The new year will bring new regulations on health care, social media use, schools and rent across the country.

Why it matters: Many of the new laws are aimed at expanding protections of workers, children and consumers.

Flashback: New laws in 2024 targeted contentious, often-cultural issues, including wider access to birth control, a diversity, equity and inclusion ban in Texas and anti-book ban law in Illinois.

Among the most significant in 2025:

Paid prenatal time leave

New York will become the first state in the U.S. to offer paid time off for prenatal care or medical care related to a pregnancy.

• Privately employed pregnant New Yorkers will receive an additional 20 hours of paid sick time for prenatal care in addition to existing sick time, per Gov. Kathy Hochul's office.
• An employer cannot require an employee to choose one type of leave over another or require them to exhaust a different category before using the paid prenatal leave.

Zoom in: The benefit can apply to physical examinations, medical procedures, monitoring and testing and discussion with a health care provider related to the pregnancy.

• Employers can provide more than 20 hours, per the governor's office.

Digital replica protections

California performers' and actors' digital likeness will be protected under legislation that counters the misuse of artificial intelligence and other digital media technologies.

• Their likeness will be protected in audio and visual productions.

Child and teen influencer financial security

California children and teenagers who perform in online content will be protected from financial abuse under new legislation.

• One bill establishes financial and legal protections for minors featured in monetized online content by requiring parents or guardians to set aside a percentage of their earnings in trust accounts.
• Another expands the Coogan Law, created for actors, to include content creators on platforms like YouTube. Employers of child performers are required to place at least 15% of their gross earnings in trust until they reach adulthood.

Districts can't make teachers disclose students' gender or sexual identities

"Forced outings" will be banned in California — now the first state to bar school districts from requiring teachers and school staff from disclosing a student's gender identity or sexual orientation to anyone else without permission.

• The bill provides resources for parents, guardians and families of LGBTQ+ students to navigate conversations around gender and identity.
• Teachers and staff are protected from retaliation for refusing to forcibly out a student.

Between the lines: The act doesn't limit a parent's ability to request school records.

Eliminating taxes on rent

Arizona rental real estate taxes will be eliminated under a new law.

• The legal burden of proof falls on the landlords if they're sued for failing to comply, Axios Phoenix's Jeremy Duda reported.

Context: The bill was initially vetoed by Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs (D) who was concerned about the financial impact on cities and concerns that landlords wouldn't actually pass savings on to their tenants.

• Changes were made to alleviate her concerns.

No social media for kids under 14

Florida children younger than 14 won't be allowed to have a social media accounts under a new bill.

• Civil liabilities will be imposed on platforms that refuse to terminate accounts of anyone under the age limit.

Yes, but: Two internet industry groups filed a federal lawsuit against the law, Axios Tampa Bay's Yacob Reyes noted.

Banned junk fees

A Minnesota junk fees law will prevent businesses from tacking on charges at the end of a transaction.

• Minnesota restaurants have been grappling with how to adapt to the new law, which will bar up-charges like a health and wellness fee from receipts, per Axios Twin Cities' Nick Halter.
• Automatic gratuity is allowed, but it must be clearly labeled and go to the wait staff. Taxes, shipping and delivery charges can be added to bills.

Higher minimum wage

Workers in 21 states and 48 cities and counties will get a raise on Jan. 1 when minimum wage increases go into effect, according to Axios' Emily Peck.

• In two states, the minimum wage will rise later in the year.
• By 2027, nearly half of U.S. workers will live in states with at least a $15 minimum wage.

Go deeper:

• These Florida laws go into effect Jan. 1
• Where the minimum wage will rise in 2025
• Medicare $2,000 prescription drug cap starts Jan. 1

Teen drug and alcohol use reached a record low this year, according to survey results released this month.

Why it matters: The downward trend began during the widespread isolation of the pandemic. Delaying first-time substance use until after adolescence could decrease addiction, researchers said.

• Declines were most notable among alcohol, marijuana and nicotine vaping in the annual Monitoring the Future study of eighth, 10th and 12th grade students.
• Nicotine pouch use was an exception. About 6% of 12th graders saying they've used them, up from about 3% in 2023.

By the numbers: Increases in abstention, which is considered no use within the previous 30 days, were statistically significant among 12th and 10th graders.

• Alcohol: 42% of 12th graders reported consumption, down from 75% in 1997. Among 10th graders, it fell to 26% from 65%. And among eighth graders, it dropped to 13% from 46%.
• Marijuana: Levels were the lowest they've been in the past three decades, at 26% for 12th graders and 16% for 10th graders.
• Nicotine vaping: 12th grade use was 21% compared to 35% in 2020 and 19% in 2017.

State of play: Teen substance use dropped at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. The pattern tracks with young adults' shifting views of moderate drinking and their reduced reported consumption.

• Experimentation often occurs with friends, and teens weren't socializing as much in the early years of the pandemic.
• Experts believed that drug use would resurge once social distancing restrictions were lifted, per Richard Miech, principal investigator of the study. That hasn't happened.

