President-elect Trump will move to "preserve" TikTok, said his pick for national security adviser, Rep. Michael Waltz, on Wednesday — as a potential nationwide ban looms.

The big picture: It's not immediately clear what action Trump could take if the U.S. Supreme Court were to uphold a bipartisan law that would ban the wildly popular video app owned by the Chinese company ByteDance unless it's sold to a U.S. firm.

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• The justices seem inclined to uphold the law, which could take effect as soon as this Sunday.

Driving the news: Fox News' Bret Baier asked Walz in an interview Wednesday about how true a Washington Post report headlined "Trump considers executive order hoping to 'save TikTok' from ban or sale in U.S. law" was.

• "If the Supreme Court comes out with a ruling in favor of the law, President Trump has been very clear," Walz said on Fox News' "Special Report."
• "Number one, TikTok is a great platform that many Americans use, and was great for his campaign in getting his message out. But, number two, he is going to protect their data," he said. 
• "We're going to find a way to preserve it but protect people's data. And that's the deal that will be in front of us."

Zoom in: Walz acknowledged there are "people out there who don't want the U.S. government seeing all their data and passwords" and we certainly don't want the Chinese government seeing all their data and passwords."

• But he said that Trump "is a dealmaker," adding: "I don't want to get ahead of our executive orders but we're going to create the space to — to put that deal in place."

Between the lines: University of Minnesota law professor Alan Rozenshtein told the Washington Post Wednesday that executive orders "are not magical documents" that would stop a ban from going into effect.

• "TikTok will still be banned, and it will still be illegal for Apple and Google to do business with them," said Rozenshtein, a former national security adviser to the Justice Department.
• "But it will make the president's intention not to enforce the law that much more official."

State of play: President Biden signed into law a bill that passed last year requiring ByteDance to either sell TikTok to an American. company or shut down operations in the U.S. by Jan. 19.

• Trump asked the Supreme Court last month to pause the TikTok ban after previously advocating for one before flip-flopping.
• During oral arguments last week, most of the Supreme Court justices focused on the fact that under the law, TikTok could continue operations if it used an algorithm other than ByteDance's and that as a Chinese company it doesn't have First Amendment rights, per Axios' Sam Baker.

What we're watching: Biden could push the ban's deadline by 90 days if ByteDance makes progress toward a divestiture by Sunday, the day before Trump's inauguration.

• Rozenshtein noted on X Wednesday that the Supreme Court's website suggests it will release an order list on Tuesday, two days after the law is due to take effect.
• "So they might let the law go into effect without actually saying anything either way," he added.

More from Axios:

• Who could buy TikTok to avoid a ban
• What will happen to TikTok on Jan. 19
• TikTok ban timeline: Here's where things stand

• A new Pentagon report said its troops earn more than most of their full-time civilian counterparts.
• It said that after one year of service, the top 70th percentile of enlisted earners get about $1,000 a week.
• But that figure includes far more than base pay, which Congress recently voted to raise significantly.

A Pentagon report said its troops often earn more than their civilian counterparts and would stand to lose out if they were to leave the service.

"Our military compensation package is strongly competitive with the civilian labor market," it wrote in its review for military compensation, which is released every four years.

The report comes just a month after Congress voted to raise basic pay for US troops by 4.5% across the board, citing concerns about recruitment difficulties and food insecurity among soldiers. Junior enlisted troops, who hold rank equivalents of E-1 to E-4, received an even bigger raise of 14.5%.

Many of these troops were earning less than $30,000 a year in basic pay, and the bill passed in December aimed to raise their salaries to that level.

However, the Pentagon uses a different metric that extends beyond basic pay, which it calls regular military compensation. This includes benefits such as tax advantages and housing and food allowances.

By that measure, the Defense Department's new report found that "military pay among Junior Enlisted Personnel is higher than 90th percentile of earnings for civilians with similar education and experience."

"Basic pay is a blunt and costly instrument," the report said. "And should be used only when there are system-wide problems, such as widespread retention and recruiting shortfalls, which cannot be solved more efficiently with other policy instruments."

Its findings relied largely on a benchmark that compared two things: the 70th percentile of compensation for enlisted soldiers and the 70th percentile earnings for full-time civilian workers with the same education.

The report said that for enlisted soldiers with one year of service, the top 70th percentile received about $1,000 a week in regular military compensation.

