Trump transition live updates: In a flurry of nominations, Trump announces 7 picks - WEIS | Local & Area News, Sports, & Weather

Contributing sentiments towards policy:

92% : -ABC News' Elizabeth SchulzeTrump says he 'greatly' appreciates Gaetz's efforts as AG pickPresident-elect Trump said he "greatly appreciate[s]
79% : "I think that was an excellent move on behalf of the incoming President," Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said -- though it's not clear if Trump directed Gaetz to withdraw.
76% : He did an outstanding job as United States Ambassador to the Netherlands during our first four years, and I am confident that he will continue to represent our Country well in this new role," Trump added.
70% : Trump frequently marveled at the intricacies of the SpaceX rocket launch while on the campaign trail.
69% : Bessent has advised Trump on economic policy and has been a frequent presence at Trump's Mar-a-Lago club this week and last week.
68% : The appointment to the Rules committee, which maintains the operating procedures of the Senate, is particularly interesting at a time when Trump has suggested he's interested in pushing the boundaries of the Senate's normal operating procedure.
65% : Turner, a former NFL player and Texas lawmaker, served in the White House during Trump's first term as the first executive director of the White House Opportunity and Revitalization Council, "helping to lead an Unprecedented Effort that Transformed our Country's most distressed communities," Trump said in a statement Friday.
64% : "Matt is a strong warrior and loyal Patriot, who will ensure the United States' interests are advanced and defended," Trump said.
61% : Lutnick has frequently joined Trump on the campaign trail and hosted numerous fundraisers for Trump alongside some of the major Republican donors like John Paulson, Duke Buchan and Woody Johnson.
59% : President-elect Donald Trump announced Tuesday that heart surgeon-turned-TV-host Dr. Mehmet Oz would lead the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).
58% : Trump indicated that Dr. Oz will work closely with Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to take on chronic diseases.
58% : Fetterman told reporters Tuesday that as long as Oz protects Medicare and Medicaid, he's open to confirming him.
58% : Trump indicated that Dr. Oz will work closely with Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to take on chronic diseases.
57% : He had donated $1 million to Trump's inaugural committee in 2017 and most recently donated $5 million to pro-Trump super PAC Make America Great Again Inc.Lutnick has been a vocal advocate for cryptocurrency, speaking at the annual Bitcoin Conference in Nashville earlier this year where Trump and RFK Jr. also spoke.
56% : Meanwhile, Trump continues to announce his picks for top jobs inside his administration.
55% : -ABC News' Hannah Demissie and Allison PecorinTrump nominates Howard Lutnick as commerce secretaryTrump has announced Howard Lutnick as his commerce secretary pick.
55% : "It was so exciting, so I'm watching it, and this monstrous thing is going down, right and it's coming down, it's first of all, doing all sorts of flips up in the air," Trump said at his last campaign rally of the cycle in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
55% : -ABC News' Rachel Scott and Will Steakin'Morning Joe' co-hosts say they met with Trump on FridayMSNBC's "Morning Joe" co-hosts Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski said on Monday morning that they had met with President-elect Donald Trump on Friday at Mar-a-Lago.
53% : -Oren OppenheimStephen Miller indicates Trump would use recess appointments for CabinetStephen Miller, President-elect Donald Trump's deputy chief of staff of policy, joined Hannity on Tuesday evening where he discussed a wide range of topics including several of Trump's day one missions -- including recess appointments to his Cabinet.
53% : Asked if there would be daily press briefings during her appearance on Fox News, Leavitt punted to Trump.
53% : Dr. Oz picked as Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services administratorDr. Mehmet Oz has been selected to serve as the administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Service, Trump announced.
52% : Trump has named Pam Bondi, the former attorney general of Florida, as his new pick for the role.
51% : Trump picks Scott Turner to lead Department of Housing and Urban DevelopmentPresident-elect Donald Trump has nominated Scott Turner to lead the Department of Housing and Urban Development.
51% : -ABC News' Lauren Peller, John Parkinson and Will SteakinDr. Oz picked as Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services administratorDr. Mehmet Oz has been selected to serve as the administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Trump announced.
50% : "He will prioritize Excellence, Competence, Competitiveness and Beauty when rebuilding America's highways, tunnels, bridges and airports," Trump said in a statement.
49% : "Pete is well-respected in the Great State of Michigan - A State we won sizably," Trump wrote in a statement on Wednesday.
48% : "ICE knows what they're looking for.
45% : Gaetz informed Trump late Thursday morning he'd be withdrawing, sources told ABC News.
44% : Trump had vowed to fire him, drawing praise from the crypto industry.
44% : Gaetz said he hasn't spoken to Trump today but "had a great time with the vice president-elect talking about how we are going to end weaponization at the Department of Justice.
44% : Trump was asked by a reporter if he was reconsidering the nomination of former Rep. Matt Gaetz for attorney general.
44% : Homan acknowledged during the interview that a mass deportation plan will require significant resources and that he doesn't know what the current ICE and Customs and Border Protection budgets are, though added that Trump is "committed" to getting the funding for his plan.
43% : Lutnick's aggressive push to be tapped as Trump's treasury secretary as he spent hours with the president-elect nearly every day as a co-head of the transition team had frustrated some close to Trump, sources said.
