Axios

Houthi rebels are brandishing increasingly sophisticated weapons, including missiles that "can do things that are just amazing," the Pentagon's chief weapons buyer said at an Axios event.

The big picture: The militant group has for a year used drones and missiles to strangle waters off Yemen, disrupting international shipping.

Nearly 90 lawmakers sent a letter to President Biden in late October calling on him to sanction two Israeli ultranationalist ministers for "incentivizing" violence by Israeli settlers against Palestinian civilians in the occupied West Bank.

Why it matters: The U.S. has sanctioned several Israeli organizations for supporting violence by extremist settlers against Palestinians but has stopped short of taking action against Israel's Minister of National Security Itamar Ben Gvir and Minister of Finance Bezalel Smotrich.

Today's pachanga celebrates Elvia Perez, who was just recognized as a trailblazer by NextGen Collective!

• Elvia, who was part of the organization's 30 under 30 list, is an investment associate at Inicio Ventures.
• She promotes educational equity and aims to help Latino entrepreneurs access resources to succeed.

Congrats, Elvia!

🎤 Please send us your pachanga nominations by filling out this form or replying to this email!

Lauren LeFranc, the showrunner on HBO's "The Penguin," tells Axios Latino being in charge of such a high profile series was an amazing opportunity to get more Latino representation on screen.

The big picture: The show, which spins off from the 2022 movie "The Batman" and ended its run Sunday with a viewership high of 2.1 million viewers, is one of few shows run and written by a Latina (LeFranc is of Mexican descent).

As virtual fitness continues to boom, Latina trainers are increasingly leading accessible at-home workouts.

Why it matters: Latinos in the U.S. have some of the highest rates of physical inactivity among racial and ethnic groups, CDC data shows.

President-elect Trump has nominated former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard to serve as his director of national intelligence.

Why it matters: If confirmed, the ex-Democrat turned MAGA ally would head the country's vast intelligence community despite having little experience in the field.

Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-Texas) said at an Axios event Wednesday that there won't be a mass deportation that includes going door to door.

The big picture: President-elect Trump has vowed to crack down on immigration and start mass deportations on day one of his presidency.

President Biden asked President-elect Trump during their two-hour meeting on Wednesday to work together in order to push for a ceasefire and hostage deal between Israel and Hamas.

Why it matters: Biden wants to use the two months he has left in office to break the prolonged deadlock in the negotiations over a Gaza deal. Trump on the other hand would likely be happy to reach Inauguration Day with one less crisis on his plate.

This is no time for complacency in the U.S. race for artificial intelligence against China, Mike Gallagher, Palantir head of defense told Mike Allen at the Axios Future of Defense event in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday.

Why it matters: Gallagher suggested that leveraging software and AI to automate processes could help the Department of Defense reinvest resources into more critical military capabilities.

President-elect Trump has narrowed in on Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) for secretary of state, he announced on Wednesday.

Why it matters: Rubio is a foreign policy hawk who was on Trump's vice presidential short list.

Some Latino left-leaning advocacy groups and pollsters are pushing back on exit polls showing President-elect Donald Trump made historic inroads with Latino voters.

Why it matters: Latino voters, a significant part of the Democratic coalition since 1960, shifted right in the 2024 election, according to exit polls and an Axios analysis of early election results, causing panic among some Democrats about the future of the party.

The Trump administration's envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, has a major asset: a direct line to Donald Trump, a source close to the president-elect told Axios.

Why it matters: Witkoff faces a crisis in the Middle East and the biggest war between Israelis and Palestinians since 1948 as he starts the job.

President Biden is expected to meet on Wednesday afternoon with the families of the seven American hostages still held by Hamas in Gaza, according to two sources with knowledge of the issue.

Why it matters: Biden is still pushing for a breakthrough in the stalled hostage-release and ceasefire in Gaza negotiations, and is expected to raise the issue in his meeting with President-elect Trump on Wednesday morning, a source said.