WASHINGTON (AP) — The Latest on President-elect Donald Trump (all times EST):



2:49 p.m.



Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has telephoned President-elect Donald Trump and had a brief but "very engaging, animated conversation" in which both leaders invited each other to visit his country.



In a video released by Duterte's close aide, Bong Go, the Philippine leader is seen smiling while talking to Trump late Friday and saying: "We will maintain ... and enhance the bilateral ties between our two countries."



Duterte shuffled and looked at some notes during the conversation, which Go said lasted for more than seven minutes. The presidential palace earlier announced that Duterte will make a "congratulatory call" to Trump from his hometown in southern Davao city.



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2:40 p.m.



President-elect Donald Trump's transition team is pushing back against Democrats' calls for all Cabinet nominees to release their tax returns.



In a memo for supporters obtained by The Associated Press, transition officials say the calls are "a PR stunt with zero precedent designed to arm opposition researchers."



Senate Democrats on Thursday said they will push for all committees to require Cabinet and other high-level nominees to provide their tax returns ahead of their confirmation hearings. According to the Democrats, only three committees now have the authority to require tax returns.



The memo says Trump's nominees are "patriotic Americans, many of whom are selflessly leaving behind their private business careers to serve their country."



Trump has so far refused to release his own tax returns, breaking from recent precedent.



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1:59 p.m.



President-elect Donald Trump supports completion of the disputed Dakota Access oil pipeline in the Midwest, a policy that a spokesman says is not related to Trump's investments in a partnership building the $3.8 billion pipeline.



Spokesman Bryan Lanza says in a memo to supporters Trump's backing for the pipeline near a North Dakota Indian reservation "has nothing to do with his personal investments" and is based on policy.



The Associated Press obtained a copy of the memo.



Trump's federal disclosure forms show he owned a small amount of stock in Texas-based Energy Transfer Partners, the pipeline builder, and at least $100,000 in Phillips 66, which owns one-quarter of the pipeline.



Spokeswoman Hope Hicks said it is her understanding that Trump recently sold his Energy Transfer stock but provided no details.



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10:12 a.m.



Pennsylvania congressman Lou Barletta says he's talking to President-elect Donald Trump about the job of secretary of the Labor Department.



The three-term Republican lawmaker and hard-liner on immigration said Friday in an interview he'll talk to his family about the job over the weekend. Barletta insists, though, that the job hasn't been offered.



The congressman is on the Trump transition team, and he said Friday that the president-elect will make more Cabinet decisions next week.



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7:45 a.m.



A top aide to President-elect Donald Trump says law enforcement officials in his administration might continue investigations into Hillary Clinton's private email, even though Trump has signaled he prefers not to pursue the matter.



Kellyanne Conway was Trump's campaign manager. Conway said Friday Trump still prefers not to pursue a case against Clinton. But she says law enforcement officials and Congress "may take a look at that."



Speaking on ABC's Good Morning America, Conway said the Justice Department, Congress and the FBI could still review Clinton-related inquiries.



She spoke in response to "lock her up" chants that greeted Trump during a rally Thursday. During the campaign, Trump said he would have his attorney general appoint a special prosecutor to review the Clinton inquiries.



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7:01 a.m.



Lithuania's president is urging president-elect Donald Trump to uphold the United States' security commitment to Europe amid lingering doubts about his intentions toward NATO allies.



President Dalia Grybauskaite said Friday the U.S. remains "the guarantor of peace after the Second World War in Europe. We expect that this mission, and this understanding, will stay."



Trump suggested during the campaign that only allies paying their fair share might deserve protection from the U.S. Grybauskaite says Lithuania is on track to meet NATO's target for military spending by 2018.



She spoke in eastern Lithuania as NATO nations were winding up a major military exercise, part of the alliance's effort to reassure member countries close to Russia's borders.



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3:41 a.m.



The pugnacious, brawling Donald Trump voters got to know during the presidential campaign is back.



The president-elect returned to his campaign roots Thursday in his first major public appearance since Election Day, holding court in front of thousands of adoring fans — and even making the surprise announcement that he will be offering the post of Defense Secretary to retired Marine Corps Gen. James Mattis.



