Good morning. We’re charting the connections between Donald Trump’s cabinet and staff picks – more on that below, along with Pierre Poilievre’s upcoming non-confidence motion and the brand-new electric popemobile. But first:
Today’s headlines
- Vancouver police shoot and kill a suspect who randomly stabbed two people in a downtown convenience store
- France’s government is toppled in a no-confidence vote, deepening the country’s political crisis
- Canada’s anti-money-laundering watchdog signs a pact with U.S. regulators in the wake of the TD Bank scandal
He's pleased with these picks.Ethan Miller/Getty Images
U.S. Politics
A cheat sheet to Trump 2.0
Donald Trump’s incoming administration will feature some of the usual suspects – the governors, the Ivy Leaguers, the big-bucks donors rewarded with plum ambassador gigs – but they tend to get overshadowed by the president-elect’s more unconventional picks. And since it can be hard to remember which Project 2025 architect is in what federal department, or how many election-deniers might oversee law-enforcement posts, The Globe has put together a handy guide to Trump’s political circles. Read on for a selection of where those circles overlap.
The Globe and Mail
So far, Trump has tapped five billionaires to join his administration, and apart from Middle East envoy/Mar-a-Lago golf partner Steve Witkoff, those billionaires will all assume key roles steering Trump’s economic agenda. Scott Bessent (billionaire hedge fund manager) is the pick for treasury secretary, helping set policy on taxes, trade, financial regulation and debt. He once worked for George Soros, which won’t make the MAGA crowd happy, but Trump said Bessent’s look is straight out of “central casting,” so that helps. Howard Lutnick (billionaire Wall Street CEO) has been named commerce secretary and will implement Trump’s protectionist trade policy, including the promised tariffs on all goods entering the U.S.
Vivek Ramaswamy (billionaire pharmaceutical exec) and Elon Musk (world’s richest billionaire) are Trump’s budget-cutters, jointly leading the Department of Government Efficiency. Trump described this new commission as a “Manhattan Project” to dramatically reduce staff, spending and regulations. Musk has promised to slash US$2-trillion from the $6.5-trillion federal budget, which is probably impossible but would definitely necessitate decimating vital government services such as health care and Social Security.
The Globe and Mail
After Matt Gaetz washed out as his initial pick for attorney general, Trump turned to former Florida AG Pam Bondi to lead the country’s enormous federal law-enforcement agency. Bondi played a critical role in Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election, filing voting-related lawsuits in several battleground states. Her deputy, Todd Blanche, led Trump’s defence in multiple indictments, including the Manhattan hush-money criminal trial and the (now-dismissed) federal charge for trying to subvert Joe Biden’s victory.
And here’s where the picks take a turn for the bizarre. Tulsi Gabbard – who has blamed Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on NATO and claimed Syrian President Bashar al-Assad did not gas his own people – will oversee 18 spy agencies as the director of national intelligence. She hit the campaign trail alongside election deniers such as Peter Thiel protege Blake Masters and Arizona politician Kari Lake. Then there’s Kash Patel as would-be FBI director. Even in an administration stacked with loyalists, Patel stands out for his devotion to Trump, promising to exact vengeance on government “conspirators” and go after the journalists who “helped Joe Biden rig presidential elections.” Also, he produced “Justice for All,” the national anthem sung by jailed Jan. 6 insurrectionists, as well as a thoroughly batty trilogy of MAGA-themed kids’ books featuring “King Donald” and a helpful wizard named Kash.
The Globe and Mail
It’s hard to think of two more urgent global conflicts than Russia’s war with Ukraine and Israel’s war in Gaza, and to help manage them, Trump turned to Fox News. Frequent contributor Keith Kellogg will serve as the envoy to Russia and Ukraine, and must figure out how to achieve the immediate ceasefire Trump has promised. (It’ll almost certainly involve Kyiv giving up territory to Moscow.) Former Arkansas governor and Fox News host Mike Huckabee – who has said “there’s really no such thing as a Palestinian” – steps in as ambassador to Israel. Closer to home, Fox News analyst and mass-deportation enthusiast Tom Homan becomes the border czar.
Lastly: As of this writing, one-time Fox & Friends co-host Pete Hegseth remains Trump’s pick for defence secretary, but that nomination is hanging by a thread. Hegseth faces allegations of sexual assault (which he denies), alcohol abuse (which he brushed aside) and, from his mother, mistreatment of women (which his mother now denies). Rumours are Trump could replace him with former rival and current Florida Governor Ron DeSantis – or perhaps with national security adviser Mike Waltz, who was seated at the Prime Minister’s recent Mar-a-Lago dinner. Waltz might’ve preferred a different dining companion: Earlier this year, he tweeted that Pierre Poilievre “is going to send Trudeau packing in 2025 (finally.)”
The Shot
Securing the strait
Cpl. Cynthia Craig aboard a Chinook helicopter in the Arctic.Gavin John/The Globe and Mail
With Operation Nanook, the Canadian Armed Forces protect the Northwest Passage – an important shipping corridor – and manage a changing Arctic that’s especially vulnerable to global warming. Learn more about (and see extraordinary photos from) the operation here.
The Wrap
What else we’re following
At home: On Monday, Conservative Party Leader Pierre Poilievre will table a non-confidence motion in the government (which likely won’t pass) and offer the Liberals a two-hour window to deliver their economic update (which they likely won’t take).
Abroad: Cuba’s electrical grid collapsed after an oil-fired power plant failed, the latest in a string of nationwide blackouts.
New wheels: The Vatican unveiled an all-electric open-top popemobile, featuring a grab-bar for balance and heating in the papal seat.
No perks: As of Jan. 3, Air Canada will ban carry-on bags for its basic-fare passengers headed to North American or sun destinations.