42% : His resignation will leave a key post for Trump to fill -- the SEC serves as Wall Street's top regulator.
42% : Tennessee Sen. Bill Hagerty, Apollo Global Management CEO Marc Rowan and former Federal Reserve board governor Kevin Warsh have also been in meetings with Trump about the role, according to the sources.
42% : Speaking on Fox News' America Reports, Homan reiterated his plan to "take the handcuffs of ICE" and ramp up arrests.
41% : Sen. Thune currently at Mar-a-Lago meeting with Trump amid Gaetz fallout: SourcesSen. John Thune, the incoming Republican leader, is currently at Trump's Mar-a-Lago club for a meeting, sources familiar with the matter told ABC News.
41% : -ABC News' Lauren PellerMusk and Ramaswamy outline plans for regulations cuts, 'mass headcount reductions' in op-edElon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy -- who will lead what Trump's calling a new "Department of Government Efficiency" -- outlined their plans for sweeping regulations cuts and "mass headcount reductions across the federal bureaucracy" in a Wall Street Journal op-ed published Wednesday.
40% : Pam will refocus the DOJ to its intended purpose of fighting Crime, and Making America Safe Again," Trump said in a statement.
40% : Trump has made clear he wants Republicans to make every effort to block Democrats from advancing judicial nominations.
39% : Trump posted.
37% : "We're going to have to work with these individuals, and if he's about protecting and preserving Medicaid and Medicare, then, I don't know why that's controversial.
36% : "Lori has worked tirelessly with both Business and Labor to build America's workforce, and support the hardworking men and women of America," Trump said in a statement.
36% : She was also one of the lawyers who defended Trump during his first Senate impeachment trial.
36% : "McConnell could be instrumental in defense of the Senate filibuster or, potentially, recess appointments, which Trump has said he might use to circumvent Senate approval of some of his Cabinet picks, though party leadership still has the final say in these matters.
35% : -ABC News' Will SteakinTrump promised to disrupt Washington.
35% : However, the sources cautioned that no decision has been made until Trump announces it.
35% : They are trying that right now with some great American Patriots who are only trying to fix the mess that the Democrats have made of our Country," Trump posted on his social media platform.
34% : Scarborough said the hosts and Trump did not "see eye to eye on a lot of issues, and we told him so."
32% : "Miller added that Trump will "immediately sign executive orders sealing the border shut, beginning the largest deportation operation in American history, finding the criminal gangs, rapists, drug dealers and monsters that have murdered our citizens and sending them home."-Kelsey Walsh, Lalee Ibssa, Soorin KimTrump is the 'decision-maker,' his press secretary replies when asked about her roleKaroline Leavitt gave her first interview since being chosen as President-elect Donald Trump's press secretary last week.
32% : Homan also repeated his claim that ICE will "arrest the bad guys first."
31% : SpaceX founder Elon Musk, who will co-lead the Department of Government Efficiency, has rarely left Trump's side since the election -- appearing in family photos with Trump at Mar-a-Lago and even traveling with him to New York for Saturday's UFC fight.
30% : Texas land commissioner offers 1,400 acres to Trump for 'deportation facilities'Texas Land Commissioner Dawn Buckingham is offering the incoming Trump administration 1,402 acres the office has purchased along the Texas-Mexico border to be used for a mass deportation operation, according to a letter on Tuesday to the president-elect.
26% : "He's not my first choice and certainly, Trump was definitely not my first," Fetterman said.
25% : Asked if some Cabinet appointments were to become troublesome if Trump would use the recess appointment process, Miller said he would.
24% : Trump described Weldon as a "respected conservative leader on fiscal and social issues.
24% : The meeting comes as Thune is likely to face massive pressure from Trump and his Senate allies to push through all of Trump's nominees as quickly as possible.
23% : "-ABC News' Armando GarcíaHouse Ethics Committee to meet behind closed doors WednesdayThe bipartisan House Ethics Committee is scheduled to meet Wednesday afternoon to discuss its report on the investigation of former Rep. Matt Gaetz, who resigned from office last week after Trump chose him as his nominee for attorney general.
19% : Both positions are significant, given McConnell's strained relationship with Trump.
19% : "-ABC News' Kelsey Walsh, Lalee Ibssa, Soo Rin Kim and Hannah DemissieTrump says he's not reconsidering Gaetz nominationPresident-elect Trump attended Tuesday's SpaceX launch in Texas, joining Elon Musk- SpaceX CEO and now a close ally of Trump's.
12% : "Johnson denied that Gaetz or Trump had pressured him to block release of the draft report, repeating that the speaker "has no involvement" in the ethics report and "can't direct the ethics committee to do anything.
11% : Speaker Johnson says he hasn't discussed Gaetz ethics drama with TrumpHouse Speaker Mike Johnson told reporters Monday he has not talked to Trump about a draft report on the House Ethics Committee's investigation into former Rep. Matt Gaetz -- as members on both sides of the aisle call on the speaker to release the draft despite Gaetz's resignation and the committee's lack of jurisdiction over former members.

*Our bias meter rating uses data science including sentiment analysis, machine learning and our proprietary algorithm for determining biases in news articles. Bias scores are on a scale of -100% to 100% with higher negative scores being more liberal and higher positive scores being more conservative, and 0% being neutral. The rating is an independent analysis and is not affiliated nor sponsored by the news source or any other organization.