The other side: Teen use of nicotine pouches increased significantly.

• The FDA raised alarms about retailers selling nicotine pouches to underage consumers earlier this year. Pouches aren't listed by the FDA as recommended nicotine replacement products.
• "It's hard to know if we're seeing the start of something, or not," Miech told the AP.
• Products meant to help smokers ween off cigarettes can end up attracting youth users when they're freely on the market, experts told Axios earlier this year.

Go deeper: Meet "Zynfluencers": Smokeless nicotine pouches are having a moment

U.S. homelessness increased 18% this year, according to federal data released on Friday, with children being the age group that experienced the largest increase.

The big picture: Homelessness among nearly all populations reached record levels this year, but of the exacerbating factors have balanced out since the survey was conducted in January, the Department of Housing and Urban Development said in its report.

By the numbers: More than 770,000 people experienced homelessness on a single night in January 2024, per the point-in-time survey.

• Nearly 150,000 children experienced homelessness when the survey was taken, reflecting a 33% increase over 2023.
• Black people were 32% of the population identifying as homeless, despite making up 12% of the total U.S. population, HUD said. This figure decreased from 37% in 2023.
• Veterans reported continued declines in homelessness, decreasing by 8%.

Context: The migrant crisis, wildfires in Maui, Hawai'i that displaced thousands and high housing costs contributed to the stark rise and record high in the HUD report.

• "In the 13 communities that reported being affected by migration, family homelessness more than doubled," per HUD. Meanwhile, "in the remaining 373 communities, the rise in families experiencing homelessness was less than 8%."
• Chicago and Denver both announced an end to their migrant shelter systems this fall in response to decreases in shelter censuses.

Zoom in: "This report reflects data collected a year ago and likely does not represent current circumstances, given changed policies and conditions," HUD said in a statement.

• The survey was taken at the end of significant rental cost increases. Since then, rents have flattened or decreased.
• Rental costs have also stabilized since Maui wildfires exacerbated the housing crisis.
• And migration that rose 39% from 2023 to 2024, dropped later this year with more control on border crossings, HUD said.

Zoom out: Issues around poverty and homelessness got almost no attention during the 2024 election with candidates focusing on middle class concerns.

• A broad measure of poverty for families headed by single mothers rose last year and is now back to 2018 levels, per a new analysis of Census Bureau data from the National Women's Law Center.
• For households led by single mothers, the supplemental measure of poverty increased to 29% in 2023 from 27% in 2022. That's more than 2.7 million families.

The nation's overall poverty rate is 12.4% but it is 21.3% for Black people and 16.9% for Latinos, based on the Census Bureau's 2023 5-year estimates.

• Latinos make up 19% of the population and with other people of color, are set to form a plurality of the country's population by midcentury, but experts say a lack of discussion on Latino poverty is allowing inequalities, and possibly homelessness, to fester and grow.
• Rev. William Barber, of the Poor People's Campaign, tells Axios that the lack of discussion on poverty and low-wage workers prevents the nation from having an honest look at unhoused populations and affordable housing.

Go deeper:

• Homelessness in the U.S. jumped to record level in 2023, government says
• A record 1 in 8 NYC students experienced homelessness last school year

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 NORC survey were especially likely to think a mix of factors, and not just the assassin, were to blame for Thompson's death, per 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.

Editor's note: This story has been corrected to reflect that the poll was conducted by NORC (not AP and NORC).

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

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

• The undertaking is a remarkable feat of science and engineering, given the extreme heat (up to 1,800 F) 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 mph.
• 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

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.

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

The Federal Aviation Administration issued 30 temporary drone flight restrictions over parts of critical New York infrastructure from Thursday through mid-January.

Why it matters: Dozens of reported mystery drone sightings have been reported across the northeast, raising suspicions and fueling conspiracies.

• The restrictions were prompted by requests from federal security partners, the FAA said.
• "The action is purely precautionary," New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said in a statement. "There are no threats to these sites."

Catch up quick: Similar bans were announced on Wednesday over parts of New Jersey.

• The orders restrict aircraft, including drones, from operating without permission in a certain area for a limited time.
• New York also received a "state-of-the-art drone detection system" from the Biden administration this week, Hochul said.

Zoom in: The New York restrictions cover areas over substations, which are key junctions in the electrical grid. Other newly restricted areas include electric control centers, compressor stations or other complexes.

• They're active for areas including Brooklyn, Queens, Long Island, Staten Island and Yonkers.

State of play: No nefarious activity is involved in the drones drones reported over several northeastern states, federal officials have repeatedly said.

• Authorities have said that they believe a large portion of the sightings are misidentifications of other aircraft.

Go deeper: A teachable moment amid Northeast drone madness

Congress stopped the clock ticking toward a government shutdown early Saturday after the Senate followed the GOP-controlled House's lead in passing a stopgap measure that runs through March.

