Donald Trump’s head-turning pick for attorney general takes some federal officials by surprise. An indictment reveals how local officials in Mississippi’s largest city got caught up in an FBI bribery investigation. And menu prices at restaurants are finally leveling off.
Here’s what to know today.
Justice Department officials and Republican senators baffled at Trump’s attorney general pick
President-elect Donald Trump’s announcement of
Rep. Matt Gaetz as his pick for attorney general
sent shockwaves through Washington, D.C., among Justice Department officials and senators who will vote early next year on whether to confirm the Florida congressman.
If Gaetz is confirmed to the nation’s top law enforcement position, he would oversee departments including the FBI and Justice Department, both of which Trump has relentlessly attacked for years. Gaetz, a Trump loyalist known for being a rabble-rouser in Congress, has a law degree and briefly practiced law in Florida before entering politics, but has never worked as a prosecutor.
Gaetz
was also the subject of a federal investigation
into allegations of sex trafficking of a 17-year-old girl, allegations that Gaetz has long denied. The probe ultimately did not yield criminal charges.
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Gaetz offered his resignation from the House after the pick was announced, Speaker Mike Johnson said, but it has not yet gone into effect because it has not been announced on the House floor. There will eventually be a special election in Florida to fill Gaetz’s seat.
Reaction to Trump’s pick was swift. One Justice Department official called the selection “truly stunning,” while another labeled it “insane.”
“I’m struggling to find words. And look, he is uniquely qualified,” another DOJ employee quipped. “How many other prospective attorneys general had previous experience as the subject of a criminal investigation?”
Read more
about the reaction among current and former Justice Department officials.
Some Senate Republicans foresee a difficult confirmation process. Sen. Lisa Murkowski said Gaetz’s selection “was not on my bingo card.”
“I don’t think it’s a serious nomination for the attorney general. That’s Lisa Murkowski’s view,” she said.
Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa said Gaetz has “got his work cut out for him.” Senate Democrats expressed shock as well, with Sen. Chris Coons saying he was “speechless” and Sen. John Fetterman calling the selection “God-tier level trolling.”
Read more
about senators’ reactions.
More coverage:
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➡️ Republicans
will maintain control
of the House of Representatives by the thinnest of margins, handing Trump and his party all the levers of power in Washington. In closed-door meetings, House Speaker Mike Johnson
was nominated for the role
for his first full term, and Republican senators
selected Sen. John Thune
to be their next leader.
-
➡️ A small and “chaotic” Republican House majority
poses challenges in the new Trump era
.
-
➡️ Trump
thanked President Joe Biden
for a smooth transition of power during their White House meeting.
-
➡️
Tulsi Gabbard
is Trump’s pick to be the director of national intelligence. Gabbard, a former House Democrat who became a high-profile Trump supporter,
has been at odds with the U.S. intelligence community
in the past.
-
➡️ Trump’s pick for defense secretary, Pete Hegseth,
has a history of eyebrow-raising commentary
, including that he believes women shouldn’t serve in combat.
-
➡️ In choosing Gaetz, Gabbard, Hegseth and others to serve in his next administration, Trump shows that he’ll be
relying on people he largely knows and likes
this time around.
-
➡️ House Democrats plan to file a resolution that would
reaffirm the 22nd Amendment
, which sets term limits for the president.
-
➡️ A distrust of leadership and anger over a lack of transparency about finances
shrouds Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign
.
-
➡️ The narrow Pennsylvania Senate race between Republican Dave McCormick and Democratic Sen. Bob Casey
is headed to a recount
.
X sees its biggest exodus yet under Elon Musk
On Election Day, X got the most traffic it has all year. But on the next day, 115,414 accounts were deactivated, the most since Elon Musk took ownership of the social media platform, according to research from Similarweb, which tracks social media analytics. Meanwhile, daily traffic to competitors Bluesky and Threads have jumped since the beginning of October.
High-profile brands and users including The Guardian and Don Lemon said they would stop posting, as Musk becomes more involved with Trump’s transition to the White House.
Reporters Kat Tenbarge and Kevin Collier spoke to six people who have joined or committed to using Threads and Bluesky in place of X after the election because of Musk. They cite growing issues on X, including bots, partisan ads and harassment, which they all said reached a tipping point when Trump won the election. For one user who quit X, a stark shift in what she saw on election night versus the next day
was her “final straw.”
How an FBI bribery operation unfolded in Mississippi’s largest city
When out-of-state developers approached local leaders in Jackson, Mississippi, about a hotel deal, they offered cash and a few lavish perks in exchange for the deal.
It turns out the deal was fake. And the “developers” were actually FBI agents carrying out a sting that lasted roughly eight months and included trips on private jets, meetings on yachts, shopping sprees and loads of cash.
Now, three city and county officials have been named in a federal indictment on conspiracy and bribery charges. All have pleaded not guilty. A fourth person resigned in August and pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bribery.
The allegations in the federal indictment paint a picture of the people entrusted to public office receiving more than $100,000 in “bribe payments” while 26% of Jackson residents live in poverty. The scandal is only the latest in a series of challenges the city has faced in recent years.
Read the full story here.
Read All About It
-
New Jersey residents
were urged to reduce their water use
and Gov. Phil Murphy issued a drought warning amid a record dry spell that has prompted a staggering amount of wildfires.
-
Brazil’s Supreme Court
was evacuated after two nearby explosions
, stirring security concerns before the country hosts the G20 summit.
-
Republican Rep. Michael McCaul, the chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee,
was briefly detained
for appearing to be drunk at Washington D.C.’s Dulles International Airport.
-
An eighth-grade transgender boy, who was allegedly threatened with expulsion for using the boys’ restroom,
is suing his South Carolina school district
.
-
Four people in California
were charged with insurance fraud
after claiming their cars were trashed by a bear, which was actually someone in a bear costume.
Staff Pick:
Menu prices are finally leveling off
Multiple restaurant surveys said so, and this week, the consumer-price index confirmed it: Dining out is getting cheaper. While the Federal Reserve deserves credit for its efforts to tame inflation, consumers can take some, too. Their cutbacks on spending forced a reckoning among restaurants, with fast-food brands like McDonald’s leaning into value menus and full-service chains like Red Lobster embarking on ambitious makeovers. The question still looming over many in the food industry, however, is
how two big variables will factor into food prices
. Here’s a hint: They both start with the letter T.
—
J.J. McCorvey
, business and economy reporter
NBC Select: Online Shopping, Simplified
With holiday travel looming, NBC Select’s editors share their picks for the best bags:
-
These lightweight luggage options
are great for carrying your belongings with ease through airports.
-
Don’t have time to shop in person?
These highly rated duffles
, rolling bags and backpacks are all on Amazon.
-
Packing light?
These backpacks
have been tested and approved by editors and travel bloggers.
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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