious campaign and will now serve as his White House chief of staff.

Wiles is widely credited within and outside Trump’s inner circle for running what was, by far, his most disciplined and well-executed campaign. She largely avoided the spotlight, even refusing to take the mic to speak as Trump celebrated his victory early Wednesday morning.

“Susie is tough, smart, innovative, and is universally admired and respected. Susie will continue to work tirelessly to Make America Great Again,” Trump said in a statement. “It is a well deserved honor to have Susie as the first-ever female Chief of Staff in United States history. I have no doubt that she will make our country proud.”

Wiles is a longtime Florida-based Republican strategist who ran Trump’s campaign in the state in 2016 and 2020. Before that, she ran Rick Scott’s 2010 campaign for Florida governor and briefly served as the manager of former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman’s 2012 presidential campaign.

Democrats hold Nevada House seats

Democrats defended three key House seats in Nevada, wins that helped them hold ground in the nationwide race for House control.

However, the party still needs to flip seats elsewhere to have any hope of retaking House control.

Practically every seat matters now that it is coming down to the last couple dozen races to be called for the 435-seat chamber. Republicans currently hold a thin majority and just need to hold their seats in the races that have yet to be called.

The elections so far have produced few changes to the makeup of the House. Republicans flipped a pair of seats in Pennsylvania, won one more in Michigan and picked up three more redistricted seats in North Carolina. Democrats, meanwhile, flipped three in New York and picked up another redistricted seat in Alabama.

Biden calls Brazil’s Lula

Biden spoke earlier Thursday with Brazil President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, according to the White House.

The purpose of the call was to discuss the upcoming Group of 20 summit in Rio de Janeiro that Brazil will be hosting. But it may have also been an opportunity for Biden to commiserate with a sympathetic world leader.

The left-leaning Lula made clear his preference for Harris ahead of the U.S. election. Lula in 2022 defeated the far-right former President Jair Bolsonaro, who was known as “Trump of the Tropics.”

Biden is set to visit Brazil from Nov. 17-19. He’ll first head to Manaus to visit the Amazon rainforest and meet with local, indigenous and other leaders, the White House said. He’ll then head to Rio de Janeiro for the summit of leaders from some of the world’s biggest economies.

Before his Brazil visit, Biden is heading to Lima, Peru, for the annual Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation leaders meeting.

The two gatherings of global leaders will offer Biden one of his last chances, as president, to meet with heads of state he’s worked with over the years.

White evangelical voters show steadfast support for Donald Trump’s presidency

After former President Donald Trump gave his victory speech early Wednesday, at the Palm Beach Convention Center, dozens of his supporters gathered in a lobby to sing “How Great Thou Art,” reciting from memory the words and harmonies of a classic hymn, popular among evangelical Christians.

It was a fitting coda to an election in which Trump once again won the support of about 8 in 10 white evangelical Christian voters, according to AP VoteCast, a sweeping survey of more than 120,000 voters. That level of support — among a group that represented about 20% of the total electorate — repeats the similarly staggering evangelical support that Trump received in 2020.

Some Trump critics fear he will implement a Christian nationalist agenda they see as giving Christians a privileged position in the country and flouting the separation of church and state.

▶ Read more about Trump's evangelical faithful

Pentagon chief reminds military of its duty to the Constitution

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin is urging the military to carry out a smooth transition to President-elect Donald Trump, with a reminder to the force of its obligation to follow the lawful orders of the next commander in chief.

While such memos are rare, it is not the first time the military’s top civilian leader has pressed the force on its duty to the Constitution in regard to a changeover of control under Trump. However, in the context of the incoming president’s suggestion that he may use federal forces at the southern border, and Project 2025 plans to force out career civilians and fill positions with Trump loyalists, the Biden administration has taken unusual steps both to try to insulate those civil servants and to remind the military of its own sworn oaths.

Election night television viewership drops sharply from 2020 and 2016

The idea of grabbing some popcorn and watching television to see who America has chosen for its next president was far less appealing this year than in the past.

The Nielsen company said that 42.3 million people watched election night returns on Tuesday night. That’s down sharply from the 56.9 million who watched in 2020 and the 71.4 million who tuned in on election night 2016, Nielsen said.

Television viewership in general has slipped over the past decade with people cutting cable and satellite subscriptions, so it’s hard to know how much this downturn reflects people turning elsewhere for news that night, or simply less interest in following the results.