The latest: The resolution came after a Trump-backed plan to suspend the debt ceiling failed in the House Thursday and was nixed from the funding plan.

What he's saying: Despite President-elect Trump's Friday comment on Truth Social that "If there's going to be a shutdown of government, let it begin now, under the Biden administration," Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), told reporters after the vote he was in "constant contact" with Trump.

• "He knew exactly what we were doing," Johnson said.

State of play: An earlier version of the stopgap measure lost 38 Republican votes and gained two Democratic ones before legislators pushed a revised bill through both chambers.

• The approved resolution will fund the government until March, provide about $100 billion for disaster aid and extend the farm bill for a year, but legislators nixed elements of the earlier plan that would have suspended the debt ceiling until January 2027.
• House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) called it a "laughable proposal."

What was in the first bill?

Congressional leaders unveiled legislation Tuesday to keep the government funded until March, setting up a showdown — with Johnson in the central pressure cooker.

• It included around $100 billion in disaster relief, an extension of the farm bill and restrictions on investments in China. The 1,547-page bill includes wants from both Democrats' and Republicans' wish lists.
• But some measures raised eyebrows: Notably, a pay raise for members of Congress (their first since 2009), caught the attention of Musk and others bashing the bill.
• The mid-March extension date tees up another funding fight toward the end of Trump's first 100 days in office.

What's next, and what does it mean?

Lawmakers were able to push a deal through just after a midnight Saturday deadline, and Biden signed the resolution later Saturday.

• The legislative save means stopping a shutdown just as lawmakers were meant to go on holiday recess.

For thousands of non-essential federal employees, a shutdown would have meant they stopped working.

• During the last government shutdown (the longest on record) from December 2018 to January 2019, 420,000 federal employees were required to work without pay while another 350,000 were furloughed from their jobs without pay, according to the American Federation of Government Employees, a federal employee union.
• "Excepted" employees are those who keep working. Their responsibilities may include services like "emergency work involving the safety of human life or the protection of property," according to the U.S. Office of Personnel Management.

Federal employees would have been eligible for retroactive pay once funding was appropriated, per the OPM, and those who were furloughed could also have received unemployment benefits.

What government programs are impacted?

None now that the shutdown was avoided, but if legislators had failed, a number of government programs could have been impacted.

Social Security: Social Security and Medicare checks are still sent out during a shutdown, but some operations could have been impacted.

• A contingency plan shared in September said that benefit verifications and the issuance of replacement Medicare cards would have been among discontinued activities.

Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP): Food benefits via SNAP are mandatory. But a shutdown could have impacted the ability to renew benefit card licenses.

• Depending on the length of a shutdown, the timing of benefit issuances could have also been impacted.

Veteran benefits: Veteran benefits would continue to be processed and delivered, but some resources, like cemetery grounds maintenance, could have been restricted.

Passport issuance: The issuance of passports, along with visa and consular services, is expected to continue but could have been slowed depending on the length of a closure.

Education and student loans: Pell Grants and Federal Direct Student Loans would continue during a shutdown, per the Department of Education. But the longer a shutdown dragged on, the greater the chance of disruptions for borrowers.

• Most grantmaking activities, the department said in a contingency plan last year, would have been paused.
• Last time the government shuttered, students faced inter-agency issues when trying to access student aid, CNN reported, such as Internal Revenue Service closures that prevented them from accessing necessary tax documents ahead of the spring semester.

National parks and Smithsonian museums: Services at national parks and the Smithsonian museums in D.C. would close during a shutdown.

Go deeper: What a government shutdown could have meant for holiday air travel

Editor's note: This story was updated with new developments.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) sued a New York doctor for sending abortion medication under the Empire State's shield law to Texas, which has a near-total abortion ban, his office said Friday.

Why it matters: The lawsuit, one of the first known of its kind, tests the future of shield laws enacted by blue states in the post-Roe era to help patients who live in states with abortion bans.

• Paxton filed the complaint on Thursday against Dr. Margaret Daley Carpenter, co-founder of the Abortion Coalition for Telemedicine (ACT). New York's shield law protects providers and others who help patients outside New York access abortion via telemedicine.
• ACT said in a statement to Axios: "Ken Paxton is prioritizing his anti-abortion agenda over the health and well-being of women by attempting to shut down telemedicine abortion nationwide."
• "Shield laws are essential in safeguarding and enabling abortion care regardless of a patient's zip code or ability to pay. They are fundamental to ensuring everyone can access reproductive health care as a human right."

Zoom out: Most abortions in the U.S. involve pills rather than in-person procedures, and the number of abortions provided annually has risen since the Dobbs decision.

Zoom in: Paxton said Carpenter prescribed pills commonly used to end a pregnancy, mifepristone and misoprostol, to a 20-year-old woman in Collin County, Texas, per the complaint filed Thursday.

