Axios

Vice President-elect JD Vance resigned from the U.S. Senate, effective midnight on Friday — just over a week from Inauguration Day.

Why it matters: Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine (R) is expected to swiftly appoint Vance's replacement, who will join a GOP-led Congress.

Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) plans to meet with President-elect Trump, a source familiar with the matter confirmed to Axios.

The big picture: Fetterman has become a voice of bipartisanship and is among the few Democratic senators to have met with Trump's Cabinet nominees, showing a rare willingness to engage with parts of the MAGA camp.

Some of President-elect Trump's most audacious promises — lobbed from the comfort of the campaign trail — will be on a collision course with reality beginning Jan. 20.

Why it matters: Trump is at the peak of his influence and popularity, a status he achieved by vowing to detonate the status quo. But he and his allies know — and are starting to acknowledge — that their power will not be absolute.

President-elect Trump has inspired Republican members of Congress to introduce a bill that would allow the federal government to take steps to repurchase the Panama Canal.

Why it matters: It's the second time this week GOP lawmakers have rushed to propose legislation that would codify Trump's vision for a new era of American expansionism.

The Biden administration and President-elect Trump's team closely coordinated to push for Gen. Joseph Aoun to be elected as the new president of Lebanon, a U.S. official and a source familiar with the issue told Axios.

Why it matters: The election of Aoun, a U.S. ally, broke the political deadlock that left Lebanon without a president for more than two years.

Democratic support for a bill sanctioning the International Criminal Court ticked up Thursday as the House passed the measure a second time.

Why it matters: The House voted to approve the same bill last year, but with Republicans now in control of the Senate and, soon, the White House, it has a chance of becoming law this time.

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis has asked the Georgia Supreme Court to reverse her disqualification in the election interference case against President-elect Trump, according to a court filing.

Why it matters: Willis' disqualification from the case over a conflict of interest was seen as a major win for Trump, and a blow to the last effort to prosecute him for his allegedly trying to overturn the 2020 election results.

The U.S. honored former President Jimmy Carter, the nation's 39th commander-in-chief, with a state funeral Thursday at the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C.

The big picture: Carter, who died Dec. 29 at 100, has been celebrated throughout the week — from his hometown of Plains, Georgia, to the nation's capital. President Biden declared Thursday a national day of mourning for Carter.

President-elect Trump says interest rates are far too high, but his own economic agenda might play a key role in keeping them elevated for longer.

Why it matters: Fed chair Jerome Powell has been hesitant to directly comment on the incoming administration's policies, but it's clear some of his colleagues on the Fed's policy-setting committee see huge tariffs and restrictive immigration policy as inflationary.

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg on Thursday urged the U.S. Supreme Court to deny President-elect Trump's latest bid to halt his sentencing in his New York hush money case.

Why it matters: The 11th-hour back-and-forth comes as Trump is scheduled to be sentenced for his historic felony conviction on Friday, mere days before his inauguration.

Former President Jimmy Carter's funeral has brought together all five living presidents and placed longtime political foes Barack Obama and Donald Trump directly next to each other.

Setting the scene: Cameras captured Obama and Trump chatting pleasantly and sharing a laugh, and Trump and former Vice President Mike Pence shaking hands — both fairly remarkable scenes considering their histories.

Democrats on the House Oversight Committee sent a letter to the Department of Justice Thursday asking to view special counsel Jack Smith's findings on President-elect Trump's handling of classified documents.

Why it matters: Trump has relentlessly fought to bar the Justice Department from releasing Smith's final report on investigations into Trump taking classified documents from the White House and his alleged attempts to overturn the 2020 election.

The Lebanese Parliament on Thursday elected the commander of the Lebanese armed forces Gen. Joseph Aoun as the country's next president.

Why it matters: Lebanon hasn't had a president for more than two years while the country's leaders tried to reach consensus on a candidate, which has exacerbated Lebanon's deep political and economic crisis.

The nation honors former President Jimmy Carter with a state funeral today and a national day of mourning.

The big picture: President Biden will deliver Carter's eulogy during the funeral, which comes 11 days before President-elect Trump's inauguration.

President-elect Trump and top advisers previewed ambitious plans for 100 executive orders during a meeting with Senate Republicans on Wednesday night, Axios has learned.

Why it matters: While Congress debates the next moves on their own aggressive legislative plans, Trump let them know he is ready to roll — especially on immigration.

