A pair of newly elected governors — two Democratic rising stars — want to steal the GOP's thunder on patriotism and freedom.

• Govs.-elect Wes Moore of Maryland and Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania made this messaging central to their campaigns against Trump-backed election deniers, Axios' Alexi McCammond reports.

Why it matters: Dems have a huge branding problem, with voters questioning "whether the party shares essential values like patriotism," the center-left Democratic think tank Third Way has warned.

While addressing reporters at a Democratic Governors Association press conference in New Orleans earlier this month, Shapiro said "freedom" 14 times in his 5-minute opening remarks. Moore used "patriot" or "patriotism" seven times in his.

• Moore is a Black veteran whose service in Afghanistan was central to his campaign.

Between the lines: Mainstream Democrats prevailed in November, while far-left candidates underperformed — a potential playbook for use against Trump-aligned Republicans, Third Way found.

What's happening: Democrats in the mold of Moore and Shapiro talk about sweeping policy agendas — education, health care, jobs — through the lens of freedom.

• "Freedom isn't telling women what they're allowed to do with their bodies," Shapiro said. "Freedom isn't telling people they can work a 40-hour workweek but can't be a member of a union."
• Democratic operatives say this approach can energize the Democratic base in swing states while appealing to Republicans and independents.

Lis Smith, senior adviser to Pete Buttigieg's 2020 presidential campaign, told us: "There was an idea that Republicans own the value of freedom, so we should go out there and talk about other values that people more closely associate with Democrats."

• "They couldn't have been more wrong."

President Biden has invoked Jon Meacham by saying he wants to save "the soul of America."

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Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm is expected to announce a major step forward in fusion energy tomorrow.

• Why it matters: Decades of effort have gone into fusion energy, which promises almost limitless carbon-free power — without the dangerous waste from traditional fission reactors, Axios' Ben Geman reports.

The breakthrough came in the past two weeks at the National Ignition Facility of the federal Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California, the Financial Times scooped (subscription).

• Granholm will announce scientists for the first time have produced "a fusion reaction that creates a net energy gain — a major milestone in the decades-long, multibillion-dollar quest to develop a technology that provides unlimited, cheap, clean power," The Washington Post adds.

🥊 Reality check: Progress in showing conceptual viability would be just one stop on the long scientific, technical and financial road to commercializing this long-elusive holy grail.

🔮 What's next: Granholm's announcement tomorrow is billed as a "major scientific breakthrough.

• Go deeper: Axios' Alison Snyder explored fusion energy earlier this year.

The International Olympic Committee is putting off choosing a host for the 2030 Winter Games, saying it needs to investigate how climate change will affect venues for snow sports.

• Why it matters: The committee fears a decline in "climate-reliable" cities in coming decades, reports Erin Alberty of Axios Salt Lake City.

Salt Lake City and Sapporo, Japan, are the two likeliest candidates for 2030. Vancouver, Canada, may also be a contender.

• The IOC is looking at creating a host rotation, which could guarantee that Salt Lake City will host the games repeatedly — as long as it's cold enough and snowy enough.

🧊 By the numbers: The IOC may require hosts to show average minimum temperatures below 32° F over 10 years at snow-sports venues.

• Salt Lake City's organizers say the city will meet those requirements until at least 2050.

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Karen Bass, L.A.'s first female mayor in the city's 241 years, was sworn in yesterday by Vice President Kamala Harris, a longtime friend and former California attorney general.

• Bass, 69, a six-term Democratic congresswoman, will declare a state of emergency on homelessness today, her first official day in office.

"The first Black woman elected mayor of Los Angeles was joined by the first female vice president, the first woman to lead the California Senate and California's first female lieutenant governor," the L.A. Times reports.

• In a surprise appearance, Stevie Wonder got the crowd dancing while he played "Living for the City."

NASA's uncrewed Orion spacecraft splashed back to Earth after a flight around the Moon — a key step toward returning humans to the lunar surface.

• NASA could put people back on the Moon as soon as 2025, Axios Space author Miriam Kramer reports.
• This was the first flight of NASA’s new Artemis moon program. On the next mission, astronauts will circle the Moon before returning.

The capsule you see above hit the atmosphere at Mach 32 (32 times the speed of sound) and endured reentry temperatures of 5,000° F before splashing down in the Pacific, west of Baja California.

• Three test dummies inside were rigged with vibration sensors and radiation monitors.

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As Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey (R) prepares to leave office next month, work crews have erected up to 3,000 double-stacked shipping containers along Arizona's remote eastern boundary with Mexico, AP reports.

• Environmentalists have slowed the $95 million project by standing in front of construction vehicles.

Ducey pressed forward over the objections of federal agencies and Gov.-elect Katie Hobbs (D).

Tom Brady took a bold request like a GOAT after a rough game yesterday, with an opponent telling him it's an honor just to play against him.

• The 45-year-old QB threw two interceptions during the Tampa Bay Bucs' 35-7 loss to the San Francisco 49ers. One was picked off by linebacker Dre Greenlaw.

Greenlaw, 25, approached Brady after the game and asked him to autograph the ball, saying: "You're the greatest ever. ... I've been watching you since I was 2 years old."

• The seven-time Super Bowl champion smiled and signed.

Brady signed an interception ball once before — and vowed never to do it again.

• "I don't necessarily like signing mistakes, let me just say that," he said after a game against the New York Jets last season. "So that's the last time I'm going to do that."

The bottom line: As the 49ers tweeted, "Class act ✍️."

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As pickleball surges in popularity, Major League Pickleball — the pro circuit that counts LeBron James and Tom Brady among team owners — plans a massive expansion, Axios Sports editor Kendall Baker has learned.

• MLP plans to double its number of teams (12 to 24) and events (three to six) next year. Teams include both men and women.
• MLP will announce today that Brian Levine, a former Goldman Sachs partner and top senior pickleball player, will be interim CEO.

Pickleball is a combination of tennis, badminton and ping-pong.

• Levine tells us MLP will offer $3-5 million in prize money and payouts in '23.

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