President-elect Trump is taking a very different approach to staffing his second administration, Mike Allen and Jim VandeHei write in a "Behind the Curtain" column.

• He's putting a premium (so far) on picking people who are both experienced and MAGA loyalists, transition insiders tell us.

Why it matters: In Trump's first term, many of the top players were either experts or true believers — but rarely both.

• The result was a dysfunctional, chaotic administration that, officials recognize in retrospect, could have accomplished a lot more. Trump is determined to fix that, we're told.

The big picture: Trump plans to stretch the power of the presidency — and test the limits of traditional legal and governing boundaries. Here are 13 of his most trusted loyal hands:

• Donald Trump Jr.: The Enforcer. Easily the most powerful member of the president's family. Think of Don as the protector of the MAGA spirit and loyalty to the president. His power flows from many directions — his dad's blessing, his friendship with VP-elect JD Vance, and a deep connection to the MAGA media ecosystem.
• JD Vance: The Future. He's the eager and willing intellectual pit bull to sic on the media and GOP critics. His tentacles run deep into the Senate, the tech community and MAGA activism. Keep an eye on the Vance-Don Jr.-Elon Musk power center.
• Susie Wiles: The Chief. As chief of staff, she'll run the White House like she did the campaign — in the background, but with a powerful hand. She brings method to Trumpworld madness: She's tough as nails, having beat back several men who wanted her power and proximity. Her style is to be kind but blunt, and she tells Trump the unvarnished truth.
• Howard Lutnick: The Auditioner. Lutnick — chairman and CEO of Cantor Fitzgerald, which he rebuilt after surviving the 9/11 attack on the Wall Street firm's headquarters — was named co-chair of the Trump transition in August along with Linda McMahon, who led the Small Business Administration during Trump's first presidency. Ever since then, Lutnick has been fielding pitches from Trump-friendly moguls about names for the transition's lists, and trying to convince business leaders to agree to serve in top posts if Trump asks them.
• Elon Musk: The Everything Store. Musk's juice flows from controlling X, his coming assignment to gut government, and, oh, running Tesla, SpaceX, the brain-interface developer Neuralink and his tunneling technology pioneer, The Boring Company. In a column this week, we called him America's most powerful civilian ever because of the clout he amassed by donating over $119 million to a super PAC to help elect Trump, and parking himself in Pennsylvania for the campaign's closing weeks. Musk was at Mar-a-Lago on election night, and will be back next week. A sign of his everything-influence: Trump put him on the phone with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky during their first call this week, as Axios' Barak Ravid scooped.

Column continues below.

More Trump power players, from Mike and Jim:

• RFK Jr.: The MAGA Doctor. RFK has unique juice: He has his own political following, deep connections with the pro-Trump podcast crowd, and a public persona as a vaccine and traditional health critic. Trump has warmed to him personally and is strongly considering naming him to lead a health agency, friends say. Kennedy was with Trump at Mar-a-Lago as election returns came in. At the victory party early Wednesday, the crowd chanted: "Bobby! Bobby! Bobby!"
• Tucker Carlson: The Provocateur. He often makes Trump seem tame. They talk often, and Carlson knows how to egg him on, both in person and with viral social media moments. Carlson hooked his post-Fox future to Musk — and it paid off, big time. Carlson will stir up MAGA early and often.
• Robert Lighthizer: The Tariff Man. Lighthizer, an "arch protectionist" who was U.S. trade representative when Trump launched his first-term trade war with China, has been asked to take the job again for the new term, the Financial Times reported Friday. Trump has threatened universal tariffs of 10% to 20% on foreign goods — potentially disrupting supply chains from China and beyond.
• Stephen Miller: The Deporter. No one loves tougher borders and expelling undocumented immigrants more than Miller. He seems certain to be a leading architect of the new immigration efforts. But some Trump friends worry he's not the right public face for what the campaign billed as "the largest deportation operation in American history." Either way, Miller's public and private juice on the topic is formidable. Possible inside roles include White House senior adviser and deputy chief of staff.
• John Ratcliffe: Mr. Intelligence. He's almost certain to land a top job, perhaps running the CIA. He checks both Trump boxes: loyal and serious. As Director of National Intelligence (DNI) in Trump's first term, Ratcliffe focused on two Trump priorities: China and space.
• Boris Epshteyn: The Law. He's controversial, but that doesn't spook Trump — he's a loyalist's loyalist, and a legal enforcer. Trump's legal team, inside and out of the White House, will be instrumental in stretching the power of the presidency and the limits of the Justice Department. In or out, Epshteyn's voice matters.
• Steve Witkoff: The First Friend. Trump has called Witkoff, a frequent golfing companion who's often described as Trump's best friend, a "special guy." Witkoff, a real estate investor based in Manhattan, was in the courtroom when Trump was convicted of 34 criminal counts in May. He was golfing with Trump in West Palm Beach when a second would-be assassin was smoked out by the Secret Service.
• Jared Kushner: The Hidden Hand. He doesn't want an official role, but Trump's son-in-law will be deeply involved in reviving a Middle East peace deal. Trump trusts him, so don't be surprised if he gets pulled into the White House after an inevitable first-term shakeup.

