Axios

The retired general came to Capitol Hill today to face questions from the Senate Armed Services committee.

The big story: Mattis cleared his main hurdle today, securing Senate support for a waiver allowing him to speed up the waiting process for retired military officers to become Secretary of Defense. The vote wasn't close, at 81 to 17.

What's next: A House vote on the waiver, and a Senate vote on confirmation. He'll pass both. (Hearing recaps below.)

Trump wants to modify the temporary visa program used by big companies, including major tech firms like Microsoft and Google, to fill high-skilled jobs.

The big question: How severely will he try to curtail the so-called H1-B visas for foreign workers? The proposals include:

1. Stephen Miller, a policy advisor to Trump who used to work for Jeff Sessions, has suggested getting rid of the current lottery system used to distribute the visas. A possibility is to replace it with a system that favor visa petitions for jobs that pay the highest salaries, Reuters reports.
2. Another proposal that was discussed at last month's Trump-Tech meeting in New York, according to Reuters, included raising the cost of visa applications from large companies to discourage huge filing numbers.

What it means for tech: Major tech firms seem open to possible modifications of the program as long as it isn't significantly curtailed or shut down altogether. They also aren't opposed to efforts to address existing fraud of the program. They'll be watching this issue closely.

Per pool reports, the far-right French politician was spotted in the basement of Trump Tower. As you can see, she's drinking coffee. Le Pen is a presidential candidate in May's elections.

Incoming WH press secretary Sean Spicer told CNN that Le Pen was not there to meet with Trump or the transition team, adding that the tower is open to the public.

James Clapper, the director of national intelligence, called President-elect Trump last night to express his "profound dismay" at this week's leaks, but also to deny they were responsible. Trump tweeted about it this morning.

James Clapper called me yesterday to denounce the false and fictitious report that was illegally circulated. Made up, phony facts.Too bad!— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 12, 2017

Clapper's statement below:

Xi Jinping to be the new champion of globalization

The Chinese president will be the first in history to attend the World Economic Forum in Davos later this month. He is set to discuss the Chinese plan for "inclusive globalization," despite his government's continued reliance on protectionist policies that protect its export sector. With western governments under the spell of nationalism, Jinping has emerged as one of the few leaders eager promote further global integration—rhetorically at least.

Maureen Dowd's interview with Trump's tech whisperer and the financier behind the Gawker lawsuit is worth an entire read. Here are some golden nuggets.

On Trump and the "apocalyptic" election: "Everyone says Trump is going to change everything way too much," he tells Dowd. "Well, maybe Trump is going to change everything way too little. That seems like the much more plausible risk to me."

There was a way in which Trump was funny, so you could be apocalyptic and funny at the same time. It's a strange combination, but it's somehow very powerful psychologically.

Marco Rubio, the most skeptical GOP questioner, scored when asking Tillerson's opinion on the extrajudicial killings of suspected drug dealers in The Philippines:

Tillerson: I'm not disputing anything you're saying because I know you have access information that I do not have.Rubio: That's from the Los Angeles Times.Tillerson: Well, I'm not going to rely on solely what I read in the newspapers.

When pressed by Ed Markey on Trump's prior statements seemingly supportive of nuclear proliferation in East Asia:

Tillerson: I do not agree . . . I don't think anyone advocates for more nuclear weapons on the planet.

Though Tillerson said he believes Islam is a "great faith" that doesn't necessitate a "blanket rejection" on entering the U.S., he was noncommittal when pressed by Jeanne Shaheen about Trump's proposed Muslim ban…

Tillerson: I would need to have a lot more information around how such an approach would even be constructed.

As the only nominee who has served at the cabinet-level and in the private sector (and the wife of the Senate majority leader), Elaine Chao's confirmation hearing for transportation secretary was breezy as expected. Here's what you need to know.

Chao called Trump's infrastructure plan "ambitious" and said the government alone couldn't fund it.

As mentioned, the government does not have the resources to address all the infrastructure needs within our country. So all of us need to put our best thinking forward as to how to fund the aging infrastructure.

Tech alert: Although Chao said there are some concerns with the development of autonomous vehicles and drones, she said DOT should "not dampen the basic creativity and innovation of our country."

Chao sidestepped questions about implementing positive train control, saying she "hoped to get briefed" on it, and FAA privatization, by joking that she wanted to get confirmed before detailing her position.

Smooth sailing. Roger Wicker's take: "Most members of this committee are delighted that you have been chosen for this position. I think you'll be confirmed with a nice bipartisan vote."

Rex Tillerson, Trump's pick for Secretary of State, is spending his day getting grilled by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. The big takeaways from his morning of testifying:

Marco Rubio pushed him on Russian involvement in Syria…

Rubio: Is Vladimir Putin a war criminal?Tillerson: I would not use that term.

In response to Ben Cardin's query on defending NATO allies…

Tillerson: I think what Russian leadership would have understood is a powerful response that indicated — yes, you took Crimea, but this stops right here.

Getting testy with Tim Kaine on Exxon-Mobil's muddying of climate research…

Kaine: Do you lack the knowledge to answer my question or do you refuse to answer my question?Tillerson: A little of both.