• She experienced complications and was taken to the hospital, the state said, by a man described as the "biological father of the unborn child." The man learned after the fact that the woman had been pregnant, per the complaint.
• Paxton is requesting that Carpenter be fined $100,000 per "violation" and that the court block her from violating Texas law.
• "Carpenter is not a licensed Texas physician, nor is she authorized to practice telemedicine in the State of Texas," the complaint said.

New York Attorney General Letitia James (D) said in a statement: "We will always protect our providers from unjust attempts to punish them for doing their job and we will never cower in the face of intimidation or threats."

• "I will continue to defend reproductive freedom and justice for New Yorkers, including from out-of-state anti-choice attacks."

What they're saying: "The truce over interstate abortion fights is over," Mary Ziegler, a leading abortion historian and law professor at UC Davis, said on X.

• "What will it mean for the GOP to say abortion should be left to the states now?" she added.

The big picture: Anti-abortion advocates have been preparing to challenge abortion pill access once President-elect Trump takes office next year.

• Anti-abortion advocates have been waiting for the "right case," to test these laws," the New York Times reported in February.
• Trump, in an interview released on Thursday, said he'd ensure the FDA doesn't block access to abortion pills. It was the first time he made such a commitment.
• The Supreme Court in June threw out an abortion pill case, preserving access to the medication without actually ruling on the merits of the case.

By the numbers: More than 9,700 abortions were provided monthly via telehealth under shield law protections in the second quarter of 2024, Society of Family Planning's #WeCount report.

• This marked a 5% increase since the first quarter of 2024.

Go deeper:

• Abortion provider protections prove crucial in a post-Roe world
• Texas abortion ban 3 years on: Forcing patients out of state, fueling 2024 debate

Editor's note: This story has been updated with additional comment.

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy (D) on Friday requested that President Biden direct more resources to investigate the origins of mysterious drones spotted across several states since last month.

Why it matters: The letter comes as local and state officials have demanded the federal government provide more information and resources as they express safety concerns over the drones' unknown origins.

• The drone sightings, beginning in November, have been reported in New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and most recently Connecticut.
• The White House said the drones have not been involved in any malicious activity, and the Pentagon said they weren't deployed by the U.S. military or an adversary.

What he's saying: "It has become apparent that more resources are needed to fully understand what is behind this activity," Murphy wrote.

• He said he's directed the New Jersey State Police and the state's Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness to assist federal authorities "in any capacity."
• New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) said on Friday the state is coordinating with the FBI and Homeland Security.

Zoom out: Separately, Murphy called for better regulation of unmanned aircraft systems, like these drones, to help the state as it prepares to host the FIFA World Cup Final in 2026.

• "I have supported your administration's efforts in asking Congress to extend counter-UAS flexibilities to state and local law enforcement entities and to support additional funding for these activities," he wrote.

Catch up quick: New Jersey and New York senators on Thursday requested a briefing from federal agencies by Dec. 23.

• Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), who sits on the Senate's Homeland Security and Governmental Committee, said Thursday the drones should be shot down "if necessary," especially if they're flying over airports or military bases.
• Two New Jersey representatives had made similar calls.

Zoom in: Former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R) said Friday that he saw dozens of "large drones" in the sky above his Davidsonville, Maryland, home for about 45 minutes on Thursday night.

• "I do not know if this increasing activity over our skies is a threat to public safety or national security," he said on X. "But the public is growing increasingly concerned and frustrated with the complete lack of transparency and the dismissive attitude of the federal government."

Go deeper:

• What to know about New Jersey drone sightings
• Blumenthal joins calls for New Jersey drones to be shot down "if necessary"

About half of U.S. adults are "not at all confident" in President-elect Trump's ability to appoint qualified people to his administration, per an AP-NORC poll released on Friday.

Why it matters: The lack of confidence from respondents undercuts Trump's claim to have won a mandate from voters as he finalizes Cabinet picks and fine tunes policy proposals.

• Only three in 10 Americans feel "extremely" or "very" confident that he'll choose qualified Cabinet members.
• Respondents had a similar level of confidence in his ability to manage government spending and perform other key presidential tasks like overseeing the military and White House.

Zoom in: Democrats and independents have the least confidence in Trump's abilities.

• About three-quarters said they are "not at all confident" that he'll effectively manage the White House, government or military, or that he'll choose qualified Cabinet members.

The other side: Republicans have more confidence in Trump but were not as monolith as Democrats, per AP-NORC.

• About six in 10 Republicans are "extremely" or "very" confident in his Cabinet appointments and ability to manage the White House, military and government spending.

State of play: The survey was conducted as Trump filled out the majority of his Cabinet, including with some members who face a difficult road to confirmation.

• His selections include MAGA loyalists, including a slew of current or former Fox News employees.

Flashback: U.S. adults also expressed doubt in how Biden would carry out similar responsibilities. In that case, confidence was split across tasks, whereas it's relatively even for Trump.

