Consumer price index report and Juan Soto's free agency: Morning Rundown

Donald Trump will meet with Joe Biden at the White House. The latest consumer price index is expected to show a slight increase for October. And a test that uses DNA to help diagnose medical mysteries was deemed a “breakthrough device.”

Here’s what to know today.

Trump returns to White House for symbolic meeting

President-elect Donald Trump will meet with President Joe Biden today in a symbolic White House ceremony meant to signal the peaceful transfer of power. It’s a meeting Trump denied to Biden in 2020 when he refused to concede the election results and worked to delay Biden’s taking office. It’s also Trump’s first time back in the White House since he was voted out of office.

There are still a few unknowns for the day, including whether Vice President-elect JD Vance will be part of the trip. Vance has yet to hear from Harris about a potential visit, a source familiar with discussions said. In addition to Trump, the White House extended an invitation to Melania Trump, but a source familiar with the planning said she is not expected to accompany her husband. Read more about Trump’s meeting with Biden.

Before going to the White House, Trump is expected to address House Republicans and could also meet with Senate Republicans. Both chambers are scheduled to elect their leadership teams in closed-door meetings.

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In the Senate, Republicans will select a leader to replace Mitch McConnell as he steps down from his post. The three-way race is between Sens. John Thune, the current whip; John Cornyn, a former whip; and Rick Scott, an underdog candidate. Thune and Cornyn are from the institutionalist wing of the GOP, and both have long-standing relationships with the conference. Scott, first elected in 2018, is a more divisive figure who has picked up endorsements from some Trump allies. All three candidates have vowed to carry out Trump’s agenda. Read more about the Senate leadership vote.

In the House, Republicans are expected to nominate Speaker Mike Johnson, though he could face a symbolic challenge as the House Freedom Caucus, under new chairman Rep. Andy Harris, considers whether to nominate someone to run against him. Read more about the House leadership vote.

Two Republican representatives who voted to impeach Trump after Jan. 6 won reelection, helping maintain Republicans’ lead over Democrats in the House. The GOP has declared victory in last week’s elections, though NBC News has not yet projected which party will control the chamber.

More coverage:

• ➡️ Trump named Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy to head up a new “Department of Government Efficiency” — DOGE for short. Trump said the department would cut bureaucracy and called the effort “potentially, ‘The Manhattan Project’ of our time.”

• ➡️ Pete Hegseth is Trump’s pick for defense secretary. Hegseth is a Fox News host and military veteran. After the announcement, some Republican senators expressed surprise at the choice.

• ➡️ John Ratcliffe was picked for CIA director. Ratcliffe is a former congressman from Texas and was director of national intelligence in Trump’s first term.

• ➡️ Mike Huckabee was named the U.S. ambassador to Israel. Huckabee, a former Arkansas governor and a longtime Trump loyalist, will likely be at the center of efforts to push for a cease-fire deal between Israel and Hamas in their ongoing war.

• ➡️ William McGinley was chosen to serve as White House counsel. McGinley was a White House Cabinet secretary during the first Trump administration and has been a longtime presence in Republican legal circles.

• ➡️ Trump plans to nominate South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem to be the secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, sources said. Noem would oversee a number of agencies including the Secret Service, FEMA, ICE and the TSA.

• ➡️ If Sen. Marco Rubio is picked as secretary of state, some think Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis could pick Lara Trump to replace Rubio. But a major question looms: How badly does Trump want his daughter-in-law to become a U.S. senator?

• ➡️ The incoming Trump administration is considering new locations for immigrant detention centers near major cities as part of Trump’s mass deportation plan, two sources familiar with the planning said.

• ➡️ What kind of vice president will JD Vance be? A look at his time on the 2024 campaign trail shows a man with an unshakeable allegiance to Trump who will likely tackle whatever Trump directs him to do.

• ➡️ Republican Eric Hovde has refused to concede defeat in the Wisconsin Senate race, claiming “voting inconsistencies” in the state. He trails Democratic Sen. Tammy Baldwin by less than 30,000 votes.

Progress on inflation has most likely stalled for now

Consumer prices likely rose slightly in the month leading up to Trump’s election win, according to analysts’ predictions of the Bureau of Labor Statistics consumer price index for October. The expected figure is a 2.6% rise in prices, up from a 2.4% uptick in September. “Core” inflation, a measure that excludes food and energy prices, is forecast to remain at 3.3%.

The latest figures provide a snapshot of the climate in which voters were casting their ballots. Steeper expenses for child care and home insurance left many people fed up and looking for change. But it’s not yet clear whether Trump will be able to replicate the steady growth and low inflation from the period before Covid hit, and some economists fear Trump’s proposals, like his plans for much higher tariffs and deeper tax cuts, could set off another round of price growth.

Cutting-edge test yields diagnoses for some medical mysteries

A diagnostic test that uses genetic sequencing to detect a variety of pathogens can help doctors solve medical mysteries, a pair of studies has revealed. The test, developed at the University of California, San Francisco, extracts the DNA and RNA from a sample of blood, tissue or body fluid, and then sequences the genetic material and compares the sequences to a vast database of viruses, bacteria, fungi and parasites to see what matches up. In research released this week, the test was shown to be effective at identifying the cause of neurological infections such as meningitis and has helped doctors pinpoint the cause of a meningitis outbreak in Mexico.

The FDA granted the test a “breakthrough device” designation, meaning labs can use the test even though the agency hasn’t approved it yet. However, several limitations mean widespread use, at least any time soon, is unlikely. Here’s why.

Read All About It

• Two people were killed and others injured in an explosion at a factory in Louisville, Kentucky.

• Former Massachusetts Air National Guard member Jack Teixeira was sentenced to 15 years for sharing classified military information on the social media platform Discord.

• Homecoming celebrations at Tuskegee University descended into chaos as a shooting broke out last weekend on the Alabama campus. Witnesses described the bloody scene and their frustration at the university in the aftermath.

• Prince William gave his clearest hint yet of how he thinks the British monarchy should evolve after the death of Queen Elizabeth II.

• Give this “Wheel of Fortune” contestant “A ROUN_ OF A___AUSE” for his hilariously wrong answer.

Staff Pick: The free agent who could change the MLB

The 2024 baseball season may have just ended, but the most exciting drama in the sport is on deck: free agency. At the center of it is a player set to command one of the richest contracts in sports history.

New York Yankees star outfielder Juan Soto, fresh off a World Series appearance, is now free to sign with any team in the MLB — and he won’t come cheap. The 26-year-old’s new deal is expected to be worth more than $600 million. Adding to the intrigue is Soto’s seeming openness to leave the Big Apple. Whoever adds Soto will get one of the game’s most talented players in his prime — and likely affect the balance of power in the league. — Greg Rosenstein, sports editor

NBC Select: Online Shopping, Simplified

NBC Select’s editors tested and reviewed the best bed sheets at every price point and from Amazon and Target brands, Cozy Earth, Boll & Branch and more. Here were their picks. Plus, one editor reviewed Ruggable’s new washable pet bed, which has become her picky pup’s favorite place to hang out.

Sign up to The Selection newsletter for hands-on product reviews, expert shopping tips and a look at the best deals and sales each week.

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This article was originally published on NBCNews.com