Pete Hegseth, President-elect Trump's pick for secretary of Defense, dodged several questions during his often contentious Senate confirmation hearing Tuesday.

The big picture: Republicans' narrow Senate majority means they can only lose a handful of votes, and Democrats used the hearing to air Hegseth's allegations of sexual misconduct, financial mismanagement and excessive drinking and question how far he would go on Trump's behalf.

• The former Fox News host and U.S. Army veteran, who some national security officials have cautioned may not have enough experience, traversed a tumultuous path to Tuesday's hearing.
• He's blamed a "smear campaign" for threatening to derail his nomination but has solidified support from key members of the GOP.

Here are some of the questions Hegseth dodged during his hearing:

Will he resign if he drinks?

Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii) pressed Hegseth on accusations of excessive drinking, pointing to his vow not drink on the job if confirmed.

• He said he "absolutely" made that promise to Republican lawmakers.

Yes, but: Hegseth did not answer whether he would resign if he does drink, instead saying, "I've made this commitment on behalf of the men and women I'm serving because it's the most important deployment of my life."

Should domestic violence be disqualifying?

As part of a fiery exchange with Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Hegseth would not say whether violence against a spouse should be disqualifying for a secretary of Defense.

He repeatedly told Kaine he "absolutely" had never committed physical violence against any of his three wives.

• He called Kaine's question "a hypothetical."

Would he use the military against Americans?

Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.) pressed Hegseth on whether he'd support using the U.S. military against American citizens — and Hegseth's answer seemed inconclusive.

• "If Donald Trump asked you to use the 82nd Airborne in law enforcement roles in Washington, D.C., would you ... convince him otherwise?" she asked.
• "I'm not going to get ahead of conversations I would have with the president. However, there are laws and processes inside our Constitution that would be followed," Hegseth replied.

Zoom out: As part of Hirono's questioning, Hegseth did not directly answer whether he'd approve of shooting protesters in the legs, in reference to the suggestion former defense secretary Mark Esper said Trump gave him in 2020.

• "Senator, I was in the Washington, D.C., National Guard unit that was in Lafayette Square during those events," Hegseth replied, "holding a riot shield on behalf of my country."

Would he seize Greenland by force?

Hegseth sidestepped another inquiry from Hirono, who asked whether he would comply with an order to claim Greenland or the Panama Canal by force, as Trump has threatened.

What he's saying: Hegseth applauded Trump for "never strategically tipping his hand" in response to Hirono's question, adding he would not provide details in "this public forum."

• "That sounds to me like that you would contemplate carrying out such an order to basically invade Greenland and take over the Panama Canal," Hirono replied.

Should the U.S. follow the Geneva Conventions?

Hegseth did not appear to commit to upholding the laws of combat governed by the Geneva Conventions during questioning from Sen. Angus King (I-Maine).

What he's saying: "We have laws on the books from the Geneva Conventions into the Uniform Code of Military Justice, and then underneath that, you have layers in which standard or temporary rules of engagement are put into place," Hegseth said. "We fight enemies ... that play by no rules."

• Pressed by King, he said, "We don't need burdensome rules of engagement that make it impossible for us to win these wars."

Zoom in: Asked if the conventions' ban on torturing prisoners still applies, Hegseth called the conventions "incredibly important" but said how wars are fought has evolved.

• "Your position is torture is OK, is that correct?" King asked.
• Hegseth contended that was not what he said, adding, "I've never been party to torture."
• Later, when pressed on past comments he made seemingly endorsing waterboarding, Hegseth responded, "The law of the land is that waterboarding is not legal."

Go deeper: Scoop: Hegseth opening statement pledges Pentagon "warrior ethos"

Pete Hegseth, President-elect Trump's pick for Defense secretary, repeated his claim Tuesday that he is the target of a "smear campaign" when faced with pointed questions from lawmakers over his fitness to lead the military amid misconduct allegations.

The big picture: After Trump chose the former Fox News host for the Cabinet post, Hegseth was besieged with scandals that threatened to tank his nomination before he ever faced lawmakers.

• Hegseth, 44, has been accused of sexual misconduct, excessive drinking and financial mismanagement of a nonprofit since Trump nominated him. He has denied the accusations.
• Some national security officials have expressed concerns that the U.S. Army veteran doesn't have enough experience to run the Department of Defense.

Driving the news: Hegseth's highly anticipated confirmation hearing began with him promising to be a "change agent" for the Department of Defense.

• Before Hegeth spoke to the committee, Senate Armed Services Committee Chair Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) decried the "anonymous sources" behind the allegations that have hounded Hegseth, contrasting them with public pronouncements of support from his colleagues.

Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), an Iraq War veteran who lost both of her legs in combat, questioned Hegseth's qualifications in a contentious back-and-forth in which he could not name the number of nations or members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

• "I couldn't tell you the exact amount of nations," Hegseth said, adding, "but I know we have allies in South Korea and Japan and in AUKUS, with Australia, trying to work on submarines."
• Duckworth replied: "None of those three countries that you mentioned are in ASEAN. I suggest you do a little homework before you prepare for these types of negotiations."

Asked by Sen. Jacky Rosen (D-Nevada) about his past characterization of NATO as "a relic" that should be "scrapped and remade," Hegseth claimed the country's allies have had "no better friend" than Trump.

• He did not answer to his own past comments about the alliance.
• Rosen pressed Hegseth on whether Trump has a plan to rapidly end the years-long war in Ukraine as the president-elect has claimed he will do, to which Hegseth replied, "I will always give clear guidance ... best guidance to the president ... on matters like that."

During a heated exchange, Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) refuted Hegseth's characterization that all the allegations against him were spurred by anonymous sources.

• "They are not anonymous. We have seen more records with names attached to them," Kaine said.
• Committee ranking member Jack Reed (D-R.I.) said he doesn't believe Hegseth is "qualified to meet the overwhelming demands of this job," citing the "extremely alarming" allegations and some of Hegseth's views, including on women serving in the military.
• Reed implored the committee to make the FBI's background check available to all committee members, but Wicker rebuffed his request.

Questioned by Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) about his previous derisive comments about women serving in combat roles, Hegseth maintained that he appreciated women's contributions to the military.

• "It's not about the capabilities of men and women. It's about standards," he said.
• Hegseth refused to rule out carrying out an order from Trump to take over Greenland or the Panama Canal — notions the president-elect has floated in recent weeks — when quizzed by Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii).

State of play: In his opening statement, Hegseth vowed to "restore the warrior ethos" at the Pentagon.

• "It is true that I don't have a similar biography to Defense Secretaries of the last 30 years," Hegseth said, before positioning himself as a "change agent."
• "But, as President Trump also told me, we've repeatedly placed people atop the Pentagon with supposedly 'the right credentials' — whether they are retired generals, academics or defense contractor executives — and where has it gotten us?" Hegseth said in his opening statement.
• A protester interrupted Hegseth's opening statement to call him a misogynist. That protester was one of several removed from the hearing.

