An erupting civil war in MAGA world over foreign workers has shone a fresh spotlight on a visa scheme that has become the backbone of the country's highly-skilled tech industry.

Why it matters: The brewing conflict has underscored the schism between one of President-elect Trump's cornerstone pledges — cracking down on immigration — and his Silicon Valley supporters, many of whose businesses depend on attracting foreign workers.

Between the lines: No one epitomizes the fracture among the MAGA movement more than Elon Musk, who has become one of Trump's most influential and prominent backers.

• Musk, a South African immigrant who previously held the coveted H-1B visa and whose businesses rely on attracting the best engineering talent around the world, has emerged as one of the most vocal defenders of the H-1B visa program.
• Yet other MAGA figures like far-right activist Laura Loomer have maintained a more hardline immigration stance, arguing the U.S. should prioritize American workers over foreign ones.

State of play: The brewing conflict among Trump's supporters also highlighted the racial tensions in the MAGA tent.

• Largely white, working-class voters spurred Trump's political rise nearly a decade ago, while the current clash revolves around the admittance of primarily non-white, highly skilled workers into the U.S.

Here's what to know about the H-1B visa program fueling the divide in MAGA world.

What is the H-1B visa scheme?

The H-1B visa allows for highly skilled workers in "specialty occupations" to live and work in the U.S. under a "nonimmigrant status."

• It enables American companies to employ foreign workers that have highly-specialized theoretical or technical skills.
• Proponents argue the program allows the U.S. to retain a competitive edge in STEM fields by attracting the most highly skilled professionals worldwide.

How does it work?

H-1B applicants must have a bachelor's degree or equivalent in a field relevant to their specialty occupation.

• Approval for the visa requires sponsorship from a prospective employer, who must file a petition with the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).
• In the petition, the employer attests that they will appropriately pay the foreign worker and that their employment won't negatively impact "similarly employed" U.S. workers.

Zoom in: H-1B visas are typically granted for up to three years, but can be extended for no more than six years total.

• Because the program grants "nonimmigrant status" to recipients, it means the workers' stay in the U.S. is conditioned as temporary. The H-1B is not an immigration visa, with a path toward permanent residency.

Who gets H-1Bs?

The U.S. government caps the approval of new H-1B visas at 85,000 per year.

• A March report from the Department of Homeland Security found that 72% of H-1B recipients between Oct. 2022 and Sept. 2023 were from India.
• The second-most common country of origin was China, with nearly 12% of recipients. The third was the Philippines, at just over 1% of beneficiaries.
• 71% of H-1B recipients were men, per the report.

Where does the H-1B program fit in Trump's agenda?

Trump's election victory has spurred worries among many immigrants that Trump could again attempt to restrict the H-1B program, NBC News reported.

• During his first term, Trump issued a temporary freeze on H-1B visas and later issued new restrictions on the H-1B program, though some of these rules were later struck down in court.
• A representative for the Trump transition did not immediately respond to Axios' request for comment regarding the president-elect's plans for the H-1B visa during his second term.

Go deeper:

• MAGA civil war breaks out over American "mediocrity" culture
• Behind the Curtain: The Silicon swamp

A handful of conservative critics of Elon Musk are alleging censorship and claiming they were stripped of their verification badges on X after challenging his views on H-1B visas for highly skilled foreign workers.

Why it matters: The H-1B issue and an X post by Musk ally Vivek Ramaswamy about America's culture of "mediocrity" have sparked an online MAGA civil war over immigration and race. Some supporters of President-elect Trump are now turning on Musk and the tech bros Trump has tapped for key administration roles.

Between the lines: The claims of "censorship" on X are difficult to verify.

• Since Musk purchased Twitter and implemented sweeping staff cuts, it's often been difficult to get answers as to whether or why certain accounts or posts have been minimized. X did not respond to Axios' request for comment.
• Conservatives have long blamed "shadow bans" for censoring them on social media even when there hasn't been explicit proof. However, Musk's X has often been hailed by conservatives as a bastion of free speech.

Driving the news: Trump's conspiracy-minded ally Laura Loomer, New York Young Republican Club president Gavin Wax and InfoWars host Owen Shroyer all said their verification badges disappeared after they criticized Musk's support for H1B visas, railed against Indian culture and attacked Ramaswamy, Musk's DOGE co-chair.

What they're saying: In response to a user who said replies were being hidden from her posts, Loomer stated that there is a "full censorship of my account simply because I called out H-1B visas. This is anti-American behavior by tech oligarchs."

• "Insane that blue checks are being removed from accounts that have been vocal in their criticism of the H1B racket," Wax said.
• "I just lost my verification...was told my account is 'under review,'" Shroyer said.
• Those updates from the three critics were posted around the same time Thursday night. There has been no official response from Musk or X.

The other side: A few hours before those posts, Musk shared in a post that the X "algorithm is trying to maximize unregretted user-seconds."

• "If far more credible, verified subscriber accounts (not bots) mute/block your account compared to those who like your posts, your reach will decline significantly."
• He later said that "any accounts found to be engaged in coordinated attacks to spam target accounts with mute/blocks will themselves be categorized – correctly – as spam."

How it happened: Loomer helped spark the H-1B debate earlier this week by criticizing a Trump appointee's previous support for allowing more highly skilled workers to enter the U.S.

• Musk weighed in Wednesday, saying America had too few "talented" and "motivated" engineers and needed "to recruit top talent wherever they may be."
• Loomer's stream of posts since then has included criticisms of Musk and racist claims about Indian people. She has also been backed up by Trump-world allies like Steve Bannon in her efforts to split Big Tech and MAGA.
• "Loomer is trolling for attention. Ignore," Musk posted on X.