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President-elect Trump was courting men's votes, and Vice President Harris was courting women, but in every swing state, Trump ran up the margins with men more than Harris did with women, Axios' Erica Pandey writes.

• Why it matters: That broad coalition of men of all ages, representing multiple racial and ethnic backgrounds, won Trump the election.

🖼️ The big picture: Trump has changed the calculus for young men who, for generations, were a core piece of the blue base, along with young women.

• Going into Election Day, Trump was counting on low-propensity voters — in particular, younger men who've been moving right but don't consistently turn out to vote.

The Trump campaign targeted that population for months through podcast appearances and an emphasis on macho masculinity.

• But no one, including the Trump campaign, was sure whether it would work. Exit polls suggest it did, with young men breaking hard for Trump, particularly in swing states.

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When picking colors for home design, consumers often spring for blues and greens — leaning into the beauty of nature.

• But a pivot to even more vibrant hues is coming, Axios' Brianna Crane reports.

Benjamin Moore chose Cinnamon Slate as its color of the year — a mix of plum and brown. Browns, blues, pinks, greens and grays round out the palette.

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This chart — showing how some red states voted in favor of abortion expansion — illustrates a wider phenomenon in this week's voting:

• Democrats didn't exactly crush it at the ballot box this year. But some of the policies typically associated with their party still proved popular, Axios' Emily Peck writes.

Voters in red states approved progressive ballot measures to expand abortion access, raise the minimum wage and mandate sick leaves.

• In Alaska and Missouri, two states that went for President-elect Trump, voters approved a minimum wage hike to $15 an hour and a paid sick leave law allowing workers to accrue time off.
• Voters in Nebraska, another red state, also passed a paid sick leave measure.
• In Arizona, voters overwhelmingly rejected a proposal that would've lowered the minimum wage for tipped workers.

Keep reading.

California is deep blue — and known for some of the most progressive policies in America, but voters shifted right and overwhelmingly approved a tough-on-crime ballot measure.

• Why it matters: "Frustrated by open-air drug use, 'smash-and-grab' robberies and shampoo locked away in stores ... voters sent a clear message that they were fed up with crime and homelessness in their state," the N.Y. Times' Tim Arango reports from L.A.

The measure will impose harsher penalties for drug possession and theft, including making shoplifting a felony for repeat offenders.

• Go deeper: Charting California's red swing.

On Nov. 9, 1989, 35 years ago, the world watched as the Berlin Wall separating West and East Germany came down.

• Why it matters: It was one of the most consequential geopolitical events of the 20th century, marking the end of the Cold War and leading to the collapse of the Soviet Union.

• More from AP.

A wall in the 14th St/6th Ave station bypass in New York City is plastered with passengers' Post-it notes as part of the Subway Therapy project.

• Many New Yorkers are adding notes, which feature uplifting messages and vulnerable admissions of fear and anxiety, in response to the election.

"Be more kind," "am I gonna get deported?" and "Trying to remain hopeful in these times," read some of the brightly colored sticky notes.

• The project started after President-elect Trump's 2016 win.