Flashback: Trump defended Hegseth as the criticism mounted last year — though after a prolonged silence and news of his backup nominee leaked.

Between the lines: Hegseth's FBI background check became a point of contention ahead of the hearing.

• Just one Senate Democrat — Armed Services ranking member Jack Reed (D-R.I.) — has been briefed on the findings.
• The Trump transition team opposes sharing it, Axios' Hans Nichols and Stephen Neukam report.
• Democrats had pushed for the findings to be accessible by the full Senate before the hearing, given the allegations against Hegseth.

Go deeper: Trump picks historically young group of top officials

Editor's note: This story was updated with developments from the hearing.

The Department of Justice's final report on President-elect Trump's dismissed federal election subversion case was published early Tuesday, revealing new details of special counsel Jack Smith's investigation.

Why it matters: Smith claims in the report less than two weeks from Trump's inauguration that he could have secured a conviction if the Republican leader hadn't won November's election and the case had gone to trial.

• Trump wanted the final report kept secret, but Attorney General Merrick Garland defied the president-elect in one of his final acts in the Biden administration and sent the 137-page document to Congress.

Zoom out: The release of volume one of Smith's final report follows a lengthy legal battle after Trump's lawyers sought to stop it being made public.

• Volume two of Smith's report, on Trump's federal classified documents case, remains sealed after U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon barred the DOJ from releasing a final investigative report or any drafts.
• Cannon, whom Trump appointed when he was in office, has been accused of bias in her handling of the case.
• However, on Monday she ordered a hearing later this week on whether to release the second part of the report.

Flashback: Smith's original Jan. 6 indictment charged Trump with four counts, including "conspiracy to defraud" the U.S.

• It was unsealed in 2023, less than two months after Smith first brought charges against the president-elect over his alleged mishandling of classified documents.
• Last August, Smith filed a superseding indictment in the Jan. 6 case, paring down the original findings to account for the Supreme Court's July ruling that presidents have immunity for "official acts."
• But after Trump won the 2024 election, Smith moved to drop his two federal cases against Trump, noting the longstanding DOJ policy that a sitting president can't be prosecuted.

Read Smith's report in full, via DocumentCloud:

Go deeper: Trump asks Supreme Court to block hush money sentencing

Los Angeles County is facing "critical fire conditions" after firefighters have for days battled deadly wildfires that have razed entire neighborhoods, and the situation is expected to worsen this week.

Threat level: The National Weather Service issued a rare "Particularly Dangerous Situation" red flag warning that's due to start early Tuesday into Wednesday for parts of L.A. County and Ventura County, warning that winds will be high enough to cause "explosive fire growth."

• The areas under this warning do not include the Eaton Fire, but do include western Santa Monica, Simi Valley, Porter Ranch, Ventura and other parts of the hard hit region.
• The winds will not be as strong as the previous event but strong enough to meet the high-end criteria.

The big picture: The death toll rose to at least 24, per the L.A. County medical examiner's Sunday evening update. Another 16 people have been reported as missing, Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said during a Sunday briefing.

• More than 100,000 residents remain under evacuation orders and over 12,000 structures have been destroyed.

Situation report: The Kenneth, Sunset and Lidia fires have been 100% contained, Gov. Gavin Newsom said in a Sunday update.

• The Hurst Fire was at 89% containment Sunday evening, per Cal Fire.
• The Palisades and Eaton fires, the biggest of the blazes, were 13% and 27% contained, respectively.
• Sixteen of the reported deaths have been attributed to the Eaton Fire, while the remaining eight have been categorized with the Palisades Fire.
• Newsom announced he's deployed a further 1,000 California National Guard personnel to the Los Angeles area, taking the number assisting in firefighting efforts to 2,500.

State of play: Red flag warnings for much of Los Angeles and Ventura counties are set to remain in place until Wednesday as gusty winds and low relative humidity persist, the National Weather Service's L.A. office said Sunday evening.

• NWS expects the offshore Santa Ana winds that have been making fighting the fires extremely difficult to pick back up after a brief reprieve, which could complicate firefighters' efforts to contain the flames.
• Dry vegetation coupled with "prolonged extreme fire conditions" will support "rapid spread and erratic behavior" of new or existing fires, per NWS. The Eaton Fire may be less affected by strong winds than the other blazes.

By the numbers: Over 35,000 customers in Los Angeles County were without power about 12:30am Monday ET, per PowerOutage.us.

Context: Parts of Southern California are experiencing their driest start on record.

• An overlap of rare climate factors is in part to blame for the rapidly spreading blazes, as the bone-dry region grapples with the worst high wind event in Southern California since 2011, per Axios' Andrew Freedman.
• While the fires are not the largest wildfires the state has faced, they are among the most destructive on record.

Go deeper: Why fire hydrants ran dry as wildfires ravaged Los Angeles

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

With eight days until Jan. 20, President-elect Trump and his team are preparing to unleash an onslaught of executive orders regarding the border.

Vice President-elect JD Vance said Sunday those day-one actions should send a message to "illegal immigrants all over the world: You are not welcome in this country illegally."

Here's what you may have missed when newsmakers hit the airwaves this Sunday, January 12.

1. Vance: "America is closed to illegal immigration"

Vance said in an interview aired Sunday that the Trump administration will release "dozens of executive orders" on day one signaling that "America is closed to illegal immigration."

The big picture: He dismissed questions about the humanitarian concerns surrounding Trump's mass deportation promises, arguing that family separation is a "dishonest term."

• "If you say, for example, in the United States we have a guy who's convicted of a violent crime and has to go to prison, we want that guy to go to prison," he said. "But yes, it does mean that that guy is going to be separated from his family."
• Vance argued Democrats "hide behind" raising alarms about a lack of compassion for families at the border.
• "It is not compassion to allow the drug cartels to traffic small children," he argued. "It is not compassionate to allow the worst people in the world to send minor children, some of them victims of sex trafficking, into our country. That is the real humanitarian crisis at the border."

Fox News' Shannon Bream pushed back, noting that violent criminals are a small slice of the millions of undocumented immigrants living in the U.S.

• Vance replied that law enforcement action is necessary to end the border crisis, saying the country can't buy into "the lie ... from the extreme left" that "law enforcement at the American southern border is somehow not compassionate to families who want to cross illegally."

Flashback: A federal judge in 2023 banned the separation of families at the U.S. southern border until 2031 to deter migrants from crossing.

• That ruling could prevent the return of the first Trump administration's controversial policy that saw thousands of children separated from their parents.
• Tom Homan, Trump's incoming "border czar," played a key role in crafting the policy.

Trump has suggested he'll use the military for immigration raids and has said he'd be open to detaining immigrants in camps.

• He's also floated deporting families with mixed immigration status together and threatened to end birthright citizenship for babies of non-citizens.

2. Newsom taking Trump's threats to withhold California aid seriously

Trump has threatened to withhold federal aid from California on several occasions — both during and after his first White House stay.

