A chorus of European leaders is pushing back against Tesla CEO Elon Musk's meddling after he suggested Britain's prime minister should be imprisoned and questioned whether the U.S. should "liberate" its ally.
The big picture: Musk's influence looms large over U.S. politics with his MAGA alignment. Now he's casting a shadow over elections overseas, lambasting world leaders in recent days with his social media megaphone.
Why it matters: Judge Juan Merchan has already indicated Trump will not face jail time when he is sentenced just 10 days before his inauguration. But the president-elect's legal team is still trying to walk back his historic conviction.
A federal judge on Monday declared Rudy Giuliani in contempt of court for failing to respond to information requests in a defamation case brought by two Georgia election workers, multipleoutlets reported.
Why it matters: After two days of being grilled in court, Giuliani faces more legal troubles. He's previously been disbarred in Washington, D.C. and New York, had a failed bankruptcy claim, and saw the attorneys representing him in the defamation case quit.
For members of Congress who trudged through a snowstorm to certify President-elect Trump's victory in the Electoral College, Jan. 6, 2025 was almost bizarre in its uneventfulness.
Why it matters: Just four years ago today, former Vice President Pence had to be rushed to a secure location when the Jan. 6 Capitol riot interrupted the Electoral College certification for President-elect Biden.
Why it matters: The suspect, who died in a shootout with New Orleans police, acted alone, investigators say, underscoring how difficult it can be to identify threatening behavior before it turns into tragedy.
Why it matters: The New York judge overseeing the case said in a filing last week that the incoming president faces no jail time — but that hasn't stopped Trump's team from still challenging his conviction and upcoming sentencing.
The CIA monitored Mexican American and Puerto Rican civil rights activists fighting for equal education and to honor the late Martin Luther King, Jr., — and against police brutality and the Vietnam War, newly released CIA documents show.
Why it matters: The documents confirm Latino civil rights pioneers' long-held suspicions that the federal government was monitoring — even disrupting — their activities.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau resigned from his position as the leader of the Liberal Party on Monday.
Why it matters: The world's leading democracies are facing growing instability. Look to Germany, where Chancellor Olaf Scholz lost a confidence vote in parliament, or the unprecedented government collapse in France.
Four years after President-elect Trump's supporters stormed the Capitol, Congress on Monday peacefully certified his 2024 victory with Vice President Harris overseeing her own loss.
The big picture: Though the electoral college certification proceeded peacefully, local law enforcement stepped up security around the U.S. Capitol out of an abundance of caution.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's resignation from party leadership Monday has put a renewed spotlight on his Conservative rival, Pierre Poilievre.
Why it matters: Trudeau's resignation has ignited a search for his replacement in his Liberal Party, which polls show is lagging significantly behind the Conservative Party ahead of a general election slated to take place by October.
Congress is expected to certify President-elect Trump's 2024 election win on Monday, four years after his supporters stormed the Capitol to protest the certification of President Biden's 2020 win.
Why it matters:Snowstorm aside, the scene at the Capitol is markedly different this time, with heightened security precautions in response to an escalated threat environment.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said Monday that President-elect Trump should not pardon those convicted in connection with the Jan. 6, 2021 Capitol riots.
Why it matters: Schumer's remarks, on the fourth anniversary of the deadly attack and shortly before Congress is set to certify Trump's electoral victory, are a sign of the political resistance Democrats are planning to mount with Republicans controlling the levers of power in Washington.
President Biden has signed a bill designating the Jackie Robinson Ballpark in Daytona Beach, Florida, a commemorative site and part of the African American Civil Rights Network.
Why it matters: The move means the oldest stadium in use in the minor leagues, where Robinson made history, is getting closer to being possibly designated a National Historic Landmark.
The Federal Reserve's top bank regulator said he will resign from his leadership post while remaining on the Fed's board of governors, front-running a potential clash with President-elect Trump over whether he can be fired.
Why it matters: Some Trump allies have advocated trying to demote Michael Barr, who has pushed for sweeping new regulations on large banks, from the vice chair position.
Nippon Steel and U.S. Steel this morning sued the Biden administration for blocking their proposed tie-up, as expected.
Driving the news: They also filed a RICO complaint against rival Cleveland-Cliffs, the steelmaker's CEO, and the head of the United Steelworkers union. This was unexpected, and escalates the litigation from heated to nuclear.
Ian Bremmer,in his closely watched annual risk forecast, warns that the world has entered "a uniquely dangerous period of world history, on par with only the 1930s and the early Cold War."
The big picture: "People everywhere are facing heightened geopolitical instability driven by a lack of global leadership," writes Bremmer, the president and founder of Eurasia Group, in its "Top Risks 2025" report.
Iran's recent nuclear advances give President-elect Trump a crucial decision to make in his first months in office: Try to neutralize the threat through negotiations and pressure, or order a military strike.
Why it matters: Trump's decision in 2018 to withdraw from an Obama-era nuclear deal prompted Tehran to accelerate its nuclear program, such that it's now a de facto "nuclear threshold state." Officials and diplomats from the U.S., EU and Israel all told Axios they expect Trump to face an Iran crisis in 2025.
Incoming White House chief of staff Susie Wiles tells Axios in an interview that she aims for the West Wing to be a no-drama zone for staff. If that works, it won't be the chaotic den of self-sabotaging that stymied the early days of President-elect Trump's first term.
"I don't welcome people who want to work solo or be a star," Wiles, whose boss calls her the Ice Maiden, said by email. "My team and I will not tolerate backbiting, second-guessing inappropriately, or drama. These are counterproductive to the mission."
President Biden is moving to block about 625 million acres of offshore areas from future oil and gas drilling, the White House announced Monday morning.
Why it matters: The sweeping actions — which drew strong criticism from the oil industry — may hinder President-elect Trump's ability to quickly deliver on plans to scale up fossil fuel production.
President Biden said in a Washington Post op-ed on the eve of the Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol attack's fourth anniversary there's an "unrelenting effort" under way to "rewrite — even erase — the history of that day."
Why it matters: President-elect Trump has suggested he might pardon the rioters who took part in the assault on the Capitol when he takes office, claiming they're "hostages" who've been "wrongfully imprisoned" for their actions on Jan. 6, 2021.
New York City's congestion pricing went into effect in the center of Manhattan on Sunday, one day after a federal judge rejected a request from New Jersey officials to halt the program.
Why it matters: The Metropolitan Transportation Authority says the first road toll policy of its kind in the U.S. is aimed at reducing traffic jams, boosting public transit use and improving air quality by charging up to $9 per day in the Congestion Relief Zone.