The three largest cable news networks — CNN, Fox News Channel and MSNBC — accounted for just over 10 million of the lost audience.

▶ Read more about the election night ratings

Trump says there is ‘no price tag’ for his mass deportation plan

Trump said in an NBC interview that he has “no choice” but to move forward with the plan he plugged on the campaign trail to carry out what he and aides promised would be the largest deportation effort in American history.

He added: “It’s not a question of a price tag. It’s not — really, we have no choice. When people have killed and murdered, when drug lords have destroyed countries, and now they’re going to go back to those countries because they’re not staying here. There is no price tag.”

State Department prepares for the presidential transition

The State Department says it has begun to take steps to ease the transition from the Biden administration to Trump’s incoming administration.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken has directed all department employees to work with incoming staffers to ensure a peaceful and orderly transition that protects U.S. national security.

Department spokesman Matthew Miller said that retired senior diplomat Stephen Mull, a former ambassador who is currently a vice provost at the University of Virginia, has been tasked with leading the effort to work with Trump’s team.

Miller said though that the department has not yet been contacted by the Trump team, which is being led by Brian Hook, a former special representative for Iran during the Trump administration, and Joel Rayburn, a former special envoy for Syria.

Miller said the department will put together information on policy and procedures and be ready to answer any questions.

‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ is selling again

Since former President Trump clinched his return to the White House, Margaret Atwood’s dystopian classic about a country where women are brutally repressed has been high on the Amazon bestseller list.

“The Handmaid’s Tale” was popular throughout Trump’s first term, along with such dark futuristic narratives as George Orwell’s “1984” and Ray Bradbury’s “Fahrenheit 451,” both of which were back in the Amazon top 40 as of Thursday afternoon. Another best-seller from Trump’s previous time in office, Timothy Snyder’s “On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century,” was in the top 10.

Pro-Trump books also were selling well. Former first lady Melania Trump’s memoir, “Melania,” was the No. 1 seller, and Vice President-elect JD Vance’s “Hillbilly Elegy” was in the top 10. Donald Trump’s photo book, “Save America,” was in the top 30.

Federal Reserve Chair says Trump has no legal authority to fire him

At a press conference today, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said he would not resign if President-elect Donald Trump asked him to, and underscored that in his view, the president wouldn’t have the legal authority to fire him, as Trump reportedly sought to do the last time he was in the White House.

“Not permitted under the law,” Powell said, when asked if he was worried that Trump could demote him or other Fed officials, such as Michael Barr, the Fed’s top banking regulator, who has sought to tighten financial regulations.

Most experts agree that a president generally doesn’t have the authority to fire a member of the Fed’s governing board, but there is more ambiguity about whether Trump could remove Powell as chair while leaving him as a member of the board.

Democrat Steven Horsford wins reelection to US House in Nevada’s 4th Congressional District

Democratic Rep. Steven Horsford won reelection to a U.S. House seat representing Nevada on Thursday.

Horsford, a four-term congressman, became the first Black person to represent Nevada in Congress when he was first elected to the House. This year, he defeated former North Las Vegas Mayor John Lee. The district stretches north from Las Vegas, toward Nye County in the west and along the Utah border in the eastern portion of the district. The Associated Press declared Horsford the winner at 2:36 p.m. EST.

Democrat Kim Schrier wins reelection to US House in Washington’s 8th Congressional District

Democratic Rep. Kim Schrier won reelection to a U.S. House seat representing Washington on Thursday.

She defeated Republican Carmen Goers, who works in financial services. Schrier, a pediatrician, first won her seat in 2018, becoming the first Democrat to represent the district. Of the seven Washington state congressional districts Democrat Joe Biden carried in 2020, the 8th district had the smallest margin. The district covers much of the middle of the state, from the eastern suburbs of Seattle to the Columbia River. The Associated Press declared Schrier the winner at 2:10 p.m. EST.

Democrat Don Davis wins reelection to US House in North Carolina’s 1st Congressional District

Democratic Rep. Donald Davis won reelection to a U.S. House seat representing North Carolina on Thursday.

Davis ran in territory that became less favorable to Democrats in 2023 after North Carolina passed new maps that brought more Republican-leaning voters into the 1st District. President Joe Biden still narrowly carried areas in 2020 that make up the district’s current configuration. Davis defeated Army veteran Laurie Buckhout. The Associated Press declared Davis the winner at 2:03 p.m. EST.

