Donald Trump has sweeping plans for a second administration. Here’s what he’s proposed

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Vance leads behind-the-scenes Iran deal push

Photo illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios. Photos: Brandon Bell and U.S. Navy via Getty Images

Vice President Vance has spent the past two weeks personally involved in indirect talks with Iran aimed at reaching a new ceasefire and resuming nuclear negotiations, Axios' Barak Ravid reports. Why it matters: Vance's heavy involvement shows he's taking it upon himself to extract the U.S. from a conflict he blamed for the GOP's staggering losses in this week's election. It also elevates the latest round of indirect talks to the highest levels of the administration. 🔎 State of play: U.S. officials and regional sources say that, for now, Trump is willing to let diplomatic efforts play out and wants to see if any kind of deal is possible. But if he changes his mind, the U.S. military is ready to launch strikes on a relatively short timetable. Go deeper.

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🏗️ Trump arch will include "sniper nest"

Artistic rendering: United States Triumphal Arch Foundation A federal court has temporarily blocked groundbreaking for President Trump's towering memorial arch. But pushing ahead, he launched a glitzy website yesterday that rebrands the arch as a military tribute: The United States Military Triumphal Arch. The 250-foot-tall complex is slated to rise in a mass of blindingly gold ornamentation and stately gray granite on the Virginia side of the Potomac River, between Arlington National Cemetery and the Lincoln Memorial, AP reports. Graphic: AP The website features the huge word "Triumph" in gold cursive script reminiscent of the typeface used at Mar-a-Lago. "Inside the two massive columns will be storage for munitions," the website says. "In addition, areas on the pedestal and Observation Deck will be set aside for snipers, countersnipers, and provisions for a sniper nest. Likewise, the open ground area at the base of the Monument will be designed for launching drones and other homeland security assets, if and when necessary." Keep reading.

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Judge wants former US attorney to investigate whether the government misled her in Trump golf case

A federal judge said Saturday she intends to appoint an ex-top federal prosecutor in the nation's capital during President Donald Trump's first term to investigate whether she was purposefully misled by lawyers and administration officials in a lawsuit challenging one of his prized Washington construction projects, the renovation of a historic public golf course along the Potomac River. Read More.

Trump’s grip on his party is in question as Republicans reel from the midterm wipeout

Republicans aren't holding back. Read More.

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First major Miller shakeup

White House deputy chief of staff Richard Walters is leaving the administration, the first major departure in an expected staff shakeup as incoming chief of staff Stephen Miller takes charge, Axios' Alex Isenstadt reports.

• Why it matters: The exit of one of outgoing chief of staff Susie Wiles' allies signals a changing of the guard inside the West Wing, with Miller's team poised to move into more powerful roles.

Walters was one of Wiles' closest political lieutenants, with a relationship stretching back more than a decade. He's a veteran Republican operative who served as the longest-tenured chief of staff in RNC history.

• Walters resigned Friday, the same day that Trump announced Miller would replace Wiles.

Read on.

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Trump's Jensen loyalty

President Trump stood by Jensen Huang last night, telling reporters that the Nvidia CEO is "an honorable guy" and "probably has an excuse" for his infidelity, Axios' Zachary Basu writes.

• Why it matters: Huang has become one of Trump's closest corporate allies, fashioning himself as a leader with unparalleled clout in Silicon Valley, on Wall Street and inside the White House.

🔭 Zoom in: The New York Times first exposed the suspected Chinese espionage operation on Oct. 29, reporting that a woman believed to be working for Beijing had developed a close relationship with Nvidia's CEO.

• The company portrayed their interactions as routine business dealings — an account now under scrutiny after Huang admitted he was "unfaithful" to his wife.
• U.S. officials believe Beijing's top spy agency recruited Alice Huang, an executive at Nvidia customer Megaspeed, to gather information and potentially influence Nvidia's campaign to expand advanced chip sales to China.

The intrigue: The Trump administration reportedly knew about the suspected Chinese intelligence operation long before it became public.

• Trump was briefed in 2025, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio personally oversaw a classified intelligence memo warning senior officials this spring, according to the Times.
• Yet Trump continued to embrace Huang as a trusted adviser, welcoming him to the White House as the Nvidia chief pressed to loosen restrictions on advanced chip exports to China.

🥊 Reality check: There's no public evidence that Huang's relationship influenced his advocacy for selling to China, a longstanding commercial priority for Nvidia.

• John Rizzo, the company's head of public policy communications, said in a statement yesterday: "Today's news will not slow NVIDIA. Jensen is committed to continuing to lead NVIDIA as CEO without interruption."