Principals

1. Trump’s Washington
2. Warren on Bessent
3. Open Trump roles
4. Chips money
5. Natsec advisers meet
6. Post-election media scramble
7. Kaitlan Collins rising at CNN

PDB: White House reacts to murder of rabbi in UAE

Biden to pardon Thanksgiving turkeys ... CNN: Ceasefire deal between Israel, Hezbollah ‘close’ … WSJ: How Trump’s China tariffs changed US trade

Trump’s Washington: Markwayne Mullin

Every week until Inauguration Day, Semafor’s team will profile someone who will play an influential role for Donald Trump in his administration, on Capitol Hill, or on the outside.

Markwayne Mullin has only been a senator for two years, but he’s set to play a quietly critical role coordinating among congressional Republicans and Donald Trump. The jocular Oklahoman got on the ground floor of two successful campaigns, endorsing both Trump and incoming Senate Republican leader John Thune early in their bids — placing him right at the nexus of internal party politics. There are few Republicans with a foot in so many worlds, the ears of key GOP lawmakers in both chambers of Congress, and ties to the president-elect himself. We’re told Mullin even played the role of mentor to now-Speaker Mike Johnson when he first came to Congress. Mullin’s relationships are already paying dividends after Thune’s election as Republican leader, Trump’s neutrality in that race … and the withdrawal of Matt Gaetz as attorney general. Mullin tangled with Gaetz repeatedly.

— Burgess Everett

Warren tells Bessent not to mess with the Fed

Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., is warning Trump treasury secretary nominee Scott Bessent not to meddle with the Federal Reserve. “It would be a serious error for the Trump administration to interfere with the Fed’s independence, as Mr. Bessent has suggested,” Warren said in a statement this morning. The progressive, a Finance Committee member and the top Democrat on the Banking Committee next year, criticized Bessent as a steward of wealthy investors without explicitly pledging to oppose him. Bessent, a billionaire hedge fund manager and former Democratic donor, has floated the idea of a “shadow Fed chair,” while Trump has expressed interest in weighing in on the central bank’s rate decisions. Bessent told The Wall Street Journal that his priorities would be delivering on tax cuts, imposing tariffs, slashing spending, and “maintaining the status of the dollar as the world’s reserve currency.”

Which key positions Trump has left

Trump filled out his Cabinet with a flurry of weekend picks — but there are still a few notable absences. He has yet to announce his choices for economic roles like Small Business Administrator, chair of the Council of Economic Advisers, National Economic Council director, and US Trade Representative (though there is a question about what his Commerce pick means for the latter). Trump also hasn’t tapped a White House science adviser, candidates for key ambassadorships, and a special envoy for Ukraine peace negotiations. And there are scores of deputy secretary positions to fill across agencies, posts that take on outsized importance when secretary nominees have less expertise in the policy at hand. Four Trump allies we’re watching closely to see where they land, if anywhere: Richard Grenell, Bob Lighthizer, Elbridge Colby, and Ben Carson.

Commerce closes in on final chips dollars

The Biden administration is charging full steam ahead on efforts to revitalize the domestic semiconductor ecosystem. The Commerce Department said this morning it plans to award BAE Systems $36 million in grants to upgrade its New Hampshire semiconductor facility, allowing the company to quadruple production of chips used in military aircraft and commercial satellites. Meanwhile, Commerce will also give Rocket Lab $24 million for its New Mexico facility that produces chips that can withstand large doses of radiation. The agency has allocated $36 billion of the $39 billion in available funding through the chips program, and finalized awards for more than $10 billion of the $36 billion, a Commerce official told Semafor. “I’d like to have really almost all of the money obligated by the time we leave,” Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo recently told Politico.

— Morgan Chalfant

Rep. Van Duyne, R-Texas, will sit down with Semafor’s Senior Washington Editor Elana Schor to share personal insights on the powerful Ways & Means committee, discussing the GOP’s plans for taxes, tariffs, and the future of the Republican party.

RSVP to the last Principals Live of the year.

Waltz says he and Sullivan are ‘hand in glove’

Trump’s choice for national security adviser Michael Waltz tried to present a unified front with President Biden’s national security adviser Jake Sullivan, after the two met in person. “For our adversaries out there that think this is a time of opportunity, that they can play one administration off the other, they’re wrong and we are hand in glove,” Waltz said on Fox News. “We are one team with the United States in this transition.” Waltz and Sullivan’s meeting last week may offer a false sense of a smooth transition, however. The Trump team has yet to sign transition paperwork, including an agreement that requires the president-elect to disclose transition donors and another that allows the FBI to begin background checks required for security clearances. “I don’t think the American public cares who does the background checks,” Sen. Bill Hagerty, R-Tenn., said on ABC.

