The Latest: Biden sees no change in US-Israel relations
WASHINGTON (AP) - The Latest on the U.S. election. (All times EST):
11 p.m.
Vice President Joe Biden says Donald Trump's election victory should have little effect on U.S.-Israel relations.
Biden was receiving an award from the World Jewish Congress at New York's Pierre Hotel on Wednesday night.
He says he has "no doubt, none whatsoever, that in a Trump administration there will be no diminution of support" for Israel.
Biden says that even if the new administration was inclined to reduce support, "Congress would never let it happen, the American people would never let it happen."
Former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, who presented Biden's award, admitted he expected the outcome of Tuesday's election "to be the opposite of what happened."
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6:50 p.m.
Bernie Sanders says he's prepared to work with Donald Trump to help the working class, but will "vigorously oppose" other policies promised by the president-elect.
The independent Vermont senator has released a statement noting Trump "tapped into the anger of a declining middle class that is sick and tired of establishment economics, establishment politics and the establishment media."
He says that if Trump "is serious about pursuing policies that improve the lives of working families in this country, I and other progressives are prepared to work with him."
But Sanders adds that if Trump "pursues racist, sexist, xenophobic and anti-environment policies, we will vigorously oppose him."
Sanders ran against Hillary Clinton for the Democratic presidential nomination, and supported her candidacy after she won that race.
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6:40 p.m.
The White House says Melania Trump will meet with first lady Michelle Obama on Thursday morning.
President Barack Obama has invited Donald Trump to the White House as the two leaders prepare for the transition of power following a bruising, often nasty presidential election.
Obama's meeting with the president-elect will take place in the Oval Office, while the first lady and Mrs. Trump will meet in the residence of the White House.
Obama says former President George W. Bush could not have been more gracious after his 2008 election victory and he has instructed his team to follow that example in preparing the way for Trump.
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6:30 p.m.
Kansas' secretary of state says he's serving on President-elect Donald Trump's transition team.
Kris Kobach, a conservative Republican, told various Kansas media outlets Wednesday he has no expectation of a role in Trump's eventual administration. But he says he's open to working for Trump, if offered.
Kobach will help advise Trump on policy matters leading up to his January inauguration.
He advised Trump on immigration policy during the campaign, adding to the Republican Party's platform Trump's plan to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border.
Kobach also served as counsel to Attorney General John Ashcroft during the President George W. Bush's administration.
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5:31 p.m.
Democratic Gov. Maggie Hassan has captured a New Hampshire Senate seat, defeating first-term Republican Sen. Kelly Ayotte.
The Associated Press called the race for Hassan on Wednesday.
Ayotte says in a statement that she has contacted Hassan to concede the close race and offer her congratulations. She is thanking the people of New Hampshire for their support.
Democrats have picked up two Republican-held Senate seats - one in Illinois, the other in New Hampshire. They had been far more optimistic about capturing GOP seats on Election Day, but lost in Indiana, Wisconsin, Missouri and North Carolina.
Republicans are expected to hold the Senate seat in Louisiana in next month's contest after a Republican and Democrat advanced to the runoff.
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5:25 p.m.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell says he has no interest in at least one agenda item preferred by President-elect Donald Trump: term limits for members of Congress.
Trump praised the idea during the campaign, but McConnell said Wednesday the issue is going nowhere in the Senate.
The Kentucky Republican tells reporters: "I would say we have term limits now. They're called elections. And it will not be on the agenda in the Senate."
McConnell also says he hopes Vice President-elect Mike Pence follows former Vice President Dick Cheney in attending the Senate GOP's weekly luncheons.
McConnell says Cheney, a former congressman, served almost as Senate liaison for President George W. Bush. He says he hopes Pence, a former Indiana congressman, will do the same for Trump.
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5:09 p.m.
Republican Sen. Kelly Ayotte of New Hampshire has conceded and congratulated her Democratic rival Gov. Maggie Hassan.
In a statement late Wednesday, Ayotte said the voters have spoken and "now it's time for all of us to come together to get things done" for the people of New Hampshire.
Ayotte, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee and leader on defense issues, said it was a tremendous privilege to serve one term. She thanked her family and supporters.
The Associated Press had not called the race because Hassan had a lead of just 0.1 percent.
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5:05 p.m.
Organizers of a comedy benefit featuring performances by John Oliver, George Lopez and others have canceled Wednesday's red carpet arrivals.
A spokeswoman for the Natural Resources Defense Council's "Night of Comedy" benefit in New York said Wednesday afternoon that "in light of current events, we will no longer be having the red carpet."
Seth Meyers is hosting the comedy benefit, where Mike Birbiglia and Hasan Minhaj are also performing.
The event was originally billed as "the place to be the night after the presidential election."
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4:38 p.m.
House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi has spoken to President-elect Trump and congratulated him on his upset victory over Hillary Clinton Tuesday night.
A spokesman says the California Democrat told Trump that she hoped to "find common ground where possible," including an infrastructure bill that could create jobs.
Each of the top four leaders in Congress - the top Democrat and Republicans in both House and Senate - has spoken with Trump since the election.
