The State Department has notified Congress "informally" of an $8 billion proposed arms deal with Israel that will include munitions for fighter jets and attack helicopters as well as artillery shells, two sources with direct knowledge tell Axios.

Why it matters: This will likely be the last weapons sale to Israel the Biden administration approves.

• It comes amid claims from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his supporters in recent months that Biden had imposed a silent "arms embargo" on Israel.
• Some Democrats pushed the administration to condition arms sales to Israel based on Israel's handling of the war effort and the humanitarian situation in Gaza, but Biden declined to do so.
• This is a long-term agreement, according to the sources. Some production and delivery of the munitions can be fulfilled through current U.S. stocks, but the majority will take one or more years to deliver.

Zoom in: The sources said the arms sale — which needs approval from the House and Senate foreign relations committees — includes AIM-120C-8 AMRAAM air-to-air missiles for fighter jets to defend against airborne threats, including drones.

• The sale also includes 155mm artillery shells and Hellfire AGM-114 missiles for attack helicopters.
• The proposed deal also includes small diameter bombs, JDAM tail kits that turn "dumb bombs" to precision munitions, 500-lb warheads and bomb fuzes.

What they're saying: One source familiar with the arms sale said the State Department told Congress the deal is aimed at "supporting Israel's long-term security by resupplying stocks of critical munitions and air defense capabilities."

• "The President has made clear Israel has a right to defend its citizens, consistent with international law and international humanitarian law, and to deter aggression from Iran and its proxy organizations. We will continue to provide the capabilities necessary for Israel's defense," a U.S. official said.

• A fire devasted one of the world's largest secondhand clothing markets in Accra, Ghana.
• Kantamanto Market receives 15 million garments weekly and employs some 30,000 people.
• An advocacy group urged the global fashion industry to provide relief.

A fire devastated one of the world's largest secondhand clothes markets in Accra, Ghana.

The blaze started Thursday and destroyed as much as two-thirds of Kantamanto Market, which employs about 30,000 clothing traders and receives some 15 million garments weekly from wealthy countries like the US, the UK, and China.

Thousands of people lost their stalls. Ghana National Fire Service said the fire was fully extinguished, and no injuries or fatalities were reported. They are still investigating the cause of the fire.

Now, clean-up efforts are underway, and advocacy groups are calling on the global fashion industry to help provide relief.

"This is a critical moment for the global fashion ecosystem to show solidarity, not just by recognizing the value of secondhand markets, but by providing tangible help to rebuild and sustain them," Daniel Mawuli Quist, creative director of The Or Foundation, said in a statement.

The fire calls attention to the global fashion industry's lack of alternatives for waste handling.

Workers in Kantamanto Market resell and remanufacture millions of garments. But the rise of fast fashion has overwhelmed Accra with textile waste piling up in gutters, landfills, and beaches. An estimated 40% of garments go unsold, The Or Foundation found. The nonprofit in Ghana conducts research and offers grants and job training to workers in Kantamanto Market.

The Or Foundation pledged $1 million to relief efforts and set up a fund to raise money for rebuilding the market and providing financial assistance to vendors.

Kantamanto Market before the fire

Up to two-thirds of the market was destroyed

The fire was extinguished on Thursday

The aisles of Kantamanto Market before the fire

Thousands of people have lost their stalls

Metal scrap dealers are going through the rubble now that cleanup efforts are underway

The House voted mostly along party lines Friday to adopt a rules package that protects newly reelected Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) from a potential ouster.

Why it matters: The new rules make it so that a vote on removing the speaker can only be brought if at least nine Republicans support what is called a "motion to vacate."

• That is a significantly higher bar than in the 118th Congress when any single member in either party could force such a motion.
• The tool was used to remove former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) in October 2023. Johnson faced an unsuccessful ouster attempt in April.

Zoom in: House Democrats have railed against the change, noting that for the first time in U.S. history the minority party would be restricted from introducing a motion to vacate.

• "Instead of electing a Speaker of the House, they have decided to elect a Speaker of the Republican Conference — held hostage by their most extreme members," said House Rules Committee ranking member Jim McGovern (D-Mass.).

Zoom out: The 37-page rules package also formally eliminates the House's Diversity and Inclusion office, a longtime priority of House Republicans.