Meanwhile, the report listed the 70th percentile of civilian earners as needing 10 years of work experience to get $1,000 a week.

The Pentagon said that for enlisted soldiers with 10 years of service, the top 70th percentile of earners gets $1,500 a week.

On the other hand, the 70th percentile of officer earnings stands at $1,500 a week for those with one year of service, going up to nearly $2,500 a week for those with 10 years of service.

It compared those earnings to the 70th percentile of civilians with college degrees, whom the report said consistently earn about $200 to $300 less a week.

Overall, the report said that enlisted personnel earn more than 83 out of 100 civilian workers with the same education and experience, and officers earn more than 76 out of 100 civilian workers with the same background.

The Pentagon mostly recommended "quality-of-life" improvements instead of a pay bump. It asked the military to look more into expanding its retirement savings programs, providing better childcare access for serving parents, and asking its personnel to move less often to avoid hurting the careers of soldiers' spouses.

In its budget overview for the 2025 financial year ending September 30, the Defense Department said troop pay and benefits make up about 30% of its total budget request for $850 billion.

In the new report, the Pentagon said its current pay structure is mostly working.

"Recent retention is strong, recruiting has significantly improved, and favorable comparisons between military and civilian pay suggests that levels of basic pay are more than adequate," it said.

• Sephora is embarking on the largest capital project in its history — a complete redesign of its stores.
• Sephora CEO Artemis Patrick said the redesign would change how its North American shops look.
• She said the refresh aimed to provide a consistent consumer experience across all stores.

Sephora is betting big on its brick-and-mortar strategy by giving its entire fleet of North American stores a facelift.

The LVMH-owned beauty retailer, which operates over 2,700 stores in 35 countries, will revamp the design of all its North American stores in the next five years, CEO Artemis Patrick said at the National Retail Federation's Big Show on Monday.

Patrick said it will be the "largest capital project for Sephora in its history." She added that while some stores will only see minor changes, others can expect "major redesigns."

She said the company talked to "millions of consumers" and used heat maps to understand its customers' shopping habits.

One thing the retailer is rethinking is gondolas — stand-alone islands in its stores that display products from one particular brand. She said that the gondolas are "quite expensive."

"We're not a cheap date," Patrick said. "And we don't want our brands to be spending a ton of money on building these amazing fixtures, and then it's not productive and doesn't work out."

Instead, she said that Sephora was testing out a new layout format focused on Sephora's four key product categories — makeup, skincare, fragrance, and hair care — which would make updating stores easier.

Another change shoppers can expect to see is the location of the beauty studios, which will be moved to the sides of the stores.

"We talked to our millions of consumers, and the reality is, they didn't want their makeup being done in the window," she said. "Not shocking."

Patrick said that Sephora is also rethinking the section near the checkout counters where the mini sizes of products are placed.

She said that with Sephora's staff billing a fourth of customers via mobile devices around the stores, the minis section could be broken up and moved to the front of the stores instead of near the checkout counters.

She added that the redesign, as a whole, aimed to give Sephora customers in different regions a consistent experience.

"One of the things that was really, really important to us was ensuring that no matter what, where you are, whether you are in our Soho store, you're in Boise, Idaho, or you're in Vancouver Island, that experience is the same no matter where you go," she said.

She added, "Because we do believe we have that consistency with our beauty advisors, but maybe not necessarily in all our retail stores."

Sephora contributed heavily to LVMH's "selective retailing" division. In the first half of 2024, ending June 30, the division raked in $8.6 billion in revenues and saw a 7% increase in profits from recurring operations compared to the year before.

Its biggest competitors in the US include the cosmetics store chain Ulta Beauty and department store chains Nordstrom and Macy's. Macy's recently announced that it plans to shutter 150 stores by the end of 2026.

Representatives of Sephora declined to comment in response to a request from Business Insider.

Newsweek has gathered hints and clues for Thursday's "Wordle" game in case the brainteaser has you stumped.

Do you have a favorite strategy when playing the word puzzle? We spoke to the game's editor for her advice.

Trump warned supporters against recommending possible staffers linked to a long list of his enemies.

• Cameron Diaz says she spent her 10-year break from acting "trying to stay alive just like every other mother."
• But she's set to make a return to Hollywood in the Netflix movie "Back in Action."
• Diaz joins a long list of celebrities — like Tom Brady — who have unretired.