• And amid the catastrophic fires tearing through Los Angeles County, Trump has repeatedly heaped blame on California Gov. Gavin Newsom.
• It's not immediately clear how Trump would handle the fires if they're still blazing when he takes over the White House.

Driving the news: "That's his style," Newsom said on NBC's "Meet the Press," highlighting a slate of times Trump delayed or threatened to block aid to the Golden State and others.

• He said he takes the threats "seriously to the extent that in the past it's taken a little bit more time" to deliver federal aid during political tension with Trump.

Zoom out: Vance, asked in a "Fox News Sunday" interview aired Sunday if Trump would withhold aid to Californians, said Trump "is the president for all Americans."

• But he blamed the fires' rampant spread in part on a "serious lack of competent" California officials.

Reality check: The fires ignited amid a rare overlap of climate factors: the worst high wind event in Southern California in over a decade, and extremely dry conditions.

What they're saying: Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) said Sunday that he's ready to work with Trump to make sure there is "no gap, no air between us" when rebuilding and helping victims heal after the deadly fires.

• "I've been in Congress a long time, approving aid after disasters. I never once even considered, is this hurricane hitting a red state or a blue state?" Schiff said.
• He added: "We need the incoming president to view it that way."

3. Lankford flips on Tulsi

Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.) made former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard's path to confirmation a bit easier Sunday when he said he would vote yes for her as director of national intelligence.

Why it matters: With the GOP's Senate majority so small, all of Trump's Cabinet appointees can only risk losing a few Republican votes, and several in the party have seemed reluctant to vote for Gabbard.

Between the lines: Lankford previously said he wanted Gabbard to explain where she stands on Section 702, which allows the U.S. to engage in targeted surveillance of foreign nationals living outside the United States, which Gabbard opposed while in Congress.

• Last week, Gabbard said she supports Section 702 and that she would "uphold Americans' Fourth Amendment right" if confirmed as the nation's top spy.

What they're saying: "[Section 702] was a very important piece for me," Lankford said on NBC News' "Meet the Press."

• He added that Section 702 is a key part of the DNI job, "to make sure we're actually watching for people to come attack us and stopping them before they do."

State of play: 13 proposed members of Trump's Cabinet will sit for confirmation hearings this week, including Pete Hegseth (Sec. of Defense) on Jan. 14 and South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem (Sec. of Homeland Security) on Jan. 15.

• A date for Gabbard's confirmation hearing has not been set.

More from Axios' Sunday coverage:

• JD Vance says there's "a deal to be made in Greenland"
• LA fires could be the U.S.' worst natural disaster, Newsom says
• Trump's Cabinet disruptors soften key views as hearings loom

Vice President-elect JD Vance said in an interview aired Sunday that "there's a deal to be made in Greenland" amid President-elect Trump's indication that he wants the U.S. to own the world's largest island.

Why it matters: Trump's refusal to rule out military force to acquire Greenland, currently defended by NATO member Denmark, or the Panama Canal sent shockwaves through the U.S. and its ally nations.

• Vance said on "Fox News Sunday" that military force isn't needed in Greenland, and that the U.S. already has troops stationed on the island.
• Trump has repeatedly said that controlling Greenland is critical for U.S. national security, a talking point that Vance echoed on Sunday.
• Danish officials, in private messages sent to Trump's team, expressed willingness to boost security in Greenland or increase U.S. military presence there, Axios' Barak Ravid and Dave Lawler report.

Driving the news: Greenland is "really important for America strategically" and has "a lot of great natural resources," Vance said.

• Vance added that people Donald Trump Jr. met in Greenland last week told him they "want to be empowered to develop" those resources. Vance also argued that the Danish government has not done a sufficient job of securing the island.

Context: As climate change reshapes the Arctic, it's ignited heightened competition among global superpowers in the region.

• During the Cold War, Greenland played a key role in U.S. defense as part of an early warning system. Trump has argued that it's critical to secure the island as Russia and China also search for footholds in the Arctic.
• The effects of a changing climate may also make it easier to tap Greenland's critical minerals. But Greenlandic and Danish officials have made clear that the island is not for sale.

Zoom out: Vance's comments were echoed by Trump's pick for national security adviser, Rep. Mike Waltz (R-Fla.), who said the president-elect "is always going to leave all options on the table" when pressed if the incoming administration would use military force to achieve its goals in Greenland or Panama.

• "President Trump is ready to take big, bold steps to ensure the United States is well-defended," he said on ABC's "This Week," pointing to mineral resources and the emergence of new shipping lanes in the region.
• While he did not rule out the use of military action, Waltz suggested "existing agreements" could also be amended, adding that Greenland is "pushing for independence, which would allow all types of other avenues."

Yes, but: Not all Republicans think military intervention is a viable option.

• Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.) said on NBC's "Meet the Press" that the U.S. is "not going to invade another country."
• "That's not who we are," he continued. "The president speaks very boldly on a lot of things."

Go deeper: Trump dreams of empire expansion

California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) said in a "Meet the Press" interview that the wildfires that have destroyed entire neighborhoods across Los Angeles could be the worst natural disaster in U.S. history "in terms of just the costs associated with it."

• That would mean eclipsing Hurricane Katrina, which devastated New Orleans and the Mississippi coastline in 2005 and caused over $200 billion in damage.

The big picture: The fires, which have now killed at least 16, are not the biggest ever recorded in the state — but they are among the most destructive.

• Thousands of homes and businesses have been razed and tens of thousands of acres have burned.
• Risk experts believe the insured losses from the fires will be greater than $20 billion, surpassing the 2018 Camp Fire's record for the biggest insured wildfire loss ever.

Context: While the LA County fires rank among the most expensive wildfires in U.S. history, they currently fall far behind other disasters.

• Hurricane Katrina killed over 1800 people and remains the most expensive natural disaster to hit the United States.
• Hurricane Harvey caused over $160 billion in damage in 2017. Over 100 people died in the storm across four states, as well as one death in Guyana.

What he's saying: Newsom said he expects there to be "a lot more" deaths counted.

• Eleven of the 16 deaths currently recorded were attributed to the Eaton fire, according to the Los Angeles medical examiner's Saturday evening update. Five were attributed to the Palisades fire.

The catastrophic fires occurred as Los Angeles prepares to play a key role in what experts are calling the U.S.' "mega decade" of sports: In upcoming years, the city will host the Super Bowl in 2027, World Cup games in 2026 and the 2028 Olympics.

• "[T]hat only reinforces the imperative in moving quickly, doing it in the spirit of collaboration and cooperation," Newsom said.
• He said the state is organizing a Marshall Plan to rebuild the region ahead of the events.

Zoom out: Beyond rebuilding communities, Newsom said he wants an independent investigation to answer questions about water supply issues highlighted by the disaster.

• Reports that firefighters found dry fire hydrants while combatting the flames sparked outrage — and an onslaught of political jabs from President-elect Trump, who claimed without evidence that the governor blocked supply to the south of the state because of fish conservation efforts.
• "This is not about finger-pointing," Newsom said. "It's about answering the questions you and everybody want answered," he said.

