U.S. and world news for Nov. 13

Elon Musk: Donald Trump has named multi-billionaire Elon Musk to head a new department in his administration that Trump calls the Department of Government Efficiency. The new department would be responsible for gutting existing government departments that Trump doesn’t like. The department that Musk would run apparently also would supervise government contracts that Musk’s companies have that are worth billions of dollars. Musk’s internet platform called “X” was loaded with material supporting Trump during the presidential campaign.  

Defense Secretary: Donald Trump has named Fox News weekend host Pete Hegseth to be secretary of defense for his administration. Hegseth is a graduate of Princeton and has a master’s degree from Harvard. He served in National Guard units. He has no experience managing an organization like the Pentagon. Hegseth has been active with a conservative veterans organization that advocates privatizing some Department of Veterans Affairs functions and shutting down some U.S. military bases overseas.

Ambassador to Israel: Donald Trump has picked former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee to be his ambassador to Israel. In a speech made in 2008, Huckabee said that in his opinion there is no such thing as a Palestinian. In a 2015 interview on Israeli television, Huckabee said that a two-state solution in which Israel gives up some of its land is unworkable and that any Palestinian state should be somewhere in the rest of the world. He did not explain in that interview how there could be a Palestinian state when in his opinion there is no such thing as a Palestinian. His daughter Sarah was a press secretary for Trump when he was in the White House.

Inflation: The Consumer Price Index (CPI) increased 0.2% in October, according to information released this morning by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Over the last 12 months, the CPI increased 2.6%. The cost of buying food in stores rose 0.2% in October, with the increase for the 12 months ending in October standing at 2.1%. Energy rose 0.3% in October, the same increase as in August and September. However, over the 12 months ending in October energy was down 4.9%.

Haiti: The Federal Aviation Administration has ordered U.S. airlines to stop flying to Haiti for 30 days following three U.S. airliners being hit with bullets while landing or departing from the airport at Haiti’s capital, Port-au-Prince. The FAA order also prohibits U.S. aircraft from flying below 10,000 feet in Haitian airspace. The airport at Port-au-Prince has been closed until Nov. 18 because of violence by gangs in the city. The U.S. warns that it cannot guarantee the safety of U.S. citizens traveling to Haiti.

Sentencing: A federal judge in Boston has sentenced Jack Teixeira to 15 years in federal prison for leaking classified government secrets. While serving in the Massachusetts Air National Guard Teixeira photographed hundreds of secret government documents and then posted the images on the internet. He pleaded guilty to six counts of violating the Espionage Act. An FBI official said that his actions will hurt U.S. national security for decades.