Lots of high-level Democrats are warning that President Biden and his reelection team are too complacent — and unimaginative — about the threat of losing to Donald Trump, sources tell Jim VandeHei and Mike Allen.

• The latest alarm was sounded yesterday in a leak to The Washington Post about a private meeting in which former President Obama pointed Biden to a different way to attack this campaign. We're told it was a lunch just before the holidays. Obama pushed Biden to consider moving his political operation outside of — and beyond — his White House advisers, as the former president had done with his Chicago-based 2012 reelection team.
• "Obama also recommended that Biden seek counsel from Obama's own former campaign aides, which Biden officials say they have done," The Post added.

Why it matters: "Someone wants to light a fire under the asses of some of these people," a top Democratic strategist told us. Jim Messina, manager of Obama's 2012 reelection campaign, often warns Democrats not to be worrywart "bedwetters." The strategist added: "It's hard to call it bedwetting when it's Barack Obama." [Corrected]

What's happening: Biden's reelection campaign has long projected a calm confidence about beating Trump if that rematch comes to be. The gist of what you hear from both the White House and the campaign's HQ in Wilmington, Del: "It's fine. We've got this."

• But many high-level Democrats think it's not fine. They fear the president's political machine hasn't found the sweet spot between a chill Zen and dangerous complacency — and has been way too Zen.

David Axelrod, Obama's political architect, told us the race is "winnable but worrisome." The internal optimism, he said, reflects "faith among a team that has been counted out before, that past is prologue and it will all come together in the end."

• "There has been broad anxiety among the Democratic political class ... given the magnitude of the threat," Axelrod added.

The big picture: The Biden '24 mindset was captured by a New York magazine cover story last month about the campaign's "Alarming Calm." The cover headline, over a photo from inside the Wilmington campaign office (above): "THE CALMEST DEMOCRATS IN THE COUNTRY."

• Too calm, many Democrats say — especially given the peril to the Biden coalition posed by growing rage on the left over his staunch support for Israel in the war against Hamas. If Biden loses Arab Americans and young voters, he loses.

When pressed on why they think things are fine, Biden allies invoke four articles of faith:

1. The war, they think, will be far in voters' rearview mirror by Nov. 5.
2. By then, the economy will be so good voters can't ignore it. Voter confidence, the hope is, will catch up with the encouraging macro signs.
3. Abortion rights: Dems will be boosted by the anti-GOP backlash following the Dobbs decision overturning Roe v. Wade — swing voters won't want to give Trump a chance to appoint another Supreme Court justice. As Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff has put it privately: "Dobbs and democracy."
4. Biden and allies will spend more than $1 billion telling voters Trump is terrible. In the end, Biden's inner circle contends, most independents won't look themselves in the mirror on Election Day, then go vote for Trump.

Top Democrats were relieved Friday by Biden's passionate opening speech of '24. In fiery remarks in Valley Forge, Pa. — coinciding with the third anniversary of the Jan. 6 storming of the Capitol by Trump supporters — Biden warned: "Democracy is on the ballot. Your freedom is on the ballot."

• Biden name-checked Trump 44 times in the half-hour speech. He drew applause when he needled the former president on his drive to overturn the 2020 results: "I had won the election and he was a loser."
• Some of the Dems we talked to see the speech as the campaign's "we get it" moment.

The Biden campaign's TJ Ducklo told us: "The campaign is built for victory in November — we know this will be a close and competitive election."

• Read the full column.

People who've worked in government — both parties! — are stunned, and Republicans in Congress are saying there must be consequences:

• The Pentagon waited three days to tell the White House that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin was hospitalized at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Md.
• And waited four days to tell Congress and most senior Pentagon service leaders, according to reporting by AP and others.

Austin was hospitalized Monday (New Year's) evening. The Pentagon told White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan on Thursday.

• The Pentagon said members of Congress were told late Friday afternoon. Other officials said lawmakers were informed after 5 p.m.
• Many Pentagon staff found out when the department released a statement about Austin's hospitalization minutes after 5 p.m. Many had believed Austin was on vacation.

Austin released a statement last night saying he looks "forward to returning to the Pentagon soon" and added: "I also understand the media concerns about transparency and I recognize I could have done a better job ensuring the public was appropriately informed. I commit to doing better."

