PBS News Hour

In our news wrap Wednesday, Secretary of State Blinken pledged to rush aid to Ukraine in the Biden administration's final months, a U.S. government employee has been charged with leaking classified information about Israel's plans to attack Iran, the FBI revealed Chinese affiliated actors targeted telecommunications companies and drug overdose deaths appear to be showing a sustained decline.

President-elect Trump took a victory lap in the nation’s capital, bouncing from meetings with House Republicans to President Biden in the Oval Office. It comes as critical roles are being filled, from more members of Trump’s cabinet to new leaders in the Senate. Lisa Desjardins reports.

President-elect Trump announced his picks to lead the bulk of the expansive, American security and diplomatic apparatus. A senator, a soldier-turned-television host and a former member of Congress have been chosen by Donald Trump to lead, respectively, the State Department, the Defense Department and the Directorate of National Intelligence. Nick Schifrin reports.

President-elect Trump nominated one of his most prominent loyalists in Congress to lead the Department of Justice. Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz is the former president’s pick to serve as the nation’s top prosecutor. The right-wing firebrand is well known for leading efforts to oust former Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy. Geoff Bennett discussed more with Carrie Johnson of NPR.

While a majority of Black and Latino voters turned out for Vice President Kamala Harris this election, President-elect Donald Trump made significant inroads with both groups. Voter surveys from the Associated Press show Trump won 43 percent of the overall Latino vote, an eight-point increase from 2020. Geoff Bennett discussed more with Pastor Samuel Rodriguez.

Donald Trump isn’t the only one preparing for his return to the White House. Several Democratic governors are uniting, they say, to protect democracy at the state level during Trump’s second term in office. Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker and Colorado Gov. Jared Polis announced the launch of Governors Safeguarding Democracy. Pritzker joined Amna Nawaz to discuss more.

President Biden hosted President-elect Trump at the White House for nearly two hours on Wednesday, a familiar ritual in the peaceful handoff of power. White House Correspondent Laura Barrón-López reports on the transition meeting.

For perspective on President-elect Trump's pick of Pete Hegseth to be Secretary of Defense, Nick Schifrin spoke with James McPherson. He served as under secretary of the Army and as the Army's general council during the first Trump administration. He also had a 25-year career in the Navy and served as that service's top lawyer in uniform.

A second Donald Trump administration is taking shape, one new appointee at a time. Tuesday, the president-elect tapped more of his closest allies to fill some of the government’s top posts. Among them is Sen. Marco Rubio, putting Trump’s one-time foe on track to becoming the first Latino to serve as the nation’s top diplomat. Laura Barrón-López reports.

President Biden met Israeli President Isaac Herzog in the Oval Office and reaffirmed his administration’s 'ironclad’ commitment to Israel. The Israeli government says Hamas is still holding 101 hostages in Gaza and Herzog said the war would continue until the hostages return home. Nick Schifrin discussed more with Dalia Cusnir, the sister-in-law of two hostages.

The 119th Congress will have several members whose elections made history. One of them is Representative-elect Sarah McBride, a state senator who won Delaware’s at-large seat in the House. She will become the first openly transgender member of the United States Congress. McBride joined Amna Nawaz to discuss more.

In our news wrap Tuesday, the U.S. will not limit arms transfers to Israel after seeing some progress in boosting aid to Gaza, a judge delayed a decision on whether to uphold Trump’s hush-money conviction, the airman who leaked classified military documents about the Ukraine war was sentenced and a judge blocked a Louisiana law forcing public schools to display the Ten Commandments in classrooms.