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A Federal Emergency Management Agency employee was fired after recently advising a disaster relief team to not visit homes with yard signs that support President-elect Donald Trump. FEMA did not clarify where the incident happened, or when, and the employee has not been identified. But in a statement on Saturday, FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell called the incident "reprehensible." "This is a clear violation of FEMA’s core values and principles to help people regardless of their political affiliation," she said in the statement shared with NBC News. Criswell said FEMA's more than 22,000 employees are dedicated to helping those impacted by disasters. "I want to be clear to all of my employees and the American people, this type of behavior and action will not be tolerated at FE...

Wind gusts and humidity are helping to fuel wildfires burning across the Northeast. A whopping 27 million people from New York to Massachusetts are under fire alerts Saturday afternoon. Cities under fire alerts include New York City and Boston, where wind gusts up to 35 mph and relative humidity of around 25% to 30% is expected. Vegetation in the area also remains very dry, with this region of the country about 6 to 8 inches behind on rainfall since Sept. 1. A cold front is expected to pass through the region Sunday, bringing up to 1 inch of rain. A brush fire in Brooklyn’s Prospect Park burned overnight Friday into Saturday after about 2 acres of dry vegetation ignited during heavy wind gusts, the New York City Fire Department said on X . Firefighters worked overnig...

One of the 43 monkeys that escaped from a South Carolina research facility Wednesday night has been "successfully recovered unharmed," officials said Saturday. The Yemassee Police Department said in a statement the primate was found around noon Saturday and that a "significant number" of those that remain on the loose have stayed nearby the Alpha Genesis facility "jumping back and forth over the facility's fence." As of Thursday night, the monkeys had been located in the wooded region surrounding the Alpha Genesis facility, in a rural area on the edge of Yamassee. Staff at Alpha Genesis are staying on site through the weekend to feed and watch the animals, police said, noting that the monkeys are still interacting with their "companions inside the facility" which police cal...

LONDON — Princess Kate joined King Charles and other senior Royals at a Remembrance Day event in London on Saturday, Buckingham Palace said , but Queen Camilla missed the occasion after falling ill with a chest infection. Kate has slowly returned to public duties this year following treatment for cancer . In addition to attending the Festival of Remembrance at the Royal Albert Hall on Saturday evening, she will be at a Sunday service at the Cenotaph monument. The events form part of the United Kingdom’s Remembrance Day commemorations as the nation pays tribute to those whose lives were affected by World War I, and remembers those who died. Kate’s attendance marks another step forward in her recovery after chemotherapy. She made her first public appearance afte...

Wind gusts and humidity are helping to fuel wildfires burning across the Northeast. A whopping 27 million people from New York to Massachusetts are under fire alerts Saturday afternoon. Cities under fire alerts include New York City and Boston, where wind gusts up to 35 mph and relative humidity of around 25% to 30% is expected. Vegetation in the area also remains very dry, with this region of the country about 6 to 8 inches behind on rainfall since Sept. 1. A cold front is expected to pass through the region Sunday, bringing up to 1 inch of rain. A brush fire in Brooklyn’s Prospect Park burned overnight Friday into Saturday after about 2 acres of dry vegetation ignited during heavy wind gusts, the New York City Fire Department said on X . Firefighters worked overnight to e...

The Pentagon intends to challenge a recent ruling by a military court that deemed Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s decision to invalidate plea deals for several accused 9/11 co-conspirators improper, a defense official tells NBC News. “We intend to seek postponement of any hearing on the pleas or pretrial agreements during that time,” the official said. In July, prosecutors announced they had entered into pretrial plea agreements with Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, Walid Muhammad Salih Mubarak Bin ‘Attash and Mustafa Ahmed Adam al Hawsawi. The deal would have allowed them to plead guilty to lesser charges that would prevent them from receiving the death penalty. But in a shocking move days later, Austin withdrew the controversial plea deals and removed Susan Escallier, the ...

Qatar has halted its mediation efforts between Israel and Hamas, citing a lack of willingness from both sides to engage constructively, according to a diplomatic source briefed on the matter. Qatar’s participation hinged on both parties demonstrating real interest in resolving the conflict, according to the diplomat. Qatari officials, however, concluded that recent negotiation efforts have been more focused on optics than peace efforts. The diplomat noted that Qatar may resume its role if both sides reach an impasse and show genuine intent to negotiate. Under U.S. pressure, Qatari officials had warned Hamas ’ political bureau earlier that it was no longer welcome in the country amid frustration over stalled hostage and cease-fire negotiations with Israel , according ...

WASHINGTON — President-elect Donald Trump’s ambitious agenda could face pushback from an institution he has done much to shape: the Supreme Court. With a 6-3 conservative majority including three Trump appointees, the court has spent the last few years buffeted by criticism from the left. But if the justices stick true to their stated jurisprudential principles, the new administration could end up on the losing side at least some of the time, legal experts say. “I think if President Trump’s executive agencies tried to stretch the law beyond the breaking point in the same kind of way that the Biden administration has done then, yes, the courts will be a check on that power,” said John Malcolm, a lawyer at the Trump-allied Heritage Foundation. Brianne Gorod, a lawyer with the left-l...

WASHINGTON — President-elect Donald Trump’s ambitious agenda could face pushback from an institution he has done much to shape: the Supreme Court. With a 6-3 conservative majority including three Trump appointees, the court has spent the last few years buffeted by criticism from the left. But if the justices stick true to their stated jurisprudential principles, the new administration could end up on the losing side at least some of the time, legal experts say. “I think if President Trump’s executive agencies tried to stretch the law beyond the breaking point in the same kind of way that the Biden administration has done then, yes, the courts will be a check on that power,” said John Malcolm, a lawyer at the Trump-allied Heritage Foundation. Brianne Gorod, a lawyer with the left-l...