Justice Samuel Alito has no plans to retire from the Supreme Court anytime soon, a source close to the justice told the Wall Street Journal, halting a flurry of speculation among some Republican leaders that Alito, 74, could vacate the bench to make room for a younger, more conservative jurist.

Rumors about Alito’s retirement began swirling almost immediately after Trump’s victory in the 2024 election, which also saw Republicans set to take back control of the Senate and retain control of the House in January.

With no filibuster allowed on Supreme Court appointments, the GOP majority would allow Trump to face little if any resistance in confirming his picks for high court justices, should the court’s two oldest conservative justices, Alito and Clarence Thomas, retire.

Alito, for his part, has made clear he has no plans to do so. 

‘Despite what some people may think, this is a man who has never thought about this job from a political perspective,’ a person close to Alito told the Wall Street Journal, which first reported the news of his intention to remain on the bench. 

‘The idea that he’s going to retire for political considerations is not consistent with who he is,’ this person added.

Alito was appointed to the Supreme Court in 2006 by President George W. Bush. 

At 74, Alito is the second-oldest justice on the bench behind Justice Clarence Thomas, 76, who was appointed to the court by President George H.W. Bush in 1991. Sonia Sotomayor, appointed by President Obama in 2009, is 70.

But pressure for Alito and Thomas to step aside to make way for younger, Trump-picked candidates could prove to be deeply polarizing at a time when public approval of the Supreme Court is in the mid 40s, according to a Gallup survey in September.

Conservatives currently hold a 6-3 majority on the Supreme Court. Trump named three justices to the Supreme Court during his first term, preserving its conservative majority. President Biden, for his part, most recently named Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson to the court in 2022 after the retirement of Justice Stephen Breyer.

If Alito and Thomas were to retire from the bench, Trump could become the first president since Eisenhower, also a Republican, to name a majority of the justices of the Supreme Court.

President-elect Trump has appointed a longtime ally, New York businessman Steven Witkoff, as his Special Envoy to the Middle East.

Witkoff is a real estate investor, landlord, and the founder of the Witkoff Group, which he started in 1977.

In his announcement, Trump said that Witkoff would be an ‘unrelenting Voice for PEACE’ in the highly-contentious region.

‘Steve is a Highly Respected Leader in Business and Philanthropy, who has made every project and community he has been involved with stronger and more prosperous,’ the announcement on Tuesday evening said. ‘Steve will be an unrelenting Voice for PEACE, and make us all proud.’

Since winning the election last week, President-elect Trump has begun evaluating and rolling out his Cabinet picks, with dozens of people jockeying for about two dozen of the highest-level positions in government. 

So far, Trump has only confirmed three names, though others have been leaked to the media. 

Here’s a roundup of who will join Trump’s Cabinet: 

Publicly announced

Chief of Staff – Susie Wiles

Wiles has been widely lauded for heading Trump’s successful campaign this year, having run Trump’s campaign operations in Florida in 2016 and 2020. She maintained close ties with the president-elect throughout the Biden administration and signed on as CEO of Trump’s Save America PAC in 2021. 

‘Susie is tough, smart, innovative and is universally admired and respected. Susie will continue to work tirelessly to Make America Great Again. It is a well deserved honor to have Susie as the first-ever female Chief of Staff in United States history. I have no doubt that she will make our country proud,’ Trump said in a statement. 

United Nations Ambassador – Elise Stefanik

The New York Republican representative and current House GOP Conference Chair has been an attack dog for Trump in Congress. She is a staunch supporter of Israel, having made headlines for her combative lines of questioning of Ivy League university presidents over their handling of anti-Israel protests, some of which prompted the presidents to resign.

National Security Advisor – Michael Waltz 

On Tuesday, Trump announced the Florida Republican representative and former Army Green Beret would be his national security adviser. He’s decidedly a hawk on China and Iran. 

‘Mike retired as a Colonel, and is a nationally recognized leader in National Security, a bestselling author, and an expert on the threats posed by China, Russia, Iran, and global terrorism,’ Trump said in a statement. 

‘Mike has been a strong champion of my America First Foreign Policy agenda, and will be a tremendous champion of our pursuit of Peace through Strength!’

Israel Ambassador – Mike Huckabee 

Huckabee, the former governor of Arkansas, is a staunch supporter of Israel, prompted by his evangelical faith. 