The raucous rally in Ohio had all the hallmarks of a reunion tour: Trump took a veiled swipe at fellow Republicans. He remembered his general election foe by joking, "We had fun fighting Hillary, didn't we?" He boasted about size of his victory and repeatedly bashed the media. Protesters briefly interrupted the proceedings. And the crowd chanted "Build the Wall" and "Lock Her Up."</s>WASHINGTON — President-elect Donald J. Trump spoke by telephone with Taiwan’s president on Friday, a striking break with nearly four decades of diplomatic practice that could precipitate a major rift with China even before Mr. Trump takes office.

Mr. Trump’s office said he had spoken with the Taiwanese president, Tsai Ing-wen, “who offered her congratulations.” He is believed to be the first president or president-elect who has spoken to a Taiwanese leader since at least 1979, when the United States severed diplomatic ties with Taiwan as part of its recognition of the People’s Republic of China.

In the statement, Mr. Trump’s office said the two leaders had noted “the close economic, political, and security ties” between Taiwan and the United States. Mr. Trump, it said, “also congratulated President Tsai on becoming President of Taiwan earlier this year.”

Mr. Trump’s motives in taking the call, which lasted more than 10 minutes, were not clear. In a Twitter message late Friday, he said Ms. Tsai “CALLED ME.”</s>(CNN) China's foreign ministry said Saturday it has lodged a complaint with the United States over a controversial phone call between President-elect Donald Trump and Taiwan's President that has overturned decades of diplomatic protocol.

China views Taiwan as a renegade province and, since 1979, the US has acknowledged Beijing's claim that Taiwan is part of China, with US-China relations governed by a set of protocols known as the "one China" policy.

This means there are no formal diplomatic relations between the United States and Taiwan -- so Trump's decision to take Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen's call could risk a major upset

"We have noticed relevant reports and lodged solemn representation with the relevant side in the United States," said a statement Saturday from China's Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang.

"I must point out that there is only one China in the world and Taiwan is an inseparable part of the Chinese territory ... The 'one China' principle is the political foundation of China-US relations.

"We urge the relevant side in the US to adhere to the 'one China' policy, abide by the pledges in the three joint China-US communiques, and handle issues related to Taiwan carefully and properly to avoid causing unnecessary interference to the overall China-U.S. relationship."

Earlier Saturday, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi labeled the phone call "a shenanigan by the Taiwan side" when he was asked about it on the sidelines of a foreign policy seminar.

"The 'one China' policy is the cornerstone of a healthy China-U.S. relationship. I hope this political foundation won't be disrupted or damaged," he said.

First time in decades

Trump's transition team said Friday that the President-elect had chatted with Tsai, who passed along her congratulations.

"During the discussion, they noted the close economic, political, and security ties (existing) between Taiwan and the United States. President-elect Trump also congratulated President Tsai on becoming President of Taiwan earlier this year."

The chat marks the first publicly reported call between a US President or President-elect and the leader of Taiwan since Washington established diplomatic relations with Beijing in 1979, said Bonnie Glaser, a China expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

It is perhaps the first major sign of the unpredictability that Trump has vowed to bring to long-held US relations with the rest of the world.

The call, first reported by the Financial Times, risks throwing US-China relations into a tailspin before Trump takes the oath of office January 20.

And it has prompted questions over whether Trump intends a shift in US policy, or if this was a blunder by a team with limited experience of international affairs.

Trump emphasized Friday night that Taipei initiated the call.

"The President of Taiwan CALLED ME today to wish me congratulations on winning the Presidency. Thank you!" tweeted the President-elect.

The President of Taiwan CALLED ME today to wish me congratulations on winning the Presidency. Thank you! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 3, 2016

He soon followed up by tweeting, "Interesting how the U.S. sells Taiwan billions of dollars of military equipment but I should not accept a congratulatory call."

Interesting how the U.S. sells Taiwan billions of dollars of military equipment but I should not accept a congratulatory call. — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 3, 2016

Taiwan's President published a statement Friday night about the phone call on an official website, which she described as an "intimate and relaxed conversation" lasting 10 minutes.

The two also shared their views on important policy points, the statement said, according to a translation, "in particular, to promote the domestic economy and strengthen national defense, allowing the people better lives and a guarantee of security. The two briefly exchanged opinions on the situation in the Asia region."

According to Taiwan's Presidential spokesman Alex Huang, Huang told CNN via text message that both sides agreed ahead of time before making contact, but would not give any further details including exactly when they agreed to the call.