Flashback: Musk has a history of punishing news organizations and journalists he doesn't like, ostensibly for policy violations.

• He threatened to reassign NPR's account handle last year and marked some links to the site as "unsafe" when users click through.
• Musk also removed the verification badge of The New York Times in 2023.
• X also suspended independent journalist Ken Klippenstein's account after he shared Sen. JD Vance's vetting document from the alleged Iranian hack of Trump's campaign.

Go deeper: MAGA civil war breaks out over American "mediocrity" culture

American adults are nearly as likely to blame insurance denials for the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson as they are to blame the person who shot him, according to new poll data.

The big picture: The reaction to Brian Thompson's killing — and the veneration by some of suspect Luigi Mangione — has revealed a deep distrust of the health insurance industry and its treatment of patients in need of critical care.

• Thompson's Dec. 4 killing prompted rage against health insurers, especially on social media.

By the numbers: 78% of respondents overall said they believed the individual who committed the killing bears "a great deal" or "a moderate amount" of responsibility for Thompson's death.

• 69% attributed some blame to coverage denials by health care companies, and 67% to insurance industry profits.

Between the lines: Americans under 30 in the AP-NORC survey were especially likely to think a mix of factors, and not just the assassin, were to blame for Thompson's death, per the AP.

• This aligns with previous polling that found young people were more likely than their elders to say they believe the killing was "acceptable" or "somewhat acceptable."

Zoom out: CEOS in the health care industry and beyond have been seeking additional security after Thompson's killing.

• A majority of poll respondents said they were concerned about potential future violence toward business executives.

Go deeper: 41% of young voters say UnitedHealthcare CEO killing "acceptable": Poll

Methodology: The survey of adults 18+ represents the 50 states and Washington, D.C. It was conducted Dec. 12-16 and has an overall margin of error of +/- 4.2 percentage points.

2024 will be the second straight "hottest year" on record. But it wasn't supposed to be as hot as it was, coming in far ahead of 2023's alarming global temperature spike.

Threat level: For reasons climate scientists don't yet fully understand, 2024 is even likely to temporarily eclipse the Paris Agreement's 1.5°C temperature target, when compared to preindustrial levels.

Between the lines: Earth's extreme heat can be partially explained by human-caused warming, the lingering effects of a strong El Niño event, and other factors. But the truth is, researchers aren't completely sure why the planet's fever has increased faster than anticipated.

• The unsettling possibility in play is that climate change is accelerating, which implies that tipping points, such as the shutdown of major ocean currents, are closer than once thought.

The latest: People around the world suffered an average of 41 extra days of dangerous heat this year because of climate change, according to a report out Friday from scientists at World Weather Attribution and Climate Central.

The big picture: Millions of people endured stifling heat this year.

• Northern California and Death Valley baked. Sizzling daytime temperatures scorched Mexico and Central America. Heat endangered already vulnerable children in West Africa.
• Skyrocketing southern European temperatures forced Greece to close the Acropolis. In South and Southeast Asian countries, heat forced school closures. Earth experienced some of the hottest days ever measured and its hottest-yet summer, with a 13-month heat streak that just barely broke.

NASA's Parker Solar Probe completed the closest-ever approach to the Sun by a manmade spacecraft, coming within 3.8 million miles of the solar surface.

Why it matters: NASA scientists received a signal back from the probe late Thursday night after several days of silence while it conducted the fly-by. The data collected during the historic approach will now help scientists better understand the Sun.

• The undertaking is a remarkable feat of science and engineering, given the extreme heat (up to 1,800F) and radiation the probe endured as it passed through the sun's outer atmosphere.
• While 3.8 million miles may not seem like a particularly close encounter, the earth is 93 million miles from the sun.

State of play: The approach took place on Dec. 24 and NASA's missions operations team, based in Laurel, Maryland, received the signal just before midnight on Thursday, per a statement from NASA.

• The probe was moving about 430,000 miles per hour.
• The aircraft is in good condition and operating normally.

What's next: The probe is expected to send data back on Jan. 1 to the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory.

• The data will help scientists understand how material in that region gets heated to millions of degrees, trace the origin of solar wind and discover how energetic particles are accelerated to near light speed.

Context: In 2018, Parker became the first spacecraft to enter the Sun's corona, the outermost part of the star's atmosphere that can be seen during a total solar eclipse.

• Other close passes helped scientists pinpoint the origins of structures in the solar wind and map the outer boundary of the Sun's atmosphere.

Go deeper: NASA probe to fly closer to the Sun than ever before

The Biden administration is withdrawing its latest plans for student loan forgiveness as uncertainty looms over the status of debt relief under President-elect Trump.

Why it matters: The withdrawn initiatives would have provided debt relief for more than 30 million borrowers. They marked President Biden's last chance to deliver on his campaign promise of student loan forgiveness before leaving office.

• The incoming Trump administration is not expected to prioritize student loan relief.

Driving the news: The Department of Education withdrew the two plans as of Dec. 20, it said in a notice posted in the Federal Register.

• One of the plans remained held up in a legal battle, while the other would not be finalized until after Biden's term ends.
• "With the time remaining in this administration, the Department is focused on several priorities including court-ordered settlements and helping borrowers manage the final elements of the return to repayment," the notice states.

