Principals

1. The speaker drama
2. Unconnected incidents?
3. Meta’s shakeup
4. Trump’s rally roster
5. The Senate’s exception
6. Gaza truce talks

PDB: A Federal court strikes down FCC’s net neutrality rules

FBI releases footage of Jan. 6 pipe bomb suspect … DC think tanks are awash in foreign money … No groupthink on China in US foreign-policy community, research shows

Mike Johnson prepares for a long day

House Republicans are optimistic about electing a speaker today, but likely not on the first ballot. Mike Johnson is expected to keep making calls to secure the votes he needs ahead of balloting set to start midday. “I’m guessing two [ballots]… if Trump kicks some ass, that will be it,” one GOP lawmaker told Semafor. Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., is the lone confirmed Johnson opponent and remains unmoved, even after Donald Trump endorsed the incumbent. But there’s still room to court holdouts: Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, wants to chair the powerful Rules Committee. Rep. Victoria Spartz, R-Ind., has aired her demands publicly. It’s not unusual for members to barter for their votes, but this much drama has been rare for speaker’s races … until two years ago, when former Speaker Kevin McCarthy needed 15 ballots to secure the gavel he later lost.

— Kadia Goba

Officials see no link between attacks

FBI officials told reporters during a Thursday briefing that they have found no link so far between the US Army veteran who drove a car into crowds on New Orleans’ Bourbon Street on New Year’s Eve, killing at least 14 people, and the explosion of a Tesla Cybertruck outside the Trump hotel in Las Vegas. Members of Congress heard similar conclusions during their own briefings on the investigation. In addition, officials now see no signs that the perpetrator of the car attack got outside help, including from any foreign entities, although the probe has also confirmed that he was spurred to the attack by affinity for the Islamic State terrorist group. As the investigation continues, Bourbon Street reopened to the public on Thursday.

Meta promotes Republican to lead policy spot

Meta is replacing Nick Clegg, head of its global policy team, with his deputy Joel Kaplan, the company’s highest-ranked Republican, Semafor’s Reed Albergotti, Liz Hoffman and Gina Chon report. Kaplan is a former deputy chief of staff in George W. Bush’s White House and a leading advocate at the tech company for loosening curbs on political speech. The exit of Clegg, a former leader of Britain’s Liberal Democrats and ex-deputy prime minister, comes three weeks before Trump’s inauguration for a second term. And Kaplan’s ascension positions the company well for unified Republican rule in Washington, a shift that companies beyond the tech industry are conspicuously making. It follows Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s recent efforts to warm up relations with the president-elect, which included a November dinner at Mar-a-Lago.

Who will speak at Trump’s DC event?

Donald Trump will host a “victory rally” at the Capitol One Arena in Washington one day before his inauguration, marking his first such event since winning the presidential election. Details on who will appear, such as potential speakers, remain scarce, but it’s unlikely that his Cabinet nominees will take their turn on stage — they have largely avoided doing media appearances and have been directed to stop posting on social media ahead of their confirmation hearings. That tone would be in line with how the campaign has handled Trump’s top picks, as his advisers seek to minimize controversies and get GOP senators on board. It would also mark a change from many of Trump’s campaign rallies, which featured speakers-turned-Cabinet nominees Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Kash Patel, Tulsi Gabbard, and Marco Rubio.

— Shelby Talcott

Why Senate Republicans are down a seat

Republicans officially take over the Senate today as the new Congress begins with members’ swearing-in … with one exception. West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice wants to avoid a messy succession before Gov.-elect Patrick Morrisey is sworn in on Jan. 13, so he’ll wait a few days before giving Republicans the 53rd seat in their new majority. Justice’s absence, which will impact his seniority ranking, shouldn’t hurt Republicans too much on the floor given how short it’s expected to be. But it does reinforce lingering GOP questions about how present Justice will be on a day-to-day basis. As he prepares for a big adjustment from the lifestyle of a governor to a senator’s, Justice is fully “committed” to the job, including attendance at critical votes, a campaign source told Semafor, adding that he’s currently staffing up his DC office.