President-elect Trump — whose power was immense after his comeback win, enhanced by the coming full Republican control of Congress — has expanded that power substantially in the nine weeks since his victory.

Why it matters: It's rare, if not unprecedented, for a newly elected leader to have so many world leaders and CEOs shift their policies or posture so blatantly during the transition to curry favor with a new president.

The Biden administration's contentious plan to increase federal regulation of diagnostic medical tests could be swiftly dialed back after President-elect Trump is sworn in.

The big picture: Lab-developed tests account for a global market worth more than $12 billion but haven't been subject to pre-market approvals or controls after they're made commercially available in the U.S.

Thursday is the national day of mourning for former President Jimmy Carter, who died Dec. 29 at 100.

The big picture: A state funeral for Carter will take place starting at 10am ET Thursday at Washington National Cathedral in Washington, D.C.

President-elect Trump is encountering some unlikely openness from Democrats — and hesitance and confusion from Republicans — with his talk of acquiring Greenland and the Panama Canal.

Why it matters: Any such effort, should it prove to be more than bluster, would require bipartisan support on Capitol Hill to become a reality.

A new poll of college students found that half view the suspect in UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson's recent killing extremely or somewhat favorably, and nearly half believe the crime was justified.

• 81% of the students polled by Generation Lab said they have an extremely or somewhat negative view of Thompson, the victim.

Why it matters: There's a stark divide between how young people and older people view Thompson's killing. Polls and social media posts indicate that, among young people, there's lasting support for and fascination with a suspected killer — and disdain for the victim.

President-elect Trump's highly unusual intervention in the Supreme Court's TikTok case reads almost like a guy asking for a favor from an institution that still runs on formality.

The big picture: Trump's last-minute effort to give TikTok a stay of execution is one more twist in a case that already scrambles every ideological dividing line.

The devastating Los Angeles County wildfires burst into the political sphere Wednesday, as President-elect Trump blamed California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) for "virtually apocalyptic" scenes of destruction.

Why it matters: Trump — always in campaign mode — and some of his GOP allies are seizing on the wildfires to try to score political points against a Democratic governor who's widely seen as a potential 2028 contender for the White House.

President-elect Trump's Jan. 20 swearing-in will be one of the few inaugurations to coincide with Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

Why it matters: Trump's second inauguration is only the third to take place on the federal holiday.

Justice Samuel Alito spoke with President-elect Trump the day before the Republican leader's lawyers asked the Supreme Court to halt Friday's sentencing in his New York hush money case, the judge confirmed Wednesday.

What they're saying: Alito said in a statement first reported by ABC News that he agreed to take the call from Trump on Tuesday afternoon after his former clerk William Levi asked him to recommend him for a job in the incoming administration.

Fresh off their bruising 2024 losses, Democrats seem to more willing to engage with Republican legislation on issues like immigration and Israel.

Why it matters: The dynamic is putting some "messaging bills" that House Republicans passed in the previous Congress on a path to actually becoming law.

Sen. Tim Sheehy (R-Mont.) is fresh off his victory over one of the last red-state Democrats and has his next target: fixing how the federal government fights wildfires.

Why it matters: Sheehy, who has worked fighting wildfires, told Axios that he is focused on passing reforms to the system as his first move in the Senate — as fires ravage Los Angeles County.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) is tapping Jon Donenberg, a deputy on President Biden's National Economic Council, to be the Democratic staff director on the Senate Banking Committee.

Why it matters: Corporate America — not to mention the banking industry — is bracing for Warren in her new role as the committee's ranking member.

President-elect Trump is leaving the rest of his GOP trifecta hanging on their reconciliation stalemate.

Why it matters: Republican leaders on both sides of the Capitol have no interest in going against Trump. He has the power to quickly end this debate, but that's no closer after Wednesday's meeting with the Senate GOP.

Top Trump campaign staffer Alex Latcham will be executive director of the Senate Leadership Fund, with former Sen. Cory Gardner serving as CEO and chairman of the board, Axios has learned.

Why it matters: The powerful Senate super PAC is getting new leadership as Senate Majority Leader John Thune takes over from Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.)

President-elect Trump and Vice President-elect JD Vance joined other leaders in honoring former President Carter on Wednesday by visiting the U.S. Capitol Rotunda where the late president lies in state.

The big picture: Carter died on Dec. 29 at his home in Plains, Georgia. He was the country's longest-living former president and the first to reach the age of 100.