Russian President Vladimir Putin congratulates Donald Trump on his election victory

Putin’s congratulations were the Russian leader’s first public comment on the outcome of the U.S. balloting and came after a speech during an international forum conference in the Black Sea resort of Sochi.

″I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate him on his election as president of the United States of America,” Putin said in a question-and-answer session.

Canada’s Trudeau revives a Cabinet-level panel to address concerns about a Trump presidency

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Thursday he is re-establishing a special Cabinet committee on Canada-U.S. relations to address his administration’s concerns about another Donald Trump presidency.

Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland, who is also the country’s finance minister, will chair the committee, which also will include other top officials including ministers of foreign affairs, public safety and industry.

“Following the election of President Donald Trump for a second term, the Cabinet Committee will focus on critical Canada-U.S. issues,” Trudeau’s office said in a statement Thursday.

▶ Read more about what the committee will focus on

White evangelical voters show steadfast support for Donald Trump’s presidency

After Donald Trump gave his victory speech early Wednesday at the Palm Beach Convention Center, dozens of his supporters gathered in a lobby to sing “How Great Thou Art,” reciting from memory the words and harmonies of a classic hymn, popular among evangelical Christians.

It was a fitting coda to an election in which Trump once again won the support of about 8 in 10 white evangelical Christian voters, according to AP VoteCast, a sweeping survey of more than 120,000 voters. That margin — among a group that represented about 20% of the total electorate — repeats similarly staggering margins of evangelical support that Trump received in 2020.

Evangelicals said they believed Trump would implement their policy priorities on religious as well as general issues such as immigration and the economy. But critics fear Trump’s administration will implement Christian nationalist policies that will give Christianity a privileged status in public life, rather than maintaining a separation of church and state and treating people of all beliefs equally.

▶ Read more about Evangelicals' support of Trump

Republican Scott Perry wins reelection to US House in Pennsylvania’s 10th Congressional District

Republican Rep. Scott Perry won reelection to a U.S. House seat representing Pennsylvania on Thursday.

The former Freedom Caucus chairman found himself in an expensive race against Janelle Stelson, a longtime local TV news anchor, in a Harrisburg district that Republican Donald Trump carried in the 2020 presidential election. Perry, a four-term congressman, was the only lawmaker to have his cellphone seized by FBI agents investigating the web of Trump loyalists who were central to the former president’s bid to remain in power after his 2020 election loss. The Associated Press declared Perry the winner at 1:47 p.m. EST.

Republican Robert Bresnahan wins election to US House in Pennsylvania’s 8th Congressional District, beating incumbent Matt Cartwright

Republican Rob Bresnahan won election to a U.S. House seat representing Pennsylvania on Thursday, defeating Democratic Rep. Matt Cartwright.

Republicans have long sought to unseat Cartwright in this Scranton-based seat that Republican Donald Trump carried in the 2020 presidential election. Bresnahan is a first-time candidate and the CEO of an electrical contracting company founded by his grandfather. Cartwright has represented the district for six terms. The Associated Press declared Bresnahan the winner at 1:46 p.m. EST.

Republican Ryan Mackenzie wins election to US House in Pennsylvania’s 7th Congressional District, beating incumbent Susan Wild

Republican Ryan Mackenzie won election to a U.S. House seat representing Pennsylvania on Thursday, defeating Democratic Rep. Susan Wild in the highly competitive district.

Mackenzie represents parts of Lehigh County in the state House. While Democrat Joe Biden carried the Allentown district in 2020, Republican Donald Trump won it in 2016. Wild, a three-term congresswoman, is a perennial Republican target in her eastern Pennsylvania district and had staved off the challenges until now. The Associated Press declared Mackenzie the winner at 1:44 p.m. EST.

Rioters who stormed the Capitol after Trump’s 2020 defeat toast his White House return

As it became clear Donald Trump was returning to the White House, the Florida man who posed for photos with then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's lectern during the Capitol riot popped a bottle of Trump-branded sparkling wine. "Y'all are in trouble," he said after taking a sip in a video shared on social media.

Rioters who stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, are celebrating Trump's victory and hoping he makes good on his campaign trail promise to pardon them.