Go deeper: The psychological toll of California's catastrophic fires

President-elect Trump received a no-penalty sentence in his New York hush money case Friday after the Supreme Court refused to intervene.

Why it matters: Trump is the first former (and returning) president convicted of a felony. The expected sentence of unconditional discharge — also recommended by prosecutors — means the conviction remains on his legal record.

• The sentencing, which Trump fought to delay or block altogether, comes just 10 days before his inauguration and White House return.
• The nation's high court on Thursday dashed a last-ditch bid by Trump's legal team to stop the proceeding.
• Judge Juan Merchan had already indicated that Trump wouldn't face jail time, after winning the 2024 election.

Driving the news: Trump, appearing remotely from Florida, said during the hearing that "this has been a very terrible experience," CNN reported.

• He described the case as a "political witch hunt" and a "setback" for New York and the state court system.
• "The fact is I'm totally innocent. I did nothing wrong," Trump said.

Merchan remarked by noting that "this has been a truly extraordinary case."

• In his statement to the court, Merchan discussed the limits of the protections of the presidency. He said "they do not reduce the seriousness of the crime or justify its commission in any way. One power they do not provide is the power to erase a jury verdict."

What they're saying: Trump celebrated the unconditional discharge sentence in a Truth Social post shortly after the hearing Friday, saying it proved "this whole Scam fully deserves to be DISMISSED."

• While the sentencing hearing had been a "despicable charade," his legal team would now press forward with an appeal, he added.

Catch up quick: Merchan wrote in a filing earlier this month that "unconditional discharge appears to be the most viable solution to ensure finality" and allow Trump to pursue his appellate options.

• A court may impose a sentence of unconditional discharge when it believes "no proper purpose would be served by imposing any condition upon the defendant's release," under New York law.
• This would mean that Trump would face no jail time, probation or fines, but would nevertheless serve as a mark on his permanent record.
• Merchan noted that prosecutors no longer viewed jail time "as a practicable recommendation" given Trump's election victory.

Flashback: A New York jury found Trump guilty on 34 counts of falsifying business records last May.

• He was charged in connection with a $130,000 hush money payment to adult film actress Stormy Daniels over an alleged sexual encounter. Trump has repeatedly denied the affair.
• Since then, Trump's team has repeatedly tried to have his case thrown out under the Supreme Court's 2024 ruling that presidents have immunity for "official acts."

The big picture: Just last year, Trump faced four criminal indictments.

• Since his election win, two federal cases against him have been dropped.
• His Georgia election interference case was cast into further limbo after the Georgia Court of Appeals ruled to disqualify Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis late last month. She is appealing the decision.

Go deeper: Trump seeks to stop Smith releasing final report

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

The Supreme Court on Thursday denied President-elect Trump's request to delay his Friday sentencing in his criminal hush money case.

Why it matters: Though Trump faces no jail time for his 34 felony convictions, the Supreme Court's decision is the final blow to his efforts to sideline his sentencing just days before he returns to the White House.

• The sentencing will formalize his status as the only living president to be convicted of a crime.

What he's saying: Trump said on Truth Social Thursday evening he appreciated the "time and effort" the Supreme Court had taken "in trying to remedy the great injustice done to me," as he complained about presiding Judge Juan Merchan and his prosecution in the New York case.

• "For the sake and sanctity of the Presidency, I will be appealing this case, and am confident that JUSTICE WILL PREVAIL," he said, indicating he will appeal the sentencing.

Catch up quick: Trump turned to the Supreme Court in an 11th-hour attempt to halt proceedings in the case while his presidential immunity appeals play out.

• "Forcing President Trump to prepare for a criminal sentencing in a felony case while he is preparing to lead the free world as President of the United States in less than two weeks imposes an intolerable, unconstitutional burden on him that undermines these vital national interests," Trump's team wrote in their appeal to the Supreme Court.
• His attorneys further contended that presidential immunity should extend to presidents-elect in the "brief but crucial" time before they take office.

State of play: The 5-4 decision by the conservative-majority court all but ensures that Trump's sentencing continues as planned for Friday.

• Chief Justice John Roberts and Amy Coney Barrett, whom Trump appointed to the high court, sided with the liberal justices in making the decision.

Zoom in: Trump's sentencing will place a "relatively insubstantial" burden on his responsibilities as president-elect, the Supreme Court said.

• Merchan has indicated that he'd impose a sentence of "unconditional discharge."
• The Supreme Court noted that Trump's "alleged evidentiary violations" could be addressed on appeal.

Zoom out: District Attorney Alvin Bragg argued in a Thursday filing to the Supreme Court that there is "no basis for such intervention" to take the "extraordinary step" of halting sentencing before the court's final decision.

• The "defendant makes the unprecedented claim that the temporary presidential immunity he will possess in the future fully immunizes him now, weeks before he even takes the oath of office," Bragg wrote of Trump's stay request.

Flashback: A New York jury found Trump guilty on 34 counts of falsifying business records last year, making him the first-ever former U.S. president to be a convicted felon.

• But the Supreme Court's ruling that presidents have immunity for "official acts" gave Trump legal ammunition in his numerous attempts to see the case tossed or postponed.
• His federal criminal cases crumbled after his presidential win, and his Georgia case remains frozen in limbo.

Go deeper: How prosecuting Trump backfired

Editor's note: Axios' Erin Doherty contributed reporting.

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

The U.S. honored former President Jimmy Carter, the nation's 39th commander-in-chief, with a state funeral Thursday at the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C.

The big picture: Carter, who died Dec. 29 at 100, has been celebrated throughout the week — from his hometown of Plains, Georgia, to the nation's capital. President Biden declared Thursday a national day of mourning for Carter.

• Often called the "nation's greatest former president," Carter is remembered for a lifetime of service and his decades of humanitarian work after his time in the White House.

State of play: All five living U.S. presidents were in attendance at Thursday's service.

• First Lady Jill Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris and Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff were also present, as were former vice presidents Al Gore and Mike Pence.
• Biden said in 2023 that Carter, who at the time was receiving hospice care, had asked him to deliver his eulogy after his death.
• The U.S. Postal Service, financial markets (including the New York Stock Exchange and Nasdaq) and federal buildings are closed Thursday to mark the national day of mourning.

What they're saying: President Biden reflected Thursday on his friendship spanning six decades with Carter, who he characterized as "a great American, a dear friend and a good man."

• "Jimmy Carter's friendship taught me ... the strength of character is more than title or the power we hold," Biden said during his eulogy. "It's the strength to understand that everyone should be treated with dignity, respect — that everyone, and I mean everyone, deserves an even shot."
• Biden added, "We have an obligation to give hate no safe harbor and to stand up to what my dad used to say is the greatest sin of all, the abuse of power."
• He applauded Carter as a champion for clean energy, conservation and civil rights and characterized him as the president "who redefined the relationship with the vice president," celebrating Carter's "model partnership" with the late former Vice President Walter Mondale.

