Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., on Sunday defended Robert F. Kennedy Jr., President-elect Donald Trump’s choice to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, saying Kennedy, a longtime vaccine skeptic, is “extremely intelligent when it comes to” vaccines and questioning levels of autism in the U.S. “I’ve sat down and had a long conversation with [Kennedy], and I actually find the guy extremely intelligent when it comes to this stuff. And some of this stuff does raise a lot of questions,” Mullin said on NBC News’ “Meet the Press” when he was asked whether Kennedy’s history of questioning the efficacy of vaccines is a deal-breaker for him. “I have said that there’s some positives to vaccinations. I’ve also questioned the vaccines multiple times, and I think they should be questi...

Trump transition team compiling list of U.S. military officers for possible courts-martial The Trump transition team is compiling a list of senior current and former U.S. military officers who were directly involved in the withdrawal from Afghanistan and exploring whether they could be court-martialed, according to a U.S. official and a person familiar with the plan. Officials working on the transition are considering creating a commission to investigate the 2021 withdrawal from Afghanistan, including gathering information about who was directly involved in the decision-making for the military, how it was carried out, and whether the military leaders could be eligible for charges as serious as treason, they said. “They’re taking it very seriously,” the person with k...

The culture wars have found their way to the dessert table. What was supposed to be a simple birthday treat devolved into the latest flashpoint after “The View” co-host Whoopi Goldberg implied that a New York bakery refused to take her order because of her liberal politics. It’s an accusation that the bakery has denied. Now, the store is claiming that an influx of orders has flooded its phone lines as local residents show their support for the small business. The controversy started when Goldberg recounted in Wednesday’s episode of the “The View” that she had tried to order a batch of charlotte russe — showing off platters of sponge cakes topped with whipped cream and a cherry — from a family-owned New York City bakery. “Now, I should tell you, charlotte russe ha...

KRISTEN WELKER: This Sunday: confirmation battles. President-elect Donald Trump’s controversial cabinet picks are sending shockwaves through Washington and raising questions about how he will carry out his second administration. SEN. LISA MURKOWSKI: I don't think it's a serious nomination for the attorney general. SEN. SUSAN COLLINS: I was shocked that he has been nominated. SEN. KEVIN CRAMER: I have concerns that he can't get across the finish line. JOHN BOLTON: It must be the worst nomination for a cabinet position in American history. KRISTEN WELKER: Will the senate approve Mr. Trump’s picks? Plus: total control. Republicans take charge of both chambers of Congress, clearing a path for Mr. Trump to enact his policy plans. SPEAKER MIKE JOHNSON: We a...

Bela Karolyi, one of the United States' most eminent gymnastics coaches alongside wife Márta, has died at age 82, a spokesperson for USA Gymnastics said Saturday evening. Jill Geer, a spokesperson for the organization, the nation's governing body for the sport, confirmed Karolyi died Friday. A cause of death was not provided. Bela Karolyi helped build USA Gymnastics into an Olympics and international competition powerhouse starting in the 1980s and extending through the 2010s, when his wife had taken over many of his leadership duties. After success with Nadia Comăneci in Romania, the couple helped to launch the athletic careers of U.S. Gymnastics Hall of Fame inductees Dominique Dawes, Phoebe Mills, Betty Okino, Kerri Strug, Mary Lou Retton and Kim Zmeskal. They found early fa...

More than 60 million households watched the much-hyped boxing match between 58-year-old retired boxing legend Mike Tyson and the far-younger Jake Paul on Friday night, Netflix said. The match between Tyson, former heavyweight champion of the world, and Paul, a 27-year-old social media star-turned-boxer, ended with no knockdowns and a win by unanimous decision for Paul. The event was plagued by reports of problems with the video quality or interruptions during the undercard matches, but reports of issues tracked by website downdetector.com had dropped by the time of the main event at around 11 p.m. local time in Texas. Netflix on social media acknowledged the problems, which were lampooned by X users who posted heavily pixelated videos purported to be the match. "T...

Former President Donald Trump has clinched a second term in the White House, and his Republican Party has won control of the Senate and the House. But several races remain uncalled. While Republicans will control both chambers, with five House races and one Senate race still uncalled, it remains to be seen how large their majorities will be — and therefore how easily they can move to implement Trump's agenda. With votes still being counted, here's a look at the key races that remain uncalled by the NBC News Decision Desk (read more about how those races are called ). The lone Senate race left to call Pennsylvania: Although Trump won Pennsylvania, the Senate race there is headed to a recount . Democratic Sen. Bob Casey is running for a third term against Repub...

Three more people were arrested and charged with hate crimes in a targeted attack on a man who was allegedly kicked, spit on and called derogatory names because of his sexual orientation, police in Maryland said. Sean Antone, 19, Benjamin Brandenburg, 18, and Logan Clark, 19, were taken into custody a little over a week after the Salisbury Police Department announced the arrests of 12 Salisbury University students in the Oct. 15 assault . Antone was arrested by the Howard County Police Department on Nov. 7, authorities said in a news release . Brandenburg was arrested by Salisbury police on Wednesday, and Clark turned himself in to Salisbury police on Thursday. Their charges mirror those received by the others including first-degree assault, reckless endangerment, false...

“Saturday Night Live” cast members returned to biting satire after hedging their bets last week by asserting allegiance to President-e l ect Donald Trump . The sketch comedy showcase presented its version of the meeting between outgoing President Joe Biden and Trump at the White House on Wednesday, portraying Trump’s Cabinet picks as unconventional. Reporters were shooed from the meeting as the two presidents, with Trump portrayed by James Austin Johnson and Biden played by former cast member Dana Carvey, embarked on a serious discussion. Journalists shouted questions in the background: “What’s going on?” one said. “Should I move to Canada?” another asked. Carvey’s Biden complained that his dog had been attacking foreign leaders who visi...

For Brandon Mintz, it was the text messages and calls that started rolling in from friends and colleagues asking how high bitcoin prices could go. For Lee Bratcher, it was the surge in ticket sales for his annual North American Blockchain Summit. They were signs, the two bitcoin industry executives said, that the next era of cryptocurrency could soon be dawning. President-elect Donald Trump’s win on the heels of his campaign’s embrace of cryptocurrency technology, along with Senate and House victories by a Republican Party seen as friendlier to crypto interests, have sparked a fresh wave of optimism in the crypto world. It’s a sharp turn in sentiment for an industry that, 24 months ago, was reeling from a precipitous crash in prices, multibillion-dollar scandals and deep questions...