Deputy Secretary of Defense Patrick Shanahan will become the acting secretary on January 1, President Trump tweeted on Sunday.
Why it matters: This is two months earlier than Secretary James Mattis announced last week, a delay meant to ensure a smooth transition. While Trump initially praised Mattis after announcing his exit, the secretary's stark letter seems to have turned Trump, who has since publicly criticized Mattis.
Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios
Photo: Doug Mills-Pool/Getty Images
Joe Biden leads President Trump 48% to 42% in Wisconsin and 49% to 43% in Pennsylvania, according to the latest CBS/YouGov Battleground Tracker poll.
Why it matters: Trump's surprise wins in the two states, where many voters broke his way after deciding the week before the election, helped propel him to an Electoral College victory over Hillary Clinton. Trump won Wisconsin with 47% of the vote and Pennsylvania with 48% in 2016, according to the New York Times.
Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D- Conn.) called on the Trump administration to declassify intelligence detailing Russian efforts to influence the 2020 elections, telling MSNBC on Sunday that the classified briefing lawmakers received about the Kremlin's activities last week was "absolutely chilling."
The big picture: National Counterintelligence and Security Center Director William Evanina said in a statement Friday that the Russian government is "using a range of measures" to "denigrate" Joe Biden ahead of the election. China and Iran would prefer that Trump is defeated, according to Evanina.