Ex-Fox host gets top military job in Trump's new cabinet picks

In a surprise move this november‚ president-elect Donald Trump picked ex-Fox News host Pete Hegseth as his Defense Secretary choice: a decision that got mixed reactions from defense experts

Hegseth brings military background (having served in Iraq Afghanistan and Guantanamo) but no government leadership experience. His Princeton-Harvard education and two Bronze Stars show some credentials however his recent book about military culture makes some experts worry

The full national-security team includes Marco Rubio for State Department and Mike Waltz as national-security advisor. Here are other key appointments:

• Tulsi Gabbard - Intelligence Director
• Kristi Noem - Homeland Security
• John Ratcliffe - CIA Director
• Matt Gaetz - Attorney General
• Stephen Miller - Policy advisor

Sources say Trump talked with Putin last thursday about Ukraine (though Kremlin denies this). Israeli officials hint at possible Lebanon cease-fire plans by january - potentially timed for the new administration

The transition team denied reports about plans to remove high-ranking military officers‚ but Hegsethʼs past comments suggest changes might come. In a recent podcast he suggested firing generals involved in diversity programs

Thereʼs no plan to establish a board at this time

International events keep moving forward with upcoming meetings: Peru hosts APEC summit this weekend where Biden meets Xi‚ followed by G-20 in Rio next week. Meanwhile Haiti faces increased violence - forcing US flight cancellations‚ and Sudanʼs war shows worse numbers than expected