• It renames the House Oversight and Accountability Committee to the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee — the name it held before Republicans retook the House under President Biden.
• It also renames the Office of Congressional Ethics to the Office of Congressional Conduct, authorizes subpoenas of DOJ officials as part of Republicans' Biden probe and retains the China Select Committee.
• And it tees up votes on a dozen bills related to Israel, border security, transgender participation in sports and proof of citizenship for voting.

Between the lines: After the speaker election, in which Johnson faced a 45-minute standoff with a handful of right-wing defectors, the rules package was changed to include two new provisions.

• One provision restricts the House from holding what are known as "suspension" votes after Wednesdays. It effectively restricts GOP leadership's ability to pass major legislation with help from Democrats.
• The other removes gender-neutral language from the rules — such as changing "child" to "son" and "daughter."

• Ex-Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani risks being held in contempt in federal court in Manhattan.
• Two GA election workers said he repeatedly ignored court orders in their federal defamation case.
• If he's found in contempt, Trump could not issue a pardon or commute his sentence.

Rudy Giuliani took the witness stand in federal court in New York on Friday, battling a potential contempt-of-court finding sought by two Georgia election workers — and Donald Trump can't come to his rescue if he loses.

If a judge decides Giuliani has flouted court orders by failing to turn over assets and evidence in the three-year-old defamation case, he could fine Giuliani or send him to jail until he complies.

The federal pardon and commutation powers Trump regains on his return to the White House next month do not extend to civil contempt sentences.

According to experts in constitutional law and federal pardons, Giuliani would not be able to rely on his former client to save him from jail or fines.

"Generally criminal contempt is within the power of the president, but civil contempt is not," said Margaret Love, a lawyer who served as the Justice Department pardon attorney in the 1990s.

Giuliani was combative on the stand on Friday, at a daylong contempt-of-court hearing overseen by US District Judge Lewis Liman in a courthouse in downtown Manhattan.

The hearing, which will continue next week, is part of a suite of civil cases brought by mother-daughter Georgia election workers Ruby Freeman and Wandrea "Shaye" Moss.

"This is monstrously overbroad," Giuliani complained of Moss-Freeman asset-document requests during questioning at one point on Friday. "It's abusive and overbroad."

A federal judge in Washington, DC, found in 2023 that Giuliani defamed the pair — and subjected them to a barrage of racist death threats — by repeatedly and falsely accusing them of voter fraud, including by lying that they had tallied suitcases full of illegal ballots for Joe Biden.

In December 2023, a jury ordered Giuliani to pay Freeman and Moss $148 million. In recent weeks, the two plaintiffs have sought to have him held in contempt in DC and in Manhattan to force him to comply with judges' demands that he cease defaming them and turn over assets and evidence as ordered.

The contempt hearing is scheduled to continue Monday morning.

Giuliani's defense has focused on his recent switch of lawyers from Kenneth Caruso, an experienced New York-based attorney he has known for nearly 50 years, to Joseph Cammarata, best known for representing a woman who accused former President Bill Clinton of sexual misconduct.

Giuliani swapped lawyers sometime in November. Giuliani said that changing attorneys had made it a challenge to meet deadlines — an excuse that the pair's lawyers did not accept.

Cammarata said in court Friday that his client has completed "substantial compliance" with his obligations and should not be held in contempt.

He said that Giuliani, who is 80 years old, has struggled to deal with an avalanche of legal proceedings against him, including criminal investigations. Prosecutors in Arizona and Georgia have brought cases against Giuliani over his attempts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election on behalf of Donald Trump.

"Mayor Giuliani, as this court knows, has multiple litigations going on in multiple states, both civil and criminal in nature," Cammarata said.

Giuliani took the stand — struggling up a step by the podium — after the court's lunch break. At the beginning of the break, he complained to Jane Rosenberg, a courtroom artist, about how she depicted him in one of her pastel drawings.

"You made me look like my dog," he told her, Rosenberg said.

Giuliani was cross-examined by Meryl Conant Governski, an attorney representing Freeman and Moss, about two sworn declarations he had submitted to the court saying that he's abided by all of the judge's orders and provided proper responses to information requests and interrogatories.