• The Pentagon's Friday announcement said Austin was admitted "for complications following a recent elective medical procedure. ... At all times, the Deputy Secretary of Defense was prepared to act for and exercise the powers of the Secretary, if required."

There's also a twist to that. Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks was also away, per AP:

• She had a communications setup with her in Puerto Rico that allowed her to do the job while Austin was incapacitated.

The Pentagon said yesterday that Austin is recovering well and resumed his duties from his hospital bed Friday evening.

• But the public still hasn't been told what the elective procedure was or what the complications were.

A White House official tells Axios that Biden and Austin spoke yesterday and it was a warm conversation.

• "The President has full confidence in Secretary Austin. He's looking forward to him being back at the Pentagon," the official said.

🏛️ What we're watching: Republicans in Congress reacted with swift fury to the tardy notification, Axios' Andrew Solender reports.

• Lawmakers are already calling for Austin to testify — or even be ousted.

Keep reading.

The Qatari prime minister and other officials told the family members of six American and Israeli hostages that this week's killing of senior Hamas official Saleh al-Arouri in Beirut has made efforts to secure a new deal much more difficult, Axios' Barak Ravid has learned.

💨 Catch up quick: Qatar and Egypt have been trying to relaunch indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas to secure the release of at least 40 hostages in return for several weeks of pause in the fighting and the release of Palestinian prisoners.

• Nearly a week ago, Hamas gave Israel a new deal proposal, which also included a demand for Israel's withdrawal from Gaza. Israel rejected it, and the two sides remain far apart.
• On Tuesday, a strike in a southern Beirut suburb killed Hamas' Al-Arouri, causing Hezbollah to vow to retaliate.

Go deeper.

The NFL made up 93 of the top 100 broadcast programs last year, Axios media trends expert Sara Fischer writes from a Sportico report.

• That's up from 82 last year and 72 in 2020.

Why it matters: As shows move to streaming, live events — especially football games — are the only thing left that can draw huge swaths of Americans at the same time.

👀 Zoom in: The NFL had an explosive year for live TV viewership in 2023, with off-the-field drama like Taylor Swift's romance with Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce helping to boost ratings.

• ESPN's 2023 "Monday Night Football" season was its most-watched ever since ESPN began airing Monday night games in 2006.

🔭 Zoom out: 2023 also brought major viewership increases across many of the country's biggest live TV moments outside of sports.

• "Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve," hosted by Ryan Seacrest, was up 35%.
• The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade drew a record 28.5 million viewers.

Read on.

There's growing concern among some executives and board members at Tesla and SpaceX that Musk's drug use could be influencing his antics, The Wall Street Journal's Emily Glazer and Kirsten Grind report.

• Why it matters: They fear Musk could hurt himself as well as the future of six companies he oversees.

Musk has used LSD, cocaine, ecstasy and psychedelic mushrooms, "often at private parties around the world, where attendees sign nondisclosure agreements or give up their phones to enter," The Journal reports.

• "People close to Musk, who is now 52, said his drug use is ongoing ... Illegal drug use would likely be a violation of federal policies that could jeopardize SpaceX's billions of dollars in government contracts."

Half of America believes there will be violence from the losing side in future U.S. elections, according to a new CBS News poll.

Alaska Airlines is grounding all 65 of its Boeing 737 MAX-9 aircraft after a harrowing in-flight emergency Friday night left a gaping hole in its fuselage, exposing passengers to the open air, Axios' Alex Fitzpatrick writes.

• The big picture: The incident, which didn't end in injuries or fatalities, led the FAA to require operators of about 171 airplanes worldwide to ground their planes until they were inspected.
• Inspections are expected to take four to eight hours per aircraft, the FAA said yesterday.

✈️ Catch up quick: Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 safely returned to Portland International Airport just minutes after takeoff Friday after part of the fuselage flew off for yet-unclear reasons.

• It reached a maximum altitude of 16,000 feet.

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A table is set with placards for presenters during the Golden Globe Awards Press Preview on Thursday.

• The show will air at 8 p.m. ET on CBS. Among the expected attendees: Taylor Swift and the stars of "Barbenheimer."

Viewer's guide.