• In a survey shortly after Biden took office, adults had a higher level of confidence in his Cabinet appointments and ability to manage the White House than his military and government spending management.

Methodology: The survey of 1,251 adults was conducted Dec. 5-9 and has a margin of error of +/- 3.7 percentage points.

Go deeper: Musk, Vance seize on Jan. 6 report debunking FBI claims as proof of conspiracy

Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) has called for the drones spotted flying over New Jersey and other parts of the northeast to be shot down "if necessary" as the mystery continues over who is responsible for the unmanned aerial vehicles.

Why it matters: The call for potential action comes as the White House said the drones have not been involved in any malicious activity, but lawmakers from the impacted states have grown frustrated by a lack of answers amid safety concerns.

• "We should be doing some very urgent intelligence analysis and take them out of the skies, especially if they're flying over airports or military bases," Blumenthal said according to the AP.
• Two New Jersey Reps. Chris Smith (R) and Jeff Van Drew (R) were the first to call for the drones to be shot down.

Driving the news: Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.) and Andy Kim (D-N.J.) requested a briefing Thursday on actions that federal agencies and local law enforcement are undertaking to identify the source of the drones.

• The senators requested the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, FBI and the Federal Aviation Administration respond by Dec. 23.

What they're saying: "The potential safety and security risks posed by these drones in civilian areas is especially pertinent considering recent drone incursions at sensitive military sites in and outside of the continental United States over the past year," the letter from the four senators said.

• Blumenthal, who sits on the Senate's Homeland Security and Governmental Committee, said that the Biden administration "ought to be acting more aggressively against these drones."
• "The lack of information is absolutely unacceptable," Blumenthal said according to the AP.
• Booker echoed the frustration, though he did not place blame on any specific agency. "We should know what's going on over our skies," he said, per the AP.

Zoom out: Federal investigators have not corroborated any of the sightings, White House national security spokesperson John Kirby said on Thursday during a news conference.

• "On the contrary, upon review of available imagery, it appears that many of the reported sightings are actually manned aircraft that are being operated lawfully," he said.
• Kirby confirmed there is no evidence of foreign involvement from coastal vessels, backing the Pentagon's Wednesday statement after Van Drew suggested an Iranian "mothership" located off the East Coast was launching the drones.

Go deeper: What to know about New Jersey drone sightings

Missing American traveler Travis Timmerman was found outside of Damascus, Syria, after being imprisoned for months.

Why it matters: His capture in Syria earlier this year was not widely known, but his discovery and release from prison followed the stunning collapse of the Assad regime earlier this week.

The big picture: Timmerman, originally from Missouri, told NBC News that he had crossed the border from Lebanon to Syria on a religious pilgrimage earlier this year before being detained by Syrian officials.

• "My Lord sent me to Damascus," he said to NBC on Thursday.
• Timmerman was last seen in Budapest, Hungary, and he estimated to CBS News that he entered Syria about seven months ago. Missing person reports in Hungary and Missouri were released earlier this year for Pete Timmerman and Travis Pete Timmerman, per NBC News.
• The State Department did not respond to Axios' request for comment.

State of play: Timmerman was released earlier in the week by rebel forces, who have freed thousands of detainees in prisons across the country since the fall of former President Bashar al-Assad.

• Timmerman said he spent days wandering barefoot in streets outside Damascus after his release. He asked a local for water and appeared in a video that spread on social media, per NBC.

Between the lines: That social media video resulted in Timmerman being misidentified by some as American journalist Austin Tice, who has been missing in Syria for 12 years.

• President Biden said on Sunday he believes Tice is alive.

Zoom out: A coalition of armed rebel groups launched an offensive in late November and took over nearly all of Aleppo within a matter of days. They continued to liberate towns along the route to the capital, Damascus, which they seized control of on Sunday.

• More than 14 million Syrians have been displaced from their homes as a result of the Syrian civil war, which began in 2011.
• Assad has fled to Moscow and been granted political asylum with his family.

Go deeper:

• Toppling of Assad transforms Middle East after year of chaos
• ISIS, refugees, populism: How Syria changed everything

Luigi Mangione, the person of interest in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, was carrying a so-called "ghost gun" when he was arrested in Pennsylvania on Monday, law enforcement said.

The big picture: The privately made firearms have become increasingly popular among criminals. They are untraceable by law enforcement as they lack the serial numbers found on other guns.

What are ghost guns?

Ghost guns are bought and assembled by the owner, Axios' Bryan McBournie previously reported.

• Individuals purchase the parts to assemble the gun, either piece by piece or in assembly kits. The parts aren't usually considered firearms, allowing purchases to bypass the background check that is required for serialized firearms.
• Ghost guns are often marketed as untraceable and unregulated by the government.

Yes, but: President Biden proposed a rule change in April 2022 requiring that ghost guns be placed under the same regulations as commercial firearm sales, including the use of serial numbers and background checks for buyers.