Ted Mondale, the son of the late Vice President Walter Mondale, read a letter from his father, who described Carter's four years in the White House as "a marker for Americans dedicated to justice and decency."

• "Carter was far-sighted. He put aside his short-term political interests to tackle challenges that demanded sacrifice to protect our kids and grandkids from future harm," Mondale's letter read, adding, "Very few people in the 1970s had heard the term climate change."

Steven Ford, son of the late President Gerald Ford, similarly read a letter from his father: Carter's political rival turned friend. The two former presidents, Ford said, had vowed to deliver eulogies at each other's funerals.

• "It was because of our shared values that Jimmy and I respected each other as adversaries, even before we cherished one another as dear friends," the late president's letter read.
• After Ford's death in 2006, Carter delivered a eulogy at his service.
• "I'm looking forward to our reunion," Ford's letter ended. "We have much to catch up on. Thank you, Mr. President. Welcome home, old friend."

Josh Carter, Jimmy Carter's grandson, opened remarks at the service by remembering the way his grandfather dedicated his life to"helping those in need."

• "He built houses for people that needed homes. He eliminated diseases in forgotten places," he said. "He waged peace anywhere in the world, wherever he saw a chance. He loved people."

Jason Carter characterized his grandfather's life as "a love story."

What's next: After the state funeral, Carter's body will be taken back to his hometown, where there will be a private funeral service.

• He will be buried next to his late wife, former First Lady Rosalynn Carter, who died in 2023.

Go deeper: How, when to watch Jimmy Carter's funeral live

Editor's note: This story was updated with details from the service.

President-elect Trump is asking the Supreme Court to halt Friday's sentencing in his New York hush money case, according to a new court filing.

Why it matters: If the high court intervenes, it could hand Trump another legal win by delaying the hearing or blocking the lower court from proceeding with levying a punishment for his historic felony conviction.

• Judge Juan Merchan has already said Trump faces no jail time.

Driving the news: "This Court should enter an immediate stay of further proceedings in the New York trial court to prevent grave injustice and harm to the institution of the Presidency and the operations of the federal government," Trump's attorneys wrote in their Wednesday emergency application.

• They argued in their 51-page filing that Trump's sentencing should be paused while his presidential immunity appeals play out.
• His lawyers further contended that presidential immunity should extend to presidents-elect in the "brief but crucial" period between the election and their inauguration, shielding them from criminal process.
• "Forcing President Trump to prepare for a criminal sentencing in a felony case while he is preparing to lead the free world as President of the United States in less than two weeks imposes an intolerable, unconstitutional burden on him that undermines these vital national interests," Trump's team wrote.

Catch up quick: Trump's legal team made the request to the Supreme Court after Merchan denied his latest bid to halt his sentencing. An appeals judge rejected his request to dismiss his conviction, as well.

Flashback: A New York jury found Trump guilty on 34 counts of falsifying business records, making him the first-ever former U.S. president to be a convicted felon.

• Trump has harnessed the Supreme Court's July ruling that presidents have immunity for "official acts" in several attempts to see the case tossed or delayed.
• While his federal criminal cases crumbled after his presidential win, Merchan has remained intent on the New York hush money case moving forward.

What we're watching: The court ordered prosecutors to file a response by 10 a.m. Thursday — just under 24 hours before his sentencing is scheduled.

Go deeper: How prosecuting Trump backfired

Editor's note: This is a breaking news story. Check back for updates.

Meta announced Tuesday that it will end its fact-checking program on its platforms in exchange for X-style community notes as part of a slate of changes targeting "censorship" and embracing "free expression."

Why it matters: It's part of a growing trend among online platforms, which are shifting away from policing misinformation and content amid charges of bias. The shift will have consequences for digital safety and young users.

• The changes echo calls from the right to walk back "censorship" on social media and coincide with President-elect Trump's return to the White House.

Driving the news: Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg outlined in a Tuesday post a series of content moderation reforms, impacting billions of users across Instagram, Facebook and Threads.

• Beyond replacing its fact-checkers, Meta will bring back more political content to its platforms and end restrictions on certain topics "out of touch with mainstream discourse," Zuckerberg said, "like immigration and gender."
• It will also adjust filters scanning for policy violations to only tackle illegal and "high severity" violations. Those include topics like terrorism, child sexual exploitation, drugs, fraud and scams, per a Tuesday release.
• Additionally, Zuckerberg said, the company's U.S. content review team will be moved to Texas from California, contending it will help Meta "build trust to do this work in places where there is less concern about the bias of our teams."

What they're saying: Joel Kaplan, Meta's chief global affairs officer, said on Fox & Friends on Tuesday that Meta's third-party fact-checkers have demonstrated "too much political bias."

• Kaplan, a prominent Republican, replaced Meta's policy chief Nick Clegg last week.
• Rules governing content on Meta's platforms have "become too restrictive over time," Kaplan said, "including about those kind of sensitive topics ... that people want to discuss and debate, immigration, trans issues, gender."
• He added, "If you can say it on TV, you can say it on the floor of Congress, you certainly ought to be able to say it on Facebook and Instagram without fear of censorship."

Context: Dropping fact-checking is also another step toward embracing MAGA for Meta.

• The company was quick to pledge a $1 million donation to Trump's inauguration.
• The company on Monday added three people to its board, including close Trump friend Dana White.

Flashback: Meta began to ramp up its fact-checking efforts following the 2016 U.S. election, when it was criticized for misinformation on its platform.

• It relied on a network of fact-checking partners that were part of a third-party consortium called the International Fact-Checking Network to do the fact-checks.
• By 2019, it had nearly quadrupled the number of fact-checking partners it worked with to combat misinformation globally.

Yes, but: Those efforts soon became politicized, with critics arguing its fact-checking partners were biased.

Zoom out: Meta did a lot to appease critics and dodge regulatory scrutiny during the first Trump era, even when those efforts were at odds with Zuckerberg's bigger vision of acting as a neutral platform for speech.

• The company invested millions of dollars in paying news partners globally, only to cut those investments when it changed its algorithm.
• Zuckerberg famously reversed the company's policies on Holocaust denialism following criticism.

The big picture: The politicization of fact-checking has contributed to a decline in the number of fact-checking sites globally, according to data from Duke Reporters' Lab, Axios has reported.

• In North America, the number of active fact-checking sites decreased from 94 to 90 from 2020 to 2023.

What to watch: In the U.S., fact-checking mostly serves as an exercise to ensure Meta doesn't get in trouble for allowing blatant political misinformation.

• But abroad, Meta's fact-checking network has been critical in stopping manipulation and abuses on its platforms, including posts that have led to real-world violence.

Go deeper: Meta deletes 2023 AI-generated profiles after uproar

Editor's note: This story was updated with additional details and context.

A chorus of European leaders is pushing back against Tesla CEO Elon Musk's meddling after he suggested Britain's prime minister should be imprisoned and questioned whether the U.S. should "liberate" its ally.

