Women’s groups, religious activists and academics have been complaining about the racy ads for years. But with Mr. Puzder coming before the Senate for confirmation, they will have a platform like never before.

Concern over Russian aggression re-emerges.

The president-elect still says he does not think the Russians were behind the hacking of the Democratic National Committee or the release of purloined emails from Hillary Clinton’s campaign chairman, John D. Podesta. Nor did he express much concern for Moscow’s annexation of Crimea or its threats to its neighbors.

But lawmakers are speaking out. In a bipartisan letter to the president-elect, 27 senators — 12 of them Republican, including Marco Rubio of Florida, John McCain of Arizona and Rob Portman of Ohio — demanded action to stop Russian aggression against Ukraine.

“In light of Russia’s continued aggression and repeated refusal to respect Ukraine’s territorial integrity and sovereign right to choose its own destiny, we also renew our call for the United States to increase political, economic, and military support for Ukraine.This includes defensive lethal assistance as part of a broader effort to help Ukrainians better defend themselves, deter future aggression, and implement key structural reforms. Similarly, we believe that Russia’s illegal annexation of Crimea should never be accepted, nor should we lift sanctions imposed on Russia for its behavior in eastern Ukraine until key provisions of the Minsk Agreement are met. Accordingly, U.S. leadership on maintaining such transatlantic sanctions should remain a priority.”

Christie is out as Republican Party chairman.

The humiliation of Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey just keeps coming: He has been told he will not be named to lead the Republican National Committee, according to several people briefed on the discussions in Mr. Trump’s transition.

Mr. Christie was pushed out of his role overseeing the transition almost immediately after the election.

The party committee role would have allowed him to remain governor while keeping a hand in national politics. But few people in Mr. Trump’s circle are offering support for Mr. Christie these days — even if he was the first national political figure to embrace Mr. Trump’s candidacy.

Among the remaining contenders for the job are Ronna Romney McDaniel, chairwoman of the Michigan G.O.P. and a niece of Mitt Romney’s; Nick Ayers, an aide to Vice President-elect Mike Pence, and Mercedes Schlapp, a Republican strategist. Ms. McDaniel, who strongly supported Mr. Trump during the campaign, is said to be favored by a number of people in his circle.

Oh, and on Wednesday, Mr. Christie got this news: At 19 percent, his job approval rating is the lowest of any governor in any state in more than 20 years.