• The legal challenge to the rule was taken up by the Supreme Court, which heard oral arguments on the case in October. A ruling has not been issued.

What threat do ghost guns pose?

Threat level: Ghost guns are considered the "fastest-growing gun safety problem" in the U.S. by Everytown for Gun Safety, an advocacy organization.

• "They are extremely dangerous and we must do more on the federal level to clap down on the availability of ghost guns," New York City Mayor Eric Adams said in a news conference on Monday afternoon.

By the numbers: The number of ghost guns traced and recovered by the federal government more than doubled in 2021 from the year before, per the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

• According to the Department of Justice, over 25,000 ghost guns were recovered by law enforcement in 2022, marking a 1300% increase from 2016.
• Just 15 states have laws on ghost guns. Most require background checks on purchasers and serialization of parts and components.

Zoom in: Mangione's gun may have been made using a 3D printer, NYPD Chief of Detectives Joe Kenny said during Monday's press briefing.

• "The capability of firing a 9 millimeter round, obviously that will come out during our ballistics testing," he said.
• 3D-printing technology has yielded increasingly reliable firearms, per The Trace, a news organization that reports on gun violence. Models can vary widely.

How are ghost guns legal?

The Gun Control Act of 1968 allows private citizens to build guns for personal use. There are few regulations requiring them to be registered or traceable so long as they're not sold by the owner.

• Commercial firearms are required to be federally licensed.

Go deeper:

• Supreme Court agrees to hear Biden admin appeal in ghost guns case
• Who is Luigi Mangione, person of interest in UnitedHealthcare CEO shooting

Luigi Mangione, 26, was apprehended by police on Monday in connection with the homicide of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in New York City.

The big picture: Thompson's shooting on Wednesday sparked a massive manhunt but no arrests had been made in connection to the case prior to Monday.

Driving the news: Mangione is expected to face gun charges in New York and Pennsylvania, NYPD Chief of Detectives Joe Kenny said during Monday's press briefing

• He was detained at a McDonald's in Altoona, Pennsylvania.
• The Altoona Police Department confirmed in a press release that Mangione was arrested on charges unrelated to Thompson's shooting.
• Mangione's last known address was in Honolulu, Hawaii. He was born and raised in Maryland and has ties to San Francisco.

Mangione's education and background

Mangione attended the University of Pennsylvania, graduating in May 2020 with both a bachelor's degree and a master's degree, a Penn spokesperson told Axios.

• He received a Bachelor of Science in Engineering with a major in computer science and a minor in mathematics.
• He also received a Master of Science in Engineering in computer and information science.

Mangione graduated in 2016 as valedictorian of the Gilman School, a prep school in Maryland, multiple media outlets reported.

• A LinkedIn account attributed to Mangione says he served as head counselor at a Stanford University pre-collegiate studies program in 2019. A Stanford spokesperson confirmed to Axios that "a person by the name of Luigi Mangione" had worked as head counselor for the program.
• The LinkedIn account says that Mangione started work as a data engineer after graduating Penn.
• A spokesperson for TrueCar, another company listed on Mangione's LinkedIn account, said he has not been an employee of the vehicle sales business since 2023.

How the manhunt unfolded

Context: Thompson was shot and killed outside of a midtown Manhattan Hilton at about 6:40am ET on Wednesday by a masked man.

• Thompson had received threats, his wife said, possibly related to health care coverage.

Zoom in: A McDonald's employee who recognized Mangione called local police, New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said on Monday. Tisch said his behavior was suspicious during questioning.

• Mangione was carrying multiple fraudulent IDs, a U.S. passport, a gun and a suppressor consistent with those used in the attack.
• A fraudulent New Jersey ID was consistent with one used to check into a New York City hostel ahead of the shooting.

What they're saying: "Officers recovered a handwritten document that speaks to both his motivation and mindset," Tisch said. The document was three pages long.

• "It does seem that he had some ill will toward corporate America," Kenny said.

What's next: NYPD officers and members of the Manhattan District Attorney's Office will interview Mangione further.

Go deeper:

• Person questioned in UnitedHealthcare CEO shooting, had "manifesto": reports
• Health care uproar sparks new legislation in Congress
• Corporate America gets more reclusive following CEO's killing

Editor's note: This story has been updated with details throughout.

Taylor Swift will be on stage Sunday for "The Last Time" in her nearly two-year long, record-shattering international tour.

Why it matters: With 149 shows across five continents, the Eras Tour became the highest grossing concert tour of all time and boosted local economies worldwide.

• The tour concludes with three shows in Vancouver.

By the numbers: The Eras Tour became the first tour to gross $1 billion as of December 2023 — with a year to go, according to Pollstar, a concert trade publication.

• Pollstar predicted it would bring in $2.2 billion by the time it was over.
• Between tickets, travel, outfits and lodging, the average Swiftie spent $1,300 per show, per the Washington Post.
• Swift sold an estimated 6.01 million concert tickets by March, according to a calculation from Time Magazine, which designated her 2023's person of the year.