Between the lines: "The Biden administration dropping these proposed plans feels like a big loss, but the immediate relief these plans promised was still a long way off," NerdWallet lending expert Kate Wood told Axios.

• "The proposals being withdrawn shouldn't have an immediate effect on borrowers, though it's certainly a big disappointment for those who believe they would have qualified for forgiveness under these plans," she added.

The big picture: The Biden administration doled out nearly $180 billion in student debt relief to 4.9 million people through various actions, despite the Supreme Court blocking his sweeping debt cancellation plan last year.

• Many of Biden's plans for loan forgiveness were hampered by Republican-backed legal challenges.

How can student loan borrowers prepare for the next administration?

Borrowers don't need to take immediate action over the transfer of power.

Yes, but: Some federal loan borrowers may want to explore changing repayment plans, Wood said.

Zoom in: The Department of Education in December reopened two income-driven repayment plans to give borrowers more options to keep their payments low.

• Pay As You Earn (PAYE) and Income-Contingent Repayment (ICR) offer credit toward Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) and income-driven repayment (IDR) for eligible borrowers enrolled in SAVE.
• That means the plans can eventually lead to debt forgiveness after 20 or 25 years.
• The PAYE and ICR applications are available at StudentAid.gov/idr.

Be smart: "Borrowers who are stuck in the limbo of SAVE forbearance may want to check out these other IDR plans to see whether they could work," Wood said.

• Because these plans have different qualifications and use different payment formulas, monthly payments could change.
• "But for some borrowers, higher monthly payments may be a worthwhile price to pay for restarting their forgiveness clock," Wood said.

What student loan borrowers can do

• Prepare for the end of SAVE: The program, which is currently blocked amid a legal battle, will likely be nixed by the next administration. Look into other income-driven repayment plans and budget for increased payments.
• Budget for higher payments: Those already enrolled in other IDR plans may also see an increase in monthly payments, whether because of income recertification or for filing taxes jointly with a spouse.
• Ensure you're on track for forbearance, if eligible: Those working toward PSLF can track their information at StudentAid.gov and ensure their payments are being counted accurately.
• Take your loans out of default/start making payments: With the end of the one-year on-ramp period this fall, borrowers who are late on payments or do not make them can be reported to credit bureaus, which can negatively impact their credit scores.

More from Axios:

• What another Trump term could mean for student loan relief
• Biden admin cancels $4.3 billion in latest round of student loan relief
• Biden's brief win in battle for student loan forgiveness scuttled in court
• Key student loan protection ends Sept. 30, here's what borrowers should know

Americans want to hear less about politics from public figures — and Republicans really don't want to hear it, according to a new AP-NORC poll.

Why it matters: After an election season where endorsements from celebrities frequently made news, the survey found Americans are more likely to disapprove than approve of celebrities, big companies and athletes sounding off on politics.

By the numbers:

• Just 39% of Democrats approve of celebrities piping up on political issues — but only 11% of Republicans and 12% of independents (24% for the whole sample).
• Same with pro athletes: 39% of Democrats approve of them speaking up — but just 16% of Republicans and 15% of independents (26% overall).
• Small business is a big exception: 43% of people are happy to hear from entrepreneurs. That breaks down to 49% of Dems, 41% of Republicans and 33% of independents.

Zoom out: The poll also found that most Americans are trying to avoid political news. Go deeper.

OpenAI confirmed Friday its plan to restructure its operations in a move that will separate its large and growing business from the non-profit board that currently oversees it.

Why it matters: The plan, which faces opposition from Elon Musk and others, builds upon comments Chairman Bret Taylor made at Axios's recent AI+ Summit in San Francisco.

Zoom in: OpenAI offered details in a blog post on Friday on how the board is looking to restructure its for-profit and non-profit arms.

• The non-profit would have a significant ownership stake in the OpenAI business and would transform into a well-resourced entity that can pursue a range of scientific and philanthropic pursuits.
• OpenAI's business, meanwhile, would be transformed into a Delaware-chartered public benefit corporation.

What they're saying: "Our plan would result in one of the best resourced nonprofits in history," OpenAI said in the blog post.

• "The nonprofit's significant interest in the existing for-profit operation would take the form of shares in (OpenAI's business) at a fair valuation determined by independent financial advisors. This will multiply the resources that our donors gave manyfold."
• The new public benefit corporation, meanwhile, would be able to control its own destiny.
• "Our current structure does not allow the Board to directly consider the interests of those who would finance the mission and does not enable the nonprofit to easily do more than control the for-profit," OpenAI said.

Yes, but: Musk, one of those early donors, has sued to stop such a move, while Meta has asked California's attorney general to investigate.

Israeli and U.S. officials involved in the negotiations for a Gaza hostage and ceasefire deal tell Axios they are concerned that the odds of an agreement before President Trump takes office are slim.

Why it matters: Trump threatened that there would be "hell to pay in the Middle East" if Hamas did not release the hostages held in Gaza by Jan. 20. President Biden also made mediating a deal a top priority for his final months in office.

Between the lines: It isn't clear what Trump meant by "hell to pay." A source close to the president-elect said there is no plan for what to do if Trump's deadline is crossed.

• Some Israeli officials think that if a deal isn't struck, the incoming president could support Israeli measures that the Biden administration opposed, like limiting humanitarian aid for Palestinians in Gaza.
• U.S. and Israeli officials say Hamas' top military leader in Gaza — Mohammed Sinwar, the brother of slain Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar — doesn't seem to be deterred by Trump's threat.
• However one U.S. source with direct knowledge of the talks said there is still a likelihood of a deal in the next three weeks.

