Axios

President-elect Trump announced Tuesday that he's selected William McGinley to serve as White House Counsel.

The big picture: The role was an unusually high-profile one during the first Trump administration and is likely be even more so now that the president-elect and his aides have indicated they'll challenge the limits of executive power.

Two U.S. airlines confirmed their planes had been struck by gunfire over Haiti's capital Port-au-Prince on Monday.

The latest: The Federal Aviation Administration is stopping all U.S. flights to Haiti for 30 days, per a Notice to Air Mission issued Tuesday.

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) will force votes on resolutions to block more than $20 billion in offensive aid to Israel next week, multiple sources told Axios.

Why it matters: Sanders' resolutions will almost certainly be defeated on the Senate floor, but they will give a good snapshot of just how strong the sentiment against Israel's war effort in Gaza is amongst Senate Democrats.

President-elect Trump announced Tuesday that he will nominate former Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe to lead the CIA during his second administration.

Why it matters: A Trump loyalist, Ratcliffe faced accusations of politicizing his post as director of national intelligence in Trump's first term. In announcing the pick, Trump thanked him for "exposing fake Russian collusion" and "telling the truth" about Hunter Biden's laptop — signs the president-elect sees him as aligned with his political goals.

President-elect Trump is tapping Republican lawmakers and governors to staff his incoming administration, leaving open seats to be filled across the country.

Why it matters: Those vacancies mean voters could head to the polls for another round of special elections only months after handing Republicans the keys to Washington, and governors will be weighing candidates to take empty Senate seats.

President-elect Trump could be TikTok's saving grace years after threatening to ban the app during his first term.

Why it matters: The future of the popular short-form video app looked grim earlier this year because of elected officials' national security concerns about its ties to China. Not so much anymore.

Companies are scrambling to shift production out of China, bolster inventory and weigh price increases as they brace for tariff hikes from a second Trump administration.

Why it matters: Trump has threatened to ramp up duties on China, Mexico and possibly elsewhere, increasing the cost of importing products from those countries for U.S. businesses.

House Republicans are signaling plans to launch new, wide-reaching investigations into the Biden administration — asking every outgoing cabinet secretary to preserve "relevant Department documents and communications."

Why it matters: When President-elect Trump takes office in January, Republicans hope to be able to extract significantly more information than they were able to obtain under Biden.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has decided not to suspend military assistance to Israel after the Israeli government took some steps to improve the flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza, the State Department said.

The big picture: Humanitarian groups on Tuesday said the situation in Gaza is at its worst since the war began in 2023, and the Biden administration has been under pressure to use its leverage with Israel to improve the situation.

Jack Teixeira, the Air National Guard member who pleaded guilty to leaking highly classified Pentagon documents, was sentenced Tuesday to 15 years in prison, multiple outlets reported.

The big picture: Teixeira's leak revealed secrets about the U.S.' relationship with allies and adversaries, including details about troop movement in Ukraine, and triggered concerns over the country's ability to safeguard its most confidential information.

Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Mark Warner (D-Va.) told supporters at an event last week that he is likely to remain the top Democrat on the panel, Axios has learned.

Why it matters: Warner will provide stability for the prestigious committee as its top Republican, Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), is looking to leave for a cabinet position in the Trump administration.

U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio's reported selection as secretary of state might hand Gov. Ron DeSantis a political lifeline — or set him on a collision course with President-elect Trump.

Why it matters: DeSantis will be termed out as governor in 2026, and a seat in the U.S. Senate could provide him the continued relevance he needs to make another campaign for the White House.

All three candidates for Senate GOP leader are making MAGA appeals, committing to more floor debate and amendments and better communication as they make their final pitch ahead of Wednesday's leader elections.

Why it matters: A growing number of senators want a new style of leadership after nearly two decades under Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) — and years of battles between him and President-elect Trump.

House Democrats are facing an increasingly contested fight for a leadership position representing battleground-district lawmakers, Axios has learned.

Why it matters: The role will be a key voice in House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries' (D-N.Y.) inner circle advocating for the interests of centrists as much of the party gears up to oppose the Trump administration.

President-elect Trump is considering former Rep. Chris Stewart (R-Utah) to be his director of national intelligence, two sources familiar with the matter told Axios.

Why it matters: Stewart, who served on the House Intelligence Committee during his decade in Congress, was a contender for the role during Trump's first term in 2020.

President-elect Trump said he nominated former Republican Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee to be the U.S. Ambassador to Israel on Tuesday.

Why it matters: The challenge of Israel's multi-front war and the deteriorating security situation in the Middle East will soon fall to Trump, writes Axios' Barak Ravid.

House conservatives say they expect to present a challenger to Speaker Mike Johnson in Wednesday's internal GOP leadership elections, Axios has learned.

Why it matters: Johnson is the formidable favorite in tomorrow's ballot. But this denies him GOP unanimity ahead of January's House speaker vote.

Incoming Sen. Jim Justice (R-WV) was told he could not bring his bulldog "Babydog" onto the Senate floor on Tuesday during orientation, three sources in the room tell Axios.

Why it matters: Babydog is a political celebrity, often accompanying Justice to events and famously taking the stage at the Republican National Convention. But she apparently won't be at his side during legislative sessions in the Senate.

The media power brokers in the new Trump administration are different and more powerful than those during the first Trump presidency. They are younger, more visual, less established in Washington, and lean more toward MAGA conservative principles over traditional Republican ideals.

Why it matters: Americans' rejection of soft liberalism at the polls was also a rebuke of the media forces that powered it.

Advocates and lawyers are making preparations to defend immigrants against mass deportations and other actions President-elect Trump has vowed to take when he resumes office.