— Burgess Everett

Renewed Gaza talks

Israeli negotiators set off for Doha in a potentially final effort to secure a truce in Gaza before US President-elect Donald Trump takes office. Trump has said there will be “all hell to pay” if Palestinian militants do not release the 100 or so hostages still held in Gaza before he returns to the White House, but major hurdles remain to a ceasefire. The Palestinian territory has remained under huge pressure even as regional attention has shifted to Israel’s operation in Lebanon, where a fragile truce holds, and the ousting of Syria’s dictator: Dozens have been killed in Gaza in the past 24 hours in Israeli air strikes, while the UN’s Palestinian aid agency faces the threat of closure by Israel this month.

How can dating apps stay relevant in this age of screen fatigue, and are there lessons for digital media? In the first Mixed Signals episode of 2025, Ben and Nayeema are taking a swipe at understanding the marketing behind dating apps. They talk with Tinder CMO Melissa Hobley to discuss digital exhaustion, the reality of rebranding, and reaching a politically attuned Gen Z audience. Plus, a debrief with Semafor Media Editor and new Mixed Signals co-host, Max Tani.

Listen to the latest episode of Mixed Signals now.

Beltway Newsletters

Punchbowl News: Incoming Senate Majority Leader John Thune will pledge to preserve the filibuster, according to prepared remarks.

WaPo: Possible alternatives to Mike Johnson if his speaker bid falters include Steve Scalise, Tom Emmer or Jim Jordan, while some centrists are discussing Tom Cole of Oklahoma.

Axios: DHS has designated the Jan. 6 certification of presidential electors as a National Special Security Event, on par with the inauguration and the Super Bowl.

Blindspot

Stories that are being largely ignored by either left-leaning or right-leaning outlets, curated with help from our partners at Ground News.

What the Left isn’t reading: Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., returned to Washington after undergoing hip replacement surgery last month in Germany following a fall in Luxembourg.

What the Right isn’t reading: The Office of Congressional Ethics has recommended further review of campaign finance allegations of Reps. Andy Ogles, R-Tenn., and Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, D-Fla.

White House

• President Biden has decided to block Nippon Steel’s proposed acquisition of US Steel. — WaPo

• Biden is preparing to announce he’ll permanently restrict future oil and gas exploration in some US offshore areas. — Bloomberg

Congress

• Senate Democrats released their committee rosters, including a bunch of new panel leaders for the party.
• Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., will become the longest-serving Black senator in US history today.

Transition

• Donald Trump rolled out several new senior advisers for his Treasury Department.

Outside the Beltway

• Buddy MacKay, who served as Florida’s last Democratic governor for 23 days after the death of Gov. Lawton Chiles in 1998, died Thursday at 91.

Business

• Tesla’s annual deliveries fell for the first time since 2011.

Courts

• The Federal Communications Commission’s net-neutrality rules were struck down by a federal appeals court, ending a yearslong effort to regulate internet providers as utilities.
• The Judicial Conference, which sets policy for federal courts, declined to refer Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas to the Department of Justice over free gifts and travel that were omitted from his financial disclosure submissions.

National Security

• The computers of senior Treasury Department officials were accessed by Chinese state-sponsored hackers in a recent cyberattack on the agency. — Bloomberg
• President Biden recently discussed attacking Iran’s nuclear sites if the country moves closer to a nuclear weapon before he leaves office. — Axios

Foreign Policy

• Investigators failed to arrest impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol after a standoff at his residence.

Technology

• Apple has agreed to pay $95 million to settle a lawsuit accusing it of using its Siri virtual assistant of eavesdropping on users.

Media

• Elon Musk said he may consider suing media outlets over their coverage of the Cybertruck explosion at the Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas on Wednesday.
• Gannett and Reuters are launching a content syndication bundle largely aimed at US local and regional media companies.

Principals Team

• Editors: Elana Schor, Morgan Chalfant
• Reporters: Burgess Everett, Kadia Goba, Shelby Talcott, David Weigel

Ted Lieu is a Democratic Representative from California.

Semafor’s Africa team asked key thought leaders on the region for their predictions on what lies ahead in 2025.

African countries face a range of challenges and opportunities over the next 12 months, from the impact of Donald Trump’s upcoming presidency on global trade to expected investments by China and Gulf nations.