Cameron Diaz was busy being a mother during her 10-year break from making movies.

In a video uploaded onto the "Still Watching Netflix" channel on YouTube, which goes behind the scenes on Netflix shows, Diaz spoke about what she had been up to during her hiatus.

"I was not keeping up with any kind of training," Diaz, 52, said. "I did nothing public."

The actor — known for films such as "Charlie's Angel" and "Vanilla Sky" — added that she "said no to everything," although she did start a wine company.

"That was what I was putting most of my focus on, if I was doing anything other than just sort of being a mom and living my day-to-day," Diaz said. "And that was pretty much it. I'm just trying to stay alive just like every other mother. I'm just trying to keep it going."

Diaz married Benji Madden of the rock band Good Charlotte in 2015. They welcomed their daughter, Raddix, in 2019 and their son, Cardinal, in 2024.

In an Entertainment Weekly interview in 2018, Diaz said she was "semi-retired" as an actor, before clarifying she was "actually retired." Per her IMDB page, her last role was in 2014's "Annie."

During Fortune's Most Powerful Women Summit last year, Diaz shared that her decision to stop acting was something she "had to do."

"It felt like something I had to do to reclaim my own life. And I just really didn't care about anything else. Nobody's opinion, nobody's success, no one's offer, no one's anything could change my mind about my decision of taking care of myself and building the life that I really wanted to have," Diaz said. "It really comes to: What are you passionate about? For me, it was to build my family."

Diaz is set to return to acting in the Netflix movie "Back in Action," which premieres January 17 and also stars Jamie Foxx.

She joins a long list of celebrities who have unretired — most notably, Tom Brady.

Six weeks after retiring from the NFL in 2022, Brady announced he was unretiring in a post on X.

"I'm coming back for my 23rd season in Tampa," Brady wrote. "Unfinished business. LFG."

More recently, in December, Jim Carrey, 62, walked back on his comments about coming out of retirement because he was strapped for cash.

"I said I'd like to retire, but I think I was talking more about power-resting. Because as soon as a good idea comes your way, or a group of people that you really enjoyed working with and stuff, it just — things tend to change," Carrey told Comicbook.com.

A representative for Diaz did not immediately respond to a request for comment sent by Business Insider outside regular hours.

A shooting guard who spent 11 seasons in the NBA with the Seattle SuperSonics, Golden State Warriors, Washington Bullets and Atlanta Hawks has died at 71.

Reports say the Dallas Stars are ready to spend large to make a serious push.

Hundreds of staffers at The Washington Post sent a letter to the newspaper's owner, Jeff Bezos, on Wednesday urging him to meet with newsroom leaders amid a confidence crisis with the leadership.

Why it matters: It's the most drastic step staffers have taken to address the myriad challenges facing The Post over the past year.

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Zoom in: The letter makes it clear that The Post staffers believe Bezos is aligned with their mission, despite his decision last year to spike a presidential endorsement for Vice President Harris. It argues too much trust has been lost with readers as a result of recent leadership decisions.

• "We believe you take as much pride in the Washington Post as we do," it reads.
• "We are deeply alarmed by recent leadership decisions that have led readers to question the integrity of this institution, broken with a tradition of transparency, and prompted some of our most distinguished colleagues to leave with more departures imminent."
• "This goes far beyond the issue of the presidential endorsement, which we recognize as the owner's prerogative. This is about retaining our competitive edge, restoring trust that has been lost, and re-establishing a relationship with leadership based on open communication."
• Signed by top newsroom leaders, the letter represented non-unionized staffers, as well as staffers within The Washington Post Guild.
• A Washington Post spokesperson declined to comment.

Zoom out: Tension had already been building at The Post, but it started to boil over a few months into CEO Will Lewis' tenure last year.

• Lewis announced sweeping plans to divide The Post's editorial side into three newsrooms, each with a different editor. The delivery of that strategy was met with skepticism.
• There was an internal meltdown over an aborted plan to appoint Robert Winnett, the top editor of The Telegraph in London, as the editor of the main newsroom.
• In recent weeks, a slew of top newsroom stars defected from The Post to rival publications. Last week, The Post informed staff that it would be cutting 4% of its staff, impacting fewer than 100 roles across business functions.