‘Mike has been a great public servant, Governor, and Leader in Faith for many years. He loves Israel, and the people of Israel, and likewise, the people of Israel love him’, a statement attached to Trump’s Truth Social post said. ‘Mike will work tirelessly to bring about Peace in the Middle East!’

EPA Administrator – Lee Zeldin 

Zeldin, a former House Republican from New York, had a notably strong, but unsuccessful, showing in the race for governor against Kathy Hochul in 2022. During that race, he called for New York to lift its ban on fracking. He also lost his House race for re-election in 2022 but has maintained ties with the Trump team. 

Likely picks 

Secretary of State – Marco Rubio

Sources tell Fox News Trump has settled on Rubio, another Iran and China hawk, to run the State Department. Rubio, a Republican from Florida and top GOP member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, ran for president in 2016 when he and Trump traded barbs, with Trump calling him ‘little Marco.’ 

It’s all seemingly water under the bridge now. Rubio was reportedly on a short list for VP picks earlier this year. 

Non-Cabinet picks 

‘Border Czar’ – Tom Homan 

Homan, the former acting director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, was an architect of Trump’s zero-tolerance policy during his first administration, one that led to backlash from family separations at the border. 

Homan has served under six administrations and presidents in both parties, dating back to the Reagan era, as a rank-and-file Border Patrol agent. He was appointed to the position of executive associate director of enforcement and removal operations for ICE under President Obama.

While serving at a ‘czar’ level rather than in an official Cabinet position, Homan will be in charge of ‘the Southern Border, the Northern Border, all Maritime, and Aviation Security,’ Trump announced on Truth Social. 

‘I’ve known Tom for a long time, and there is nobody better at policing and controlling our Borders,’ Trump wrote. ‘Likewise, Tom Homan will be in charge of all Deportation of Illegal Aliens back to their Country of Origin. Congratulations to Tom. I have no doubt he will do a fantastic, and long awaited for, job.’

The Biden administration will support a U.N. treaty this week that will create a new cybercrime convention that includes China and Russia — which has not sat well with some lawmakers and critics. 

Since 2001, the global governance around cybercrime has largely been coordinated by the Budapest Convention, a product of the Council of Europe that includes 76 countries. It does not include Russia or China. However, under the U.N.’s new cybercrime convention, these two adversarial nations will be welcomed into the global cybercrime governance fold.  

The move, confirmed by top officials familiar with the issue, has been met with concern from those who fear that a new global alliance on cybersecurity involving two of the nation’s most adversarial nations could spell trouble.

‘We recognize that defending human rights and core principles of internet freedom is not easy,’ a group of Democratic lawmakers on the Hill wrote last week to top officials in the Biden administration, including Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Attorney General Merrick Garland and Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs, Jake Sullivan. ‘Russia, China and other regimes opposed to democratic freedoms are always working to create international legitimacy for their actions and worldview … Unfortunately, these efforts – while laudable – are insufficient to fix fundamental flaws in the convention.’

The decision to support the new treaty came after months of deliberations between the Biden administration and others, including hundreds of nongovernmental entities involved in human rights and other relevant issues. According to a senior administration official, the U.S. ‘decided to remain with consensus,’ arguing the U.S.’s sway on global ‘rights-respecting’ cybersecurity policy will be greater under the new convention.

To help address concerns that have been raised about the convention, the Biden administration plans to develop a risk management plan and will engage with nongovernmental stakeholders to help refine it. 

A ‘consensus proceeding’ took place Monday, and the resolution was approved without a vote. According to Politico, it is expected to be adopted by the General Assembly later this year. 

Meanwhile, President-elect Donald Trump announced on Monday that he would be nominating New York GOP Rep. Elise Stefanik to be the next U.N. ambassador in his administration.

The White House declined to comment on the record for this story.

President-elect Trump has hit the ground running on filling out his potential future cabinet, announcing names for key positions well before he did following his 2016 election win.

Trump has announced six Cabinet picks in the week since winning the election, most recently tapping Rep. Mike Waltz, R-Fla., to serve as his national security adviser.

‘Mike is the first Green Beret to have been elected to Congress, and previously served in the White House and Pentagon. Mike served in the Army Special Forces for 27 years where he was deployed multiple times in combat for which he was awarded four Bronze Stars, including two with Valor,’ Trump said on Truth Social Tuesday when announcing the selection.

