First: Trump is expected to appoint China critics Marco Rubio and Mike Waltz | US News

Good morning

Donald Trump has reportedly picked China critics Marco Rubio and Mike Waltz for the respective roles of secretary of state and national security adviser.

Rubio, who was arguably the most combative option on the president-elect's slate and favored adopting a tough foreign policy against the U.S.'s geopolitical opponents, has softened some of his positions over the years to align more closely with Trump's. During the campaign, Trump accused previous leaders of dragging the U.S. into costly wars, and many Republicans complained that American allies in Europe were not paying enough for their defense.

Sources told Reuters that Trump appeared to have settled on the Florida senator as his pick on Monday, although that could change at any time. Waltz, a Republican congressman in Florida, has criticized Chinese activities in the Asia-Pacific and urged the U.S. to be prepared for conflict in the region.

• Who was confirmed for Trump's Cabinet? Immigration hardliner Stephen Miller (as deputy chief of staff for policy); Susie Wiles (Chief of Staff); Lee Zeldin (Environmental Protection Agency Administrator); and Tom Homan (“Border Czar”).

• What does his EPA vote mean for the environment? Trump said Zeldin's appointment would “ensure fair and prompt deregulatory decisions.” Zeldin said in 2018 that he did not support the Paris climate agreement.

Democrat Ruben Gallego beats far-right Republican Kari Lake to win the Arizona Senate seat

Arizona has elected its first Latino senator, Ruben Gallego, after the Democrat defeated far-right figure Kari Lake, who called herself “Trump in a dress.”

In the final Senate election, which has yet to be announced, Republicans have 53 seats in the upper chamber of Congress to Democrats' 47 seats. Gallego, a progressive congressman, will replace Democratic and independent Senator Kyrsten Sinema, who consistently blocked her party's goals while maintaining a razor-thin majority.

As the Democratic Party analyzes its defeat and accusations mount, US progressives argue that the way back to victory is to offer voters “popular and populist” economic policies.

• By how much margin did Gallego win? He received 50% of the vote to Lake's 48%.

• Was it a surprise? Gallego was consistently several points ahead of Lake in the polls, although Trump easily beat Harris in the state.

“No ceasefire” and “no breathing space” in Lebanon, says Israeli Defense Minister

Israel's new Defense Minister Israel Katz said there would be “no ceasefire” and “no respite” in Lebanon, which Israel has repeatedly attacked in recent weeks.

Israeli attacks on Lebanon have killed more than 3,000 people and displaced another 1.2 million. In a social media post, Katz said: “We will continue to attack Hezbollah with full force until the war objectives are achieved.”

Katz said the aim of the war was to disarm Hezbollah, force the group to retreat across the Litani River and return Israeli residents of the country's north “safely to their homes.” Tens of thousands of people in northern Israel were forced to flee by rocket attacks from southern Lebanon.

• When and why was Katz appointed? Katz replaced Yoav Gallant last week after Benjamin Netanyahu fired him, citing disagreements over strategy. The International Criminal Court has requested arrest warrants against Gallant and Netanyahu for alleged war crimes in Gaza.

In other news…

• New Zealand has officially apologized to the more than 200,000 children and adults, mostly Māori, who were abused and neglected in state and religious institutions since the 1950s.

• Haiti's international airport was closed on Monday and several airlines suspended flights to the country after gangs opened fire on a passenger flight landing in Port-au-Prince.

• The Philippines is preparing for its fifth meeting big storm in three weeksDays after thousands were evacuated ahead of Typhoon Toraji.

• The Italian police have uncovered the forgery of a Europe-wide criminal network by world-famous artists such as Banksy, Pablo Picasso and Andy Warhol.

Stat of the day: Bluesky gains 700,000 new members as users leave X afterward US election

Users fled in droves after the US election, in which owner Elon Musk supported Donald Trump. A clear beneficiary of this exodus was Bluesky, which gained more than 700,000 new users in the last week.

The violence in the Netherlands when Israeli team Maccabi Tel Aviv played Ajax last week shocked people around the world. As questions continue to arise, Jon Henley looks at what we know about how the unrest unfolded, from Wednesday night to the political response.

Climate check: Shell wins appeal against court ruling ordering a reduction in CO2 emissions

As the UN Secretary-General declared at the Cop29 climate conference that 2024 had been a “masterclass in climate destruction,” it was revealed that Shell had successfully appealed a landmark climate ruling in the Netherlands. In 2021, the country ordered the oil and gas company to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 45% by 2030. Shell appealed – arguing that it was a political, not judicial, matter and that another company was exploiting all the fossil fuels it did not extract – and won.

Last thing: Why are there celebrity lookalike contests everywhere?

It was just two weeks ago that the actor himself shined at a Timothée Chalamet lookalike competition in New York City. Since then, there have been more and more celebrity lookalike contests, holding events for those who look like Paul Mescal, Dev Patel or Harry Styles, even if only somewhat. What's behind it? Is it a talent agency marketing ploy, an avant-garde anti-AI protest, or (whisper it) just a laugh?

Sign in

First Thing is delivered to thousands of inboxes every weekday. If you're not already signed up, subscribe now.

Get in touch

If you have any questions or comments about any of our newsletters, please email [email protected]