Trump didn't mention the Jan. 6 defendants, whom he's called "hostages" and "patriots," during his victory speech Wednesday. But his defeat of Vice President Kamala Harris throws into doubt the future of the largest prosecution in Justice Department history over the unprecedented assault on a seat of American democracy.

More than 1,500 people have been charged with federal crimes stemming from the riot that left more than 100 police officers injured and sent lawmakers running into hiding as they met to certify Joe Biden's 2020 victory.

Trump hasn’t explained how he’ll decide who gets pardoned. But he’s suggested he would consider granting them even for those accused of assault as well as the former Proud Boys leader convicted of orchestrating a violent plot to keep Trump in power.

▶ Read more about Trump and the Capitol rioters

Democrat Laura Gillen wins election to US House in New York’s 4th Congressional District, beating incumbent Anthony D’Esposito

Democrat Laura Gillen won election to a U.S. House seat representing New York on Thursday, defeating Republican Rep. Anthony D’Esposito.

Gillen is a former town supervisor who campaigned on supporting law enforcement and border security, an issue many Democrats blame for their losses in New York in 2022. She lost to D’Esposito by just over 3 percentage points last cycle. Gillen is one of several Democrats running against a New York Republican congressman in a district that Democrat Joe Biden carried in 2020. The district falls just outside the New York City borough of Queens. The Associated Press declared Gillen the winner at 12:39 p.m. EST.

California’s governor calls special session to protect liberal policies from Trump presidency

California’s Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom, a fierce critic of President-elect Donald Trump, on Thursday called for lawmakers to convene a special session later this year to safeguard the state’s progressive policies on climate change, reproductive rights and immigration ahead of another Trump presidency.

The move — a day after the former president resoundingly defeated Vice President Kamala Harris in the presidential race — effectively reignited California's resistance campaign against conservative policies that state Democratic leaders started during the first Trump administration.

The move is also part of a growing discussion among Democratic state officials across the country seeking to protect policies that face threats under Trump’s leadership.

Republican Jeff Hurd wins election to US House in Colorado’s 3rd Congressional District

Republican Jeffrey Hurd won election to a U.S. House seat representing Colorado on Thursday, maintaining Republican control of the 3rd District seat now represented by GOP Rep. Lauren Boebert.

Boebert, who nearly lost her seat to Democrat Adam Frisch in 2022, decided this year to run for former Republican Rep. Ken Buck’s vacant seat in territory that’s even friendlier to Republicans. The victory by Hurd, an attorney seen as a moderate alternative to Boebert, marked the second loss in a row for Frisch, a former City Council member from Aspen, who campaigned as a pragmatic businessman. The Associated Press declared Hurd the winner at 12:10 p.m. EST.

Democrat Dina Titus wins reelection to US House in Nevada’s 1st Congressional District

Democratic Rep. Dina Titus won reelection to a U.S. House seat representing Nevada on Thursday.

The Las Vegas district picked up Republican-leaning suburban areas after redistricting, turning it into a target for the GOP. But for the second election in a row, Titus defeated Republican Mark Robertson, a retired Army colonel. She has served seven terms in Congress. The Associated Press declared Titus the winner at 12:04 p.m. EST.

House Democratic leader says ‘we must count every vote’ in the tight race for House control

Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, the House Democratic leader, issued a statement Thursday thanking the Harris-Walz campaign for running “an inspired and positive campaign focused on lifting people up.“

But the New York lawmaker issued caution on the status of the House races, saying “we must count every vote” in outstanding states like Arizona and California.

“I am proud that the Democratic Party does not believe in election denial,” Jeffries said. “Our Democracy is precious and it involves elevating public trust in our system of free and fair elections, not undermining it.”

He also quoted President Joe Biden, adding “We cannot love America only when we win.”

Wisconsin Democratic Sen. Tammy Baldwin pledges to work with Trump and calls for less division

Democratic Sen. Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin pledged during her reelection victory speech Thursday to work with President-elect Donald Trump when possible, but she also vowed to fight him to protect the national health care law and abortion rights.

Baldwin narrowly won reelection to a third term over Republican businessman Eric Hovde, who was endorsed by Trump. Hovde has yet to concede in a race where the margin is so close he could seek a recount.

“We deserve a politics with less vitriol, less division, less hatred and fewer lies. Actually, no lies,” Baldwin said to a room of supporters at a steamfitters union training center.

