President-elect Trump building his team as meeting with Biden nears

THIS MORNING – PRESIDENT-ELECT DONALD TRUMP CONTINUES TO WORK TO FILL APPOINTMENTS IN HIS ADMINISTRATION AS PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN LOOKS TO ENGAGE IN A PEACEFUL TRANSFER OF POWER. 

IT WAS ANNOUNCED OVER THE WEEKEND — BIDEN AND TRUMP WILL MEET AT THE WHITE HOUSE LATER THIS WEEK. 

OFFICIALS SAYING THE TWO WILL HOLD A MEETING IN THE OVAL OFFICE WEDNESDAY MORNING. 

THE MEETING WILL BE HELD ONE WEEK AFTER TRUMP WON THE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION. HE FURTHERED HIS LEAD OVER THE WEEKEND. THE A-P PROJECTS HIM TO  WIN ARIZONA – MAKING IT A COMPLETE SWEEP OF THE SEVEN BATTLEGROUND STATES. 

AS TRUMP PREPARES FOR A SECOND TERM – HE ANNOUNCED REAL ESTATE INVESTOR STEVE WITKOFF AND FORMER GEORGIA SENATOR KELLY LOEFFLER WILL CO-CHAIR HIS INAUGURATION COMMITTEE. THE ORGANIZATION WILL PLAN EVENTS FOR TRUMP’S SWEARING-IN AS THE 47TH PRESIDENT ON  JANUARY 20TH 2025. 

AND DAYS AFTER NAMING HIS CAMPAIGN MANAGER SUSIE WILES AS HIS WHITE HOUSE CHIEF OF STAFF – TRUMP HAS FILLED ANOTHER ROLE IN HIS ADMINISTRATION. 

LATE SUNDAY NIGHT – SELECTING FORMER ICE DIRECTOR THOMAS HOMAN AS THE QUOTE “BORDER CZAR”. 

HOMAN WILL BE IN-CHARGE OF THE NATION’S BORDER AND MARITIME AND AVIATION SECURITY. 

 IN ADDITION — CNN REPORTS TRUMP IS PREPARING TO OFFER NEW YORK CONGRESSWOMAN ELISE STEFANIK THE ROLE OF THE US AMBASSADOR TO THE UNITED NATIONS. 

TRUMP CONFIRMING HE WOULD NOT BE INVITING BACK FORMER UN AMBASSADOR NIKKI HALEY OR HIS FORMER SECRETARY OF STATE MIKE POMPEO TO HIS INCOMING ADMINISTRATION. 

THE PRESIDENT-ELECT KEEPING BUSY – SPEAKING TO WORLD LEADERS – SOURCES TELLING REUTERS THAT INCLUDED A RECENT CONVERSATION WITH RUSSIAN PRESIDENT VLADIMIR PUTIN. THE SOURCE SAYING TRUMP TOLD PUTIN TO NOT ESCALATE THE WAR WITH UKRAINE. 

TRUMP SPOKE WEDNESDAY WITH UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY – IN A PHONE CALL REPORTEDLY JOINED BY TRUMP ALLY – TESLA CEO ELON MUSK. 

MUSK WAS ALSO SEEN OVER THE WEEKEND JOINING THE PRESIDENT-ELECT AND TRUMP’S GRANDDAUGHTER AT TRUMP INTERNATIONAL GOLF CLUB IN WEST PALM BEACH. IT WAS NOT CLEAR IF THIS WAS THE FIRST TIME THE PRESIDENT-ELECT WAS GOLFING AT HIS CLUB SINCE AN ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT ON HIS LIFE IN SEPTEMBER. 

AS PRESIDENT-ELECT TRUMP REPORTEDLY SPOKE WITH BOTH RUSSIA PRESIDENT VLADIMIR PUTIN AND UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY – THE WAR BETWEEN THE TWO COUNTRIES RAGES ON – WITH A RECORD NUMBER OF DRONE STRIKES LAUNCHED OVER THE WEEKEND. 

UKRAINE LAUNCHING ITS LARGEST ATTACK ON MOSCOW SINCE THE START OF THE WAR.  STRIKING RUSSIA’S CAPITAL OVERNIGHT SATURDAY INTO SUNDAY – RUSSIA SAYING A TOTAL OF 34 DRONES WERE LAUNCHED IN MOSCOW’S DIRECTION 

ALL OF THEM WERE SHOT DOWN – ACCORDING TO RUSSIAN OFFICIALS. 

THIS ATTACK CAME AFTER UKRAINE SAID RUSSIA LAUNCHED A TOTAL OF 145 DRONES  SATURDAY NIGHT – THE MOST EVER IN A SINGLE NIGHT-TIME ATTACK DURING THE WAR. 

UKRAINE SAYING ITS DEFENSES SHOT DOWN OVER 60 OF THE DRONES WITH OTHERS LEAVING UKRAINIAN AIRSPACE. 

IN THE MIDDLE EAST — ISRAELI STRIKES KILLED DOZENS OF PEOPLE IN LEBANON AND NORTHERN GAZA SUNDAY. 

LEBANON’S HEALTH MINISTRY REPORTS THE OFFENSIVE THERE, LEFT AT LEAST 23 PEOPLE DEAD — INCLUDING SEVEN CHILDREN — IN A VILLAGE NORTH OF BEIRUT AWAY FROM AREAS OF THE COUNTRY WHERE THE IRAN-BACKED MILITANT GROUP HEZBOLLAH HAS A MAJOR PRESENCE. 

