Friday morning news: November 22, 2024

Trump picks Bondi for AG after Gaetz withdraws » President-elect Donald Trump has nominated his second choice to serve as America's top law enforcement officer.

Trump picked former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi Thursday to serve as the nation's attorney general.

She’s a longtime Trump supporter and was one of his attorneys during his first impeachment trial.

BONDI: He's actually working very, very hard around the clock, nonstop to surround himself with the brightest and best people...

That was Bondi in December 2016 when she was on Trump's transition team for his first term in office.

In a statement, Trump said Bondi will refocus the Department of Justice from prosecuting Republicans to its intended purpose of fighting crime.

She’s actually Trump's second pick for the job. His first, former Congressman Matt Gaetz, withdrew from consideration yesterday.

Gaetz has been the focus of a House Ethics Investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct and illegal drug use. He said the momentum behind his nomination was strong, but he didn't want to become a distraction for the Trump-Vance transition.

Hegseth meets w/senators, battles to save nomination » Meantime, another embattled Trump nominee appears to be picking up support.

Pete Hegseth is up for defense secretary, and held a round of private meetings with senators Thursday, just as new details of the sexual assault allegations against him came to light.

In 2017, police in California investigated a woman’s claim that Hegseth took her phone, blocked her from leaving a hotel room, and assaulted her. On Thursday, Hegseth said…

HEGSETH: The matter was fully investigated, and I was completely cleared.

Prosecutors did not file charges. Hegseth did pay the woman a settlement last year to head off a lawsuit.

It looks like several of the senators who would confirm Hegseth are rallying around him. John Barrasso, who will be the Senate’s number two leader next year, called Hegseth a strong candidate, and Roger Wicker, who’s expected to chair the Armed Services Committee, said he thinks he’ll be in pretty good shape.

Dems, GOP reach deal to confirm more Biden judicial nominees » Senate Democrats and Republicans have struck a deal almost certain to get about a dozen of President Biden’s judicial nominees confirmed before his term is up.

The move clears the way for votes on seven district judges next week and six more in December. But the deal excludes four appeals court nominees who Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer says lacked the support to be confirmed.

Liberal groups are pressuring Democrats to confirm all pending nominees before the end of the year. Schumer says confirming judges is a top priority.

Netanyahu responds to ICC warrant » Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is condemning a global war crimes court for issuing a warrant for his arrest.

The International Criminal Court, or ICC, issued warrants for Netanyahu, his former defense minister Yoav Gallant, and Hamas’s military chief… accusing each of crimes against humanity during the war in Gaza.

Netanyahu’s response…

NETANYAHU: Israel will not recognize the validity of this decision. We will continue to do everything we must do to defend our citizens and defend our state against Iran’s axis of terror.

The ICC claims there’s evidence Israel has used starvation as a method of warfare during its campaign against Hamas in Gaza.

Netanyahu denies that and says nothing is more just than the war Israel’s been waging in Gaza.

This is the first time a global court of justice has accused a major Western ally of war crimes.

PUTIN: [Speaking Russian]

Russia launches intermediate missile into Ukraine » That’s Russian leader Vladimir Putin talking about stepping up his country’s weaponry in its war on Ukraine.

Putin says Russia has fired an experimental, intermediate-range ballistic missile into Ukraine. He says the missile flies at 10 times the speed of sound, and U.S. air defenses cannot stop it.

Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh…

SINGH: This was a new type of lethal capability that was employed on the battlefield, so that’s certainly of concern to us.

Putin maintains the move is in response to Ukraine attacking Russia with missiles provided by the U.S. and Britain earlier this week. He claims the new weapon can stop any Ukrainian ally who attacks Russia.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says his quote “crazy neighbor” showed again what he really is… and urged Western allies to counter with a tough response.

Brazil: Bolsinaro indicted for coup attempt » Dozens of suspects in Brazil, including the former president, have been indicted for an alleged coup attempt. WORLD's Travis Kircher has more.

TRAVIS KIRCHER: Brazil's federal police on Thursday announced the indictment of former President Jair Bolsonaro...along with 36 others.

Bolsonaro is accused of taking part in a coup attempt to keep himself in office after his defeat in the 2022 elections.

The former president denies those claims.

Bolsonaro lost to current President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

The indictments are expected to be handed over to Brazil's prosecutor general...who will then face a choice.

He can either agree with the charges and put the former president on trial...or toss the investigation.

For WORLD, I'm Travis Kircher.

I'm Mark Mellinger.

Straight ahead: RFK Jr. has his supporters and his detractors. John Stonestreet weighs in on his strengths and weaknesses, today on Culture Friday.

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