Baldwin defeated Hovde by just under 29,000 votes, a margin of 0.9%, based on unofficial results. State law allows for the race losers within 1 percentage point of the winner to seek a recount, but Hovde hasn’t yet said whether he’ll do that.

Hovde’s campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment Thursday.

▶ Read more about Wisconsin's Senate race

Biden delivers remarks following Trump's victory over Harris

President Joe Biden delivered remarks to the nation Thursday in what was his first appearance on camera following Donald Trump's decisive victory over Kamala Harris.

“In a democracy, the will of the people always prevails,” he said near the beginning.

Biden said he had spoken with Trump and assured him that he would direct his administration to ensure a “peaceful and orderly transition,” because that’s what the people deserve. Biden was subtly nodding to how Trump, in 2020, refused to accept he lost the election. Trump was reelected this week.

Biden spoke from the Rose Garden at the White House after Democrat Kamala Harris lost this week to Donald Trump, speaking to his supporters and Americans.

The president reiterated that the U.S. election system “is honest, it is fair, and it is transparent. And it can be trusted, win or lose.”

He closed by saying that defeat doesn't mean one is defeated.

“America endures,” he said. “We’re going to be ok, but we need to stay engaged.”

Democrat Val Hoyle wins reelection to US House in Oregon’s 4th Congressional District

Democratic Rep. Val Hoyle won reelection to a U.S. House seat representing Oregon on Thursday.

Hoyle, a first-term congresswoman, defeated Republican Monique DeSpain, an Air Force veteran. Hoyle succeeded longtime Democratic U.S. Rep. Peter DeFazio in 2022. The 4th District runs along the western portion of the state and includes Eugene. The Associated Press declared Hoyle the winner at 10:38 a.m. EST.

Independent Angus King wins reelection to the US Senate from Maine

Independent Sen. Angus King won a third term in the U.S. Senate representing Maine on Thursday, turning back challenges from a former Republican state party chair and a Democratic environmental activist.

The 80-year-old former governor would be the oldest senator from Maine to serve if he completes his term, which ends in 2030, but he wasn't dogged by questions about his age like President Joe Biden, the former Democratic presidential nominee. King caucuses with Democrats and was first elected to the Senate in 2012. The Associated Press declared King the winner at 10:14 a.m. EST.

Here’s how 5 key demographic groups voted in 2024

Donald Trump won the presidency after holding tight to his core base of voters and slightly expanding his coalition to include several groups that have traditionally been part of the Democratic base. That finding comes from AP VoteCast, a sweeping survey of more than 120,000 voters nationwide that shows what issues mattered to voters in this election.

Trump picked up a small but significant share of Black and Hispanic voters and made narrow gains with men and women. As Trump chipped away at parts of the Democratic coalition, Vice President Kamala Harris wasn't able to make enough of her own gains.

Trump succeeded in locking down his traditionally older, white base of voters, and he slightly expanded his margins with other groups into a winning coalition.

▶ Read more about how five key demographic groups voted

Many European leaders at summit stress the need for defense self-reliance in wake of Trump’s reelection

Around 50 European leaders on Thursday called for a stronger defense posture across the continent that no longer necessitates a fundamental dependence on Washington as they gave a guarded welcome to U.S. President-elect Donald Trump.

The European Political Community summit on Thursday in Hungary's capital of Budapest reassessed trans-Atlantic relations in the hope that Trump's second U.S. presidency will avoid the strife of his first administration.

“He was elected by the American people. He will defend the American interests,” French President Emmanuel Macron told the other leaders, adding that it was not the role of European Union leaders to “comment on the election ... to wonder if it is good or not.”

“The question is whether we are willing to defend the European interest. It is the only question. It is our priority,” Macron said.

There are concerns, too, that the robust military aid Ukraine has enjoyed under President Joe Biden will be cut under Trump, particularly if Republicans take control of the House.

Feds set to cut interest rates again amid post-election uncertainty

Federal Reserve officials are poised Thursday to reduce their key interest rate for a second straight time, responding to a steady slowdown of inflation pressures that exasperated many Americans and contributed to Donald Trump's presidential election victory.

Yet the Fed's future moves are now more uncertain in the aftermath of the election, given that Trump's economic proposals have been widely flagged as potentially inflationary. His election has also raised the specter of meddling by the White House in the Fed's policy decisions, with Trump having proclaimed that as president he should have a voice in the central bank's interest rate decisions.