ISRAEL DID NOT ISSUE AN EVACUATION WARNING BEFORE THE STRIKE. 

HOWEVER, ISRAEL’S MILITARY SAID IT HIT A HEZBOLLAH SITE USED TO STORE WEAPONS AND THE STRIKE IS UNDER REVIEW. 

THE STRIKE IN NORTHERN GAZA WAS ON A HOME THAT WAS SHELTERING DISPLACED PEOPLE, ACCORDING TO A HOSPITAL OFFICIAL IN THE TERRITORY.  

AT LEAST 17 WERE KILLED. 

THE ISRAELI MILITARY SAID IT TARGETED A SITE WHERE MILITANTS WERE OPERATING. 

THE STRIKES CAME LESS THAN 24 HOURS HOURS AFTER QATAR ANNOUNCED IT SUSPENDED ITS ROLE AS MEDIATOR FOR A CEASE-FIRE BETWEEN ISRAEL AND HAMAS IN GAZA — BECAUSE NEITHER SIDE IS WILLING TO COME TO AN AGREEMENT.

BACK HERE IN THE U-S — ONE PERSON IS DEAD AND 16 OTHERS INJURED AFTER A SHOOTING AT TUSKEGEE UNIVERSITY IN ALABAMA. 

AUTHORITIES SAY THE SUSPECT — IDENTIFIED AS 25-YEAR-OLD JAQUEZ MYRICK – HAS BEEN CHARGED WITH ONE FEDERAL COUNT OF POSSESSION OF A MACHINE GUN. 

THEY SAY MYRICK WAS FOUND LEAVING THE SCENE OF THE SHOOTING ON SATURDAY NIGHT, WHICH OCCURRED DURING A HOMECOMING WEEK CELEBRATION AT THE SCHOOL. INVESTIGATORS BELIEVE HE HAD A HANDGUN WITH A MACHINE GUN CONVERSION DEVICE. 

THE PERSON WHO WAS KILLED WAS AN 18-YEAR-OLD WHO WAS NOT A STUDENT AT THE SCHOOL. 

THE UNIVERSITY HAS CANCELED ALL CLASSES FOR TODAY.

MORE THAN HALF THE MONKEYS THAT ESCAPED A SOUTH CAROLINA RESEARCH FACILITY ARE BACK WHERE THEY BELONG THIS MORNING. 

LAST WEDNESDAY — 43 RHESUS MACAQUE MONKEYS ESCAPED FORM ALPHA GENESIS — A MEDICAL LAB THAT USES THE ANIMALS FOR CLINICAL DRUG TRIALS — IN YEMASSEE, ABOUT 60 MILES WEST OF CHARLESTON 

AS OF SUNDAY NIGHT — 25 OF THE 43 RUNAWAY PRIMATES HAD BEEN ROUNDED UP. 

THEY WERE ALL CHECKED OUT BY A TEAM OF VETS AND ARE IN GOOD HEALTH. 

OFFICIALS SAY THE REMAINING MONKEYS DO NOT SEEM TO HAVE GONE FAR. 

THEY SAY A “SIGNIFICANT NUMBER” OF THEM ARE STILL NEAR THE FACILITY EATING FOOD LEFT OUT FOR THEM AND INTERACTING WITH OTHER MONKEYS STILL INSIDE THE FACILITY.  

TRAPPERS HAVE NOT YET BEEN ABLE TO CORRAL THEM.

FINALLY THIS MORNING – ON THIS VETERANS DAY – AS WE HONOR OUR NATION’S MILITARY MEMBERS WHO FOUGHT FOR OUR FREEDOM.   AMERICANS, FROM COAST TO COAST,  WILL COME TOGETHER. THAT INCLUDES THE PRESIDENT AND VICE PRESIDENT. 

FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE ELECTION DAY, PRESIDENT BIDEN AND VICE PRESIDENT HARRIS WILL MAKE A PUBLIC APPEARANCE TOGETHER – ATTENDING A VETERANS DAY CEREMONY AT ARLINGTON NATIONAL CEMETERY. 

THE WHITE HOUSE SAYING THE TWO WILL PARTICIPATE IN A WREATH-LAYING CEREMONY AT THE TOMB OF THE UNKNOWN SOLDIER. FIRST LADY JILL BIDEN AND HARRIS’S HUSBAND DOUG EMHOFF WILL ALSO BE IN ATTENDANCE. 

THE PRESIDENT WILL THEN DELIVER REMARKS AT THE CEMETERY’S AMPHITHEATER. 

LAST WEEK THE PRESIDENT ISSUED A PROCLAMATION FOR VETERANS DAY – IN PART – SAYING QUOTE 

“EACH ONE OF OUR NATION’S VETERANS IS A LINK IN A CHAIN OF HONOR THAT STRETCHES BACK TO OUR FOUNDING DAYS — BOUND BY A SACRED OATH TO SUPPORT AND DEFEND THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.  THROUGHOUT HISTORY, WHENEVER AND WHEREVER THE FORCES OF DARKNESS HAVE SOUGHT TO EXTINGUISH THE FLAME OF FREEDOM, AMERICA’S VETERANS HAVE BEEN FIGHTING TO KEEP IT BURNING BRIGHT.”