Threat level: U.S. and Israeli officials say that if negotiations don't bear fruit by Jan. 20, the transition to Trump would likely push talks back, possibly by several months. That could cost the lives of more hostages.

• 100 hostages are still held by Hamas in Gaza, among them seven Americans. Roughly half of the hostages are believed to be still alive, according to Israeli intelligence, including three Americans.

Driving the news: Israeli negotiators returned from Doha earlier this week after eight days of talks mediated by Qatar and Egypt didn't lead to a breakthrough.

• CIA director Bill Burns and White House Middle East adviser Brett McGurk, who were also in Doha for several days last week, returned to Washington skeptical about the chances of reaching a deal before Jan. 20.
• On Wednesday, Israel and Hamas traded accusations about who bears responsibility for the lack of progress.
• Hamas claimed that while it negotiated seriously, Israel presented unacceptable new demands.
• Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu contended Hamas was lying and was in fact "reneging on understandings that have already been reached."

State of play: Israeli officials with direct knowledge of the talks said both sides are right.

• While some progress was made in Doha last week, fundamental issues are unresolved, such as whether any deal would involve an end to the war and an Israeli withdrawal from Gaza.
• One Israeli official said the negotiations did not explode but are stuck, with both parties wanting to break the logjam but unwilling to make major concessions.

Behind the scenes: Netanyahu argued in meetings on Wednesday after the Israeli delegation returned from Doha that it is not clear with whom Israel is negotiating — Sinwar in Gaza, or the more pragmatic political representatives in Doha.

• "We don't know who really calls the shots," Netanyahu said, according to a person who attended one of those meetings.
• That source said Netanyahu emphasized that Sinwar refuses to provide the names of the hostages who are still alive and could be released in the first phase of the deal. That phase would cover women, men over 50, and others who are in bad medical condition.
• "I am not willing to enter into a deal without knowing what the deal is about and what I am getting," Netanyahu said, according to the source.

The other side: A Hamas official quoted by the Qatari website al-Araby al-Jadeed said Hamas is willing to provide a list of hostages but has struggled to contact all the different factions in Gaza who are holding them.

• The Hamas official stressed that would become easier once a ceasefire was in place, and denied any gaps exist between Hamas' military and political wings.

What's next: An Israeli official said that Netanyahu will consult with his negotiating team over the next few days about the path forward.

The original Popeye and Tintin characters will enter the public domain when their copyright expires next week, along with thousands of other comics, books, songs and films.

Why it matters: Any creator will have the legal right to use the iconic characters in new works as they see fit from New Year's Day, as long as it's the 95-year-old comic-strip versions. Filmmakers are already working on three Popeye horror movies.

The big picture: In addition to copyrighted works from 1929 entering the U.S. public domain, Jennifer Jenkins, director of Duke's Center for the Study of the Public Domain, writes that intellectual property protection will also expire on sound recordings from 1924 on Jan. 1, 2025.

• That applies to "The Karnival Kid," in which Mickey Mouse speaks for the first time. Copyrights on the original versions of Mickey and Minnie Mouse in the silent film "Steamboat Willie" expired this year.
• Mickey debuts his familiar white gloves and speaks his first words in "The Karnival Kid," "Hot dogs! Hot dogs!" Jenkins notes in her online post.

What else we're watching: The Marx Brothers' first feature film will enter the public domain as will Alfred Hitchcock's first sound movie, "Blackmail."

• In song, the copyrights will lift on George Gershwin's "An American in Paris" and Arthur Freed's "Singin' in the Rain."
• Books to enter the public domain will include Ernest Hemingway's "A Farewell to Arms" and Virginia Woolf's "A Room of One's Own."

Fun fact: The character Buck Rogers "first appeared in 1929 and is public domain in 2025, but technically the futuristic space hero has already been copyright-free for decades, despite claims that he was still copyrighted," Jenkins writes.

• "This is because the copyright registration for the Buck Rogers comic strip was not renewed, so that its copyright expired after 28 years. Also, the original version of the character was actually introduced in a novella as 'Anthony Rogers' in 1928; that character has long been public domain as well."

Go deeper: Mickey and Minnie Mouse lose copyright protection

The list of food recalls is growing as the end of the year approaches.

Why it matters: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates nearly 48 million people a year are sickened by foodborne diseases, an average of 91 people every minute. `

Driving the news: The FDA recently reclassified its recall of some Costco eggs (due to possible salmonella exposure) to the agency's highest risk level.

• The FDA announced at the end of November that New York-Handsome Brook Farms had voluntarily recalled its 24-count organic, pasture-raised eggs.
• In a notice issued Friday, the FDA reclassified the recall to Class I, which is described as the "reasonable probability that the use of, or exposure to, a violative product will cause serious adverse health consequences or death."

The big picture: The rise in recalls can partially be attributed to an increase in consumer demand for ready-to-eat foods and prepackaged meals.

• "We're also dealing with a scenario where we're having increased globalization of food production, which not only creates more opportunities for contamination at multiple points in the supply chain, but it creates more scenarios where there's blind spots," Darin Detwiler, a Northeastern University professor and food safety advocate, told Axios earlier this month.