The Fed has long guarded its status as an independent institution able to make difficult decisions about borrowing rates, free from political interference. Yet during his previous term in the White House, Trump publicly attacked Chair Jerome Powell after the Fed raised rates to fight inflation, and he may do so again.

▶ Read more about interest rate cuts

FACT FOCUS: A multimillion-vote gap between 2020 and 2024 fuels false election narratives

Less than 24 hours after Donald Trump was elected the 47th president of the United States, social media users began pushing two conflicting narratives to suggest election fraud, one that revived false claims by Trump that the 2020 vote was stolen from him and the other questioning how Vice President Kamala Harris could have received so many fewer votes in 2024 than President Joe Biden in 2020.

Both narratives hinge on a supposed 20 million vote gap between Harris and Biden.

Here’s a closer look at the facts.

CLAIM: President Joe Biden won approximately 20 million more votes in the 2020 election than Vice President Kamala Harris earned in the 2024 race, proving either that Trump has cheated his way to a second term or that there was widespread fraud four years ago.

THE FACTS: The claims are unfounded. Votes from Tuesday’s presidential election are still being counted, so any comparison with previous races would not be accurate. In addition, election officials and agencies monitoring the vote have reported no significant issues with Tuesday’s election. Claims of widespread fraud in 2020 have been debunked countless times.

▶ Read more on this fact focus

Trump’s return elicits both worry and hope among Iranians

Iranians, like many around the world, are divided on what Donald Trump's next presidency will bring: Some foresee an all-out war between Tehran and Washington, particularly as other conflicts rage in the region. Others hold out hope that America's 47th president might engage in unexpected diplomacy as he did with North Korea.

But nearly all believe something will change in the U.S.-Iran relationship.

And while Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has final say on all matters of state, has repeatedly expressed his own disgust with Trump, Iran's new reformist president has kept the door open to talks with Trump to seek relief from international sanctions to buoy a cratering economy. The Iranian rial, in a free fall for years, hit its lowest value against the dollar on Wednesday before slightly recovering.

▶ Read more about the response in Iran to Trump's election win

What could US diplomacy look like under Trump?

Trump’s second term could realign U.S. diplomacy away from traditional international alliances and more toward populist, authoritarian politicians, according to both those leaders and outside observers.

Among them are:

▶ Read more about these leaders and their diplomatic approaches

Bernie Sanders calls for reckoning in Democratic Party following election losses

Independent Sen. Bernie Sanders did not mince words in a scathing statement Wednesday.

“It should come as no great surprise that a Democratic Party which has abandoned working class people would find that the working class has abandoned them,” Sanders, Vermont’s senior senator, said.

“First, it was the white working class, and now it is Latino and Black workers as well,” Sanders said.

Sanders won reelection to a fourth term on Tuesday. He singled out wealth inequality, a slipping standard of living in the U.S., a lack of full health care guarantees and support for Israel’s recent military campaigns as problems Democrats need to focus on. Sanders’s 2016 presidential run was a key factor in pushing the dialogue in the Democratic party to the left. Sanders has built his political career outside — and often criticizing — the Democratic Party, but he caucuses with Democrats in the Senate.

Vatican No. 2: Holy See hopes Trump will help end the wars in Ukraine and Gaza

“At the start of his mandate, we wish him much wisdom because this is the main virtue of rulers according to the Bible,” Cardinal Pietro Parolin said, speaking on the sidelines of a Rome conference on Thursday, according to Vatican News.

While acknowledging no one had a “magic wand” to end wars in Ukraine and Gaza, Parolin said the Holy See hoped Trump “can indeed be an element of détente and pacification in the current conflicts that are bleeding the world.”

Parolin also said he hoped Trump would work to end polarization in the U.S., including over abortion. On migration, he recalled Pope Francis’ call to welcome those fleeing wars, poverty and climate change.

After visiting the U.S.-Mexico border in 2016 and asked about Trump’s call to build a wall, Francis famously said anyone who builds a wall to keep out migrants was “not Christian.”

More recently, Francis recommended U.S. voters choose the “lesser evil” when asked how a U.S. Catholic should vote given Trump’s pledge to deport migrants and Vice President Kamala Harris’ support of abortion rights.