Why it matters: There are roughly 11 million undocumented immigrants living in the U.S. In addition to mass deportations, Trump's proposals would gut how the U.S. has conducted immigration enforcement for decades.

Sen. Katie Britt (R-Ala.) is publicly calling for President-elect Trump's daughter-in-law Lara Trump to be chosen to fill a Florida Senate seat — a sign of Trump allies potentially rallying around the pick.

Why it matters: Sen. Marco Rubio's (R-Fla.) expected appointment to secretary of state leaves an opening for Gov. Ron DeSantis to fill.

In a bid to push his mass deportation plans, Trump may come to a migration agreement with Venezuela's regime, experts say.

Why it matters: Roughly 270,000 Venezuelans live in the U.S. without authorization, according to the Pew Research Center. 

Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) is carefully avoiding tying himself to a position on government funding that President-elect Trump could publicly denounce or destroy.

Why it matters: Johnson's majority for the GOP in the House will be tiny (as small as a 2-vote margin) — and that's if Trump stops hiring House lawmakers for administration jobs.

Markets are betting that the second Trump administration will bring robust growth, an unshackled corporate sector, and only modest downside from some of the president-elect's more disruptive plans.

Why it matters: Policy will be volatile in the years ahead, and risks abound. But the wisdom of the investing crowds — for the moment — holds that it will net a more conducive environment for business and that any uptick in inflation will be temporary.

The U.S. announced a plan to dramatically expand nuclear power during the next few decades, as electricity demands escalate.

Why it matters: The U.S. faces an increasing electricity demand amid the expansion of data centers used for artificial intelligence, growing use of electric vehicles, building of new manufacturing centers and other trends.

Louisiana's law requiring public schools to display the Ten Commandments is unconstitutional, a federal judge said Tuesday.

Why it matters: The law has become a conservative battle flag for Gov. Jeff Landry, a Republican governor empowered by a GOP supermajority in the statehouse who said he "couldn't wait to be sued" when he signed the law earlier this year.

The Supreme Court on Tuesday declined to hear a request from former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows to move his Georgia election interference case to federal court.

Why it matters: The decision keeps in place a lower court's ruling that Meadows' case would remain in Fulton County, where he was charged as a co-conspirator in now-President-elect Trump's alleged effort to overturn the state's 2020 election results.

Rep. Susie Lee (D-Nev.) is running to represent her swing-district colleagues in House Democratic leadership following a hard-fought reelection victory, Axios has learned.

Why it matters: Whoever holds the role will be one of the few voices in House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries' (D-N.Y.) inner circle speaking for the centrists who will lead their party's fight to retake the House in 2026.

The New York judge overseeing President-elect Trump's criminal hush money case on Tuesday granted a request by the defense and prosecution to pause the case in light of Trump's recent election win.

Why it matters: The ruling is a win for Trump — the only president to be convicted of a crime — and the latest instance in which his electoral victory has ground the legal cases against him to a halt.

Elon Musk leads Fortune's first list of the 100 most powerful people in business, out Tuesday morning.

Why it matters: Leaders on the list "share one defining trait: their actions and words influence what others think and do," Fortune executive editor Lee Clifford said.

The courtship between insurance giants Cigna and Humana is just not meant to be, Cigna officials said Monday.

Why it matters: The statement marks the likely end to on-and-off discussions about combining the companies into what would have been the nation's second-largest insurer — and potentially drawing antitrust scrutiny.

President-elect Trump and Elon Musk, two billionaires with strikingly similar DNAs, are fusing into a new, powerful governing-media paradigm.

Why it matters: This Trump-Musk fusion seems to grow stronger by the day. The two are working together to shape the new White House, the new Senate and the new Cabinet, plus future foreign relations and governing blueprints.

A second Trump administration presents a dilemma for scientists and career staff at top federal health agencies: stay and fight any efforts that undermine science for political purposes or leave.

Why it matters: Public health efforts were weakened by misinformation and distrust during the COVID pandemic, but a brain drain of the nation's top scientific minds could hobble research and dissolve institutional knowledge at agencies such as the Food and Drug Administration, National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Democratic U.S. Rep. Ruben Gallego defeated former television news anchor Kari Lake in Arizona's pivotal open Senate race, AP projected on Monday night.

Why it matters: Gallego's victory keeps the seat in the Democrats' column and again prevents conservative, Trump-backed Lake from assuming elected office.

Rep. Mike Garcia (R-Calif.) conceded to his Democratic opponent George Whitesides on Monday, becoming the only multi-term House Republican to lose reelection in 2024 so far.

Why it matters: Garcia's loss is one bright spot for House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-Calif.) in an otherwise bleak election cycle for Democrats.

President-elect Trump plans to appoint Rep. Michael Waltz (R-Fla.) as his national security adviser, two sources familiar with the matter confirmed to Axios.

Why it matters: The pick, first reported by the Wall Street Journal, elevates one of House Republicans' preeminent China hawks to a key national security role within the Trump administration.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's confidant Ron Dermer met President-elect Trump in Mar-a-Lago on Sunday, according to two Israeli officials and two U.S. officials with knowledge of the meeting.

Why it matters: An Israeli official said the meeting was aimed at passing messages from Netanyahu to Trump and briefing the President-elect on Israel's plans in Gaza, Lebanon and Iran for the next two months before Trump takes office.

Harriet Tubman, the first U.S. woman to lead an armed military operation during a war, was posthumously promoted to brigadier general during Veterans Day commemorations in Maryland Monday.

The big picture: Maryland Gov. Wes Moore paid tribute during a ceremony at the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad State Park and Visitor Center in Dorchester County to the abolitionist who led an armed expedition in the U.S. Civil War that resulted in more than 700 enslaved people being freed.