Joshua Hawley

Mike Parson, whose term as Missouri governor ends on Jan. 13, says he’s left his successor “a really good foundation to build on.”

Donald Trump and J.D. Vance have yet to be sworn in as president and vice president respectively after their 2024 victory and Fox News is already looking towards the 2028 presidential election when Trump will be ineligible to run.According to Fox's Paul Steinhauser, the Ohio Republican who Trump tapped as his running mate has the inside track to the 2028 GOP nomination but it is not a done deal with the current head of Republican National Committee (RNC) saying they won't put their finger on the scale for any candidate.By all accounts, Vance is the heir to the MAGA crown, with Republican consultant Dave Carney calling the Ohio Republican "the guy to beat," and adding, "The vice president will be in the catbird seat. No question about it."ALSO READ: Why ABC settled a case they knew they would win — and why the Lincoln Project didn'tGOP strategist David Kochel, agreed, but cautioned, "There will be no shortage of people looking at it. But most people looking at it are seeing the relative strength of the Trump victory and the movement."According to Fox's Steinhauser, there will likely be others in the GOP who have long had their eye on the White House who will be testing the waters after having made previous runs.With Carney suggesting a "possible rough four years for the Trump/Vance administration" would hand challengers to Vance "opportunities," Fox's Steinhuaser pointed to Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, Sen Ted Cruz (R-TX), Arkansas Republican Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, 2024 runner-up Nikki Haley and far-right Sen. Tom Cotton, also of Arkansas, as possible candidates.According to the Fox report, "DeSantis, who sources say Trump has considered as a plan B for Defense secretary if his nominee Pete Hegseth runs into trouble, has his eyes on another White House run," adding that Cruz, once thought to be in trouble in 2024 waltzed away with a six-point win in his re-election bid.As for Huckabee Sanders, Steinhauser wrote, "The first-term conservative governor of Arkansas is a well-known figure in MAGA world, thanks to her tenure as Trump's longest-serving White House press secretary during his first administration. The 42-year-old Sanders, the daughter of former Arkansas governor and former two-time presidential candidate Mike Huckabee, has also grabbed national attention for delivering the GOP's response to President Biden's 2023 State of the Union address."Also popping up on the list are Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) and businessman Vivek Ramaswamy who will be part of Trump's unfunded Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) after Jan. 20th.You can read more right here.

Former Sen. Kurt Schaefer, R-Columbia, is a former deputy director at the agency.

Sen. Rand Paul has floated the idea of replacing House Speaker Mike Johnson with Elon Musk after the chaotic collapse of the continuing resolution spending bill.

The president-elect proposed a controversial provision to raise the nation's debt limit — something his own party routinely rejects.

"It is a taste of things to come. The House is going to be ungovernable,” one senator said of this week's disarray over government funding.

NCAA President Charlie Baker told a Senate panel that there are fewer than 10 transgender athletes he is aware of who currently compete in college sports, pouring cold water on an issue Republicans have said is a nationwide problem and one that is increasingly fraught territory for Democrats.

If confirmed by the Senate, Kennedy will be charged with leading the Department of Health and Human Services.

Andrew McCabe, who abused his power to spy on Kash Patel, now claims Patel is unqualified to lead the FBI.

Patel would not actually “come after” Trump’s enemies, several Republicans told HuffPost.

Hawley said he will fight to block plans by U.S. House to speed up passage of smaller version of bill that does not include Missouri, other states.

To save $30 billion over 10 years and reduce the service’s carbon footprint, Postal Service plans to add one day to deliveries made to rural areas.

Kristi Noem, President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee to be Homeland Security secretary, arrives for a meeting with Sen. Kevin Cramer, R-N.D., on Tuesday.

Sen. Josh Hawley's bill bans airlines from offering bonuses tied to amenity fees and prohibits discriminatory pricing, calling practices "offensive."

'You don't actually care about working people'

The social media account for the House Ways and Means Democrats was ripped Tuesday over a post seemingly dismissing the struggles of those who can't afford groceries.

'Should not be a partisan issue

The Massachusetts senator said she views the nomination of Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer as a “test” of whether Trump will be cowed by business groups.

Reason, a magazine from a Libertarian think tank, published an article Friday which worries that “Republican populism aims to expand the Nanny State.”

