US election updates: loyalty trumps all as Kennedy is lined up for health department | US elections 2024

Donald Trump has nominated Robert F Kennedy Jr to lead the Health and Human Services department, and chosen government posts for members of his own legal team in the latest raft of appointments given to his most loyal backers despite ongoing criticism.

Public health experts warned that the choice of RFK Jr on Thursday could cost lives because of his vaccine denial and notorious support of conspiracy theories. His role still needs to be confirmed by the Senate, and some senators have already expressed doubt that some of Trump’s nominees will garner sufficient votes despite a Republican majority in the chamber.

Two members of Trump’s legal team, Todd Blanche and Dean John Sauer, have been nominated for deputy attorney general and solicitor general respectively. Trump put forward Jay Clayton, who chaired the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) under Trump’s first term, for US attorney for the southern district of New York.

Trump’s nominee for attorney general, Matt Gaetz, continued to draw criticism from his Republican colleagues, with senior Republican senator John Cornyn joining Democratic senator Dick Durbin to call for a report into allegations of sexual misconduct by Gaetz – which he denies – to be shared with the Senate. Republican Kevin McCarthy, who was ousted as House speaker last year in a putsch backed by Gaetz, said the ex-congressman “won’t get confirmed” as attorney general.

The flurry of nominations this week has led some to wonder whether Trump’s 2024 picks are more extreme than those he chose in 2016 – here’s a look at how they stack up so far.

Here’s what else happened on Thursday:

Trump transition news and updates

• The FBI should investigate both Gaetz and Tulsi Gabbard before they are confirmed for their cabinet posts, Trump’s former national security adviser John Bolton has said. Gabbard, who Trump nominated as director of national intelligence, is known for her tolerant view of Russian president Vladimir Putin and Syrian president Bashar al-Assad.

• Elon Musk reportedly met Iran’s ambassador to the United Nations on Monday, and discussed how to defuse tensions between Iran and the US, two Iranian officials told the New York Times. As Trump prepares to address conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East, Musk, the world’s richest man, has been assisting in discussions with foreign officials, establishing himself as the country’s most influential civilian come January.

• Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy are seeking Americans who are “high-IQ small-government revolutionaries” and willing to work over 80 hours a week to join their new department, at zero pay. Trump named Musk to co-lead the newly created government efficiency department that sits outside the federal government.

• Advocates have urged state governments to find new ways to defend immigrants and block Trump’s mass deportation plan. California shielded many non-citizen residents from removal in Trump’s first term but immigrants rights groups warn an aggressive, multi-pronged response will be needed.

• A Democratic lawmaker will file a motion specifically mentioning Trump can only serve two terms, after the president-elect joked he would be willing to serve an unconstitutional third term as president while meeting with House Republicans on Wednesday.

• Trump announced his former Georgia congressman Doug Collins as secretary of veterans affairs. Collins ran for Senate in 2020, finishing third in the primary. He also “provided counsel to Trump in the aftermath of the 2020 presidential election as Trump sought to challenge Georgia’s election results”.