He said that the turnaround time required for discovery requests was "unusually short" even though his previous attorney, Caruso, had agreed to the 14-day response deadlines.

In the morning, Cammarata cross-examined Aaron Nathan, an attorney representing Freeman and Moss, over how he determined whether the former New York mayor had failed to account for his property. Many of the questions concerned Giuliani's framed Joe DiMaggio jersey that once hung over the fireplace in his Manhattan apartment.

When Nathan gained access to the apartment in October and searched the residence, it was gone.

"This jersey has been at the forefront of the case," Cammarata said in one heated moment. "There have been accusations that my client absconded with the jersey. And that is not the case."

Cammarata, in winding and plodding cross-examination, pointed out that the photo of the jersey in the apartment was taken in the summer of 2023, and time had passed before Nathan went into the apartment and saw the location himself.

"Your honor, if I may, I want to take his testimony about the passage of time," Cammarata objected after the judge cut off his questioning on the subject.

The day before Friday's hearing, Giuliani asked for permission to attend virtually, due to "medical issues with his left knee and breathing problems due to lung issues discovered last year," as his lawyer, explained it in a letter to the judge.

The breathing problems are "attributable to Defendant Rudolph W. Giuliani being at the World Trade Center site on September 11, 2001," Cammarata wrote.

Giuliani attended in person after the judge warned he'd otherwise be barred from testifying on his own behalf.

Should Giuliani be found in contempt, "the executive pardon power would not extend to a civil contempt sentence," even in a federal court, said former federal prosecutor Ephraim Savitt.

That's because Giuliani's jailing wouldn't be a punishment for a past infraction — instead, it would be a remedial sentence, meant to force his compliance with the judge's orders.

"Civil contempt sentences are essentially open-ended," meaning Giuliani could only be freed once he had complied, said Savitt.

"It's a means of coercing a party to take some action, to compel compliance," said Michel Paradis, who teaches constitutional law at Columbia Law School.

"So long as Giuliani has the keys to his own cell, and can be freed by simply complying with the judge's order, then there is no crime to be pardoned or punishment to be reprieved," he added.

• The US Surgeon General recommended disclosing the cancer risk of alcoholic beverages on Friday.
• While just a recommendation, the advisory sent shares of some big alcohol manufacturers lower.
• It also presents a fresh opportunity for makers of alternatives to alcohol.

The US Surgeon General's finding Friday that alcohol causes cancer led to stock declines for some of the beverage industry's biggest names — and an opportunity for some newer entrants.

Drinking is a major cause of preventable cancer, Dr. Vivek Murthy said in the advisory, which also recommended placing a notice about the cancer risk on beer, wine, and spirits — similar to how packs of cigarettes include warnings about their health risks.

On its own, the recommendation doesn't mean that labels on booze will change. That would require an act of Congress.

Murthy is also part of President Joe Biden's administration and will be replaced by President-elect Donald Trump's nominee for surgeon general after he takes office on January 20. That nominee, Janette Nesheiwat, could take a different view on the advisory if she's confirmed by the Senate.

However, the advisory prompted a response from some companies and the markets today. Here's what it might mean:

Shares of alcohol companies like Diageo and AB InBev lost out

Stocks of some of the biggest alcohol companies in the world were down Friday after the surgeon general released his advisory.

Shares of Budweiser-maker Anheuser-Busch InBev closed down 2.8% in Belgium. In London, shares of Diageo, the company behind Captain Morgan rum and Ketel One vodka, closed nearly 4% lower.

Still, there's reason to doubt that the surgeon general's advisory will lead to a lot less drinking and fewer sales for the big booze makers, Kate Bernot, lead analyst at Sightlines, which researches the alcohol space, told Business Insider.

Annual per-capita alcohol consumption in the US has hovered around 2 ½ gallons since 2012, Bernot said, citing data from the National Beer Wholesalers Association. Gallup polling shows that the percentage of Americans who say that they drink alcohol has mostly stayed between 60% and 65% since the early 1990s, she added.

That stability in habits comes despite previous research into the link between alcohol consumption and cancer as well as the growth of "Dry January," a commitment drinkers make to avoid drinking during this time of the year.

"Maybe some people change their behavior, but I don't think we're going to see population-level dramatic shifts in alcohol consumption," Bernot said.