The announcement for Waltz came just a week after Election Day and well before Trump tapped former Army Gen. Mike Flynn to fill the same position after the 2016 election, having announced Flynn on Nov. 18, 10 days after the election.

Trump has also made a quick announcement with his pick of Rep. Elise Stefanik to serve as U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations. The president-elect made that announcement on Nov. 11, nearly two weeks earlier than his Nov. 23 announcement in 2016 of then-Gov. Nikki Haley of South Carolina to fill that role. Haley went on to run unsuccessfully in 2024 for the GOP presidential nomination.

‘I am honored to nominate Chairwoman Elise Stefanik to serve in my Cabinet as U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations. Elise is an incredibly strong, tough, and smart America First fighter,’ Trump said in a statement following the pick of Stefanik.

Two days earlier via a Truth Social post, Trump said of Haley that he would ‘not be inviting’ her to join the new administration, although he added he ‘very much enjoyed and appreciated working with’ her.

Joining the flurry of Nov. 11 announcements was former New York Republican Rep. Lee Zeldin to lead the Environmental Protection Agency, a pick Trump didn’t make until Dec. 7, 2016, when he tapped Scott Pruitt to serve in the role.

‘He will ensure fair and swift deregulatory decisions that will be enacted in a way to unleash the power of American businesses, while at the same time maintaining the highest environmental standards, including the cleanest air and water on the planet,’ Trump said in a statement on the Zeldin selection. ‘He will set new standards on environmental review and maintenance, that will allow the United States to grow in a healthy and well-structured way.’

Zeldin ran unsuccessfully for New York governor in 2022, losing to Democratic incumbent Gov. Kathy Hochul, but receiving praise from Republicans for a valiant effort that helped Republicans in the midterms. 

‘Lee Zeldin probably helped save the House by bringing four new Republican congressmen-elect across the finish line,’ wrote Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., in a Nov. 14, 2022 Facebook post. ‘We owe him a lot.’

Trump also moved swiftly to announce longtime adviser Susie Wiles would serve as his chief of staff on Nov. 6, the day after the election. In 2016, Trump announced his choice of Reince Priebus for chief of staff on Nov. 13, five days after his victory at the polls.

‘Susie is tough, smart, innovative, and is universally admired and respected. Susie will continue to work tirelessly to Make America Great Again. It is a well deserved honor to have Susie as the first-ever female Chief of Staff in United States history. I have no doubt that she will make our country proud,’ Trump said after the selection of Wiles.

Joining the group in the administration will be longtime Trump adviser Stephen Miller as deputy chief of staff for policy and former Immigration and Customs Enforcement director Tom Homan, who has served under six administrations and for presidents of both parties dating back to former President Ronald Reagan and will serve the Trump administration as ‘border czar.’

‘I’ve known Tom for a long time, and there is nobody better at policing and controlling our Borders. Likewise, Tom Homan will be in charge of all Deportation of Illegal Aliens back to their Country of Origin. Congratulations to Tom. I have no doubt he will do a fantastic, and long awaited for, job,’ Trump said of Homan, who was the executive associate director of enforcement and removal operations for ICE under former President Barack Obama.

Meanwhile, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio is reported to be in line to serve as secretary of state, while North Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem is reported to be Trump’s pick to head the Department of Homeland Security, though Trump has yet to make either selection official.

The Trump transition team did not immediately respond to a Fox News Digital request for comment.

President-elect Donald Trump’s selection of two House Republicans to serve in his administration could pose issues if the GOP’s majority in the chamber ends up critically thin.

Trump has selected House GOP Conference Chair Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., as his ambassador to the United Nations, while a source told Fox News Digital that he picked Rep. Mike Waltz, R-Fla., to be his National Security Adviser.

Both represent Republican stronghold districts that have little chance of falling into Democratic hands in special elections.

However, those special elections could take place weeks or months after the new term begins in January 2025, which could slow down Trump’s plans for an ambitious first 100-day agenda.

‘That’s an agenda we’ve been working on with President Trump for months now. We didn’t wait until the day after the election to start planning this, and this shows the relentless focus of Donald Trump,’ House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., said during a press conference on Tuesday.

‘I know he’s already pulled a few really talented people out of the House – hopefully no more for a little while until special elections come up, but it shows you the talent that we have and the ability we have.’