President-elect Trump's pick for Labor secretary, Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer (R-Ore.), appears to be a genuine union supporter and that's freaking out some business groups and conservative advocates. Why it matters: Trump campaigned as a pro-worker and somewhat pro-labor candidate — though he was a decidedly anti-union president in his first term.This pick is a marked change — and a win for Teamsters president Sean O'Brien who pushed for Chavez-DeRemer.Between the lines: The nomination, part of Trump's "messy coalition," is a sign that O'Brien's decisions to speak at the Republican National Convention and to refrain from endorsing a presidential candidate are already paying off.Catch up fast: The daughter of a Teamsters father, Chavez-DeRemer served just one term in the House — she lost a close race in November.She was one of just three Republicans to co-sponsor the Pro Act, a bill reviled by conservative groups, most Republicans and the business lobby.Perhaps most controversially, the bill would hold companies accountable for workers they don't directly employ. For example, McDonald's would be responsible for workers at its franchises. Or Uber for its drivers. The first Trump administration reversed a similar rule. (Intriguingly, Chavez-DeRemer voted for a resolution to overturn a Biden effort to revive it.)State of play: Business groups and Republican lawmakers want to know where she stands on the Pro Act now. "That's going to be the issue she's going to have to answer for," in meetings with lawmakers, says Matthew Haller, CEO of the International Franchise Association.Meanwhile: Others quickly condemned her, including the Wall Street Journal and several conservative advocates on X.Not all Republicans are wary: "President O'Brien was a strong voice in a chorus that includes many Republicans eager to ensure the GOP acts in the interests of working people, not just corporations and financial elites," Teamsters spokesperson Kara Deniz tells Axios.Rep. Tom Emmer (R-Minn.) was among a few GOP lawmakers who encouraged Trump to go with Chavez-DeRemer, according to Deniz and a source familiar with the process. Rep. Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.) advised her on how to play the situation, another source familiar told Axios.Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) called her a "great pick!" on X.Reality check: Trump's first term was staunchly anti-labor, and union groups today aren't holding their breath for a 180 — putting out cautious statements of support that call out Trump's positions in his first term."Donald Trump is the President-elect of the United States — not Rep. Chavez-DeRemer — and it remains to be seen what she will be permitted to do," AFL-CIO president Liz Shuler said in a statement.What to watch: How the incoming administration treats public-sector unions as it tries to slash the size of the federal workforce.Axios' Juliegrace Brufke contributed reporting

Sen. Josh Hawley is calling on the Senate Homeland Security Committee to subpoena public testimony from Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and FBI Director Christopher Wray.

'I look forward to Director Wray’s resignation'

Senate Homeland Security Committee Chairman Gary Peters (D-Mich.) lashed out at the two Biden administration officials for refusing to appear for a worldwide threats hearing.

Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee Chairman Gary Peters, D-Mich., called it a “shocking departure” from the tradition of public testimony at the annual hearing.

Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer, D-N.Y., has said he will work to confirm judges for the rest of the year.

Earlier, Gaetz launched an effort to personally secure his embattled nomination, meeting with Republican senators behind closed doors.

Gaetz met for hours behind closed doors Wednesday with Republican senators who have questions about the sexual misconduct and other allegations against him.

Hawley said he was backing Cornyn. Schmitt reportedly supported Scott.

'Thune defeated Republican Texas Sen. John Cornyn'

Veteran and Fox News host Pete Hesgeth is President-elect Donald Trump's pick to lead the Pentagon.

As Republicans gain control of the Senate majority, multiple senators are fighting for votes for majority leader after the 2024 election.

Big changes could be coming in how the upper chamber of Congress is managed when the 119th Congress convenes on Jan. 3, 2025.

Senate Republicans met on Tuesday night to hear from the three candidates to succeed Mitch McConnell, and Rick Scott left with two new endorsements.

