Just over a week after he was announced as President-elect Donald Trump's pick for attorney general, Matt Gaetz, took himself out of the running, saying his path to Senate confirmation "was unfairly becoming a distraction to the critical work of the Trump/Vance Transition." At least five Senate Republicans said they were planning to vote against Gaetz, according to five people with direct knowledge who spoke to NBC News. Gaetz faced intense scrutiny over a House Ethics Committee investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct and illegal drug use (Gaetz has denied any wrongdoing). The investigation was effectively halted when Gaetz resigned from the House shortly after being named as Trump's pick. Gaetz, who won his re-election to Congress earlier this month, said he does not intend to join the 119th Congress. Trump wasted no time in naming Pam Bondi, Florida's former top prosecutor, as his new attorney general pick.
The rest of Trump's Cabinet continues to take shape. Trump named former World Wrestling Entertainment executive Linda McMahon to lead the Department of Education. Russell Vought, a co-author of Project 2025, is his pick to lead the Office of Management and Budget. Rep. Lori Chavez-Deremer is Trump's choice for labor secretary. And Trump chose Mehmet Oz, known as television personality "Dr. Oz," to lead the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Other nominations from the past week include Johns Hopkins surgeon Marty Makary for FDA chief, hedge fund executive Scott Bessent for treasury secretary, former acting Attorney General Matt Whitaker for ambassador to NATO, billionaire financial services executive Howard Lutnick for commerce secretary and former congressman and Fox Business host Sean Duffy for transportation secretary. See a running list of all the people Trump has picked to serve in his administration.
In Trump's New York hush money trial, Judge Juan Merchan on Friday has indefinitely postponed the president-elect's scheduled sentencing to allow time for arguments on whether the case should be dismissed. Merchan set deadlines of Dec. 2, for Trump to file his motion to dismiss, and Dec. 9, for the prosecution's response.
On the Hill, Rep. Nancy Mace is pushing a resolution to ban employees of the U.S. House who are trans from using Capitol restrooms that correspond with their gender identity. Mace said that the resolution is "absolutely" in response to the imminent arrival of Sarah McBride, the first openly transgender person to be elected to Congress. House Speaker Mike Johnson has publicly supported the resolution. McBride has taken the high road, saying she's "not here to fight about bathrooms."
And abroad, the International Criminal Court said Thursday that it has issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and Hamas military leader Mohammad Deif, charging them with war crimes and crimes against humanity.
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