Kellyanne Conway, Trump's campaign manager, told CNN's Anderson Cooper on "AC360" that she wouldn't go beyond what the transition team statement said. But the President-elect was fully aware of the call's implications, Conway suggested.

"He either will disclose or not disclose the full contents of that conversation but he's well aware of what US policy has been," Conway said.

The Trump Organization is also denying reports that it is considering building luxury hotels in the Taiwanese city of Taoyuan after the city's mayor was quoted last month as saying a representative did visit.

The mayor Cheng Wen-tsan told local media the Trump representative did visit in September and that company was interested in developing there.

"There have been no authorized visits to Taiwan on behalf of Trump Hotels for the purposes of development nor are there any active conversations. Trump Organization is not planning any expansion into Taiwan," a spokeswoman for the Trump Organization Saturday told CNN.

The spokeswoman, who asked not to be identified by name, added that the Trump Organization employee who was there was not part of the development team and was not there for those reasons but for sales purposes for existing Trump hotels.

'No change'

By Friday night, China had already reached out to the Obama administration. White House officials declined to comment on diplomatic discussions.

Ned Price, a spokesman for the US National Security Council, said "there is no change to our longstanding policy on cross-Strait issues."

"We remain firmly committed to our 'one China' policy based on the three Joint Communiques and the Taiwan Relations Act," he said. "Our fundamental interest is in peaceful and stable cross-Strait relations."

A different Obama administration official said there was no contact with either the White House or State Department about the call beforehand.

JUST WATCHED China: The biggest issue for the next US president? Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH China: The biggest issue for the next US president? 00:46

Kissinger -- secretary of state from 1973-77 -- is credited with secret diplomacy that helped Nixon open up Communist China to America and the West.

During their Beijing meeting, Kissinger told Xi "that he believes it is the expectation of the U.S. new administration to facilitate sustained, stable and better growth of U.S.-China relations," Xinhua reported.

'Major pivots'

The United States acknowledged China's claim that there is one China and that Taiwan is part of China in a joint communique signed in 1979 at the time of the formal establishment of relations between Washington and Beijing.

Chris Murphy, a Connecticut Democrat who sits on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, publicly blasted Trump for his actions in a series of tweets.

While it will soon be Trump's right to shift policy, alliances and strategy, Murphy said, "what has happened in the last 48 hours is not a shift. These are major pivots in foreign policy w/out any plan. That's how wars start."

He added that "if they aren't pivots - just radical temporary deviations - allies will walk if they have no clue what we stand for. Just as bad."

CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story misstated that Trump transition adviser Stephen Yates was in Taiwan and was involved in facilitating the call.</s>U.S. President-elect Donald Trump spoke by telephone on Thursday with Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg, who congratulated Trump on his election win, the Trump transition team said in a statement.

"The two leaders discussed the strong relationship between the United States and Norway," the statement said. "President-elect Trump said he looked forward to participating in alliance building forums to strengthen ties within the global community."</s>(CNN) It's a case of he said, he said between two of the world's most powerful men.

We know that Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and US President-elect Donald Trump spoke on the phone Wednesday.

What was said during that call is what's at issue.

After the conversation, the Pakistan Prime Minister's Office put out a statement directly quoting Trump -- a violation of diplomatic protocol -- in which he glowingly praised Sharif.

The statement quoted President-elect Trump as telling Sharif "you are a terrific guy. You are doing amazing work which is visible in every way. I am looking forward to see you soon. As I am talking to you, Prime Minister, I feel I am talking to a person I have known for long."

The President-elect's office put out a statement saying the two sides "had a productive conversation about how the United States and Pakistan will have a strong working relationship in the future."

The Trump team did not answer inquiries from CNN asking whether the President-elect actually said what the Pakistanis claimed he had.

Readouts of phone calls between world leaders are usually summarized in order to protect leaders from incidental backlash -- like the one the Trump team put out.

And political insiders say the calls themselves are usually quite formal.

"A president wouldn't gush over a foreign leader the way that Donald Trump did. He wouldn't volunteer to do all these things," says CNN political analyst David Gergen, who has served as an adviser to four presidents.

"Our relationship with Pakistan is one of the most sensitive and difficult relationships in the world. It's an extremely important relationship."

When making that call, a president would likely have a press aide and national security advisers at his side, according to Gergen.

"You'd carefully think through any call like that, you'd make your two or three points, [then] over and out," he said. "Especially don't leave them in a position where they could put out something so gushing that it hurts your relationship with India."

