Axios

Elon Musk threw his weight behind Trump transition co-chair Howard Lutnick for Treasury secretary on Saturday, signaling a late move to influence a looming – and key – choice.

Why it matters: Musk has grown increasingly important in President-elect Trump's orbit, and Treasury secretary is one of the last major posts not yet filled.

With 65 days until President-elect Trump is sworn in, his administration-in-waiting is still bypassing the official process designed to facilitate the transfer of control over the vast federal bureaucracy.

Why it matters: Trump's transition team tells Axios they're still discussing the agreements needed to kickstart the transition. For now, future Trump administration officials won't have access to the agencies they'll soon lead, to secure communications systems, or potentially to security briefings and clearances.

Elon Musk has persuaded President-elect Trump that government has grown so big, bloated, slow and sclerotic ... only a wrecking ball can fix it.

• Soon, that ball will slam into hard reality: Politicians like to giveth, not taketh away.

Why it matters: Trump is more fixated on a "deep state" blocking his ambitions, than cost savings, advisers tell us. But he has bought into the Musk concept of using AI and lean-business thinking to try to dramatically shrink a government he helped grow, they say.

The FBI issued a statement Friday saying racist and threatening text messages sent to Black communities after the presidential election are also circulating in Hispanic and LGBTQ+ communities and reaching high school students.

The big picture: Federal and state authorities initially reported on texts containing disturbing references to slavery. That investigation has expanded to include reports of deportation threats.

President-elect Trump named Karoline Leavitt as his pick to serve as White House press secretary on Friday.

The big picture: Leavitt, who served as the campaign's national press secretary, will be one of the public faces of the Trump White House, which is expected to challenge tradition in its approach to media briefings.

North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum (R) was chosen to lead the Department of the Interior during President-elect Trump's administration.

Why it matters: Burgum, who has connections to the oil and gas industry, is expected to lead the push to open more public lands to fossil fuel leasing and roll back environmental protections.

House Foreign Affairs Chairman Michael McCaul (R-Texas) won't seek a waiver to retain his committee gavel, ending his six-year tenure as the panel's top Republican.

Why it matters: McCaul's decision opens the door for new leadership on one of the House's most influential committees during a critical time in global affairs, with ongoing conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East and rising tensions with China.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) on Friday conceded what he said was a "bitterly disappointing" 2024 election loss.

Why it matters: The AP called the House for Republicans on Wednesday, securing President-elect Trump's total control of Congress. Democrats have been engaged in an intra-party blame game since Nov. 5.

House Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) is ticking off some House Democrats for publicly opining on what her party did wrong in 2024.

Why it matters: Pelosi needs to let House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) lead the caucus, Democrats tell Axios.

President-elect Trump on Friday announced his campaign spokesperson Steven Cheung will be White House director of communications.

The big picture: Cheung, who will also serve as an assistant to the president, is one of Trump's most pugnacious defenders. He has routinely denounced critical coverage of his boss as "fake news."

Beneficiaries of a program that shields undocumented immigrants brought to the U.S. as children should renew their status immediately if eligible as President-elect Trump promises mass deportations, immigrant advocates urge.

Why it matters: An estimated 3.6 million Dreamers live in the country, per the National Immigration Forum, but only a fraction have sought legal protection.

President-elect Trump yesterday said that he'll nominate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to lead the Department of Health & Human Services, sending shockwaves through the biotech sector.

Why it matters: Investing in vaccine and other drug development is inherently risky and expensive, and soon may have the added variable of a medical conspiracy theorist leading a department that oversees the FDA.

Now is the time to evaluate and get serious about your digital security practices, experts say.  

Why it matters: President-elect Trump made several promises on the campaign trail to target people in marginalized communities, undermine the press, and seek retribution against his enemies. 

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. could radically reshape the Department of Health and Human Services if he is confirmed as secretary of the agency under President-elect Trump.

Why it matters: The onetime independent presidential candidate has been one of the country's most prominent vaccine skeptics for years, alarming public health experts about his nomination to lead to HHS.

Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) said he'll ask the House Ethics Committee not to release a potentially damaging report on the conduct of former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.), President-elect Trump's attorney general nominee.

Why it matters: Johnson said making the report public would set a "terrible precedent," demonstrating how far he's willing to go to help Trump's nominees.

Rep. August Pfluger (R-Texas) was elected to serve as the next chairman of the Republican Study Committee on Friday, edging out Rep. Ben Cline (R-Va.) in an 80-57 vote.

Why it matters: The position has served as a springboard to bigger roles for numerous House Republicans, including Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.), former Vice President Mike Pence (R-Ind.) and Sen.-elect Jim Banks (R-Ind.).