Makers of non-alcoholic beer and spirits could get a boost

Even if there is a nationwide shift away from alcohol, many of the big producers already have alcohol-free options that they have been ramping up for years. In 2023, for instance, Constellation released a non-alcoholic version of Corona beer.

"The diversification has been happening as a result of consumers' potential thoughts about alcohol's effect on their health," Bernot said.

Murthy's advisory came right as many drinkers are trying to cut back on their alcohol consumption in the new year or embarking on a Dry January.

That's a potential win for many other brands that make alcohol-free beer, wine, gin, and other drinks.

The CMO of non-alcoholic spirit brand Spiritless, Tom Santangelo, told BI he sees these comments as the "front end of a tipping point."

"My guess is that for a lot of America, this surgeon general statement is kind of the message they need to come to a realization that this is something serious," Santangelo said.

He said the industry has already grown significantly in the last few years as alcohol moderation and abstention have become increasingly normalized. Similar to cigarettes, change may not come quickly, but he said, "It's a message that's going to carry a lot of weight."

Milan Martin, the CEO of non-alcoholic spirit brand The Free Spirits Company, told BI that the US Surgeon General's comments are another "nugget" of insight that will contribute to cultural change around drinking.

"All of these teeny little nuggets sit in our minds and sit there at the point where we're ready to order our third drink and impact our choice," Martin said, adding that conversations among peers and in the media around drinking are contributing to changes in drinking culture.

Athletic Brewing, which sells non-alcoholic beer, similarly said that while it is "aware of the ongoing discussions about alcohol and health," it "has never been anti-alcohol."

"We believe the alcohol and non-alcoholic sectors are synergistic," the company told BI.

Innovative soft drinks, from seltzer to kava, could benefit

Besides alcohol-free beer and cocktails with all the ingredients other than the, well, alcohol, there are other beverages that have attracted attention from the sober-curious — and could benefit if people cut back on booze.

Celebrity seltzer and soda brands often pitch themselves as upscale, healthier soft drinks, BI reported last year.

Others have turned to kava, a beverage that's common to the Pacific and is supposed to help you relax and put you in a better mood. While the most authentic kava is served on its own, brands that have added juice, sugar, and coloring before canning it have popped up over the last few years. Some point to their kava as a healthier choice than a cold beer or cocktail.

Cannabis products could become more attractive

People looking to cut back on alcohol sometimes turn to cannabis as a replacement, especially as governments loosen restrictions. That could be good news for makers of everything from CBD-infused beverages to marijuana dispensaries. Cannabis company Canopy Growth, for example, rose more than 2% Friday.

In 2022, the number of daily or near-daily cannabis users outpaced the number of daily or near-daily drinkers, research from Carnegie Mellon University found.

Some states, such as Minnesota and Texas, already allow liquor stores to sell drinks that contain THC, the main psychoactive component in marijuana, right alongside liquor.

President-elect Trump announced on Friday that he is appointing Morgan Ortagus, who served as State Department spokesperson in his first term, as deputy special presidential envoy for Middle East peace.

The intrigue: The appointment came with a rebuke. Trump noted that Ortagus came highly recommended but had criticized him in the past. "Early on Morgan fought me for three years, but hopefully has learned her lesson," Trump wrote.

Why it matters: Ortagus is a highly experienced national security and foreign policy expert and will be a significant reinforcement to the White House "Peace Team" that will face a turbulent region with an ongoing war in Gaza.

Driving the news: Ortagus will join a team led by Trump's close friend and confidant Steve Witkoff.

• During Trump's first term in office, Ortagus served as the State Department spokesperson under then-Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.
• Before that, Ortagus worked for the Department of the Treasury as a financial intelligence analyst and also served as deputy U.S. treasury attaché to Saudi Arabia.
• She is an active U.S. Navy Reserve intelligence officer.

Behind the scenes: Ortagus is close to many senior Republicans like incoming Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), incoming national security adviser Mike Waltz and Trump's envoy for special missions, Ric Grenell.

• She also worked closely with Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner during Trump's first term in office, and they remain close.

Tension point: During the Republican presidential primary before the 2016 elections, Ortagus criticized Trump's "isolationist" foreign policy and his personal behavior.

