International
Who rings for Trump’s cabinet 2.0?
The appointment of Susie Wiles as chief of staff of the White House is the first position announced by the next president of the United States, Donald Trump, for a second term in which he is expected to surround himself with very loyal collaborators.
Trump, who ended up fighting with many members of his first cabinet, especially after the assault on the Capitol, will have as vice president JD Vance, a senator from Ohio who was critical of him in the past but now fully supports him.
Meanwhile, Wiles, the first woman appointed chief of staff of the White House, one of the most important positions in Washington, has been one of the main advisors of the Republican campaign and Trump himself attributes credit to her for last Tuesday’s victory over Democratic candidate Kamala Harris.
Elon Musk, Trump’s key ally
One of the people who could have a great prominence is the richest man in the world, Elon Musk, director of Tesla and SpaceX and owner of the social network X, from where he has promoted a strong campaign in favor of the Republican.
Trump offered Musk to run an office for “government efficiency” with the aim of cutting the expenses of the bureaucracy and fulfilling the Republican’s goal of eliminating what he calls the “deep state.”
Kennedy Jr.
Some charge is also expected for Robert F. Kennedy Jr., nephew of former Democratic President John F. Kennedy (1961-1963), who withdrew his presidential candidacy as an independent to support Trump, a gesture rejected by the Kennedy dynasty.
This controversial businessman, known for his anti-vaccine positions, has said that he could play an important role in the health policies of the next Trump Administration.
Stephen Miller, one of the great ideologists of Trump’s anti-immigration policy, could also have an important position in the White House.
Attorney General, Trump’s trusted men
One of the most important decisions that the next president must make is the appointment of the attorney general who will lead the Department of Justice and close the two criminal cases that weigh on the Republican for the assault on the Capitol and for having taken classified documents from the White House.
After a tense relationship with the prosecutors of his first term, Jeff Sessions and William Barr, he is expected to choose very loyal people who never turn their backs on him, including Jeff Clark, former deputy attorney general who was charged with Trump for electoral interference in the state of Georgia, or the current Texas attorney general, Ken Paxton.
Secretary of State
One of the names with which the most speculation is made to lead US diplomacy is that of Marco Rubio, a Florida senator who was on the list of possible vice presidents for a second term of the Republican
Rubio, of Cuban origin, exerted from the Senate Foreign Relations Committee a remarkable influence on the policy towards Latin America of Trump’s first term, but some advisors to the future president believe that his ‘hawk’ profile contrasts with the isolationist policy of “United States first” promoted by Trump.
Also in the pools is Richard Grenell, controversial former ambassador of Trump to Germany, a man very loyal to the Republican who was involved in his attempt to reverse his 2020 electoral defeat in the state of Nevada. He also participated in a recent meeting between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Secretary of Defense
Trump is considering the possibility of putting Mike Pompeo at the head of the Pentagon, who was Secretary of State in his first term and is one of the few members of his first cabinet who could repeat in the Government.
Other names on the table are those of Mike Waltz, a Florida congressman and retired National Guard colonel; and Arkansas Senator Tom Cotton, who had already sounded as Secretary of Defense for Trump’s first term.
Secretary of the Treasury
At the head of the US Treasury could be Robert Lighthizer, who was already a representative of Foreign Trade in Trump’s first term and is considered a skeptic of free trade and a supporter of the tariff war with China.
Important donors of the Trump campaign also sound for the position, such as businessmen Howard Lutnick, Scott Bessent or John Paulson.
The governor of North Dakota, Doug Burgum, is on the list of possible energy secretaries and former Secretary of Education Betsy Devos could return to that department to fulfill Trump’s promise to eliminate it.
International
Meta Says Russia Seeks to Ban WhatsApp for Defending Secure Communication
U.S. tech giant Meta, the parent company of WhatsApp, said that Russia is seeking to ban the messaging app because it “challenges government attempts to violate people’s right to secure communication.”
Russian authorities have encouraged citizens to switch to state-backed applications, and in August they already blocked WhatsApp’s calling feature.
On Friday, the communications regulator Roskomnadzor claimed that the platform was being used to “organize and carry out terrorist acts in the country, recruit perpetrators, and facilitate fraud and other crimes.”
“If the messaging service does not comply with Russian law, it will be completely blocked,” the regulator warned.
WhatsApp remains one of Russia’s most widely used messaging services, alongside Telegram.
Moscow is pressuring both platforms to grant authorities access to user data upon request for investigations into fraud and activities the government labels as “terrorist.”
Human rights advocates fear the demand could be used to target critics of the Kremlin, President Vladimir Putin, or the war in Ukraine.
International
Archbishop Wenski criticizes Trump’s deportation policies, calls for stronger push for reform
The Archbishop of Miami, Thomas Wenski, has called for increased pressure on the U.S. Congress to advance comprehensive immigration reform and criticized President Donald Trump’s mass deportation policies, arguing that they “do nothing to help.”
“We need to apply more pressure on Congress so lawmakers can make the necessary changes. It is also important for the Administration to listen to our voice. We do not want to be anyone’s enemy—we are Americans,” Wenski said in an interview with EFE.
The religious leader, who heads one of the dioceses with the largest Latino and Haitian populations in the United States, issued a call to defend the rights of migrants. He also emphasized that the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) has maintained a strong and public stance in favor of migrants for decades.
International
Trump relaunches diplomatic push to finalize U.S.-Backed peace plan for Ukraine War
U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Tuesday that his diplomatic team will resume meetings with delegations from Russia and Ukraine in an effort to pressure both sides to accept the peace plan proposed by Washington to end the war in Ukraine.
As part of this new round of talks, U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff will travel to Moscow to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Meanwhile, Army Secretary Dan Driscoll will hold discussions with Ukrainian representatives to narrow differences on the remaining points of the agreement.
Trump also confirmed his intention to meet personally with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and with Putin, though he emphasized that such meetings will only take place “when the agreement is fully finalized or in its final stage.”
The president claimed that his administration has made “tremendous progress” toward resolving the conflict and reiterated that the war “never would have started” if he had been in the White House at the onset of the crisis.
The U.S.-backed peace plan consists of 28 points and has been revised following feedback from both sides. According to Trump, only “a few points of disagreement” remain under active discussion.
One of the most controversial aspects of the proposal is the suggestion that Ukraine cede parts of the Donbas region to Russia and limit the size of its armed forces. Kyiv is working closely with Washington to soften these clauses in search of an arrangement that does not compromise its sovereignty or security.
With this diplomatic push, Trump aims to solidify his role as the main mediator in the conflict and steer the war toward a political resolution after years of devastation, humanitarian crisis, and rising global geopolitical tensions.
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