Zoom in: December FDA food recalls number nearly two dozen as of Dec. 26:

• Jose Madrid Chipotle Con Queso Salsa. Recalled for undeclared Yellow 5 and Yellow 6.
• Taste of Deutschland Frozen Buttered Vegetables, Carrots, Peas, Cauliflower, & Corn. Recalled for undeclared milk.
• Orgain 30g Plant Protein Complete Protein Powder, Chocolate. Recalled because the product may contain undeclared peanuts.
• Lay's Potato Chip. Recalled for potential or undeclared allergen — milk.
• Cal Yee's, Cal Yee Farm, Boa Vista Orchards nut and snack products. Recalled for Potential or Undeclared Allergen — almond, milk, soy, wheat, sesame, and FD&C #6.
• Connie's Thin Crust Cheese Frozen Pizza, 20.36oz. Recalled for potential metal or chemical contaminant.
• VidaSlim Brand 90-day, 30-day and 7-day Original Root, Root Plus, and Root Capsules & VidaSlim Hot Body Brew Dietary Supplements. Recalled for toxic yellow oleander.
• Daily Veggies Enoki Mushrooms. Recalled for potential listeria monocytogenes contamination.
• MadeGood Granola bars. Recalled for potential metal contaminant.
• Borsari Bloody Mary Mix. Recalled for potential or undeclared allergen — soy, fish.
• Dairyland Produce, LLC, whole cucumbers. Recalled for potential salmonella contamination.
• F&S Fresh Foods Mediterranean Inspired Party Tray. Recalled for potential salmonella contamination.
• Fresh Creative Foods, The Beef & Lamb Gyro Sandwich Express Meal Kits. Recalled for potential salmonella contamination.
• Supreme Produce, multiple items with cucumbers. Recalled for potential illness/salmonella contamination.
• Atkinson's Hushpuppies with Onions, Hushpuppies. Recalled due to potential or undeclared allergen — milk.
• Yummi Sushi, multiple sushi products with cucumber. Recalled for potential illness/salmonella contamination.
• Snowfruit, Snowfox, multiple products with cucumbers. Recalled for potential illness/salmonella contamination.
• Marketside cut, cucumber slices. Recalled for potential illness/salmonella contamination.
• Multiple brand names Vegetable Medleys and Whole Organic Carrots. Recalled because of potential foodborne illness — Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (E. coli) O121:H19.
• PAM PAK Whole Fresh American Cucumbers. Recalled because of potential foodborne illness — salmonella.
• Baker Farms Curly Mustard Greens. Recalled because of potential foodborne illness — Listeria monocytogens.
• Crazy Fresh and more, cucumbers and salads with kit. Recalled for potential illness/salmonella contamination.

A full list of recent recalls can be found on the FDA website.

Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino on Thursday vehemently denied President-elect Trump's claims of Chinese interference in the Panama Canal.

Why it matters: Trump has accused Panamanian authorities of charging "exorbitant" shipping rates and cited the increasing dominance of China's government in trade throughout the Americas as a reason to take control of the Panama Canal, one of the world's most crucial pieces of infrastructure that the U.S. ceded in 1999.

Driving the news: The president-elect doubled down in a Christmas Day message, writing on Truth Social: "Merry Christmas to all, including to the wonderful soldiers of China, who are lovingly, but illegally, operating the Panama Canal."

What they're saying: "There is absolutely not any interference" from China or any other nation in the operation of the canal, Mulino said during a Thursday briefing, emphasizing that Panama is open for business equally to all interested parties.

• "If they're Chinese, if they're Costa Rican, if they're American, all are welcome who want to invest in the country. There is no discrimination here in foreign investment," he said.
• "There are no Chinese soldiers in the canal, for the love of God," added an animated Mulino, addressing Trump's post directly. "It's nonsense. There is not a single Chinese soldier in the canal."
• Representatives for Trump did not immediately respond to Axios' request for comment in the evening.

Between the lines: China's government has in recent years heavily invested in operations in the Canal Zone, raising concerns about its neutrality.

• It's the primary source of products going through the Colón Free Trade Zone, a free port in Panama dedicated to re-exporting a variety of merchandise to Latin America and the Caribbean, noted the Center for Strategic and International Studies in 2021.
• Beijing's "increasing presence in and around the Canal has made the waterway a flashpoint for U.S.-China competition over spheres of influence," added the CSIS in the report.

Go deeper: Trump demands return of Panama Canal if rates aren't cut

Editor's note: This article has been updated with more context.

NFL's Christmas Day double-header games were the most-streamed NFL games in U.S. history, according to preliminary Nielsen figures that don't include international viewership.

Why it matters: Once international figures and additional U.S. data is calculated, the league expects both games will have averaged around 30 million viewers each, a source told Axios, representing a massive win for Netflix's live sports ambitions.

• The massive viewership numbers show the platform's potential for attracting big eyeballs to major sporting events, especially abroad.

Context: Last year's Christmas Day match on traditional television between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Las Vegas Raiders drew 29 million viewers, the second-highest Christmas Day game since 1989.

By the numbers: The first Christmas Day game between the reigning Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs and the Pittsburgh Steelers, had an average minute audience of 24.1 million, per Nielsen figures provided by the NFL.

• Nearly one-third of Netflix's global concurrent viewers on Christmas Day were watching the game at one point, a spokesperson said Wednesday, making it the most-watched concurrent stream of any Christmas Day for Netflix in the past four years.
• The second Christmas Day game between the Houston Texans and the Baltimore Ravens had an average minute audience of 24.3 million.
• It was the most-watched Christmas Day game on record among 18-34 year-olds, per the NFL, with 5.1 million U.S. viewers. (That figure is based on Nielsen records dating back to 2001).
• U.S. viewership for Ravens-Texans game peaked at Beyonce's halftime performance, with over 27 million viewers tuning in.

