Axios

House Democrats' Steering and Policy Committee voted to recommend Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.) as ranking member of the House Oversight Committee, several sources familiar with the vote told Axios.

Why it matters: It's a huge blow to Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's (D-N.Y.) hopes of leading the high-profile panel, though the full Democratic caucus still has to vote to approve steering's pick.

Former FBI informant Alexander Smirnov pleaded guilty on Monday to lying about a phone bribery scheme involving President Biden and his son Hunter Biden.

Why it matters: The false allegations played a prominent role in the GOP-led impeachment inquiry into the president.

Rep. Jared Huffman (D-Calif.) on Monday won a crucial vote in the brutally contested race for ranking member of the House Natural Resources Committee.

Why it matters: Huffman fired the starting gun last month on a series of challenges to septuagenarian committee leaders by launching an insurgent bid to topple incumbent ranking member Raúl Grijalva (D-Ariz.).

President-elect Trump called himself a "big believer" in the polio vaccine on Monday but said he's not a fan of mandates.

Why it matters: The comments come after reports that an adviser to Health and Human Services nominee Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was seeking to revoke the approval of a polio vaccine, called IPOL, for children.

President-elect Trump said "everybody wants to be my friend" as he prepares to return to the White House, a notable shift from his first term where "everybody was fighting me."

Why it matters: Trump's first press conference since winning back the White House was a sprawling affair that that touched on everything from supposed drone spottings, the parade of tech CEOs seeking his time, and pardoning embattled New York City Mayor Eric Adams.

A new report out from the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP), led by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), accuses Amazon of manipulating data on worker injuries and ignoring safety concerns.

The big picture: The online retail giant has faced intense scrutiny in recent years over allegations of unsafe or grueling work conditions.

SoftBank is back in the Donald Trump flattery business, pledging to invest $100 billion into U.S. companies over the next four years and to create 100,000 jobs.

Driving the news: SoftBank founder and CEO Masayoshi Son is expected meet with the president-elect later today at Mar-a-Lago, where he'll announce his firm's plans at a press conference.

President Biden will sign a proclamation Monday establishing a national monument in Maine honoring former Labor Secretary Frances Perkins, the first female cabinet secretary and a leading architect of the New Deal.

Why it matters: It's the Biden administration's latest step to strengthen recognition of women's contributions to the U.S.

Think of President-elect Trump's top Cabinet and West Wing officials in two big buckets:

• The Creators are charged with stoking a booming, AI-enabled economy, including a low jobless rate — the "golden age of America" that Trump promised after he won.
• The Destroyers are the more controversial picks — wired to disrupt existing institutions, and acting on smoldering grievances against the organizations they've been picked to lead.

Efforts to revoke Food and Drug Administration approval of the polio vaccine could provide a preview of how vaccine skeptics plan to challenge decades of federal health policy during a second Trump administration, experts say.

Why it matters: By asserting that the agency didn't do enough safety studies, groups like the Informed Consent Action Network are implying that the risks are greater than the benefits, even though vaccines are more thoroughly tracked than virtually any other medical product, the experts say.

Donald Trump's advisers are hoping to get bipartisan support for at least some of his less controversial nominees — starting this week with Scott Turner, Trump's pick for Housing and Urban Development secretary.

Driving the news: They're reaching out to some key Democrats this week to arrange meetings with Turner to discuss housing and other issues on which they might find some common ground.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) is launching a preemptive strike against the isolationists in his own party, warning of the "price of American retreat" in a new essay for Foreign Affairs.

Why it matters: McConnell is putting Trump — and the entire Republican party — on notice that he plans to be an active combatant in the looming GOP civil war on foreign policy.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said Sunday that he's "working to pass a bill" to give local law enforcement "more tools for drone detection" following a spate of mysterious sightings in Northeastern U.S. states.

The big picture: Schumer in online statements urged Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas to send "special drone-detection tech" to New York and New Jersey to tackle the unidentified flying objects problem that saw N.Y. Stewart International Airport shut down Friday.

President Biden urged Democrats to "stay engaged" and "never give up" as he and Vice President Harris thanked donors and party members at the Democratic National Committee's holiday reception in Washington, D.C., on Sunday.

The big picture: In a nod to President-elect Trump defeating Harris and Republicans winning control of the House and Senate in November's election, Biden said at the DNC event "we all get knocked down," you've just "got to get up" as he touted his administration's legislative accomplishments.