President-elect Trump has selected vaccine skeptic Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to lead the nation's top health care agency, which would give him power over food and drug regulation, Medicare and Medicaid policy, the federal public health system and national health care research money.

Why it matters: We're now in the Wild West in a way we never were during Trump's first presidency, at least when it comes to health care.

As UN global climate negotiations close out the first week in Baku, Azerbaijan, even small climate players are showcasing their contributions to cutting emissions and raising more money.

Why it matters: The COP29 summit aims for a new target for financial flows from mainly developed countries to the developing world.

Donald Trump's looming move back into the White House could boost EV sales to buyers worried he'll end subsidies after taking office.

The big picture: "EV interest will likely increase over the next few months," Edmunds analyst Jessica Caldwell said via email.

The Israeli attack on Iran in late October destroyed an active top secret nuclear weapons research facility in Parchin, according to three U.S. officials, one current Israeli official and one former Israeli official.

Why it matters: The strike — which targeted a site previously reported to be inactive — significantly damaged Iran's effort over the past year to resume nuclear weapons research, Israeli and U.S. officials said.

None of the voters in our latest Engagious/Sago focus groups thinks President-elect Trump's super-close relationship with Elon Musk is a good idea.

Why it matters: The world's richest man and billionaire founder of SpaceX and Tesla — whom Trump tapped this week as co-chair of a new, non-governmental "Department of Government Efficiency" — has emerged as a powerful voice in the new Trump administration.

President-elect Trump's initial Cabinet picks show he's moving swiftly to implement the anti-trans, anti-DEI and anti-social justice agenda that underpinned his reelection campaign.

Why it matters: In the eyes of many Republicans, Trump's decisive election victory vindicated their hostility toward nebulous "woke" ideologies. In practice, their plans could mean purging the federal government of policies Democrats supported to reverse what they saw as unfairness and inequalities.

Rahm Emanuel is considering a run for chairman of the Democratic National Committee, three people with knowledge of the matter told Axios.

Why it matters: Emanuel, the former Chicago mayor and current ambassador to Japan, would be vying to take over a party that's in disarray after an election in which Republicans won control of the White House, the Senate and the House.

North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum will be nominated for secretary of the Interior, President-elect Trump said during a gala at Mar-a-Lago Thursday night.

Why it matters: The Interior boss will play a big role in Trump's efforts to further boost U.S. oil and gas production.

President-elect Trump has vowed to impose sweeping tariffs with or without the support of Congress.

The big picture: While setting tariffs is a power typically afforded to Congress, the executive branch can also do so without congressional approval under special circumstances like over economic emergencies and national security issues.

Next year's outlandish confirmation fights could thrust incoming Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) between his Republican conference and his president.

Why it matters: Thune can afford to lose three Senate GOP votes on Trump nominees. But at least six Senate Republicans, depending on the specific nominee, could be in line to blockade President-elect Trump.

Outgoing Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer heard a consistent, urgent alarm this week from Democrats who felt ambushed by GOP attacks on transgender people participating in women's sports, Axios has learned.

Why it matters: The losses of Sens. Jon Tester (D-Mont.) and Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) leave Democrats without a single member representing a truly red state.

Rep. Maxwell Frost (D-Fla.) on Thursday launched a bid to become the first member of congressional leadership in either party from Generation Z.

Why it matters: The 27-year-old is running a very Gen Z campaign for the role, pitching programs for House Democrats to book digital influencers and artists and to revamp their online branding.

The Republican-led House Ethics Committee cancelled a planned meeting regarding its investigation of former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.), two sources familiar with the matter confirmed to Axios.

Why it matters: Gaetz's resignation from Congress after President-elect Trump nominated him for attorney general puts an abrupt end to the panel's investigation.

President-elect Trump announced Thursday he will nominate attorneys Todd Blanche and Emil Bove, who've both represented him in several criminal cases, to No. 2 and No. 3 spots in the Department of Justice.

The latest: Dean John Sauer, another of Trump's attorneys, was tapped for solicitor general after representing Trump in his Jan. 6 case, in which the Supreme Court ruled that presidents have immunity for "official acts."

President-elect Trump's decision to tap Robert F. Kennedy Jr as his nominee for secretary of Health and Human Services has elicited mixed reactions from Republicans on Capitol Hill.

Why it matters: Kennedy — an anti-vaccine activist who previously ran against Trump for president before dropping out and endorsing him — will need to lock down support from key senators to get through the conformation process.

Public health leaders on Thursday quickly decried President-elect Trump's pick of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for health secretary, predicting his vaccine skepticism and other public statements would undermine scientific expertise.

Why it matters: Key figures warned of the unique predicament of a having a noted vaccine skeptic who's sown mistrust of federal health agencies in charge of the Department of Health and Human Services.