Swift will have played nearly 149 shows during the tour in more than 50 cities worldwide.

• Each show included a more than 40-song setlist plus at least two surprise songs.

Along the way, Swift announced her 11th studio album: "The Tortured Poets Department."

• The tour also helped boost her to billionaire status.

Between the lines: Swift raked in millions beyond the concert sales, too.

• Swift's concert movie set a box office record for concert films on its opening weekend in October, making more than $95 million. By January, it earned more than $261.6 million globally, Variety reported.
• Merch sales alone brought in $200 million as of December 2023, per Pollstar.

The intrigue: The Eras Tour also gave us "Swiftonomics," analyzing the bump to local economies when she swung through town.

Go deeper: Grammy's love affair with Taylor Swift continues into 2025

President-elect Trump will participate in his first network interview since the election with NBC News' Kristen Welker, airing on "Meet the Press" on Sunday.

Why it matters: Trump has filled out his Cabinet and made some major policy announcements since being elected, but he has dialed back his media presence.

• Welker will interview Trump on Friday and highlights will be released ahead of the full interview on Sunday, NBCUniversal said.

Between the lines: Both Trump and Vice President Harris embraced non-traditional forms of media, including podcast appearances, during the final stretch of the election.

• Trump rarely takes part in extended TV interviews with traditional media outlets these days.

Flashback: Welker last sat down with Trump for an exclusive interview in September 2023, his first broadcast network interview since leaving office.

• That was his only network sit-down interview during the 2024 campaign, per NBC.
• Many of Trumps' TV interviews during the 2024 cycle went to Fox News and other friendly outlets.

Go deeper: Trump's shadow presidency clouds Biden's final weeks

Bans on gender-affirming care for youth went from being a political nonstarter to a top priority for GOP legislators with the Supreme Court hearing oral arguments on Wednesday in a pivotal case on the issue.

The big picture: In the three years since the first state legislative ban on youth gender-affirming care was passed in 2021, such legislation has taken effect in 26 states, per the Human Rights Campaign.

• The Supreme Court heard arguments on U.S. v. Skrmetti, which challenges Tennessee's 2023 law that prohibits health care providers from providing or offering puberty blockers, hormones or surgery to minors.
• It could be the biggest case of the high court's term, and the court seems likely to uphold Tennessee's ban, Axios' Sam Baker reported. Conservative justices indicated via their questioning that they don't want to overrule the state law.
• Major medical groups including the American Medical Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Psychiatric Association concur that gender-affirming care is lifesaving medical care.

By the numbers: More than a third of transgender youth live in states that have enacted bans on access to gender-affirming care, according to UCLA Law's Williams Institute.

• More than three-quarters of trans youth between 13 and 17 years old live in states where such a law was introduced or pending in the 2024 legislative session.

What they're saying: "While the day-to-day lives of transgender and nonbinary people have become increasingly politicized, our ability to access the medicine we need to lead healthy lives should not be up for debate," Jaymes Black, CEO at The Trevor Project, said in a statement Wednesday.

Here are some key events that led to this moment:

2020: Anti-trans movement emboldens

The Supreme Court in 2020 ruled in Bostock v. Clayton County that employers can't fire employees based on their sexual orientation or gender identity.

• Conservative Justices Neil Gorsuch and John Roberts sided with the court's more liberal justices in the decision.

The Biden administration, during President Biden's first month in office, used this as a basis for a wide-ranging LGBTQ+ anti-discrimination executive order.

Yes, but: Political attacks against trans youth increased in 2020 with a "new energy of frenetic assaults on trans life focused on beginnings of sports, bathrooms and health care," Chase Strangio, co-director of the ACLU'S LGBT and HIV Project, said recently on the Vibe Check podcast.

• The bans on health care, at that point, didn't seem politically viable, said Strangio, who delivered the ACLU's argument before the Supreme Court on Wednesday.

2021: First youth gender-affirming care ban

Arkansas was the first state to ban gender-affirming care for patients under 18.

• The Republican-led state house overrode a veto from Republican Gov. Asa Hutchinson, who said it was a "vast government overreach." (That same year, Hutchinson signed a bill banning transgender women and girls from participating in sports consistent with their gender identity.)

2022: "Increasingly draconian" bills

• Across 13 states, 26 anti-trans bills were passed in 2022. Proposed legislation became "increasingly draconian," per the Trans Legislation tracker.
• "Don't Say Gay" bills proposed in more than a dozen states prohibited classroom discussion about LGBTQ+ identities and issues.
• Alabama and Arizona passed legislation limiting youth access to gender affirming care. In Texas, Gov. Greg Abbott (R) also issued a directive defining certain gender-affirming services as child abuse, per KFF.