The bottom line: Once the most respected publication in the Beltway, the Washington Post now faces serious competition. Mounting anxiety from within threatens its reputation as ahead of a historic second term for President-elect Trump.

Flashback: Bezos defends Washington Post endorsements block after backlash

Top Senate negotiators are privately warning that talks about a government spending deal are way behind schedule.

Why it matters: Without significant progress, the GOP trifecta will need another spending stopgap or a much-despised omnibus spending package.

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• Sens. Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Patty Murray (D-Wash.) — the top two Senate appropriators — told colleagues they're worried spending talks have taken a back seat to reconciliation planning, sources tell Axios.
• Collins, for her part, has warned colleagues to not lose sight of the 2025 appropriations process, with the March deadline speeding nearer.
• Talks between the House and Senate over a spending deal only recently began.

Zoom in: The current spending deal expires on March 14.

• The GOP's worst-case scenario: A shutdown when Republicans control the whole government.

The bottom line: The House and Senate need to bridge a $30-plus billion gap in their spending wishes. They aren't close.

• China is loading up on soybeans amid US trade war fears.
• China's soybean imports rose 6.5% in 2024, hedging against potential Trump trade policies.
• Intensifying US-China trade tensions could hit the soybean trade, impacting US farmers and rural economies.

China is stockpiling more than semiconductor chips amid its trade war with the US.

Last year, China imported a record 105.03 million metric tons of soybeans — a key crop that was embroiled in Donald Trump's tariff war with China during his first presidency.

China's import of US soybeans, in particular, also spiked last year, rising 6.5% from 2023, according to Reuters' calculations of official customs data.

Buyers from China — the world's largest soybean consumers — were likely stocking up on the crop to hedge any geopolitical risks ahead of Trump's second term, analysts said.

Trump has threatened to put 60% tariffs on all Chinese goods during his second presidential term, igniting fears of an intensification in trade tensions.

"If the US ramps up tariffs on Chinese imports, China could target US agricultural imports as retaliatory tariff countermeasures," Rajiv Biswas, an international economist and the author of "Asian Megatrends," told Business Insider.

"US soybean imports are likely to be a key target for China's retaliatory tariff measures due to the very large scale of China's soybean imports from the US," he added.

The power of the soybean market

The US is the world's second-largest soybean producer after Brazil. It accounts for about a quarter of China's import of the oilseed, which it typically uses for animal feed.

During his first term as president, Trump slapped heavy tariffs on Chinese imports.

In response, China imposed 25% tariffs on US agricultural produce, including soybeans, sending American soybean exports to China sharply lower.

The tariffs on some of these farm imports were waived ahead of the US-China trade deal in January 2020.

Impact on American farmers

A replay of retaliatory tariffs during Trump's second presidency could hit US soybean farmers.

"In a scenario where China imposes retaliatory tariffs on US soybeans in 2025, the impact would again likely be a substantial economic loss for the US soybean industry," said Biswas.

A study from the American Soybean Association and the National Corn Growers Association shows that a new trade war would result in an "immediate drop in corn and soy exports to the tune of hundreds of millions of tons."

"Brazil and Argentina would claim the lost market share, which would be extremely difficult for American growers to reclaim in the future," the two associations said in October, cautioning against a trade war.

There isn't enough demand from the rest of the world to offset a major loss of soybean exports to China, they added.

A trade war would create a "ripple impact across the US, particularly in rural economies where farmers live, purchase inputs, use farm and personal services, and purchase household goods," wrote the two agriculture trade associations.

As it is, Chinese soybean importers have diversified their sources since Trump's first presidential term, with Brazil a major beneficiary of the trend.

Any decline in Chinese soybean demand — made worse by the country's ongoing economic downturn — would also weigh on the trade in a well-supplied market.

"Although a Trump presidency could reignite US-Mainland China trade tensions and potential Chinese tariffs on US soybean exports, we anticipate that the expected decline in Chinese demand will mitigate price impacts," BMI Research wrote last week.

• LinkedIn is a social network for professional networking and career development.
• Microsoft acquired LinkedIn nearly a decade ago for a whopping $26.2 billion in cash.
• LinkedIn is free, but a subscription version called LinkedIn Premium offers additional features.

Like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and a dozen others, LinkedIn is a social network. And like other social networks, it's owned by a big tech company: Microsoft.