The big picture: Musk's influence looms large over U.S. politics with his MAGA alignment. Now he's casting a shadow over elections overseas, lambasting world leaders in recent days with his social media megaphone.

• Across dozens of posts over several days, Musk has attacked Labour Prime Minister Keir Starmer. On Sunday Musk turned on Nigel Farage writing that the Trump-aligned Reform Party leader "doesn't have what it takes."
• Musk threw his support behind Germany's far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, which is known for its anti-immigrant views.
• He's also gotten cozy with a number of right-wing populist politicians, including Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni.

Friction point: While Musk has found a home in the MAGA movement, other world leaders are telling him to stay in his lane.

• Starmer hit back against those he said were "spreading lies and misinformation" about child sex grooming gangs and investigations into child sex abuse in the UK, the subject of several of Musk's posts.
• In one post, Musk said another Labour minister, Jess Phillips, should be "in prison" for rejecting the idea of a national probe of historic child sexual abuse, which she said should be handled locally.
• Starmer told reporters Monday that when the "poison of the far right" led to threats against Phillips and others, "a line has been crossed," CNN reported.

What they're saying: Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre said Monday that "This is not the way things should be between democracies and allies," Reuters reported, pointing to Musk's attempted meddling.

• "I find it worrying that a man with enormous access to social media and huge economic resources involves himself so directly in the internal affairs of other countries," he told Norwegian public broadcaster NRK.

Zoom out: Other mainstream political leaders shared Støre's sentiment.

• French President Emmanuel Macron in a speech to French ambassadors wondered who a decade ago "could have imagined ... that the owner of one of the largest social networks in the world would support a new international reactionary movement and intervene directly in elections."
• Macron, who in the past has enjoyed a civil relationship with Musk, did not mention the tech mogul by name — but there was little doubt for whom the jab was intended.
• Neither X nor the Trump transition team immediately responded to Axios's request for comment.

Between the lines: Some senior politicians across UK political parties have privately urged Trump's allies to rethink his relationship with Elon Musk after his comments this weekend, Bloomberg reported.

State of play: Musk's comments were met with outrage from German leaders, with Berlin accusing him of trying to influence the country's snap elections next month in his X commentary and an opinion piece he penned praising AfD

• German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said he's staying "cool" amid personal digs from Musk, per the AP, but finds it "much more worrying" that Musk waded into German politics by "supporting a party like the AfD, which is in parts right-wing extremist, which preaches rapprochement with Putin's Russia and wants to weaken transatlantic relations."
• Robert Habeck, the German Green Party's chancellor candidate, cautioned Musk against interfering in the country's politics, telling Der Spiegel magazine, "Hands off our democracy, Mr. Musk!"

Go deeper: Musk & Milei: How an international bromance could shape Trump-era spending cuts

A New York judge rejected Monday President-elect Trump's latest attempt to halt sentencing for his felony hush money case conviction.

Why it matters: Judge Juan Merchan has already indicated Trump will not face jail time when he is sentenced just 10 days before his inauguration. But the president-elect's legal team is still trying to walk back his historic conviction.

• Merchan has repeatedly rejected Trump's attempts to toss his conviction based on presidential immunity claims, writing in a filing last week that the Supreme Court's ruling that presidents have immunity from prosecution for "official acts" does not apply to this case.

Driving the news: The court found that Trump's points are, for the most part "a repetition of the arguments he has raised numerous times in the past," Merchan wrote in a Monday filing.

• The move effectively strikes down Trump's defense attorney's argument that sentencing should be paused pending the president-elect's appeal.

Catch up quick: While Trump's conviction on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records would allow for a jail time sentence, Merchan wrote in a filing last week that was not inclined to impose such a sentence.

• Trump has the option to attend the sentencing in person or virtually.

The bottom line: The back-and-forth over Friday's sentencing came as a joint session of Congress gathered Monday to certify the results of the 2024 election — and on the fourth anniversary of the Jan. 6 Capitol attack.

Go deeper: How prosecuting Trump backfired

Four years after President-elect Trump's supporters stormed the Capitol, Congress on Monday peacefully certified his 2024 victory with Vice President Harris overseeing her own loss.

The big picture: Though the electoral college certification proceeded peacefully, local law enforcement stepped up security around the U.S. Capitol out of an abundance of caution.

• Trump has repeatedly said pardoning the Jan. 6, 2021, rioters is something he will consider on his first day back in the Oval Office.
• Many prominent Republicans have followed Trump's lead in the four years since the attack to downplay the violence of the day.

Driving the news: In a stark juxtaposition from the certification of the 2020 election, there were no disturbances or objections during Monday's joint session of Congress.

• Trump and Vice President-elect JD Vance, who was present at Monday's certification, won the election with 312 electoral votes to Harris and Gov. Tim Walz's 226 votes.
• The whole count took roughly 30 minutes.
• Trump had called the certification "A BIG MOMENT IN HISTORY" in a Truth Social post before the process began.

Vice President Harris joined the small club of vice presidents throughout history who had to preside over the certification of their defeat — a duty she characterized as a "sacred obligation."

• "The chair declares this joint session dissolved," Harris said at the end of the session. "Thank you."
• She shook hands with members as she exited.

What they're saying: Former Vice President Mike Pence, who four years ago was the target of rioters' ire for refusing to interfere in the certification of President Biden's victory, applauded the peaceful count in a Monday X post.

• "I welcome the return of order and civility to these historic proceedings," he wrote, congratulating his former running mate and commending Harris as "particularly admirable" for overseeing the certification of her loss.

Zoom out: In response to Trump's efforts to overturn the 2020 election results, Congress passed legislation to reform an 1887 law that determined how presidential elections are certified.

• The Electoral Count Reform Act of 2022 made it more difficult to contest electors and clarified the vice president's role in the counting as purely ceremonial among other changes.

Go deeper: Johnson, Jeffries duel over certifying 2024 election

Editor's note: This story has been updated with comments from Harris and Pence.

A major winter storm sweeping much of the U.S. is producing heavy snow and ice as it threatens areas from the Ohio Valley to the Mid-Atlantic— leaving tens of millions under weather alerts Monday.

The big picture: The multi-day storm that's partially tied to the polar vortex prompted governors in Arkansas, Kansas, Kentucky, Missouri, Virginia, Maryland and West Virginia to declare states of emergency and caused widespread power outages.

Road conditions are rapidly deteriorating across the southern coalfields and Tri-State Area. GIF #1 is Fry Dr. at US-119 in Logan, WV. GIF #2 is I-64 at Mud River in Cabell County, WV. #wvwx #kywx #vawx #ohwx pic.twitter.com/2yonWXXdST

— NWS Charleston, WV (@NWSCharlestonWV) January 5, 2025

Go deeper: "Major" winter storm ushers in severe Arctic outbreak across U.S.

Editor's note: This article has been updated with more photos and details from the winter storm.

In the wake of the New Year's Day attack that killed over a dozen people in New Orleans, officials are reckoning with how they protect against — and track — enemies within U.S. borders.