In the past, the President-elect has been a vocal critic of Pakistan.

"Get it straight: Pakistan is not our friend," he tweeted in 2011.

"When will Pakistan apologize to us for providing safe sanctuary to Osama Bin Laden for 6 years?! Some 'ally,'" he tweeted in 2012.

Speaking to reporters, a spokesman for India's Ministry of External Affairs said "we have only seen the one-sided version of that conversation."

Referring to Trump's apparent willingness to tackle "outstanding issues," he said that India believes the most pressing issue is "Pakistan's continued support of cross-border terrorism."

"To that extent we would welcome a dialogue between the US and Pakistan to resolve that issue," he added.

While the comments could have caused friction with Pakistan, they -- and the quotes the Pakistanis attribute to Trump -- fall in line with the President-elect's campaign pledge to employ the relationship-building skills he used in his business career in the diplomatic sphere.

It also could be another case of growing pains for a political newbie, if the quotes are accurate.

The President-elect is traditionally briefed by the State Department prior to making these calls. But Trump, as he's proven throughout his campaign, isn't one to stick to traditional political norms.

The State Department said it was contacted after the Trump team had already spoken with several world leaders.

"Quite frankly, nobody knows what the protocol is with Donald Trump," CNN Politics Executive Editor Mark Preston said.</s>In a stunning move likely to stoke anger in Beijing, Donald Trump on Friday became the first U.S. president or president-elect to speak directly with a leader of Taiwan since diplomatic ties were cut in 1979.

Trump spoke with Taiwanese President Tsai Ying-wen in a telephone call that threw into doubt the U.S. stance on the issue, known as the “one-China” policy, that recognized Beijing as the sole government of China 37 years ago.

Beijing views the island as a recalcitrant province to be reunited, by force if necessary.

“President-elect Trump spoke with President Tsai Ing-wen of Taiwan, who offered her congratulations,” the Trump transition team said in a statement Friday. “During the discussion, they noted the close economic, political, and security ties exists between Taiwan and the United States. President-elect Trump also congratulated President Tsai on becoming President of Taiwan earlier this year.”

It was not immediately clear which side initiated the telephone call, one of several Trump has made with world leaders since his election victory, or if it signals a policy shift, but any U.S. move that implied backing for independence would not be taken lightly by China, experts said.

While Washington cut formal ties with the island in 1979, it has maintained friendly, nonofficial relations with Taipei — including weapons sales — as part of its policy of deliberate ambiguity so as to maintain stability in cross-strait relations and deter potential invasion from the mainland.</s>On Wednesday, Pakistani Prime Minister Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif and U.S. President-elect Donald Trump spoke. Or, as this readout posted by the Pakistani government says, “Sharif called President-elect USA Donald Trump and felicitated him on his victory. President Trump said Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif you have a very good reputation. You are a terrific guy.”

The conversation quickly shifted into how “amazing” Pakistan is, and how much Donald Trump loves the Pakistani people (“Pakistanis are one of the most intelligent people”).

Then Trump figuratively tossed the rulebook of diplomacy out the window and reportedly said, “I am ready and willing to play any role that you want me to play to address and find solutions to the outstanding problems. It will be an honor and I will personally do it.”

As many a foreign policy observer was quick to note on Twitter, neither Pakistan nor India (nor anyone else, to be honest) knows whether to take what Trump says literally, seriously, literally but not seriously, seriously but not literally, or at face value.

Which means that Trump just promised the head of Pakistan, a country warped by the use and abuse of proxy terrorist groups, which is perpetually at odds with its nuclear-armed neighbor, which is deepening defense and economic ties with China, and which has been very recently rocked by cross-border violence, that he will personally take care of whatever Pakistan needs. It is all the more jarring given Trump’s outreach to Indians, and especially given chilly U.S-Pakistan ties and a growing rapprochement between the United States and India. And also given that New Delhi is waiting for Trump to declare Pakistan a terror state.

The conversation concluded with Trump saying he would love to visit “a fantastic country, fantastic place of fantastic people. Please convey to the Pakistani people that they are amazing and all Pakistanis I have known are exceptional people, said Mr. Donald Trump.”</s>Vice President-elect Mike Pence smiles as he speaks during the first stop of his post-election tour in Cincinnati in this December 1, 2016 photo. Mr. Pence called up Sri Lankan President Maitripala on Thursday and discussed strengthening of bilateral relations. | Photo Credit: AP

United States Vice-President-elect Mike Pence telephoned Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena and discussed strengthening of relations between the two countries, the government information department said on Friday.