2023: Anti-trans legislation booms

• 90 anti-LGBTQ+ bills were passed in 2023, half of which were anti-trans.
• Challenges to the bans are also making their way through the courts: In June 2023, a federal judge overturned Arkansas' ban on gender-affirming care for youth — later appealed by the state's attorney general.

Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee (R) signed a bill banning transition-related medical care for trans youth in March 2023 — the legislation that would eventually make it to the Supreme Court as U.S. v. Skrmetti. It was the first bill proposed during that year's legislative session.

• The following month, the ACLU of Tennessee along with other organizations sued Tennessee to block the ban on behalf of three families and a doctor. A district court sided with the plaintiffs, but an appeals court subsequently sided with the state.
• "Radical gender ideology has captured an entire alphabet of American medical organizations," the defense said in a court filing.

Between the lines: "These decisions were catastrophic because not only did they let these laws go into effect but they, in essence, gave governments the green light to discriminate against trans people in a host of contexts," Strangio said.

2024: Trans issues soar within GOP presidential campaign

• 2024 marks the fifth consecutive record-breaking year for the total number of anti-trans bills considered in the U.S., per the Trans Legislation Tracker.

Zoom out: Republicans have continued to target trans rights following the presidential campaign, where President-elect Trump released anti-trans campaign ads and suggested that he'd ban trans athletes from competing in sports according to their gender identity.

• House GOP members launched immediate attacks on Sarah McBride, the first trans person elected to Congress by banning transgender people from accessing House bathrooms that correspond to their gender identity.

Go deeper: Trump win emboldens GOP's anti-trans blitz

Editor's note: This story has been updated with details from Wednesday's oral arguments.

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol was a political novice when he became the country's conservative leader in 2022 during a closely contested election. His approval rating has dipped in recent months.

The big picture: In a shocking move, Yoon declared emergency martial law on Tuesday, citing pro-North Korean forces. The South Korean parliament subsequently voted to immediately lift Yoon's martial law declaration; he must comply under the constitution.

Zoom in: Yoon, 63, promised a harder line on North Korea when he entered office as a political newcomer. He became the 20th president of the Republic of Korea in May 2022.

• Before that, he worked as a prosecutor for 26 years in jurisdictions including Daegu, Seoul and Suwon.
• He became prosecutor general of the Supreme Prosecutors' Office in 2019, responsible for overseeing the office's overall work, prosecution affairs and public officials of the prosecution service.
• He earned bachelor's and master's degrees in law from Seoul National University.

Between the lines: South Korean presidents serve a single five-year term and cannot run for re-election.

• Via lawsuits, state regulators and criminal investigations, Yoon has restricted speech that he considers misinformation, an effort largely aimed at news organizations, per the New York Times.

Zoom out: South Korea's constitution declares that the president can proclaim martial law "when it is required to cope with a military necessity or to maintain the public safety and order by mobilization of the military forces in time of war, armed conflict or similar national emergency."

• There are two types of martial law: precautionary and extraordinary, which allows for special measures with "warrants, freedom of speech, the press, assembly and association or the powers of the Executive and the Judiciary."

State of play: The leader of Yoon's own conservative party, Han Dong-hoon, denounced his decision to declare martial law, per the AP. So did his opponents, including Lee Jae-myung, who he narrowly defeated in the 2022 election.

• Yoon accused the opposition of anti-state rebellion in his announcement.

His approval rating has decreased in recent months, per the AP. Disapprovers of Yoon cited rising consumer prices and a lack of communication with the public, per Gallup Korea, the Korea Herald reported.

• He has struggled to implement his agenda with the opposition-controlled parliament.

Flashback: Earlier this year, Yoon's wife was embroiled in controversies including allegedly accepting a luxury Dior handbag and stock manipulation, per the BBC, causing rifts within his party.

• At the time, Yoon said she should have conducted herself better but that the claims had been "exaggerated."
• Also this year, Yoon vetoed an investigation into the death of a marine in 2023. The death became an impeachment threat for the leader, per the NYT.

Catch up quick: U.S. lawmakers have praised Yoon's efforts to improve South Korea's relationship with Japan, which is a fellow U.S. ally and South Korea's previous colonial ruler.

• Relations between Seoul and Tokyo have improved since Yoon's term, per the European Council on Foreign Relations.

In November, Yoon told Chinese President Xi Jinping during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum in Lima, Peru, that their countries should cooperate for peace in response to North Korean and Russian military cooperation, per Reuters.

• Xi told Yoon that irrespective of changes in the region, the countries should tap into advantages like integrated economies and cultural similarities to deepen cooperation.
• Months prior, South Korea became the first Asian country to sign a North Atlantic Treaty Organization agreement on mutual recognition for military airworthiness certification.

Yoon has allied himself with anti-feminist sentiment, per the New York Times, by accusing the ministry of gender equality of treating men like "potential sex criminals," during a 2022 political movement.

Go deeper: South Korean president declares martial law in shock move

Editor's note: This story has been updated with additional context.