WASHINGTON — A polio survivor and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., responded harshly to a New York Times revelation that a prominent attorney and longtime advisor to Robert F. Kennedy Jr. once petitioned the Food and Drug Administration to remove the polio vaccine's approval. Kennedy has long been an opponent of childhood immunizations and has unjustly linked the growth in young autism to the widespread use of vaccines. Kennedy is President-elect Donald Trump's choice to head the Department of Health and Human Services. The vaccination has saved millions of lives, and any attempt to prevent its availability would be a catastrophic error, according to McConnell, who still copes with the effects of his childhood battle with the disease. According to McConnell's comments to NBC ...

In a three-player transaction led by third baseman Isaac Paredes, the Chicago Cubs acquired three-time All-Star outfielder Kyle Tucker from the Houston Astros, making it one of their biggest moves in recent memory. Fans and media members have criticized the Cubs for not participating in the elite free agent market, where phenom Juan Soto signed the biggest contract in sports history earlier this month. The North Siders have a great chance to use their resources and situation to become the favorites in the National League Central this offseason. They are well-positioned with a wealth of young prospect talent, one of baseball's better starting rotations, and a division that is still entirely up for grabs. More Sports from NBC News 49ers teammates blast De'Vondre Campbell after he re...

The Dow Jones Industrial Average posted its longest losing streak since 2020 on Friday, plunging for a seventh session. The blue-chip index closed at 43,828.06, down 86.06 points, or 0.2%. At 19,926.72, the Nasdaq Composite increased by 0.12%. At 6,051.09, the S&P 500 closed the day with minimal change. The S&P 500 concluded a three-week winning streak with a 0.6% fall, while the Dow reported a 1.8% decline for the week. During that time, the Nasdaq increased by 0.3%. Infrastructure Capital Advisors CEO Jay Hatfield told CNBC, "We're kind of stuck in this trading range." Until there is a catalyst, the Nasdaq will perform better, small-cap stocks will perform worse, and the Dow will perform worse. Meta Platforms lost more than 1%, and Nvidia lost over 2%.Additionally, Amazon shares...

Donald Trump, the president-elect, declared Friday that when he takes office, he and Republicans will work to end daylight saving time. Trump stated in a TruthSocial post, "The Republican Party will do all in its power to end Daylight Saving Time, which has a small but powerful following, but shouldn't! Daylight Saving Time is incredibly expensive for our country and cumbersome. Eliminating time changes has also been suggested by two of Trump's senior advisors, tech tycoon Elon Musk and businessman Vivek Ramaswamy, whom the president-elect has appointed to head a new Department of Government Efficiency. Musk tweeted on X last month, "It appears that people want to do away with the annoying time changes!" In response, Ramaswamy wrote, "It's inefficient & easy to change." The president-e...

When asked if he conducted rectal examinations on young athletes during a recent deposition, the former Indiana University basketball team doctor who is accused of sexually abusing players in the 1990s repeatedly invoked his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination, according to the transcript of his testimony. When questioned about whether then-coach Bob Knight instructed him to perform digital rectal exams on his players, Dr. Bradford Bomba Sr., who gave a video testimony on December 4, also repeatedly cited his Fifth Amendment rights. He did, however, respond to a number of inquiries on his overall responsibilities and hours spent working for the university. U.S. Magistrate Judge Mario Garcia, who is overseeing a federal case brought in October by two former players, Charlie Mi...

I used to believe that all socks were the same and that a pair of cotton socks could be used for anything. From the drugstore, I would get a pack and use them for everything. That is, until I tried wearing socks specifically designed for working out. In addition to providing me with greater compression in my arches and improving my general comfort, these socks enable me to complete my workout in ways I never would have thought possible. But not every pair of exercise socks is created equal. Many are made for particular types of activity, such as cycling, running, and more. I talked to professionals about factors like fabric compositions to help you choose the best training socks for your fitness quest, and I compiled NBC Select staff picks that support their knowledgeable advice. GO Ahead ...

As more sightings are being reported in New York, Pennsylvania, and Maryland, requests for a more robust federal response are growing in response to the hundreds of unexplained drone sightings in New Jersey. This is absurd. Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, R-N.Y., stated during a press conference on Friday in Staten Island that "our government is not telling us who is operating them and for what purpose." There are thousands of drones and unmanned aerial systems flying over us. The United States of America, with its military prowess, is not ignorant of these objects, in my opinion. Additionally, Malliotakis stated, "I'm asking, and we're all asking, that you just be honest with us and tell us what's going on." The White House stated Wednesday that the FBI, state and local law enforcement agencies,...

According to two U.S. defense officials and his family, Travis Timmerman, the missing Missouri man who was unexpectedly discovered in Syria after claiming to have entered the country on a "pilgrimage," was transported to Jordan by the U.S. military on Friday. The 29-year-old Timmerman's family said they had not heard from him in months before seeing him on the news on Thursday when footage from Syria caused some to mistake him for missing American journalist Austin Tice, 43. "It feels fantastic! "Grate God!" Pixie Rogers, Timmerman's sister, remarked after hearing that he was getting closer to returning home. "I would like for him to know that my whole family and I love him so much and that we are happy to know that we are going to see him soon." In a Telegram post, Syria's Department of P...

Attorneys forDonald Trump once again urged a New York judge to overturn the hush money conviction against his client, calling the prosecutors' proposal that he be treated like a deceased defendant a "dark dream scenario" and "irresponsible." The office of Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg had recommended that Judge Juan Merchan conclude the case by using a procedure called "abatement," which is what courts in a few other states outside of New York have done when a criminal defendant passes away before to being sentenced. "As a further illustration of DA Bragg s desperation to avoid legally mandated dismissal, DANY proposes that the Court pretend as if one of the assassination attempts against President Trump had been successful," the attorneys for Trump stated in a court filing Frida...

Washington The question of whether a nonprofit organization associated with the Catholic Church is eligible for a religious exemption from Wisconsin's unemployment tax system was accepted by the Supreme Court on Friday. The Diocese of Superior's Catholic Charities Bureau filed an appeal after the Wisconsin Supreme Court declared in March that its operations were not religious in nature, depriving the several organizations under its supervision of the same exemption granted to strictly religious organizations. The issue focuses on whether the First Amendment of the Constitution, which safeguards religious freedom, would be violated if the tax were mandatory. It has long been believed that the clause exempts religious organizations from paying taxes. In a statement, Eric Rassbach, an attor...