The Dalai Lama congratulates Trump on his election win

“I have long admired the United States of America as the champion of democracy, freedom and the rule of law,” the Tibetan spiritual leader said in a message to Trump from the northern Indian town of Dharamshala where he has lived in exile since fleeing Tibet in 1959.

“The Tibetan people and I have been honored to have received the support of respective U.S. Presidents and the American people, in our endeavor to protect and preserve our ancient Buddhist culture — a culture of peace, non-violence and compassion that has the potential to benefit humanity as a whole,” he said.

Turkey’s president spoke with Trump late on Wednesday

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan conveyed his hopes in a call for strengthened cooperation between their two countries during Trump’s new term in office, according to a statement from the Turkish president’s office.

Trump’s presidential transition starts now. Here’s how it will work

Trump's impending return to the White House means he'll want to stand up an entirely new administration from the one that served under President Joe Biden. His team is also pledging that the second won't look much like the first one Trump established after his 2016 victory.

The president-elect now has a 75-day transition period to build out his team before Inauguration Day arrives on Jan. 20. One top item on the to-do list: filling around 4,000 government positions with political appointees, people who are specifically tapped for their jobs by Trump's team.

That includes everyone from the secretary of state and other heads of Cabinet departments to those selected to serve part-time on boards and commissions. Around 1,200 of those presidential appointments require Senate confirmation, which should be easier with the Senate now shifting to Republican control.

▶ Read more about Trump's transition

Neither party has a dominant pathway to House majority

The House contests remain a tit-for-tat fight to the finish, with no dominant pathway to the majority for either party. Rarely, if ever, have the two chambers of Congress flipped in opposite directions.

Each side is gaining and losing a few seats, including through the redistricting process, which is the routine redrawing of House seat boundary lines. The process reset seats in North Carolina, Louisiana and Alabama.

Much of the outcome hinges on the West, particularly in California, where a handful of House seats are being fiercely contested, and mail-in ballots arriving a week after the election will still be counted. Hard-fought races around the “blue dot” in Omaha, Nebraska and in far-flung Alaska are among those being watched.

Updates on the last two presidential races left to be called

With a win in Wisconsin early Wednesday, Trump cleared the 270 electoral votes needed to clinch the presidency. But his exact margin of victory is still unclear — there are two presidential races that the AP has yet to call:

Arizona: Officials in Arizona’s Maricopa County said late Wednesday they’ve got more than 700,000 ballots left to count, which means the races for president and senate were too early to call. In all, AP estimates there are at least a million ballots to be added to the results in Arizona. County election officials are expected to firm up those numbers on Thursday.

Nevada: AP estimated late Wednesday evening that there are more than 200,000 ballots left to count in Nevada — including more than 130,000 in Clark County. Given the narrow margins in the races for president and U.S. Senate, both are too early to call. The AP will further review results released by Nevada election officials on Thursday.

Decision Desk updates on key Senate races

Control of the US House hangs in the balance with enormous implications for Trump’s agenda

The U.S. House majority hung in the balance Wednesday, teetering between Republican control that would usher in a new era of unified GOP governance in Washington or a flip to Democrats as a last line of resistance to a Trump second-term White House agenda.

A few individual seats, or even a single one, will determine the outcome. Final tallies will take a while, likely pushing the decision into next week — or beyond.

After Republicans swept into the majority in the U.S. Senate by picking up seats in West Virginia, Ohio and Montana, House Speaker Mike Johnson predicted his chamber would fall in line next.

“Republicans are poised to have unified government in the White House, Senate and House,” Johnson said Wednesday.

▶ Read more about control of Congress

Biden will deliver a Rose Garden address at 11 a.m. ET

The remarks to the nation will be Biden’s first appearance on camera in the aftermath of Trump’s decisive victory over Harris.

How Trump spent his first day as president-elect

Donald Trump spent his first day as president-elect receiving congratulatory phone calls from his defeated opponent, world leaders and President Joe Biden as he began the process of turning his election victory into a government.

Trump was keeping a low profile, staying out of the public eye after addressing supporters in Florida during the wee hours of Wednesday morning.

Vice President Kamala Harris called Trump to concede the race and to congratulate him, while Biden invited the man he ousted from the White House four years ago to an Oval Office meeting to prepare to return the keys.

Biden’s chief of staff later Wednesday nudged the Trump team to sign the required federal agreements necessary to begin an orderly presidential transition, a White House official said.

▶ Revisit how the news unfolded with Wednesday's live coverage