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., similarly said he did not believe Trump would select any more House members for his administration and said he and Trump broached the topic in discussions.

‘President Trump fully understands and appreciates the math here, and it’s just a numbers game. You know, we believe we’re going to have a larger majority than we had last time. It’s too early to handicap it, but we are optimistic about that,’ Johnson said.

‘But every single vote will count, because if someone gets ill or has a car accident or a late flight on their plane, then it affects the votes on the floor. So, I think he and administration are well attuned to that. I don’t expect that we will have more members leaving, but I’ll leave that up to him.’

House Republicans are on track to win a single-digit majority in the chamber.

It is not much different than it was during the 118th Congress, but GOP leaders will likely face more pressure to keep members in line when working to enact Trump’s will.

National security minds in Washington, D.C., are awaiting President-elect Donald Trump’s decision for defense secretary.

Trump’s pick of Rep. Michael Waltz, R-Fla., as his national security adviser and his expected pick of Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., for secretary of state, set a tone for his foreign policy that is expected to be hawkish on China and Iran. 

Whoever Trump picks for defense secretary will oversee major changes within the Pentagon, both a reorienting of troop posture abroad and an across-the-board stripping of DEI provisions they believe caused the Pentagon to go ‘woke’ under President Biden. 

A litany of names has been tossed around for who could lead the government’s largest agency, with one running theme: while his pick needs to pass a Senate confirmation, Trump is expected to appoint a loyalist who will not undermine him. 

During his first term, five men held the job as Pentagon chief only to resign, be fired or serve briefly as a stopgap.

‘I don’t think [Trump] really knows yet who he wants for defense secretary,’ one source familiar with the transition process said. ‘I don’t think he’s decided.’

One possibility is Robert Wilkie, Trump’s former Veterans’ Affairs secretary. Prior to his VA confirmation in 2018, he served as undersecretary of defense for personnel and readiness under Trump and served in both the Navy and Air Force Reserve. Wilkie has been leading the Trump transition team with Pentagon staffing. 

Wilkie is a fellow at the Trump-aligned America First Policy Institute and a military analyst for Newsmax. 

Another name is Robert O’Brien, Trump’s former national security adviser who has also been involved with the transition team. O’Brien told Fox News Digital that ‘of course’ he would return to a Trump administration. 

O’Brien has been outspoken about the need to pivot U.S. defenses to China. He said the way to force Russia to the negotiating table with Ukraine was through steeper sanctions – and bringing Ukraine into NATO ‘risks World War III.’ 

Richard Grenell, Trump’s former acting director of national intelligence and German ambassador, was also expected to land a national security role in this administration. With the state and national security adviser roles filled, he, too, could land at the Department of Defense. 

Throughout the campaign, Grenell advised Trump on foreign policy and political issues, and led outreach to Arab Americans in Michigan. He appeared with Trump in September when he met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Grenell was a pro-Trump antagonist to Europe during his time in Germany, with the former president joking about former German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s happiness when Grenell was moved to the national security role. 

Sen. Joni Ernst, the defense-minded Iowa Republican and current GOP conference chair, has also been floated as a possibility, a source confirmed to Fox News Digital, but she remains ‘laser-focused’ on her GOP conference chair race. She also served in the Army Reserve and Iowa Army National Guard. 

If picked, she would be the first female defense secretary. 

Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Ala., head of the House Armed Services Committee, was also under consideration and has been contacted by the transition team, a source familiar confirmed. 

However, two sources said that Trump is likely to pull from the private sector for this role. Picking from Congress would whittle away narrow GOP majorities in those chambers, at least until seats were filled. 

Rogers is also a staunch supporter of aiding Ukraine – a position that might put him at odds with Trump. 

Retired Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg, who held high-level national security posts during Trump’s first term, has also been named as a possibility. 

‘The president is going to make the call on who is in his administration,’ Kellogg recently told Fox News Radio’s Guy Benson, while suggesting he would say yes if the president called. ‘It’s going to be a very loyal team.’ 

Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., had been a lead contender for an administration role, likely defense secretary or CIA head, but pulled his name from the running, a source confirmed. He is running for Republican Conference chair and is likely to take over Rubio’s position as head of the Intelligence Committee.

Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had been floated, but on Saturday, Trump posted on Truth Social that Pompeo would not be joining this administration – and neither would former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley. 

Fox News’ Liz Elkind contributed to this report.