Axios

Our hearts are melting after we saw this viral tweet about a Ty Beanie Baby someone spotted recently at CVS.

State of play: After 18-year-old Devin Silva posted on X about mercy-buying Cookie last week, sales have soared, NBC News reported.

• The post — which has now been seen some 28 million times — "had the internet in a state of cuteness-induced hypnosis over the past week," USA Today wrote.
• The gingerbread plushie — which appears to be an ornament? — is listed for sale for $3.99 on TY's website, though X users have reported it's been periodically sold out.

💭 Nathan's thought bubble: I rushed over to the CVS near the Axios office this morning in Arlington, Virginia, and I'm sad to report Cookie wasn't there.

• I am devastated.

If Elon Musk can effectively veto a congressional budget deal, imagine how much influence he might wield over more arcane policy issues affecting his pantheon of business interests.

Why it matters: The incoming Trump administration and Congress could soon take action on a litany of regulatory matters and spending affecting the self-proclaimed First Buddy's business empire, including self-driving cars, space and AI.

Donald Trump wasn't physically present at the Amazon workers' strike Thursday, but he's part of the reason the union can flex its muscles with a work stoppage mere days before Christmas.

Why it matters: Since its founding as an indy worker group, the Amazon union joined the Teamsters — one of the biggest in the country — whose president Sean O'Brien just spent the past few months cultivating a relationship with the president-elect.

Wednesday's extraordinary display of Elon Musk's social media power saw the world's richest man funnel the anger of his hundreds of millions of online followers against a bipartisan compromise funding bill.

Why it matters: Musk's arresting demonstration of government-by-tweet left Washington reeling — but the magic trick will get harder to repeat.

Four federal charges were filed against Luigi Mangione in connection to the death of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, according to a federal complaint unsealed Thursday.

The big picture: The anticipated federal complaint, filed in the Southern District of New York, piles onto state charges Mangione is already facing, including 11 counts in New York and 5 in Pennsylvania.

The past two days on Capitol Hill raise the prospect of a more unpredictable period for U.S. fiscal policy than seemed likely a few days ago.

Why it matters: Economists' hope has been that unified Republican control of the White House would create similar tax and spending outcomes as when they controlled those branches in 2017 — tax cuts paired with steady-as-she-goes spending.

Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) is floating Elon Musk to be Speaker of the House after the powerful, billionaire tech businessman helped torpedo a bipartisan agreement on a short-term spending bill.

Why it matters: He's the first GOP lawmaker to explicitly suggest Musk should be Speaker, and his comments come as Speaker Mike Johnson's (R-La.) bid to keep his job is under serious threat.

Democratic members of Congress are incensed at the outsized power billionaire-turned-Trump lieutenant Elon Musk appears to be exercising over the policymaking process.

Why it matters: Musk's fervent public opposition helped scuttle a federal funding deal Democrats were prepared to support en masse — putting the government on the brink of a holiday shutdown.

The International Brotherhood of Teamsters launched a strike against Amazon Thursday morning, saying workers at seven facilities would take to the picket line.

The big picture: The strike, which the union is calling the largest against Amazon in U.S. history, coincides with the final week of holiday shopping — one of the company's busiest times of year.

Google used search data to determine the most popular Christmas cookies in each state, but we're calling B.S. on Tennessee's champion.

Zoom in: The search engine tells us the "cookie" that got the most unique search traffic in Tennessee was a bûche de Noël, otherwise known as a Yule log.

Yes, but: There's a problem with that selection.

• To borrow a phrase from that Netflix show, it's a cake.
• Louisiana and California also got stuck with this non-cookie dessert, which consists of chocolate cake rolled into a log-like swirl.

New cars are very expensive — the average transaction price last month was $48,724, per Axios corporate cousin Cox Automotive. But, weirdly, that's not because of inflation in the price of new cars.

Why it matters: Americans are paying more for new cars mainly because they're trading up in size.

David Axelrod — whose zeitgeisty "The Axe Files" podcast is a favorite of anyone obsessed with media and politics — is making a surprise exit, with Rahm Emanuel as his final guest.

• "Today's podcast will be the 605th episode of The Axe Files, and, at least for now, the last," says Axelrod, who was a Chicago Tribune political reporter before he became the architect of Barack Obama's historic rise.

Elon Musk is arguably the most powerful person in business, the most powerful man in media and, at least at this moment, the most powerful man in politics.

Why it matters: This much power, across this many pillars of society, is without precedent. Musk yesterday single-handedly, his voice amplified by his daylong bombardment of scores of tweets on his X platform, sank a 1,547-page, bipartisan House spending bill aimed at preventing a government shutdown at 12:01 a.m. Saturday.

As the executive vice president of global communications and public affairs at The Estée Lauder Companies, Meridith Webster is responsible for driving, elevating and protecting the reputations of the company, its brands and its leaders.

Why it matters: Webster's team is tasked with keeping Estée Lauder's corporate reputation intact amid a leadership change and family succession drama.

Tech CEOs are scrambling to land on President-elect Trump's nice list ahead of his inauguration next month, with Meta, Amazon, Uber and OpenAI's Sam Altman each donating at least $1 million to the inaugural fund.

• Meanwhile, the typically very vocal and leaky employee bases have remained eerily quiet.

Why it matters: The lack of employee backlash represents a stark shift from the corporate activism witnessed during Trump's first term.

Audiences have splintered into several information bubbles, based on ideology, wealth, jobs, age and location — making it nearly impossible for big brands to reach every consumer.

Why it matters: In the age of media fragmentation, it's not just about finding an audience, it's about creating a cult.

Here's what's new on Peacock, Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, Apple TV+ and Max.

What we're watching: A dark comedy about a woman who finds out her former lovers are dying, a biopic about a little-known World War II unit, and the second season of "Dear Santa: The Series."

The value of mergers and acquisitions grew across the globe this year, boosted by deals in Japan and Europe, as CEOs ended the year with more confidence than they started.

Why it matters: The uptick provides a bullish sign for the market and the broader economy as companies see multiple catalysts for dealmaking.