Zoom out: In total, the NFL's Christmas Day broadcasts on Netflix, including its pre-game shows and Beyonce's performance, were viewed by at least 65 million people, representing a remarkable day of total viewership for the NFL.

• A Netflix spokesperson said the Chiefs-Steelers game drew viewers from roughly all of the 190 countries in which Netflix is available at some point during the broadcast.
• For the NFL, which has major international expansion ambitions, Netflix's global audience reach is a huge selling point when considering future streaming rights.

Zoom in: Netflix spared no cost trying to nail its broadcast.

• The company reportedly invested around $150 million on the broadcast, and cut a big pay check for Beyonce to perform at halftime.

The big picture: Sports are becoming a bigger part of Netflix's live programming ambitions.

• The company started experimenting with live programming in 2023, when it aired the "Love is Blind" Season 4 reunion special in real-time.
• It's since experimented with a few live comedy specials.
• Wednesday's Christmas Day game was the second-most popular live title on Netflix to date, the company said.

Yes, but: Netflix, like most major streamers, will have to work on its technical infrastructure to ensure it has the bandwidth to support major live sporting events without any glitches.

• The "Love is Blind" Season 4 reunion special was delayed and canceled due to technical issues on the day it was supposed to air.
• The company's Nov. 15 live fight between Jake Paul and Mike Tyson was marred by buffering and freezing issues for some users.
• While the streamer worked with third-party broadcast and production groups on the event, the game still included minor glitches, which is common for new streamers airing popular live sporting events for the first time.

What we're watching: Netflix's successful first live NFL game will serve as an example to other sports leagues that the streamer, which previously said it had no intention of getting into live sports, can attract a big audience.

• Next year, Netflix will become the exclusive streaming home to the WWE. That $5 billion distribution deal includes many live events.
• Netflix last week inked a deal to broadcast the FIFA Women's World Cup in the U.S. in 2027 and 2031.

What's next: Global ratings and additional U.S. insights will be released on Dec. 31, the NFL said. Those figures will provide a more comprehensive look at the NFL;s Christmas Gameday performance globally on Netflix.

A MAGA-world civil war erupted over Christmas when a social media post on American culture turned into a pitched battle over race, immigration and billionaires versus the working class.

Why it matters: The fight exposes one of the MAGA movement's deepest contradictions: It came to prominence chiefly via the white, less-educated, working class but is now under the full control of billionaire technologists and industrialists, many of them immigrants.

• It also sets up a tense MAGA vs. DOGE moment that could infect the early stages of President-elect Trump's second presidency.
• While some want to make America great by restricting immigration and promoting the American worker, others want to cut costs and increase efficiency no matter who does the work.

Catch up quick: The skirmishes started Sunday when Trump named venture capitalist Sriram Krishnan as his adviser on AI policy.

• Krishnan's appointment triggered an anti-Indian backlash on social media, particularly given his past advocacy for lifting caps on green cards.

Vivek Ramaswamy escalated the conflict into a full-blown war Thursday morning with a post on X blaming an American culture that "venerated mediocrity over excellence" for the growth in foreign tech workers.

• "A culture that celebrates the prom queen over the math olympiad champ, or the jock over the valedictorian, will not produce the best engineers," Ramaswamy wrote, calling for a 1950s-style "Sputnik moment" to prioritize "nerdiness over conformity."
• "That's the work we have cut out for us, rather than wallowing in victimhood & just wishing (or legislating) alternative hiring practices into existence," he said.

Between the lines: Elon Musk's X is the town square for the MAGA movement, and by stepping into that square and firmly criticizing American culture — while praising the immigrant work ethic and parenting model — Ramaswamy threw down a gauntlet.

• Musk spent most of the afternoon trying to defend his DOGE co-leader and explain his argument, framing it as using immigration to supplement, rather than replace, American workers.
• "Maybe this is a helpful clarification: I am referring to bringing in via legal immigration the top ~0.1% of engineering talent as being essential for America to keep winning," Musk wrote.

The problem for many MAGA adherents, though, was accepting the very notion of immigrants telling them America needs more immigration to fill lucrative jobs in America.

• It revived old tensions around the H-1B visa, which is reserved for people who "perform services in a specialty obligation" but practically speaking has become a crucial tool of Silicon Valley's growth.
• In some recent years, as many as 75% of those petitioning for that visa came from India, from where Ramaswamy's parents immigrated.

What they're saying: "The Woodstock generation managed to build out aerospace, the one before went to the moon, America was doing great. Underlying your post is that we were all living in squalor until being rescued by H-1B's. Then why did everyone want to come here?" right-wing personality Mike Cernovich responded to Ramaswamy on X.

• "There is nothing wrong with American workers or American culture. All you have to do is look at the border and see how many want what we have. We should be investing and prioritizing in Americans, not foreign workers," Nikki Haley, the former GOP presidential candidate and herself a daughter of Indian immigrants, wrote.
• "I want the little guy to matter too. Not everyone has $1 million but they still love their country and want to MAGA and close the border," far-right activist Laura Loomer posted.
• Loomer posted a series of missives throughout the afternoon, calling out Ramaswamy, Musk and anyone else in Trump's orbit who isn't fully committed to closing the borders.

Zoom out: The fracture was familiar to anyone who's seen a movement expand — early adopters criticizing the latecomers for bringing different ideas.

• "Tech bros who took 8+ years to figure out that President Trump is not the bad guy and is in fact, the solution to America's problems, are really out here pontificating to MAGA patriots who figured it out a decade before them?" conservative streaming host Brenden Dilley posted on X.