But unlike most social networks, LinkedIn is a professional networking site, designed to help people make business connections, share their experiences and resumes, and find jobs.

Microsoft bought LinkedIn in 2016 for $26.2 billion in cash. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella said at the time that the social network would complement Microsoft's business-focused software, such as Microsoft Office 365, the suite of productivity programs.

Like many tech companies, LinkedIn has had its ups and downs in the post-pandemic years. LinkedIn Premium earned $1.7 billion from subscribers in 2023, executives revealed on a Microsoft earnings call. However, the job cuts that have plagued the tech industry didn't spare the networking site; LinkedIn laid off hundreds of employees in 2023 and 2024.

But despite financial turbulence at the company, LinkedIn is still a valuable networking site used by millions of people and companies all over the world. Here's what you need to know about using the platform:

LinkedIn essentials

Despite the professional focus, LinkedIn is quite similar to social networking sites like Facebook. It's based on principles like connecting to friends (or, in the case of LinkedIn, "connections,"), posting updates, sharing and liking content, and messaging other users.

LinkedIn also puts a professional spin on ideas you know from Facebook. Your profile, for example, becomes a resume, complete with work experience, accomplishments, recommendations, and referrals from colleagues.

The site also offers things you won't find in other places, like a full-featured career board, where you can search for and apply for jobs.

Many employment services are now compatible with LinkedIn — when applying for a position, you may be able to share your LinkedIn profile, which sometimes means you won't need to painstakingly enter your work experience into a long online form.

If you're new to LinkedIn, here's a quick tour around the site.

A quick tour of LinkedIn

• Home is akin to Facebook's news feed. Here you can see posts made by other LinkedIn users, and make your own posts that others can see, like, share, and comment on. Like Facebook, you can limit your posts to just connections in your network, or share your thoughts with everyone.
• My Network is where you can see your existing network of connections, and search for LinkedIn users to invite to join your network. You can also see existing invitations you've received from others.
• Jobs is a comprehensive career site. You can search for and apply for jobs, get information about companies you're interested in, and much more. You can set up notifications and get emails when there are new job postings.
• Messaging leads to an instant messaging platform you can use to chat with people in your network. You can also use it to send messages to people outside your network with something called InMail, if you subscribe to certain tiers of LinkedIn Premium.
• Me is where you can find your profile, which is akin to your resume. Here, you can show your career history by posting your work experience, accomplishments, education, current location, and more. If you have a LinkedIn account, this should be as polished as your actual resume, as you can expect professional connections and recruiters to look at it.

What you can do with LinkedIn

It should be clear that LinkedIn is a tool you can use to enhance your professional networking and job searching activities.

Many people use the site to grow their contacts and find career opportunities, and the Jobs section of the site is a powerful tool for finding and applying for jobs. There are settings on LinkedIn that let you alert recruiters that you're actively job searching as well.

Some people use LinkedIn to enhance their professional reputation by making posts in the news feed, and commenting on other people's posts.

Like most other tech companies in recent years — including Microsoft and its new Copilot tool — LinkedIn has increasingly focused on AI products. LinkedIn has unveiled its own AI-powered writing assistant that can generate personalized suggestions for your profile.

LinkedIn Premium

LinkedIn Premium is a subscription version of LinkedIn that adds a number of additional features, such as online professional development classes, insights into who's viewing your profile, and the ability to instant message anyone on LinkedIn, even if they're not in your network.

LinkedIn Premium offers four types of plans with different price points, depending on your needs. Premium Career is for professionals and job-seekers looking to further their careers, while Premium Business, Sales Navigator, and Recruiter Lite are for employers, businesses, or sales professionals.

The most popular plan, LinkedIn Premium Career, costs $39.99 for one month, or you can purchase an annual package for $239.88. You can also try a one-month free trial.

"We announce that we will suspend our military operations against [Israel]," the Nujaba Movement's leader said.

President Joe Biden in his farewell address touched on a number of concerns about the future, including the impact of presidential immunity.

• Israel and Hamas have reached a multiphase cease-fire and hostage agreement, negotiators announced.
• People in Israel and the Gaza Strip gathered to celebrate the news of the long-awaited accord.
• The tentative deal comes after 15 months of bloodshed that left tens of thousands dead.

