Axios

President-elect Trump has been dipping into the ranks of current and former House members to fill out his administration at a historic rate.

Why it matters: It's no coincidence that Trump prefers the lower chamber to the more detached and regal Senate — where even now members are flexing their independence from the incoming president.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture on Friday announced a federal order that the country's milk supply be tested for bird flu.

Why it matters: The sluggish federal response to the H5N1 bird flu outbreak has alarmed researchers, especially with new findings that the virus is one mutation away from being able to more efficiently affect humans.

The U.S. Naval Academy can consider race in its admissions process, a judge said Friday while rejecting a challenge from the same group whose lawsuit led the Supreme Court to end affirmative action.

Why it matters: When the Supreme Court overturned affirmative action at colleges last year, it exempted military academies from the decision. The lawsuit from Students for Fair Admissions (SFFA) sought to extend the decision to the storied academy.

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) on Friday formally launched her candidacy to be ranking member of the House Oversight Committee.

Why it matters: The 35-year-old would easily be the youngest — and most high-profile — Democratic committee leader if elected.

Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.) said Friday that lawmakers could force another vote to release former Rep. Matt Gaetz's (R-Fla.) Ethics report if President-elect Trump brings him into a White House job.

Why it matters: Bacon's comments come a day after the House voted to block a resolution that would have forced the House Ethics Committee to make the report public. Just one Republican backed the effort by Rep. Sean Casten (D-Ill.).

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) on Friday announced that he is reappointing Rep. Suzan DelBene (D-Wash.) as chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.

Why it matters: It is a sign of House Democrats' confidence in their 2024 election showing even as they try to force out some of their oldest committee chairs.

President-elect Trump on Friday defended his embattled Defense Secretary nominee Pete Hegseth as his path to Senate confirmation appears in jeopardy.

Why it matters: Trump had remained conspicuously silent over the past few weeks as his Pentagon pick became embroiled in mounting scandals that threatened to tank his nomination.

The OPEC+ decision to again delay adding more barrels can't be untethered from President-elect Trump's looming move back into the White House.

Catch up quick: OPEC+ producers on Thursday postponed plans to begin unwinding 2.2 million barrels per day of curbs until at least April 2025.

Nearly 100 former national security officials signed a letter to Senate leaders raising concerns about President-elect Trump's nomination of former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard to serve as director of national intelligence.

Why it matters: Gabbard is yet another controversial Trump Cabinet pick who faces a rocky path to secure Senate confirmation.

Dog owners were much more likely to support President-elect Trump over Vice President Harris, according to AP VoteCast's survey of 120,000+ voters.

• Cat owners were split.

The Las Vegas Stadium Authority approved lease, non-relocation and development documents on Thursday for the A's to build a $1.75 billion stadium on the Strip.

Why it matters: The approval cements Major League Baseball's arrival in a growing sports mecca.

Former Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman Mark Milley is among those the White House is considering for preemptive pardons before President-elect Trump takes office.

The big picture: President Biden has discussed the possibility with staff, Axios is told. But there's no consensus proposal or list. As we told you yesterday, others being mentioned include Liz Cheney and Anthony Fauci.

President-elect Trump has assembled an administration of unprecedented, mind-boggling wealth — smashing his own first-term record by billions of dollars.

• That's even without counting the ballooning fortunes of his prized outside adviser and the world's richest man: Elon Musk.

Why it matters: It's not hyperbole to call this a government of billionaires. Whether it acts as a government for billionaires — as Democrats argue is inevitable — could test and potentially tarnish Trump's populist legacy.

President Biden's pardon of his son Hunter ignited a debate over whether Biden was abusing his power for personal reasons, but he'll have to issue well over 100 more in his last few weeks in office to come close to his predecessors' totals.

Why it matters: The final days of a presidency are the season of pardons, as presidents seek to right what they see as judicial wrongs before they leave D.C. And after Biden's controversial pardon of his son, he's facing enormous pressure to flex his clemency muscle.

President-elect Trump's choice of David Sacks as his "White House AI & Crypto Czar" will put a controversial Silicon Valley veteran, ally of Elon Musk and popular podcaster in charge of the White House's emerging-tech policy.

Why it matters: For years, the tech industry's conservative-libertarian wing has complained that Washington's leaders and culture stifle innovation. Now it will be their turn to call the shots.

President-elect Trump on Thursday night nominated former U.S. Border Patrol chief Rodney Scott to lead Customs and Border Protection, and he picked Immigration and Customs Enforcement veteran Caleb Vitello to serve as acting ICE director.

Why it matters: They're likely to play a crucial role in helping Trump deliver his hard-line immigration policies that include a pledge to deport millions of undocumented immigrants.

Elon Musk bank-rolled a PAC that sought to link the now-President elect Trump's views on abortion with those of the late liberal Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, according to new campaign filings.

The big picture: Musk, who will co-lead the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) in the incoming adminstration, spent more than $250 million in total in donations to Trump's presidential campaign, per the New York Times.

President-elect Trump named investor, Elon Musk ally and podcaster David Sacks to the new role of "AI & crypto czar."

Why it matters: Sacks, an experienced but controversial tech executive, will have an expansive hand in shaping the country's technology policy.

A man suspected in the burglary of a Trump campaign office in Virginia has been arrested in California, authorities said.

The big picture: Toby Shane Kessler, 39, of no fixed address, was detained by the University of California San Francisco Police Department "for squatting in an unoccupied campus dormitory," per a statement from the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office in Virginia.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom visited the U.S.-Mexico border Thursday to tout progress on the long-delayed Otay Mesa East port of entry, and announced an expanded state role countering drug trafficking.

Why it matters: Newsom used the appearance to assert his renewed focus on cross-border issues ahead of a second Trump administration, emphasizing his view of the border as an economic engine and warning against the impacts of promised tariffs.

Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) is being squeezed between his anti-Trump past and his future role presiding over one of Trump's most controversial nominees.

Why it matters: Cassidy will get two bites at the Robert F. Kennedy Jr. apple in 2025.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries' (D-N.Y.) path to the speakership will run through President-elect Trump's home turf.

Why it matters: The strategy (and math) are pretty basic for Jeffries, who needs to pick up just three seats in the next midterms to win the majority.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Speaker Mike Johnson are staring each other down over a bill aimed at curbing antisemitism, we have learned.

Why it matters: Schumer promised Jewish leaders earlier this year that he would try to pass the bill this Congress. Now he's shifting blame to Johnson if Congress doesn't act.