The bottom line: For now the fight is mostly confined to X. But it's sure to raise difficult questions in the coming days about what Trump's administration will mean for immigration, labor and the American worker.

• It will also potentially settle a looming conflict over who has the most influence in Trump 2.0 — his historic base or his new-found techno-libertarian allies.

Authorities in Kazakhstan are investigating the cause of an Azerbaijan Airlines plane crash in the country, which killed 38 people and injured 29 others on Christmas Day.

The big picture: Flight J2-8243 was diverted while en route from Baku, Azerbaijan's capital, to Grozny in southern Russia.

• Images of the incident shared online show the Embraer 190 aircraft catching fire and splitting apart as it crash-landed near the Kazakh city of Aktau.
• The Kremlin is warning against "hypotheses," but aviation security analysts say it's "reminiscent" of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17, shot down by a Russian surface-to-air missile system over rebel-held eastern Ukraine in 2014, per AFP.

State of play: Azerbaijan held a national day of mourning for the victims on Thursday, as Kazakh officials told the media that investigators had found the plane's black box at the crash site.

• A Kazakh official told reporters Thursday that an onboard cylinder containing oxygen exploded moments before the crash.
• A survivor told Russian media he remembered the pilot twice trying to land in dense fog over Grozny and then "the third time, something exploded, some of the aircraft skin had blown out."

Situation report: Chechnya, where Grozny is located, is one of several areas where Russian air defense systems have targeted Ukrainian drones, officials said.

• Chechen media reported Wednesday that Russian forces were repelling drone attacks in the region.

Between the lines: "Azerbaijan Airlines flight was likely shot down by a Russian military air-defense system," said Osprey Flight Solutions, an aviation security firm based in the U.K., in an alert to clients that was shared with the media, which cited Kyiv's statement also accusing Russia's military of being behind the crash.

• Other factors included "circumstances around the airspace security environment in southwest Russia," said Osprey, which has provided analysis for carriers still flying into Russia after Western airlines suspended flights due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
• Justin Crump, of risk advisory firm Sibylline, told the BBC: "It looks very much like the detonation of [a Russian] air defense missile to the rear and to the left of the aircraft, if you look at the pattern of shrapnel that we see."

Zoom in: Osprey CEO Andrew Nicholson wrote that the firm had issued over 200 alerts on drone attacks and air defense systems in Russia during the war.

• An unnamed U.S. official told CNN that early indications indicated that a Russian anti-aircraft system may have shot down the plane.
• If confirmed, it could prove to be a case of mistaken identity involving Russian units that have not been properly trained and fired "negligently against Ukraine's use of drones," the official said.

What they're saying: "It would be wrong to put forward any hypotheses before the investigation's conclusions," Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said in a statement carried by state media.

• "We, of course, will not do this, and no one should do this. We need to wait until the investigation is completed."

Go deeper: Dutch court convicts three for Malaysian Airlines MH17 plane crash

Elon Musk showed off a trimmer figure in a holiday social media post on Wednesday while revealing that he has been taking an anti-obesity drug to shed pounds.

Why it matters: Musk's post highlighted just how mainstream weight-loss drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy have become in recent years as public figures openly admit to using them, helping transform perceptions and conversations around weight loss.

Driving the news: Musk posted a photo of himself on X on Christmas Day dressed up in a Santa costume, captioning the picture, "Ozempic Santa."

• "Technically, Mounjaro, but that doesn't have the same ring to it," he added.

The big picture: Mounjaro, Ozempic and Wegovy are all part of a buzzy class of drugs known as GLP-1 agonists, which are seen as potential game-changers for patients struggling with obesity and diabetes and are at risk for heart attack and stroke.

• However, weight-loss drugs have also surged in popularity among patients who don't necessarily need them to treat those ailments.
• The drugs' popularity among celebrities and TikTokers has also helped drive shortages for patients in need.

Between the lines: Musk is the latest in a string of public figures who have recently admitted to taking medication for weight loss.

• The comedian Jim Gaffigan told People magazine last month that he had used Mounjaro to lose weight.
• Singer Kelly Clarkson said in a May episode of her eponymous show that she had been taking a medication to help her lose weight after her "bloodwork got so bad," though she did not specify the name of the drug.

State of play: "Nothing would do more to improve the health, lifespan and quality of life for Americans than making GLP inhibitors super low cost to the public," Musk wrote in an X post earlier this month.

• Yet high price tags and insurance restrictions have made the drugs difficult to access for many everyday Americans.
• Last month, the Biden administration proposed a rule requiring Medicare and Medicaid to cover anti-obesity drugs.
• Yet the Biden administration and Musk's support for increased access to the drugs is at odds with Robert F. Kennedy Jr's stance on the issue. President-elect Trump's nominee for secretary of the Health and Human Services Department has criticized the use of Ozempic.

Go deeper:

• United States of Ozempic: Where anti-obesity drugs are taking off
• Access is unequal to weight-loss drugs Ozempic and Wegovy: study

Footage showing a previously unseen Chinese warplane scrambled aviation geeks Thursday, with some joking the clips were the perfect Christmas present.

Why it matters: The aircraft emerges amid fiery debates about the future of airpower — manned versus unmanned, mainly — in the U.S. and abroad.

• Competition between Washington and Beijing is also boiling.

Zoom in: Videos and photos flooding social media show a large, delta-wing-style aircraft with a cockpit chased by a J-20S fighter.