Mr. Pence had called Sirisena on Thursday evening and invited the Sri Lankan President to visit the U.S., it said.

Mr. Sirisena congratulated Mr. Pence and U.S. President-elect Donald Trump on their victory. He told Mr. Pence that the two sides could work with each other in a broad democratic space. The two leaders discussed several other issues pertaining to bilateral relations.

On Saturday, Mr. Sirisena had told a political rally that he was planning to write to Mr. Trump urging him to drop the war crimes charges against Sri Lanka levelled at the U.N. Human Rights Council.

The Obama administration had backed three successive resolutions against Sri Lanka under former President Mahinda Rajapaksa since 2012 — the last of which in 2014 recommended an international investigation.

The Tamil minority was expecting Mr. Trump’s rival Hillary Clinton to beat him and had offered religious prayers for her victory.

Meanwhile, a statement issued by the Presidential Transition Team in the U.S. said that Mr. Sirisena thanked the Vice President-elect for his commitment to strong relations between the two nations and to government reform.

“Vice President-elect Pence shared his gratitude for the desire to work together and complimented President Sirisena for the work he has done to heal Sri Lanka and unite the country following civil war,” the statement said.

According to the Presidential Transition Team, Mr. Pence also spoke with the President of Mongolia, Prime Minister of Jamaica, President of Cyprus, Vice-President of the European Union and President of Armenia.

Mr. Trump has spoken with more than 40 world leaders so far, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi.</s>The transition team of United States president-elect Donald Trump is fuming over with the Pakistan government's version of his telephone conversation with Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.

Saying that Islamabad had overplayed President Elect Trump’s offer to play "a role" in resolving Pakistan's disputes with India, the transition team released its own version of the telephone call.

 

It said that both Prime Minister Sharif and US president-elect Donald Trump did have a 'productive conversation' on Wednesday (November 30).

 

The Dawn quoted the transition team's statement, as saying, "President-elect Trump and Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif spoke... had a productive conversation about how the United States and Pakistan will have a strong working relationship in the future."

 

"President-elect Trump also noted that he is looking forward to a lasting and strong personal relationship with Prime Minister Sharif," the statement added.

 

An unidentified adviser to the Trump team said the Pakistani readout of the talk had "committed the president-elect to more than what he meant".

 

The most critical comment on the Pakistani readout, however, came from a former White House press secretary, Ari Fleischer: "It is entirely inappropriate for the Pakistani government to release what an American president-elect says in the course of a phone call."

 

Fleischer, who was a member of former Republican president George Bush’s White House team and is close to the Trump transition team as well, noted that no government releases such readouts.

 

"We would never release what a foreign leader said to (ex-president) George W Bush. We would talk about what George W Bush said. But to release what somebody else says, I am not the spokesperson for Pakistan or any other nation," he told CNN.

 

"So, for them to do it is an entire breach of diplomatic protocol and tradition. And if they had done that to me, I would be on the phone right now with their press secretary, chewing him out. The ambassador would be on the phone with their ambassador, chewing the ambassador out. And up and down the chain," Fleischer added.

 

The US media also criticised the Pakistani decision to release the readout, agreeing with Fleischer that it was inappropriate.

 

"Readouts of phone calls between world leaders are usually written safely in order to protect leaders from incidental backlash -- like the one the Trump team put out," CNN noted.

 

The Washington Post called the Pakistani release "a surprisingly candid read" and noted that it "focuses almost entirely on Trump’s contribution to the conversation, and reproduces them in a voice that is unmistakably his (Trump's)".

 

The New York Times called it “a bizarre conversation”, noting that “while not exactly confirming the content, the Trump transition team did acknowledge the call”.</s>Khaama Press: The president-elect of the United States, Donald Trump vowed support under his upcoming administration to help unearth Afghanistan’s massive natural resources which include some of the world’s rare earth elements. Trump made the commitment during a telephone conversation with the Afghan President, Mohammad Ashraf Ghani. Click here to read more (external link).
United States President-elect Donald Trump holds a telephone conversation with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen, the first known contact between a U.S. president or president-elect with a Taiwanese leader since the United States recognized the People's Republic of China in 1979.