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A curated weekday guide to major news and developments over the past 24 hours. Here’s today’s news:
U.S. PRESIDENTIAL TRANSITION AND NEW CONGRESS
President-elect Trump yesterday said he would nominate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to lead the Department of Health and Human Services. Public health experts have described the selection of Kennedy, a longtime vaccine skeptic, as “alarming and unprecedented.” Dan Diamond, Lauren Weber, Josh Dawsey, and Lena H. Sun report for the Washington Post.
Trump yesterday named his personal criminal defense attorneys for top Justice Department roles and tapped Gov. Doug Burgum of North Dakota as his nominee to run the Interior Department. Tierney Sneed and Jeremy Herb report for CNN; Lisa Friedman and Michael Gold report for the New York Times.
A woman testified to the House Ethics Committee that former congressman Matt Gaetz (R-FL) had sex with her when she was 17 years old, sources say. Gaetz has denied the allegations. Meanwhile, Republicans on the Committee canceled today’s vote on whether to release a final report on the investigation. Will Steakin reports for ABC News; Manu Raju and Lauren Fox report for CNN.
Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL), as well as Senate Republicans yesterday called on the House Ethics Committee to preserve the Gaetz report, saying its “valuable information from a bipartisan investigation” could be relevant to his confirmation. Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) and Thomas Thilis (R-NC) have also voiced support for the report’s release. Patrick Svitek reports for the Washington Post; AP News reports.
Although Gaetz’s resignation effectively quashed the Committee’s inquiry, lawmakers have previously released findings on members of Congress who’ve left office. Zach Everson reports for Forbes.
Trump Defense Secretary pick, Pete Hegseth, was involved in a police investigation into an alleged sexual assault in 2017, local officials in California said yesterday, without specifically identifying Hegseth as an alleged assailant. Casey Tolan, Scott Glover, and Kyung Lah report for CNN.
Incoming Senate Homeland Security Committee Chair, Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY), plans to eliminate or severely curtail the powers of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, he told POLITICO yesterday. Maggie Miller reports.
The Trump transition team’s continued lack of engagement with the official transition procedures is starting to raise security concerns, experts say. Avery Lotz reports for Axios.
TRUMP LEGAL MATTERS
Two federal judges yesterday delayed trials of Jan. 6 riot defendants charged with misdemeanors, with one of the judges citing a “real possibility” Trump will issue pardons after taking office next year. Kyle Cheney reports for POLITICO.
OTHER U.S. DOMESTIC DEVELOPMENTS
The FBI yesterday announced it arrested a Texas man who allegedly wanted to commit a “9/11-style” attack and disseminated ISIS propaganda in the United States. Holmes Lybrand reports for CNN.
Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody yesterday sued FEMA officials for allegedly neglecting hurricane victims in households displaying Trump signs or flags. April Rubin reports for Axios.
The Onion, a satire publication, yesterday won an auction to buy Alex Jones’ Infowars with the backing of families of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting victims. Dave Collins reports for AP News.
The Biden administration has released its previously confidential directive on military and spy agencies’ handling of personal data when using AI technologies. Charlie Savage reports for the New York Times.
ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR
Israeli strikes on Damascus, Syria yesterday killed at least 15 people and injured 16 others, Syrian state media reported. The Israeli military said it was targeting an Islamic Jihad center and operatives in Syria. Mostafa Salem and Eyad Kourdi report for CNN.
Hospitals in northern Gaza are running out of food for patients and healthcare workers amid relentless shelling, medical officials and displaced residents say. Hazem Balousha, Hajar Harb, Heba Farouk Mahfouz, and Claire Parker report for the Washington Post.
Israeli investigators are examining whether Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s aides altered phone call records on Oct. 7, 2023. The inquiry is highly sensitive in Israel, where the question of what Netanyahu knew prior to Hamas’s attack could be crucial to his political future. Patrick Kingsley and Ronen Bergman report for the New York Times.
ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR — U.S. RESPONSE
Nearly 90 U.S. lawmakers sent a letter to President Biden in late October calling for sanctions on two Israeli ultranationalist ministers over “incentivizing” violence by Israeli settlers against Palestinian civilians. Barak Ravid reports for Axios.
ISRAEL-HEZBOLLAH WAR
A top Iranian official today held talks with Lebanese leaders on the ongoing Israel-Hezbollah war, as Lebanese media reported that U.S. Amb. Lisa Johnson gave a ceasefire draft to Lebanon’s parliament speaker, who has been leading the talks representing Hezbollah. Bassem Mroue and David Rising report for AP News.
An Israeli strike on a civil defense center in Lebanon’s city of Baalbek yesterday killed 12 emergency rescue workers, including the city’s civil defense chief, the regional governor said. The Lebanese Health Ministry said eight others were killed in a separate attack on the city. Liam Stack, Aaron Boxerman, and Euan Ward report for the New York Times; Maya Gebeily reports for Reuters.
Israeli forces continued to launch airstrikes on the southern suburbs of Beirut yesterday, on the third consecutive day of attacks. Vivian Ho reports for the Washington Post.
The head of Lebanon’s largest Christian party yesterday urged Hezbollah to surrender its weapons to prevent further death and destruction. Maya Gebeily and Timour Azhari report for Reuters.
ISRAEL-HEZBOLLAH WAR — INTERNATIONAL RESPONSE
The U.N. will bolster its peacekeeping mission in Lebanon to support the Lebanese army once a truce is agreed, the U.N. peacekeeping chief said yesterday, adding that the mission would not directly enforce a ceasefire. Riham Alkousaa and Emilie Madi report for Reuters.
The Israel-Hezbollah conflict has cost Lebanon $8.5 billion in damage and losses so far, the World Bank said yesterday. Clauda Tanios reports for Reuters.
ISRAEL-IRAN CONFLICT
Israel’s late October attack on Iran destroyed an active top secret nuclear weapons research facility near Tehran, Israeli and U.S. officials say. Barak Ravid reports for Axios.
RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR
A new Russian offensive appears to be nearly underway in Ukraine’s southeastern Zaporizhzhia region, Ukrainian troops said this week. Siobhán O’Grady and Serhii Korolchuk report for the Washington Post.
Russia will “welcome” negotiations on the Ukraine war if initiated by Trump, Moscow’s ambassador to the U.N. said yesterday, stressing that any talks need to be based on the “realities” of Russian advances. Emma Farge reports for Reuters.
GLOBAL DEVELOPMENTS
Elon Musk met with Iran’s U.N. ambassador on Monday to discuss defusing tensions between Iran and the United States, Iranian officials said, adding that the meeting provided a workaround for Tehran to avoid sitting directly with a U.S. official. Farnaz Fassihi reports for the New York Times.
The Sudanese military’s capture of UAE-made armored vehicles with French defense systems used by the Rapid Support Forces is evidence of a “likely violation” of a U.N. arms embargo prohibiting the transfer of weapons to Sudan, Amnesty International said in a report released yesterday. Fatma Khaled reports for AP News.
NATO jets on Tuesday intercepted multiple Russian aircraft “not adhering to international norms” in the airspace off the Norwegian coast, NATO Allied Air Command said yesterday. Sarah Fortinsky reports for The Hill.
Israeli bulldozers yesterday completed the demolition of a village central to the struggle of the country’s Arab Bedouin minority against relocation plans. Julia Frankel reports for AP News.
The Sri Lankan president’s coalition won a sweeping mandate in the country’s snap general election yesterday. Uditha Jayasinghe and Sudipto Ganguly report for Reuters.
Argentine President Javier Milei is considering a withdrawal from the Paris climate agreement, a senior official said. David Feliba, Samantha Schmidt, Maxine Joselow, and Chico Harlan report for the Washington Post.