Meanwhile, a new congressional class faces a snowy start to its session and a sweeping agenda from the incoming president.

Here's what you may have missed when newsmakers hit the airwaves this Sunday, January 5.

1. Balancing threat surveillance and protected speech

Lone wolf attackers are "extraordinarily difficult to detect," said Rep. Jim Himes (D-Conn.), the ranking member on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence.

• That difficulty is further compounded when surveilling budding threats from Americans, Himes explained on CBS News' "Face the Nation."

The big picture: "If you're in this country, you have constitutional rights — meaning the FBI can't say, without a warrant, I want your Facebook posts, I want your e-mails," he said. "That's what makes this very hard."

Zoom out: The exact motivations and plan of the New Orleans attacker, identified as U.S. citizen and Army veteran Shamsud-Din Jabbar, are under investigation.

• But in several social media posts, Jabbar proclaimed support for ISIS, and an ISIS flag was recovered from the rented truck used in the attack.

Friction point: In the aftermath of the deadly attack, local leaders have been under scrutiny over whether they could have prevented the tragedy via physical security measures, leaving the crowded street less exposed.

On a broader level, the intelligence community faces the challenge of monitoring threats before an attack is implemented — in this case, when a threat actor begins showing signs of radicalization on social media.

Yes, but: It's not as easy as it may seem.

• "If somebody is standing out on the street corner right now saying, ISIS is the greatest thing in the world, and the president is a traitor ... people would say, boy, we should interview that person — that is constitutionally protected speech," Himes explained.
• Himes continued, "This individual in New Orleans did post some Facebook posts saying, I pledge allegiance to ISIS ... What if we had that debate? Should Facebook have instantly submitted that to the FBI? And if so, where's the line?"

Threat level: There "seem to be some real ISIS connections here that need to be followed up," Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas) said on ABC's "This Week."

• He likened the attack to the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing, pointing to Jabbar's trip to Cairo, Egypt, which FBI officials said occurred in 2023.

Rep. Mike Turner (R-Ohio), the chair of the House Intelligence Committee, said that beyond the threat of lone wolves, there are actors who have come across the border affiliated with outside groups that "still pose a threat to Americans and to the United States."

• Turner said the New Orleans investigation may uncover times when "we could have intervened."
• "Those will give us greater opportunities at which we'll look to how we might be able to, in the future, find others," he said.

2. The reconciliation bill(s) battle

Get ready for "one big, beautiful bill."

• At least, that's what House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) says he and Trump are envisioning: a single reconciliation package that covers a myriad of MAGA goals, addressing the border, tax reform, the debt ceiling and more.
• If it comes to fruition, Axios' Mike Allen and Stef Kight report, it could be the biggest bill in American history.

State of play: The bill would harness the budget reconciliation process to push its way through. That method allows budget-related bills to bypass the Senate's filibuster (60 votes), with only a simple majority needed.

• The benefit of presenting a plethora of policies together, Johnson said on Fox News' "Sunday Morning Futures," is that there's something everyone can enjoy.
• "No one's going to love every element of a large package like that, but there'll be enough elements in there to pull everyone along," he said.

Sen. Jim Banks (R-Ind.) said he's "for doing it in one bill" on CNN's "State of the Union."

• But he added he wants to see the Trump agenda done "as quickly as we can," whether that's in "one reconciliation bill, if it's two, if it's ten."

Yes, but: Not everyone loves the idea. Some Senate Republicans have voiced concern that pushing one massive bill through will slow down securing the border.

• "I'm very worried that if we don't put border first and get it done, it's going to be a nightmare for our national security," Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) told Fox's Maria Bartiromo.

The bottom line: While the GOP will hold a Washington trifecta, Johnson faces a razor-thin majority in the House and Trump's one-bill vision could test party unity.

3. No snow day for Congress

Neither rain nor snow will keep Congress from working tomorrow, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) said on Fox News' "Sunday Morning Futures."

The big picture: Washington D.C. is forecast to see between 6 to 10 inches of snow on Monday, but federal law mandates Congress certify election results on Jan. 6.

What he's saying: "We encouraged all of our colleagues 'do not leave town, stay here,'" Johnson said.

• "Whether we are in a blizzard or not, we are going to be in that chamber making sure this is done," he said.

State of play: Other Republicans have weighed in on the weather, with Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) posting to X that she "will walk to the Capitol" if she has to.

• "Unless @elonmusk has figured out how to control the weather it looks bad. If you are a Republican member of Congress I'd get to Washington," Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.) wrote on X.

More from Axios' Sunday coverage:

• John Thune is still willing to challenge Trump
• "Major" winter storm to usher in severe Arctic outbreak across U.S.
• Klobuchar knows of no Democrats objecting to certifying Trump's win

New Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) said in an interview aired Sunday that he's willing to tell President-elect Trump if he thinks he's wrong.

The big picture: Trump has a storied history of rocky relationships with some Congressional leaders, and there is precedent for how the tone between the president-elect and Hill leaders has soured when Congress hasn't acted as Trump wished.

• Thune has issued in a new era for Senate Republicans, who were led by Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) for nearly two decades.
• McConnell's relationship with Trump was often contentious. What's yet to be seen is how Thune will navigate the water under the bridge between him and Trump as he oversees the GOP's slim majority in the chamber.

Driving the news: "We [Thune and Trump] have the same set of objectives; we want to get to the same destination, but I think, at times, there'll be differences in how we get there," the South Dakota Republican said on CBS News' "Face the Nation."

• He told Margaret Brennan he'll have to be able to "share and convey" to Trump the "unique aspects of how the Senate operates" and "help him understand ... what the contours are of what we can accomplish here in the Senate and what's realistic."
• In a separate interview on NBC's "Meet the Press," Thune characterized his relationship with Trump as "evolving," saying the two have an "alignment of incentives."

Catch up quick: Thune publicly called on Trump to exit the race in 2016 in the aftermath of the infamous Access Hollywood Tape (but said he'd still vote for Trump shortly after) and condemned Trump's actions around the Jan. 6 attack as "inexcusable."

• Trump slammed Thune as a "RINO," or Republican in name only, and labeled him "Mitch's boy."
• Thune supported Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) in the Republican primary race ahead of the 2024 election. Even after Trump became the party's nominee, Thune criticized his sweeping tariff proposals as a "recipe for increased inflation," per the South Dakota Searchlight.

Yes, but: Thune has recently worked to mend their relationship, meeting with Trump at his Mar-a-Lago resort.

• Now, Thune says, the GOP is "united behind President Trump's agenda."

Go deeper: Who is John Thune, the new Senate GOP leader replacing Mitch McConnell

The pickup truck attack that killed 14 bystanders in New Orleans' French Quarter on New Year's is part of a persistent global trend of using vehicles as weapons.

The big picture: Vehicle attacks are becoming more common because they're incredibly simple and extremely difficult to prevent, experts warn.