'Ten GOP members have endorsed a candidate so far'

President-elect Trump could be TikTok's saving grace years after threatening to ban the app during his first term.Why it matters: The future of the popular short-form video app looked grim earlier this year because of elected officials' national security concerns about its ties to China. Not so much anymore.State of play: Under a bipartisan law that passed in April, TikTok would be banned by January in the U.S. unless its China-based parent company ByteDance sold it. The deadline could be extended 100 days if a sale was underway. The Justice Department and TikTok have asked the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit for a ruling by early December in order to seek a review from the Supreme Court before the law's mid-January deadline to sell.Trump as president could urge Congress to repeal the law, which was passed in April, or encourage his future attorney general not to enforce it, the Washington Post reported. The legislation also gives the attorney general the authority to conduct investigations related to violations.Zoom in: Trump, who's been bullish on China, repeatedly said he opposed banning TikTok during his latest presidential campaign.Republicans concerned about Chinese influence, like Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) and Rep. Jeff Duncan (R-S.C.), backed the ban.TikTok has sued the U.S over the ban, challenging its constitutionality.Trump "will deliver" on the policy proposals that he campaigned on, Karoline Leavitt, Trump-Vance transition spokesperson, told Axios when asked about opposing the ban on Tuesday."The American people re-elected President Trump by a resounding margin giving him a mandate to implement the promises he made on the campaign trail," she said.Flashback: Trump issued an executive order in 2020 that would have banned U.S. companies from making transactions with ByteDance. He later approved a deal where TikTok could continue operating in the U.S. because of minority shareholding from Oracle and Walmart. The unusual move of targeting a single foreign company focused on Chinese threats to personal information of Americans.President Biden revoked and replaced three Trump executive orders in 2021, directing the Department of Commerce to determine which apps may pose an "unacceptable risk" to U.S. national security.The intrigue: Trump's early appointments for the next administration have already include two China hawks: Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) for secretary of state and Rep. Michael Waltz (R-Fla.) as national security adviser.What to watch: ByteDance has paid lobbyists this year for pro-TikTok advocacy to lawmakers, the AP reported.Separately, Republican megadonor Jeff Yass, who has a significant financial stake in ByteDance, donated tens of millions of dollars to conservative causes in the 2024 election cycle including one focused on rallying Republicans against the TikTok ban. Trump in a March interview with CNBC said Yass didn't didn't mention TikTok when the two had recently met.Former Trump adviser Kellyanne Conway this year advocated for TikTok on Capitol Hill. Earlier this year, she called for Trump to emphasize the app's usefulness to his supporters, Axios' Sophia Cai and Stephen Neukam reported. Go deeper: Inside Trump's TikTok flip-flop

The Senate majority leader had not extended invitations to two candidates in close races.

Vice president-elect JD Vance is the clear front-runner for the 2028 GOP presidential nomination at this extremely early point, but here's a look at other Republicans who may mull a White House run

Sen. Josh Hawley endorsed Sen. John Cornyn for Senate majority leader. Sens. Rick Scott and John Thune are also vying to succeed Sen. Mitch McConnell in the Senate GOP leader slot.

Fresh off Tuesday’s red sweep, House Republicans have begun to renew the idea of ending China’s preferential trade status.

Warner Bros Discovery CEO David Zaslav begged for relief from regulators last summer, saying “We just need an opportunity for deregulation, so companies can consolidate and do what we need to do to be even better.” He was expressing the frustration in corner offices across industries. As the presidential election loomed, Zaslav, in those comments [...]

Strong early voting numbers were an indication of high voter interest in a state expected to go strong for former President Donald Trump in the presidential race, candidates said.

Count has 24 polling sites

The Republican Party is now more primed to back former President Trump if he contests the results of the 2024 election than it was four years ago, when his efforts to overturn Joe Biden’s victory fell flat in courts and Congress. Trump’s unwavering claims about the nation’s election system being “rigged” have steadily gained more acceptance [...]

The debate was the only televised matchup of the two U.S. Senate candidates this year.

On Halloween, Missouri’s two leading candidates for U.S. Senate meet in their one and only televised debate.

Gregg Popovich put basketball aside after the San Antonio Spurs' first win of the NBA season to blast Donald Trump in a withering rant.

The incumbent U.S. senator aimed criticism at Democratic opponent Lucas Kunce, who accidentally injured a TV reporter while shooting an AR-15 at a campaign event.

The Republican senator tried to ridicule Democratic challenger Lucas Kunce. The Marine Corps veteran didn't take the attacks lying down.

Kamala Harris and Donald Trump are embracing wildly different strategies to energize the coalitions they need to win as the campaigns enter their final sprint