🗓️ What we’re watching
- House Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Majority Leader John Thune are quick to praise each other, but when it comes to fundamental questions of legislative strategy for passing President-elect Donald Trump’s agenda, they remain at loggerheads, Rachael Bade writes this morning.
- The Senate Judiciary Committee is holding its second hearing with would-be Attorney General Pam Bondi. Also appearing before Senate panels on Thursday are Treasury pick Scott Bessent, Interior pick Doug Burgum, EPA pick Lee Zeldin and HUD pick Eric Scott Turner.
- Former Biden-Harris officials will launch a new legal response center on Inauguration Day to bolster the fight against Trump’s impending executive orders.
👀 What’s Trump up to?
- The president-elect’s inaugural committee is raking in cash from industries that his administration will soon oversee.
- Trump is quickly taking credit for the cease-fire struck between Israel and Hamas on Wednesday, and even some progressives agree with him. “This EPIC ceasefire agreement could have only happened as a result of our Historic Victory in November,” Trump posted Wednesday to Truth Social.
- Google CEO Sundar Pichai will join the growing list of tech executives sitting on the dais as Trump is sworn into office Monday.
🚨What’s up with the nominees?
- Russell Vought, Trump’s nominee for White House budget director, wouldn’t commit to having the federal government spend all the money Congress approves.
- Secretary of State pick Marco Rubio had a pretty easy hearing yesterday.
- Bondi’s first hearing included a lot of questions about FBI pick Kash Patel. And she wouldn’t say if she would investigate special counsel Jack Smith.
- Former Vice President Mike Pence’s organization is advocating against Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s confirmation over his stance on abortion.
- Vice President-elect JD Vance hosted a $250,000-a-plate fundraiser in Palm Beach on Wednesday.
- Co-head of the so-called Department of Government Efficiency Vivek Ramaswamy is being considered to fill Vance’s Ohio Senate seat.