• Its design suggests stealth.
• Russian state media quickly amplified the visuals, dubbing it the "White Emperor."
• Aviation Week reported that the main landing gear has the "hallmark of heavy fighter-bombers, such as the Sukhoi Su-34."

Yes, but: Much remains unknown about the aircraft. Neither the Chinese government nor industry immediately took credit for the daytime flight.

What we're watching: The fate of the U.S. Air Force's futuristic fighter is in the hands of the incoming Trump administration, following Secretary Frank Kendall's punt.

• "I don't want to make a decision that's going to be disrupted and reversed, potentially, by the new team," Kendall said Dec. 19 at a Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies event.
• "I don't want us to start industry down a specific course and then have to abruptly reverse that a few months from now."

About two-thirds of Americans have recently felt the need to limit their political news consumption, according to a recent poll.

Why it matters: The reluctance to consume political news is reflected in TV ratings. Americans of all parties, and Democrats in particular, are tuning out politics.

• People don't feel the same need to avoid news about overseas conflicts, the economy or climate change, per an AP-NORC survey conducted in early December.
• The poll also found that Americans want public figures to talk less about politics.

By the numbers: About 7 in 10 Democrats said they're stepping back from political news.

• About 6 in 10 Republicans and independents say the same.

By the numbers: On Election Day, 25% fewer people watched coverage across 18 live TV networks this year compared to 2020.

• MSNBC and CNN have both seen viewership drop dramatically since election night.
• MSNBC's prime-time viewership dropped 54% in the five weeks after the election, while CNN's fell by 45%, per Nielsen data.

The other side: Fox News viewership has increased, AP reported.

• Since the election, 72% of people watching any of the three main cable news networks have tuned into Fox, per AP. That figure was 53% before Election Day.

Zoom out: Americans began tuning out political news before the election, Axios' Sara Fischer previously reported.

• Engagement during the primary cycle was down earlier this year compared to the previous one.

What to watch: Network ratings in previous years have bounced back after the post-election news slump, per AP.

• For now, it's unclear whether people who avoided news about the election and President-elect Trump's victory will tune back in for coverage of what he does as president.

Go deeper: Dems warm to conservative media after rough 2024

Methodology: The poll of 1,251 adults was conducted Dec. 5-9. The margin of error for adults overall is ±3.7 percentage points.

Just 19% of Americans believe the country is heading in the right direction as 2024 comes to a close, per Gallup's latest monthly survey.

Why it matters: Gallup's monthly data reveals a deep-seated pessimism among Americans about their country. You'd have to go back two decades to find a time when half of Americans felt the U.S. was on the right track.

• The last time even 30% of Americans felt the U.S. was heading in the right direction was summer 2021.

By the numbers: December's finding was down from 26% in October, largely because satisfaction among Democrats has fallen from 47% to 30% since the election.

• Only 9% of Republicans think the country is on the right track. That number jumped from 5% in October to 16% in November before sliding back down.
• 19% is the lowest result since July. The 2024 peak was 26% in October.
• President Biden's approval rose to 39% from 37% in November.

Flashback: Gallup's highest-ever finding (71%) came in Feb. 1999, while the lowest (7%) came in Oct. 2008, during the financial crisis.

Between the lines: The pessimism about the direction of the country comes despite a fairly positive economic trajectory.

• The percentage of Americans who view the economy as the main problem with the U.S. has fallen steadily in recent months, per Gallup.
• Democrats tend to cite President-elect Trump as a top concern, Republicans are more worried about immigration, and respondents from both parties still have concerns about inflation.

Zoom out: Americans are sending mixed messages across the economic spectrum.

• Consumer confidence surged in November as Republicans cheered Trump's victory, but then pulled back in December.
• Retail sales over the holiday look better than the National Retail Federation forecast, but not great for brick-and-mortar stores.

Medicare's $2,000 prescription drug cap will take effect at the start of the new year.

Why it matters: The yearly limit on out-of-pocket payments, under the Inflation Reduction Act, is expected to lower millions of seniors' medical costs. It will have a particularly significant impact for patients taking expensive drugs to treat cancer and other serious conditions.

By the numbers: Overall, 3.2 million Americans are expected to save money on prescription medications in 2025, increasing to 4.1 million by 2029, per AARP projections.

• Those figures vary by state. In Texas, 9% of beneficiaries are expected to hit the cap in 2025. That figure is as high as 18% in Alaska, per AARP.
• Nearly half of the Medicare enrollees expected to benefit from the spending limit are between 75 and 84 years old.
• About 1.5 million Medicare beneficiaries spent more than $2,000 on prescriptions in 2021, per KFF. Around 5 million exceeded $2,000 during at least one year between 2012-2021.

How it works: The cap doesn't apply to monthly insurance premiums or drugs administered at the doctor's office or other health care settings.

• Part D plans have historically not had a limit on out-of-pocket spending, according to AARP.
• Certain payments made on an enrollee's behalf, like through the Extra Help program, will count toward the $2,000.

Zoom out: The Inflation Reduction Act will bring other changes to Medicare Part D, too.

• It will make insulin available at $35 per month per covered prescription.
• Enrollees will also have the option to pay out-of-pocket costs in the form of capped monthly installment payments instead of all at once at the pharmacy.
• The Manufacturer Discount Program will replace the existing Coverage Gap Discount Program. It will require manufacturers to provide discounts on their applicable drugs.

Go deeper:

• Medicare drug coverage gets a facelift for 2025
• Scoop: Medicare pilot aims for $2 generic drugs