As most Democratic lawmakers fume over President-elect Trump's Cabinet picks, Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) is showing a rare cross-aisle willingness to engage with MAGA world.

• Why it matters: Fetterman tells Axios' Erin Doherty the moves are "responsible and completely appropriate." But they put him on an island from other Dems.

🔎 Between the lines: Fetterman's calculus is evident. He represents a swing state that went for Trump and ousted Democratic Sen. Bob Casey.

• Fetterman — the casually attired challenger of the Senate's suit-and-tie tradition — remains a reliable Democratic vote.

So don't look for him to become a new version of Democrat-turned-independent Sen. Joe Manchin, a West Virginian who frustrated Democrats and the Biden administration with his legislative demands.

• "I'm not leaving my party, I just happen to have reasonable views and I don't know why that's controversial," Fetterman told The New York Times in October, when asked about his break with his party's progressive wing.

🪖 Driving the news: This past week, Fetterman became the first Democratic senator to agree to meet with Pete Hegseth, Trump's pick to lead the Pentagon.

• Fetterman is a rare Democrat who has publicly backed Trump's pick of Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) for UN ambassador.

Fetterman, who has shrugged as his party's progressive wing attacked him for his strong support of Israel, told Axios he sees meeting with Hegseth as an important part of the democratic process — and good politics.

• If Hegseth is "going to be the head of one of the most important parts of our government, then do you think I'm doing a job by flipping anyone off and saying: 'I'm not going to talk to him or just have a conversation?'" Fetterman asked.

📱 Fetterman even jumped onto Trump-owned Truth Social, becoming the only Democratic senator on the platform.

• The senator's first post called the criminal hush-money case against Trump, and Hunter Biden's conviction, "bullshit" — and said Trump should be pardoned, just as Biden's son was.

📺 Fetterman is one of the few Democrats, along with Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, who's a regular on Fox News.

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The top powers of the new Washington were arrayed in a box at the Army-Navy game (known as America's Game) yesterday in Landover, Md.

• From left: Incoming Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.), House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), President-elect Trump, Elon Musk, Vice President-elect Vance, and Trump's pick for director of national intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard.

Being there: The crowd cheered when Trump, Vance and Musk appeared on the scoreboard video screen.

• Trump mouthed "thank you." The crowd chanted: "USA, USA!"

Pete Hegseth (right), Trump's pick to lead the Pentagon, was also a guest in the box — another big show of support from the president-elect.

Above: Sen.-elect Dave McCormick (R-Pa.), a West Point graduate and Army combat veteran, and Dina Powell, his wife, hosted Trump in their box.

• ⚓ Sorry, Dave: Navy's Midshipmen dominated, 31-13.
• More on Trump ... More on the game.

⚡ Trump named two close allies to administration posts yesterday:

• Ric Grenell will be Presidential Envoy for Special Missions, working "in some of the hottest spots around the World, including Venezuela and North Korea." Go deeper.
• Devin Nunes, former House Intelligence chair, will chair the President's Intelligence Advisory Board. He'll continue as CEO of Trump Media & Technology Group, which operates Truth Social. Go deeper.

ABC will donate an astonishing $15 million to a future foundation for President-elect Trump's presidential library, plus $1 million in legal fees, to settle a defamation suit over an inaccuracy by anchor George Stephanopoulos.

• Why it matters: The settlement is one of the biggest any media company has struck with the former (and pending) president, who has sued several media organizations over the years, Axios' Ben Berkowitz notes.

Catch me up: Trump sued ABC, ABC News and Stephanopoulos after he said during a "This Week" interview in March that Trump was found civilly liable for raping author E. Jean Carroll.

• Trump was found liable in a civil suit for sexually abusing Carroll, but not raping her as defined by New York law.

On Friday, Trump and Stephanopoulos were ordered by a federal judge to sit for separate four-hour depositions this week.

• On the same day, the settlement was signed by Trump and Docusigned by Stephanopoulos. It was filed in court yesterday.

As part of the agreement, ABC added this statement as an "Editor's Note" to the online article about the segment: "ABC News and George Stephanopoulos regret statements regarding President Donald J. Trump made during an interview by George Stephanopoulos with Rep. Nancy Mace on ABC's This Week on March 10, 2024."

• Read the 7-page settlement ... More on the case.

"All I Want for Christmas Is You" by Mariah Carey is the first holiday song to ever break the two-billion-streams mark on Spotify.

• In the U.S., the song has seen a 1,100% increase in streams since Nov. 1.

It has been the No. 1 song on Spotify on Christmas Day every year since 2016, Axios' Analis Bailey writes.

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A handful of top U.S. universities are urging international students who travel home for winter break to return before President-elect Trump takes office, Axios' Astrid Galván and Alayna Alvarez report.

• Why it matters: School leaders fear one of his first actions could be an executive order limiting entrance to the U.S.

🔎 Zoom in: At least 10 universities have told international students to be back stateside before the Jan. 20 inauguration — including Brown, Penn, USC and MIT.

• "While there's no certainty such orders will be issued, the safest way to avoid any challenges is to be physically present in the U.S. before the Spring semester" begins, USC said in an email to students on special visas.

By the numbers: 1.1 million students from other countries are studying in the U.S., according to NAFSA, a global nonprofit that advocates for international study.

• They sometimes pay triple the tuition of U.S. residents.

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House Committee chairs for the 119th Congress will all be men.

• It's the first time in two decades that no woman has led a committee, ABC News reports.

Three women led House committees during the 118th Congress. Two — Reps. Kay Granger (R-Texas) and Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.) — didn't run for re-election.

• List of new chairs.

President-elect Trump's Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff visited Saudi Arabia on Wednesday and met Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman (MBS), Axios' Barak Ravid reports.

• It was the first meeting between MBS and a member of the incoming Trump administration since the November elections.

🔭 The big picture: Trump appointed Witkoff, his best friend, as his administration's Middle East envoy with the clear aim of sealing a mega-deal with Saudi Arabia — a process that started under President Biden.

• Trump wants the deal to include a historic peace agreement between Israel and Saudi Arabia, and at least some progress toward ending the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, sources with knowledge of Trump's thinking said.

Keep reading.

The "HE12MAN" nickname started as a playful nod to Travis Hunter's potential. But it might as well be his official title now, Axios Denver's Esteban L. Hernandez writes.

• The University of Colorado wide receiver and cornerback received the Heisman Trophy yesterday, crowning him college football's most outstanding player.

Zoom in: Hunter dazzled all season for the Buffaloes, providing a singular offensive force with the backing of quarterback Shedeur Sanders.

• When he switched on defense, Hunter was equally remarkable — hounding opposing players and making key defensive stops.

Hunter is the first defensive player to win the Heisman since Michigan cornerback Charles Woodson in 1997.

What's next: The Colorado star said he'll skip his senior season to enter the 2025 NFL Draft, where he's projected to be a top pick.

• More on Hunter ... Get Axios Denver.