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4:20 p.m.
The FAA has imposed temporary flight restrictions over Donald Trump's high-rise home as a safety measure in response to his presidential victory.
A notice dated Wednesday bars aircraft from flying below 2,999 feet in midtown Manhattan, where Trump Tower is located, and in parts of Brooklyn and Queens. It says military aircraft supporting the Secret Service are exempt, along with police and emergency aircraft.
The FAA generally issues temporary restrictions when there's a special event or hazardous condition.
The notice says the New York City air space restrictions are needed because of "VIP movement." They expire Jan. 21.
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3:25 p.m.
Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren is proposing that she and President-elect Donald Trump "put aside our differences" and work together to rebuild the American economy for working people.
A favorite of liberals, Warren has waged a bitter war of words with Trump. She's called him a "pathetic coward" and worse on Twitter. He's nicknamed her "Pocahontas" - a reference to claims she made about being part Native American.
As recently as Monday, Trump called Warren a "terrible person," ''a terrible human being" and a "terrible senator."
In a statement Wednesday, Warren said the integrity of U.S. democracy is more important than an individual election. She said she hopes Trump will fulfill the role of president "with respect and concern for every single person in this country, no matter who they are."
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3:15 p.m.
White House spokesman Josh Earnest says President Barack Obama has congratulated the Senate's top Republican about his party's success in maintaining its majority in the Senate.
Earnest said Obama and Mitch McConnell discussed priorities that should be taken up as lawmakers meet before a new Congress takes office. They spoke Wednesday, the day after the election.
While he did not have details about the issues discussed, Earnest said Obama will continue to encourage Republican leaders to take up a massive trade agreement called the Trans-Pacific Partnership. He said the president believes the trade pact will benefit the U.S. economy. President-elect Donald Trump strongly opposes the deal.
Earnest says the president also hopes to talk with House Speaker Paul Ryan.
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3:05 p.m.
The White House says the President's Daily Brief and other intelligence materials are now being made available to President-elect Donald Trump, Vice President-elect Mike Pence and other members of Trump's transition team.
White House spokesman Josh Earnest said it's a courtesy that former President George W. Bush extended to President Barack Obama, Vice President Joe Biden and a few aides as they were preparing to take office.
The President's Daily Brief is a classified document delivered to the president each morning. Until his victory Tuesday, Trump had received some classified briefings but not as extensive as what he'll now be receiving.
Earnest says it's part of Obama's efforts to ensure a smooth transition.
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3 p.m.
The Senate's top Republican isn't interested in rehashing contentious comments President-elect Donald Trump made about Hispanics during the campaign.
Speaking to reporters Wednesday, Mitch McConnell of Kentucky wouldn't say whether he thought Trump's remarks have caused lasting damage to the Republican Party with an important demographic group. Trump has called some Mexicans rapists and criminals and had claimed that a judge might be biased against him because of the judge's Mexican heritage.
Several months ago, McConnell publicly worried that Trump could push Hispanics from the party as Arizona Sen. Barry Goldwater had done with blacks in the 1964 election.
McConnell said: "We should look forward and not backward and rehash and re-litigate the various debates we had both internally and with the Democrats over the past year."
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2:45 p.m.
White House spokesman Josh Earnest is disputing the notion that Thursday's meeting between President Barack Obama and President-elect Donald Trump will have an air of insincerity about it given the harsh things they've said about each other.
Earnest said "I'm not saying it's going to be an easy meeting." But he said the president is sincere about fulfilling a basic responsibility he has to ensure a smooth transition of power.
Earnest said the success of America's democracy depends on all citizens setting aside their partisan affiliations and political preferences, and rooting for the success of the American president.
During the campaign, Obama had called Trump unfit and unqualified.
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2:25 p.m.
Donald Trump is spending the day after winning the presidency holed up in Trump Tower, where sleep-deprived aides appear jubilant as they come and go.
The usually buzzing lobby of Trump's residence and campaign headquarters is currently closed to the general public, though an impersonator of the famous "Naked Cowboy" -wearing a robe - was at one point spotted strolling through.
The scene outside is chaotic, with protesters and a mass of press gathered in penned-off area. Curious onlookers are clogging foot traffic as they pause to take in the scene.
The east side of Manhattan's busy Fifth Avenue between 56th and 57th is also closed to the public with dump trucks filled with dirt forming a protective barrier outside the building's lobby.
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1:58 p.m.
White House spokesman Josh Earnest says President Barack Obama's top priority following Tuesday's election is not his legacy.
Earnest says the president is focused on the 20 million people who gained health insurance after the Affordable Care Act went into effect.
Earnest is taking questions from reporters about how the election results will affect Obama's legacy on issues such as health care and climate change.
Earnest says the president is also concerned about the prospect of protections being stripped from millions of Americans who benefit because health insurers are not allowed to discriminate based on pre-existing health conditions or impose a lifetime cap on expenses.
Earnest says the tearing away those protections would negatively affect a lot of people, and "that's something Republicans will have to consider moving forward."