PR scrambles to navigate new media post-election

Corporate executives emerged from the presidential election urging their handlers to figure out how to make them more like the loose, podcast-friendly Trump, and less like the scripted and corporate Kamala Harris, Semafor’s Ben Smith and Max Tani report. Executives who traditionally sought out slots on CNBC branched out to Fox News after the 2016 election, in hopes of reaching Trump. Now, they’re scrambling to determine which business-friendly podcasts, eclectic YouTubers, or right-leaning online comic chat show hosts could provide an ideal venue for getting their message out. “There’s definitely more interest in right-leaning platforms across the influencer sphere and new research projects to understand those people and their reach,” one PR executive said.

Kaitlan Collins’ star rises at CNN

CNN leadership says it doesn’t want to return to wall-to-wall 24-hour coverage of Trump when he returns to the White House in January, but it is considering shifting its lineup to lean into the spectacle of the new administration, Semafor’s Max Tani reports. The network is considering making anchor Kaitlan Collins its chief White House correspondent. The move, which is still being discussed, is intended to better tap into Collins’ sourcing within Trump’s White House. As part of the shift, Collins and her show would relocate, at least part time, to Washington from New York.

Robert Garcia is a Democratic congressman from California and a member of the new bipartisan YIMBY caucus.

Beltway Newsletters

Punchbowl News: Some conservatives are criticizing Donald Trump’s choice for labor secretary, Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer, R-Ore., for being too close to labor unions.

Playbook: Kamala Harris is telling allies she is “staying in the fight” after her presidential election loss. But she’s facing a question of whether to position herself for a 2028 presidential run or a bid for California governor in 2026.

Axios: The draft ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hezbollah allows for a 60-day transition period during which Israel’s military would pull out of southern Lebanon, the Lebanese army would deploy near the border, and Hezbollah would move its large weapons to the north.

Blindspot

Stories that are being largely ignored by either left-leaning or right-leaning outlets, curated with help from our partners at Ground News.

What the Left isn’t reading: A group of Republican lawmakers pressed the Government Accountability Office for a report on the federal funding awarded to health centers that provide abortions, like Planned Parenthood.

What the Right isn’t reading: Former Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen called for the US to prioritize aiding Ukraine over Taiwan, which faces a looming threat from China.

White House

• A National Security Council spokesman condemned the murder of Rabbi Zvi Kogan in the United Arab Emirates. “This was a horrific crime against all those who stand for peace, tolerance, and coexistence,” spokesman Sean Savett said. “The United States is working in close coordination with Israeli and UAE authorities, and we have offered all appropriate forms of support.”

Congress

• Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, didn’t rule out running again for US Senate or Ohio governor.
• Republicans are considering limiting the power and funding for the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. — WaPo

Transition

• Michael Anton pulled out of the running for a position on Donald Trump’s National Security Council after learning he would have to work with Sebastian Gorka, who Trump named as senior director for counterterrorism. — WaPo
• Trump aims to fire all Justice Department officials who worked with special counsel Jack Smith. — WaPo
• The Trump transition team’s continuing delays in signing agreements on ethics and transparency is preventing nominees from formal contact with federal agencies. — Politico

Outside the Beltway

• Florida will hold a special election to fill Matt Gaetz’s congressional seat on April 1. Speaking of Gaetz, he’s now on Cameo.

Polls

• Fifty-nine percent of US adults approve of the way Donald Trump has handled the presidential transition so far, while 41% disapprove, according to a new CBS/YouGov poll.

Foreign Policy

• Israel and Hezbollah increased attacks on each other over the weekend as efforts to broker a ceasefire intensified.
• China thinks it has an in with Donald Trump through Elon Musk. — WSJ

Environment

• The COP29 deal disappointed, Semafor’s Tim McDonnell writes.

Technology

• The Biden administration intends to cut Intel’s $8.5 billion grant under the CHIPS Act to below $8 billion following the company’s delay of some planned investments in chip operations in Ohio. — NYT
• Apple’s Tim Cook forged a personal relationship with Donald Trump by reaching out to him directly with phone calls and meals, offering a template for how other executives can appeal to the president-elect. — WSJ

Media

• Meta Platforms is rushing to respond to the sudden surge of users to startup Bluesky as X users flee to the platform in the wake of Donald Trump’s election win.

Principals Team

• Editors: Benjy Sarlin, Elana Schor, Morgan Chalfant
• Reporters: Burgess Everett, Kadia Goba, Shelby Talcott, David Weigel

Proponents of US legislation that would formally establish a public AI resource and data hub, providing cheaper access to the technology, are making a last-ditch effort to push the plan through during this congressional session, Semafor’s Reed Albergotti reported.

While Republicans tend to shy away from supporting new government funding for academic programs, this plan has been popular because of the national focus on beating China as the top AI developer.