Israel and Hamas have reached a tentative agreement to stop the war in Gaza, the White House announced Wednesday, a first step towards an end to 15 months of fighting that left tens of thousands dead in the Middle East.

As news of the long-awaited cease-fire deal reached Tel Aviv and the Gaza Strip, people gathered to celebrate what they hoped would be the end of hostilities and the anticipated return of their family and friends held in Hamas tunnels or Israeli prisons.

A curious naming conflict raises questions about social norms and traditions.

• A judge in Manhattan denied the Alexander brothers bail in their sex-trafficking case on Wednesday.
• The denial followed a contentious hearing over whether the three brothers are dangerous or a flight risk.
• The judge criticized a lawyer who argued a woman can't be incapacitated if she can still stand up.

A judge in Manhattan denied bail on Wednesday for the Alexander brothers in their federal sex trafficking case, meaning they will remain jailed in Miami pending trial.

Oren and Tal Alexander were luxury real-estate agents in Miami Beach and Manhattan before they and Oren's twin, Alon, were indicted in December. The three have denied wrongdoing and have pleaded not guilty to federal sex trafficking charges.

The bail denial by US District Judge Valerie E. Caproni followed a contentious three-hour hearing, during which one defense lawyer argued that the brothers were no longer "orgying" and another said a woman can't be incapacitated if she can still stand up.

That latter claim sparked a harsh retort from the judge.

"That is nonsense," Caproni told a lawyer for Oren Alexander, interrupting his attack on a key piece of evidence — a 2009 video showing either Oren or his twin, Alon, having sex with a woman that the government alleges was incapacitated.

"I'm just telling you, if that's your argument, you lose," the judge told the lawyer.

The testy exchange was begun by Deanna Paul, a defense lawyer for the twins' older brother, Tal, who told the judge that the sex-trafficking indictment is based on weak evidence.

The indictment alleges that for 10 years starting in 2010, the siblings conspired to use their wealth and prominence in the luxury real estate world to rape or assault more than 40 women, mostly in Manhattan and Miami and often through the use of the drug GHB.

Halfway through Wednesday's hearing, which the brothers did not attend, Paul mentioned that key prosecution evidence — the 2009 video. She criticized its probative value, telling the judge it "shows the lack of force" during a consensual sexual encounter.

"In my view, having sex with a woman who is physically incapacitated is basically rape," the judge responded, citing the prosecution's description of the video.

The judge asked prosecutor Andrew Jones to describe the video more fully, which he then did publicly for the first time. He called it a "trophy" tape that the government had seized as evidence, and said it depicts one of the twins having sex with a woman he said the government has not spoken to.

Jones said he wasn't sure if the video shows Oren or Alon, but that as it begins, "one of these very stone-cold sober defendants sets up a tripod."

"There's a woman on the bed. She's naked," Jones continued. "When she tries to speak, it's incoherent. She is mumbling," and she appears unable to move, he told the judge.

After the alleged rape, "she manages to stand on the floor, but then collapses back on the bed," the prosecutor said the video shows.

Later in the hearing, the video was mentioned again by a lawyer for Oren Alexander, Richard Klugh.

He referred to the woman in the video as "the sexual partner" of either of the twins and "the woman who stood up immediately after having sex."

He said prosecutors are misrepresenting evidence when they say the woman was unable to speak, given that "she was mumbling."

"You cannot call someone incapacitated who is able to stand up," he added — at which point the judge called his assessment "nonsense."

At the end of the hearing, Caproni rejected defense arguments that the siblings were neither a danger to the community nor a flight risk, and that, as Klugh put it, "there's been no more orgying. They're married."

She also turned down a $115 million bail package and a promise that the three would live together in Florida on home confinement. The home would have an in-house security team, window sensors, and an alarm system, the defense lawyers had said.

Caproni said her denial was based in large part on federal appellate case law from New York's Second Circuit that bars judges from accepting a two-tiered bail system where only wealthy defendants can spend money for 24-hour monitoring by an in-house security team.

"I have real problems with that," she said. "In the Second Circuit, if the only way I can mitigate danger to the community is to create a private jail, then I can't do that."

Caproni set the trio's next court date for January 29.

An unusual occurrence involving a community figure raises questions and debate.

Edmonton is in the driver's seat to acquire one of the market's biggest defensemen.