Axios

President-elect Trump nominated former Rep. Sean Duffy (R-Wis.) to serve as secretary of transportation.

The big picture: The Fox News contributor, and staunch Trump supporter, left Congress in 2019 and now co-hosts "The Bottom Line" on Fox Business.

Civil liberties advocates worried about President-elect Trump's plan for mass deportations are suing the federal government to get information on how authorities could rapidly remove people from the U.S.

Driving the news: The American Civil Liberties Union Foundation of Southern California filed a federal lawsuit in Los Angeles on Monday.

President-elect Trump is personally calling senators to press them to confirm former Rep. Matt Gaetz to be his attorney general, according to senators who have spoken with Trump.

Why it matters: Trump is digging in on his embattled and controversial nominee and is sending an unmistakable message to Senate Republicans that he expects him to be confirmed.

President-elect Donald Trump's media company is in talks to buy Bakkt, a cryptocurrency trading venue, the Financial Times reports.

Why it matters: Trump's embrace of the industry grew throughout his campaign and has led to a surge in value across the crypto market.

The demotion of news media's role in American life has brought on a profound shift in how facts make their way to voters.

Why it matters: The scattering and flattening of media has created a labyrinth where information trickles from primary sources to news media to non-journalist media including Youtubers, podcasters, TikTokers and X accounts — and eventually to conversations between family and friends.

A New Orleans second-line parade ended in bursts of gunfire Sunday night as two separate shootings killed at least two people and injured 11 others, police said.

Zoom in: The shootings cut short the Nine Times Social Aid and Pleasure Club's 26th annual parade as it wound through the 9th Ward.

With mere months until President-elect Trump's inauguration, Biden administration officials are in a race against time to safeguard their goals and achievements.

Why it matters: For President Biden — who sought to secure a legacy as the most progressive president since FDR — Trump's second term in the White House threatens to undermine many of his signature achievements.

President Biden's envoy Amos Hochstein said on Tuesday in Beirut that Lebanon and Israel have reached "a moment of decision-making" regarding a ceasefire agreement.

Why it matters: Hochstein traveled to Beirut on Monday in an effort to finalize a deal to end the war between Israel and Hezbollah.

A global alliance against poverty and hunger was one of the blockbuster agreements made Monday at the launch of the G20 summit in Rio de Janeiro.

Why it matters: The agreement came during one of the last meetings President Biden is set to have with Latin American leaders — and as uncertainty loomed over how President-elect Trump will handle relations when he takes office.

The White House is expected to request over $98 billion in disaster relief funds from Congress on Monday, Axios has learned.

Why it matters: The emergency request from the White House comes as Congress must address a government funding lapse at the end of the year.

The Biden administration on Monday sanctioned three private Israeli companies involved in building settlements in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.

Why it matters: It's a significant broadening of U.S. sanctions against settlers, and the first time sanctions were imposed on private building companies involved in settlement expansion.

The Federal Reserve system is designed to be insulated from partisan politics. But conservatives increasingly see it as an organization stacked with Democrats.

Why it matters: Expect the Fed's current leadership to face hostile questions from Republican lawmakers in the coming months on the appearance of partisan lean — and for President-elect Trump's appointees to seek to reverse that perceived drift.

A New York judge on Monday postponed ex-Trump White House adviser Steve Bannon's state trial on fraud charges until late February.

Why it matters: Bannon, who was recently released from prison, is facing charges for allegedly duping donors who gave money to his "We Build the Wall" campaign during President-elect Trump's first term in the White House.

The House Ethics Committee is expected to meet Wednesday for a possible vote on whether to release its report into allegations of sex trafficking, corruption and drug use against former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.), two sources familiar with the matter told Axios.

Why it matters: The committee has been in the spotlight following President-elect Trump's nomination of Gaetz as attorney general and Gaetz's subsequent resignation from Congress.

President-elect Trump confirmed Monday that he is planning to declare a national emergency and use the U.S. military to carry out mass deportations.

Why it matters: Trump made his promise to deport millions of undocumented immigrants one of the cornerstones of his 2024 campaign, and his team has already begun strategizing how to carry its plan out.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has called for an end to the public health practice of putting fluoride in water.

Why it matters: If he's confirmed as secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services in the new Trump administration, public health experts worry the conspiracy-tinged ideas about fluoride in water could have widespread impacts.

America witnessed tectonic shifts in politics and society in 2024 that will reshape elections, business, culture and the nation for years to come.

• X displaced Fox News as the most powerful platform for Republicans.
• Elon Musk and tech billionaires emerged as lasting, public forces in U.S. politics.

While the early focus on a Trump administration Food and Drug Administration has been on vaccine policy, one of its first moves could be overhauling the federal rules that have made it easier to access the widely used abortion pill mifepristone.

Why it matters: Use of the drug has surged as states enacted near or total abortion bans after Roe v. Wade was overturned in 2022. But new agency leadership could quickly move to roll back some of the policies that were the focus of a closely watched Supreme Court case this year.

Elon Musk has quickly become an influential figure in President-elect Trump's inner circle, but there are signs of tension between Musk and a longtime Trump adviser over Cabinet appointments to the new administration.

Why it matters: The friction between Musk and Boris Epshteyn — a top adviser who's pushed for Cabinet picks that include Matt Gaetz for attorney general — surfaced in public last week. It signaled a rivalry stemming from Musk's growing influence on the president-elect, to the dismay of some Trump loyalists.

President-elect Trump said Federal Communications Commission commissioner Brendan Carr will chair the agency, per a Sunday night announcement.

The intrigue: Carr authored the FCC chapter of the Heritage Foundation's Project 2025 proposal for a second Trump term, written by allies of the incoming president.

President Biden approved Ukraine using long-range missiles to fire against Russian and North Korean forces in the Kursk region of Russia's territory, multiple outlets report.

Why it matters: It's the first time Biden has authorized Ukraine to use U.S.-supplied long-range missiles to strike inside Russia. A source with knowledge of the issue confirmed the Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) was only authorized for use in the Kursk area, where North Korean troops have been deployed.

President Biden, as he became the first sitting president to visit the Amazon rainforest on Sunday, touted leaving President-elect Trump the "most significant climate change law."

Why it matters: Biden appeared to acknowledge Trump's pledge to roll back some of his climate initiatives, saying: "I will leave my successor and my country with a strong foundation to build on if they choose to do so. It's true, some may seek to deny or delay the clean energy revolution that's underway in America, but nobody, nobody can reverse it."