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Today's top stories

President-elect Donald Trump has begun selecting members of his staff; however, it’s uncertain how much power his party will have in Congress. Republicans won the Senate and will choose their leader this week. There's one seat left to be called. The party could also have a narrow majority in the House. Currently, the GOP holds 213 seats in the House, while Democrats have 203. To secure a majority, a party needs 218 seats.

? There are still 19 House seats left to be called, but it could be days until there’s a verdict in those races, NPR’s Danielle Kurtzleben tells Up First. Half of the House districts are in California, where it takes a while to count votes, due to the certification process of same-day and mail-in ballots in such a large state. In the meantime, Trump posted on Truth Social overnight that he will appoint Tom Homan as his “border czar,” who will be in charge of mass deportations. Over the weekend, he also said he won’t be inviting Mike Pompeo or Nikki Haley to be in his cabinet.

Israel’s ousted defense minister, Yoav Gallant, told family members of Israeli hostages in Gaza that there’s nothing more for the Israeli military to achieve in Gaza. He also says that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is responsible for holding up a cease-fire deal in July that could have ended the war and brought the remaining hostages home. Netanyahu fired Gallant last week, citing that trust between them had “eroded” and that “significant differences” had emerged between them on how to proceed in the war. Gallant discussed his views on the Israeli military in a closed-door meeting on his last day in office.

? Gil Dickman, who attended the meeting and had a cousin who was taken hostage and killed by Hamas in Gaza, tells NPR’s Kat Lonsdorf that he felt Gallant was able to speak more freely than in similar meetings in the past. Since July, thousands of Palestinians have been killed by the Israeli military, bringing the death toll up to over 43,000, according to the Gaza Ministry of Health. There are 101 remaining Israeli hostages, some of which have been confirmed to be dead. Many Israelis see Gallant’s firing as an example of Netanyahu trying to get rid of anyone who disagrees with him, Lonsdorf says. Some say they feel like their democracy is at stake.

An NPR investigation revealed that a VA home loan program intended to assist veterans ended up forcing thousands into high-cost mortgages. Documents obtained through the Freedom of Information Act indicate that at least 1,300 veterans faced monthly payment increases of over 50%. While a rescue plan being rolled out by the Department of Veterans Affairs is now being implemented, it excludes many who require assistance.

Special Series

Each day this week, Morning Edition will dive deep into one of the promises President-elect Donald Trump has made for day one of his administration.

Trump has promised to pardon the people convicted in connection with the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. Is that a promise he can keep? In March, he wrote on Truth Social that one of his first acts if elected president would be to free people he calls Jan. 6 "hostages," who he claims are wrongfully imprisoned. Kim Wehle, who wrote the book Pardon Power: How the Pardon System Works — and Why, speaks with NPR's Leila Fadel about limitations to presidential pardons, whether pardons can be challenged, and the checks and balances to this presidential power.

From our hosts

This essay was written by Steve Inskeep, Morning Edition and Up First host

Demography isn't destiny.

The twenty-first century has not worked out as many Democrats expected. A decade ago, some Democrats felt that an ever-more diverse population assured them of a governing majority. This would be sort of like California: a big, rich, super diverse state that Democrats have dominated for decades, with the sole exception being Arnold Schwarzenegger's governorship.

Nationwide, the percentage of the population that identified as white was dropping; the percentage that identified as nonwhite kept climbing, mainly due to immigration. That put the Republican Party’s overwhelmingly white coalition at a disadvantage. Demography was destiny, some analysts thought.

Instead, the Democratic coalition cracked. According to exit polls (which are not reliable, but are what we have), the percentage of white voters in this election went up. Republicans broadened their coalition to include many people of color — without abandoning any of the rhetoric that seemed in the past to drive nonwhite voters away — and certainly without letting go of Donald Trump.

We can have a long discussion about just why this happened. What’s clear is that changing demographics did not determine the election, at least not in the straightforward way that some would have assumed. It remains for Democrats to absorb this reality — and for Republicans to take power this time.

3 things to know before you go

Jaquez Myrick, 25, has been arrested in connection to yesterday’s early morning shooting that left one person dead and 16 injured at Tuskegee University in Alabama, according to law enforcement.

In 1971, 18-year-old Betsy Cornwell found herself stranded at night when her key broke off in the ignition of her car. A car thief became her unlikely unsung hero when he went out of his way to make sure she got home safely.

The H5 bird flu has reportedly been detected in a human in Canada for the first time, according to health officials. The test is being sent to another lab for confirmation.