• Experts told Axios that terror group ISIS, in particular, helped popularize using vehicles as weapons.

State of play: The New Orleans tragedy came less than two weeks after a car attack at a German Christmas market killed five and injured more than 200.

• According to the Mineta Transportation Institute's study of 184 vehicle attacks between 1963 and September 2019, 70% occurred after Jan. 1, 2014.
• While there is no one cause for the increase in attacks, one big factor stands out: Cars are abundant, readily available and can easily be used as a deadly weapon.

Catch up quick: While the exact motivations of the driver, 42-year-old U.S. Army veteran Shamsud-Din Jabbar, are unknown, an ISIS flag was found in the truck he rented.

• It's not clear if Jabbar, who died at the scene, had any formal affiliation with terrorist organizations, but he posted videos to social media indicating he was inspired by ISIS.

The rise of cars as weapons

Ramming attacks emerged as a terrorism tactic in the 1990s with Palestinian groups.

• At that time, groups like al-Qaeda favored spectacular, sophisticated mass casualty attacks, Javed Ali, a former counterterrorism official who teaches at the University of Michigan, said.
• ISIS' emergence presented a "very significant philosophical shift for jihadist operations" where attackers used "whatever means they could."
• In 2016, ISIS outlined how adherents outside the Middle East could attack using "vehicles that unexpectedly mount their busy sidewalks" in its online magazine, Rumiyah.

Recent attacks

The deadliest vehicle attack was in July 2016 when a driver killed 86 people on Bastille Day in Nice, France, using a rented 19-ton truck. ISIS called the driver its "soldier."

• After several similar attacks across Europe, Ali worried about that threat coming to America.

Then on Halloween 2017, an Islamic extremist from Uzbekistan drove a truck onto a New York bike path, killing eight.

Yes, but: These attacks are not just carried out by jihadist groups or sympathizers.

• One of the most prominent vehicle attacks in America occurred in 2017 when a white supremacist drove into a crowd of counter-protesters at a rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, killing one.

Between the lines: Violent tactics can skip across ideologies, said Timothy Clancy, a researcher at the University of Maryland's National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism.

• Just days after a high-profile terror attack on London Bridge killed eight in 2017, a man influenced by far-right ideas drove a van into worshippers outside a London mosque.

What we're watching: Researchers speculated that the ISIS-inspired vehicular ramming "contagion" had "burned itself out" before the New Orleans tragedy, Clancy said.

• "But sometimes these scripts can last for years or decades, and you have another one pop up and sort of refill the reservoir," he said.
• These attacks followed a similar template, Clancy said: rent a vehicle, weigh it down, ram into a group of people, and then get out with weapons to inflict more damage.
• Jabbar drove a rented F-150 Lightning, which weighs over 1,000 pounds more than a conventional Ford pickup truck and provides instant acceleration.

Preventing the threat

There are significant challenges to preventing these threats because urban areas host millions of pedestrians — and vehicles.

• Experts recommend erecting temporary or permanent barriers where people or gatherings are the most exposed to reduce fatalities.
• Additionally, there have been calls for increased scrutiny of truck or large van rentals.

Despite precautions, the threat remains.

• About 400 police officers were in the French Quarter over Tuesday night, New Orleans Police Department Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick said Wednesday.
• A parked NOPD SUV had replaced malfunctioning bollards, but Jabbar swerved around it and onto the sidewalk to illegally enter the pedestrian-filled roadway.
• "We did indeed have a plan, but the terrorist defeated it," Kirkpatrick told reporters.

The bottom line: Attackers adapt to new protections, "and then that adaptation becomes part of the new contagion," Clancy said.

• Preventing attacks often means finding those who are at high risk of being radicalized first — and checking in with those who seem to be going down a dangerous path.
• "Because these are so statistically rare, it's very hard to put in place a policy designed to specifically stop them that doesn't have an unintended consequence higher than the cost of the act itself," he said. "And that's a hard balancing act."

Go deeper: What to know about Turo, the app used by the New Orleans and

Federal, state and local authorities condemned the vehicular attack on a New Year's crowd at the famed French Quarter corner of Canal and Bourbon streets early Wednesday that killed at least 10 people and injured more than 35 others.

The latest: The FBI is investigating the incident as an act of terrorism. Per the agency, the suspect died after exchanging gunfire with police.

• The FBI identified the suspect later Wednesday as 42-year-old Shamsud-Din Jabbar, a U.S. citizen and Army veteran from Texas.
• An ISIS flag, weapons and a potential explosive device were located in the Ford pickup truck he was driving, which appears to have been rented, the FBI said.
• New Orleans Police Department Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick said a male pickup-truck driver, since identified as Jabbar, was "hell bent on creating the carnage and the damage he did."
• The New Year's Day attack came hours before college football's Sugar Bowl, which was set to kick off Wednesday around one mile from the scene of the attack. The game has been postponed for 24 hours.

What they're saying: Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry described the situation as "fluid" in a Wednesday statement, urging people to avoid the French Quarter amid an active investigation.

• "We understand the concerns of the community and want to reassure everyone that the safety of the French Quarter and the city of New Orleans remains our top priority," he wrote.

President Biden said that he's directed his team to ensure law enforcement has resources as they "work assiduously to get to the bottom of what happened as quickly as possible."

• He condemned the violence that unfolded as victims and bystanders were "were simply trying to celebrate the holiday."

President-elect Trump in a Truth Social post suggested "criminals coming in are far worse than the criminals we have in our country." Though there were not clear details on the deceased suspect's citizenship status at the time of Trump's statement, Jabbar has since been confirmed to be a U.S. citizen.

• "The Trump Administration will fully support the City of New Orleans as they investigate and recover from this act of pure evil!" Trump added.

Zoom in: New Orleans officials highlighted the city's historic resilience in the face of tragedy.

• Rep. Troy Carter (D-La.), who represents the congressional district that includes most of the New Orleans, said in a statement that the community "will rise again, stronger and more united."

State of play: The city's security and crowd control measures have received heightened attention recently as it prepares to host the NFL's Super Bowl in February.

• The NFL said in a Wednesday statement that it has been working with local, state and federal agencies over the past two years to develop "comprehensive security plans" ahead of Super Bowl LIX.
• The league said it is "confident attendees will have a safe and enjoyable Super Bowl experience."
• Regional economic development organization GNO Inc. — the CEO of which was tapped to lead local Super Bowl preparations — said in a statement it had "full confidence" that law enforcement "will quickly restore safety, and be able to update us all on this tragedy."

Sugar Bowl CEO Jeff Hundley announced at a Wednesday press conference that the College Football Playoff quarterfinal game will now kick off Thursday evening.

• "All parties ... agree that it's in the best interest of everybody and public safety that we postpone the game for 24 hours," he said
• Ahead of Wednesday's Peach Bowl in Atlanta, police there said in a statement that specialized units and additional personnel will be deployed to parts of the city "as an added precaution."

Go deeper: New Orleans prepares to host Super Bowl 2025

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