Axios

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 has learned.

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.

President Trump floated an unconventional idea Saturday (that may or may not be a joke) for his next press secretary: UFC CEO Dana White, with a roster of mixed martial arts fighters alongside him.

Why it matters: Days after Republicans suffered a historic midterm beating that cost them control of Congress, Trump might like a team of professional fighters to take on his political opponents as Democrats prepare to investigate his administration.

The four most persuasive ads from Democrats' top Senate super PAC accused Republicans of protecting sexual abusers, according to internal data obtained by Axios.

Why it matters: Democrats turned Republicans' 2024 demands to release the Jeffrey Epstein files against them, using accusations of protecting sexual predators to erode trust in the GOP even in deep-red states.

If you had to pick one political advertisement to sum up voters' biggest economic beef heading into the midterms, it might have been the one about, well, beef:

• A viral spot for Mississippi's Democratic Senate candidate, Scott Colom, making fun of his opponent's comment that people should simply "pick another protein" to deal with higher beef prices.

Why it matters: The spiking cost of red meat really rankled this year — perhaps rivaled only by the price of gas as the hottest, most painful economic indicator of 2026.

Angered over his midterm losses, President Trump announced Friday he was replacing Susie Wiles as White House chief of staff with longtime adviser Stephen Miller.

Why it matters: Trump is trading one of his few moderating forces with one of the most maximalist champions of his agenda, a striking signal that the president may double down on the hardline policies that helped Republicans lose control of Congress on Tuesday.

Congressional Democrats see a target-rich environment next year. But they're also worried that if they investigate everything, they may appear to investigate nothing.

Why it matters: Democrats want to move beyond the one-off hearings, fist-pounding document demands and subpoena threats that defined much of their oversight during President Trump's first term.

Between the GOP's thrashing at the polls, another one of President Trump's planned D.C. construction makeovers being halted and an uphill battle to overturn his conviction on 34 felony counts, this week has netted a string of setbacks for the president.

Why it matters: Trump's administration is entering its lame-duck era, facing criticism and potential investigations as its power to reshape the federal government dwindles.

• But Trump is showing little inclination to change course.

Americans on both sides of the political aisle are watching the nail-bitingly close Mississippi Senate race, where a controversial voter-roll cleanup has come under scrutiny after some voters reported problems casting their ballots.

Why it matters: The cliffhanger has exposed concerns about relying on third-party data to determine where voters live and how states maintain voter rolls.

Navajo Nation voters made history this week by choosing their first woman president, handing Crystalyne Curley a groundbreaking victory — and a political fight before she even takes office.

Why it matters: Curley's victory breaks a barrier in the Navajo Nation, where women hold deep cultural influence, but men have long dominated the presidency.

Calley Means, a former adviser to Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., said he resigned from the Trump administration over alleged internal corruption from a "concentrated group of people."

Why it matters: Means left the Trump administration two weeks before the midterm elections that saw the GOP engulfed by a blue wave. He is one of the first former administration members to speak out about his time in the executive branch.