Axios

Some of President-elect Trump's Cabinet and White House picks have garnered a cacophony of criticism.

But while plenty of controversial picks remain, some Democrats have expressed leniency — even excitement — to cross the aisle and vote in favor of some of them.

Here's what you may have missed when newsmakers hit the airwaves this Sunday, November 24.

Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.), once on the shortlist to be attorney general under the incoming Trump administration, suggested Sunday that Justice Department employees who investigated the president-elect should be "fired immediately."

Why it matters: President-elect Trump's victory has marked a major fork in the road for his ongoing legal cases and could prompt vast changes at the DOJ, which Trump and his allies often claim has been "weaponized."

Former Sen. Fred Harris (D-Okla.) stayed out of the national spotlight after leaving Congress, but over the years, he still had plenty to say about the nation's future to young leaders, students — and me.

The big picture: Harris, the last surviving member of the Kerner Commission, a panel appointed by President Lyndon Johnson in 1967 to examine the causes of the 1960s riots, died Saturday at 94.

It's one thing to call for the largest deportation in American history. It's another to pull it off logistically, given the highly complex process of spotting, detaining, holding and evicting people in the U.S. illegally.

Why it matters: The judicial process — one small piece of a long, expensive deportation machinery — illustrates vividly the complexity ahead.

Former U.S. Sen. Fred Harris (D-Okla.), the last surviving member of the Kerner Commission, a panel appointed by President Lyndon Johnson in 1967 to examine the causes of the 1960s riots, died on Saturday. He was 94.

The big picture: Harris was elevated into the national spotlight in 1967 when President Johnson appointed him to the Kerner Commission following a series of urban riots from Los Angeles to Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

While President-elect Trump's 2016 win sparked shock, outrage and massive protests, the response to his 2024 victory has been more muted.

The big picture: 2016 birthed The Resistance, a political movement to protest Trumpism online and in the streets. There's still plenty of resistance to Trump across the country, but little mass mobilization.

White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan met earlier this week with Rep. Mike Waltz (R-Fla.), who President-elect Trump has appointed as his national security adviser, two sources with knowledge of the meeting said.

Why it matters: The first meeting between Sullivan and his successor, who will inherit a set of spiraling crises around the world, took place even though the Trump transition team hasn't signed a memorandum of understanding, allowing the transition process to begin.

President-elect Trump's vow to overhaul the Justice Department is often cast in sweeping, ominous language: He'd seek retribution against his enemies, back deportations of millions of undocumented immigrants, and more.

Driving the news: But Republicans have been dropping hints — some conflicting — with more details about Trump's plans once he takes office Jan. 20. Beyond Trump's campaign rhetoric, those clues have come from:

The Biden administration warned Israel that their decision to stop issuing administrative detention orders against Israeli settlers suspected of attacking Palestinians in the occupied West Bank could increase violence in the Palestinian territory, two U.S. officials told Axios.

Why it matters: Israeli security forces mostly use administrative detention against Palestinians, but the measure is also used to counter Jewish terrorism against Palestinians.

Axios CEO Jim VandeHei inspired and energized a National Press Club gala with a passionate, ad-libbed defense of free and fearless reporting, warning that "everything we do is under fire."

• "I hate this damn debate about: Oh, we don't need the media," he said Thursday night as he and co-founder Mike Allen accepted the Fourth Estate Award for lifetime achievement. "It's not true."

Nothing captures the dramatic ideological transformation of the Republican Party more vividly than President-elect Trump's proposed cabinet.

• A pro-abortion-rights Kennedy running HHS (RFK Jr.).
• A pro-union centrist running Labor (U.S. Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer of Oregon).
• A former elected Democrat as director of national intelligence (Tulsi Gabbard).
• A former George Soros adviser, who now promises Trumponomics will turn around the economy, running the Treasury (Scott Bessent).

Hostage families and deal-minded Israeli officials are now placing their hopes in President-elect Trump to succeed where President Biden has so far failed: Convincing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to end the war in Gaza in exchange for freeing the hostages held by Hamas.

The big picture: Less then two months before Trump's inauguration, a hostage-release and ceasefire deal looks unlikely to happen anytime soon.

When President-elect Trump moves from Mar-a-Lago to Pennsylvania Ave., he'll bring a gaggle of fellow Floridians with him.

Why it matters: Florida has become the epicenter of Trump's political movement and the state that is shaping the modern Republican Party.

Real estate commissions aren't the only industry practice under fire.

Why it matters: Critics have pushed to end an optional but widely followed National Association of Realtors policy, arguing it hides certain listings from online home shoppers.

President-elect Trump on Friday selected Johns Hopkins professor Marty Makary to lead the Food and Drug Administration.

Why it matters: Makary has long advocated for reforms to the health care system and gained prominence during the pandemic for his criticisms of parts of the federal response. He has recently been supportive of Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s nomination to become HHS secretary.

President-elect Trump announced a slew of nominations to lead health agencies Friday.

State of play: He will nominate doctor and former Rep. Dave Weldon (R-Fl.) to head the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Dr. Marty Makary for FDA Commissioner and Dr. Janette Nesheiwat for Surgeon General.

President-elect Trump will nominate Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer (R- Ore.) for Labor secretary.

The big picture: The one-term Oregon Republican lost her reelection bid this month to a Democratic state lawmaker.

President-elect Trump announced Friday that he is naming Russ Vought to serve as director of the Office of Management and Budget.

Why it matters: OMB, which Vought also led during Trump's first term in the White House, is the government's central regulatory gatekeeper, exerting significant influence over the executive branch's agenda, which includes developing the president's budget request.