• After noting that past criticism, Trump added that he decided to appoint Ortagus regardless of their differences because "she has strong Republican support."
• "I'm not doing this for me, I'm doing it for them. Let's see what happens," he added.

What to watch: The priority for Trump's "peace team" will be to get a Gaza hostage and ceasefire deal if one isn't concluded by Jan. 20.

• They will have to work on ending the Gaza war and laying out a "day-after" plan that will include a massive reconstruction effort.
• Witkoff and Ortagus are also expected to work on one of Trump's main foreign policy goals — reaching a historic peace agreement between Israel and Saudi Arabia.
• Trump said he wants Witkoff and Ortagus to work on bringing "calm and prosperity" to the Middle East. "I expect great results, and soon!" he wrote.

• Movies like "The Front Room" and "Nightbitch" are streaming.
• New TV series including "Missing You" and "Lockerbie" also premiered.
• You can also stream the Golden Globes live on Sunday night.

Ring in 2025 with a movie or show.

If the post-holiday malaise has you looking for a new bingeworthy mystery, the new Harlan Coben show "Missing You" might be up your alley. Or if you're looking for a new reality show, there's "Selling the City," from the makers of "Selling Sunset."

As for movies, there are both kid-friendly picks like the new "Wallace and Gromit" and more adult fare like "Nightbitch" available to watch now.

Here's a complete rundown of all the best movies, shows, and documentaries to stream this weekend, broken down by what kind of entertainment you're looking for.

Horror-comedy fans can watch "The Front Room."

Brandy plays a pregnant woman terrorized by her husband's ultra-religious ailing stepmother in "The Front Room." The A24 psychological horror comedy from Max and Sam Eggers (the brothers of "Nosferatu" filmmaker Robert Eggers) was released in theaters last year.

Streaming on: Max

Or "Nightbitch."

Amy Adams plays a stay-at-home mom who becomes convinced she's turning into a dog. It sounds goofy, but it's extremely resonant, especially if you are now or have ever been the mother of a toddler.

Streaming on: Hulu

"Don't Die: The Man Who Wants to Live Forever" is a fascinating look at biohacking.

Biohacking tech bro Bryan Johnson has become the face of longevity, trying everything from fasting to infusing his son's blood plasma to reverse aging. This new documentary gives a look into his life.

Streaming on: Netflix

Looking for a thriller? Check out "Missing You."

Netflix's latest Harlan Coben adaptation is a thriller about a detective who finds her "missing" fiancé on a dating app over a decade after he vanished. Fans of "Fool Me Once" will want to check this one out.

Streaming on: Netflix

For a gripping true-story drama, watch "Lockerbie: A Search for Truth."

Colin Firth stars in this British drama based on the true story of Jim Swire, a bereaved father who fought for justice after his daughter was killed in the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103.

Streaming on: Peacock

Seeking lighter reality TV fare? "Stranded with my Mother-in-Law" is a good bet.

This Brazilian reality competition show is pretty much exactly what it sounds like: Six couples go to a remote island to compete for prize money, not realizing their mothers-in-law are also there waiting for them. The couples are then split up and reteamed with their respective in-laws to fight for the win.

The second season is out now.

Streaming on: Netflix

Or "Selling the City."

If you're a fan of messy interpersonal drama between realtors on predecessor series "Selling Sunset" and "Selling the OC," check out the latest incarnation focusing on luxury agents selling high-end real estate in Manhattan.

Streaming on: Netflix

For something kid-friendly, watch "Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl."

The beloved stop-motion animation franchise about a cheese-loving Brit and his beagle is back with a second feature-length movie, nearly 20 years after "The Curse of the Were-Rabbit."

"Vengeance Most Fowl" is already out in the UK, where it's gotten rave reviews.

Streaming on: Netflix

Or "Isadora Moon."

The popular children's book series about a half-fairy, half-vampire girl gets the animated adaptation treatment.

Streaming on: Max

The 2025 Golden Globes are streaming live this weekend.

Nikki Glaser is set to host the awards show, where "Emilia Pérez," "The Brutalist," and "Conclave" are among the most-nominated films. "The Bear" and "Shōgun" are leading for TV.

Streaming on: Paramount+ with Showtime