WASHINGTON (AP) — Coverage of post-election developments (all times EST):
GOP reps nominate Ryan as U.S. House speaker
Updated 2:17 p.m.: Speaker Paul Ryan unanimously won his GOP colleagues’ votes for another term at the helm of the House on Tuesday. He told fellow Republicans he had President-elect Donald Trump’s support, and heralded “the dawn of a new, unified Republican government.”
“It feels really good to say that actually,” Ryan told reporters. “This will be a government focused on turning President-elect Trump’s victory into real progress for the American people.”
The Wisconsin Republican still has to win a floor vote for speaker in January, when all members of the House will cast ballots, including Democrats.
But he secured the nomination at a closed-door GOP conference vote Tuesday afternoon with the strong backing of his fellow House Republicans, even though a few conservative dissenters pushed unsuccessfully to delay the balloting.
— Erica Werner
No position for Ben Carson in Trump Administration
Updated 1:49 p.m.: Retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson will not be taking a position in President-elect Donald Trump’s administration.
Carson business manager Armstrong Williams tells The Associated Press that Carson has opted out of being considered for any cabinet or other administration positions, including leading the Department of Health & Human Services and the Department of education.
Carson had never been formerly offered a position in the Trump administration, but Williams says the president-elect had made clear he wanted his former rival-turned-adviser in some role.
Williams says Carson “always knew that he could be more effective with the president-elect outside the administration.”
Trump, Pence to huddle on Cabinet decisions
Updated 8:30 p.m.: President-elect Donald Trump’s transition team says the incoming president will meet with Vice President-elect Mike Pence in New York on Tuesday as he makes decisions on his senior staff and Cabinet.
Pence is overseeing the transition effort.
Spokesman Jason Miller tells reporters that Pence will meet with Trump at Trump Tower to review “a number of names” for the incoming administration.
Miller says, “This is an absolute top priority.”
Alabama Sen. Jeff Sessions has been meeting with Trump officials on Monday evening. Miller says Trump “would be lucky to have him in any capacity and vice versa.”
Source says Giuliani favored for Secretary of State
Updated 8:10 p.m.: Rudy Giuliani is the favorite to be secretary of state in Donald Trump’s administration.
That’s according to a senior Trump official who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the source isn’t authorized to speak on the record.
The official says there’s no real competition for the job and that it’s the former New York mayor’s if he wants it.
Giuliani said at a Wall Street Journal CEO Council event in Washington that he won’t be attorney general in Trump’s administration.
That’s one of the jobs the former federal prosecutor and top Trump adviser has been seen as a top contender for.
Trump, Putin discuss ‘range of issues’
Updated 4 p.m.: President-elect Donald Trump’s transition team says he has spoken with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Trump’s advisers say the two leaders discussed a “range of issues including the threats and challenges facing the United States and Russia,” along with economic issues and the U.S-Russian relationship.
Trump’s transition team says that Trump told Putin he looks forward to “a strong and enduring relationship with Russia and the people of Russia.”
In a statement issued after the Monday call, Kremlin says that Putin expressed readiness to establish a “partner-like” dialogue with Trump’s incoming administration.
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Updated 12:30 p.m.: Vice President-elect Mike Pence says he is recruiting people with “character and the competence” to implement Donald Trump’s vision for the country.
The Republican Indiana governor was named chairman of Trump’s presidential transition team on Friday and could wield considerable influence.
But he downplayed his role Monday to reporters in Indianapolis, saying he was humbled to play a “small part.”
Pence did not respond to a question about the appointment of Breitbart News executive Steve Bannon as a senior Trump adviser. The website specializes in button-pushing headlines, including one that called conservative commentator Bill Kristol a “Republican spoiler, renegade Jew.”
Transition team considering Supreme Court vacancy
Updated 12:05 p.m.: A top adviser to President-elect Donald Trump says the incoming president will make additional appointments to his team this week.
Trump campaign manager Kellyanne Conway tells reporters at Trump Tower that the transition team is working on naming members of the incoming president’s staff and Cabinet.
Trump on Sunday named Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus as chief of staff and campaign adviser Steve Bannon as chief strategist and senior counselor.
Conway says incoming first lady Melania Trump is also interviewing potential aides and Trump’s team is making plans to fill the vacancy of the late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia.
Richard Grenell considered for U.N. ambassador
Updated 11:45 a.m.: President-elect Donald Trump is considering Richard Grenell as the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, according to a person familiar with transition planning.
If selected, Grenell would be the first openly gay person to hold a Cabinet-level foreign policy post. Grenell served as U.S. spokesman at the U.N. throughout President George W. Bush’s administration.
Grenell briefly served as a foreign policy adviser to Republican Mitt Romney’s 2012 presidential campaign.
The person familiar with the transition planning insisted on anonymity because they were not authorized to publicly discuss the private deliberations.
— By Julie Pace
Pence promises ‘a lot of great choices’
Updated 11:40 a.m.: Vice President-elect Mike Pence says he is recruiting people with “character and the competence” to implement Donald Trump’s vision for the country.
The Republican Indiana governor was named chairman of Trump’s presidential transition team on Friday and could wield considerable influence.
But he downplayed his role Monday to reporters in Indianapolis, saying he was humbled to play a “small part.”
Pence did not respond to a question about the appointment of Breitbart News executive Steve Bannon as a senior Trump adviser. The website specializes in button-pushing headlines, including one that called conservative commentator Bill Kristol a “Republican spoiler, renegade Jew.”
Pence said the transition team will draw on people from across the country. He says he will present the president-elect with “a lot of great choices.”
Bishops urge Trump to adopt humane policies
Updated 11 a.m.: The nation’s Roman Catholic bishops are urging President-elect Donald Trump to adopt humane policies toward immigrants and refugees.
The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops said serving and welcoming people fleeing conflict and violence is part of their identity as Roman Catholics. Church leaders said they would continue to offer that aid.
Trump talked tough about immigration on the campaign trail, including proposing building a wall along the border of U.S. and Mexico and deporting the estimated 11 million people in the country illegally. He later distanced himself from those statements.
In an interview with CBS’ “60 Minutes” broadcast Sunday night, he said he would focus on deporting people with criminal records beyond their immigration status.
Trump also has called to suspend the admission of Syrian refugees in the country.
The bishops made the plea Monday, at the start of their annual fall meeting in Baltimore.
Priebus defends Bannon’s character
Updated 7:32 a.m.: Reince Priebus says Breitbart News executive Stephen Bannon has been a hard worker and sober decision maker in the months the two have steered Donald Trump toward the presidency.
Trump’s newly named White House chief of staff told NBC’s “Today” show that Bannon has exhibited none of the racist, sexist or other qualities attributed to him and the Breitbart website.
The site specializes in button-pushing, traffic-trolling headlines, including one that called conservative commentator Bill Kristol a “Republican spoiler, renegade Jew.” Others asked, “Would you rather your child had feminism or cancer?” and “Birth control makes women unattractive and crazy.”
Priebus says those things weren’t Bannon’s writing. He expects to work with Bannon as a partner in slightly different roles the Trump administration.
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