Matt Gaetz, Pam Bondi, Trump, Russia, Ukraine, bomb cyclone, Thanksgiving, ‘Wicked’: Daily Briefing

November 22, 2024 Vaseline blog 0

President-elect Donald Trump picked a former Florida AG as his choice for the top US law officer. Russia fired a never-before-fielded intermediate-range ballistic missile at Ukraine. Swiping “right” or “left” has taken on new political meaning.

🙋🏼‍♀️ I’m Nicole Fallert, Daily Briefing author. Traveling for Thanksgiving?

Trump picks new attorney general

President-elect Donald Trump has tapped former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi as his preference for US attorney general following Matt Gaetz’s withdrawal.

What happened: Earlier Thursday Gaetz, a former Florida congressman, withdrew his nomination amid continuing allegations of sexual misconduct.

  • Why Gaetz dropped out: The Justice Department, which Gaetz would have led if he were attorney general, investigated allegations that Gaetz committed statutory rape by paying for sex with a 17-year-old and for her to travel with him across state lines. The investigation was dropped without charges. But recently, the House Ethics Committee began investigating the allegations.
  • Gaetz isn’t the only Trump pick facing sexual misconduct allegations. Fox News host Pete Hegseth, former independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and tech billionaire Elon Musk have also been publicly accused of sexual misconduct. Trump himself has faced accusations of sexual misconduct by 19 women, and in 2023, a federal jury found him liable for the sexual abuse of writer E. Jean Carroll.
  • Who is Bondi? Bondi, 59, is a Trump ally who served as one of his defense attorneys during his first impeachment trial. Bondi was Florida’s attorney general for eight years, from 2011 to 2019. She was the first woman elected to the position.

More on the Trump transition: Trump still hasn’t signed agreements to begin the handover of power.

US believes Russia’s attack in Ukraine showcased new missile

Ukraine’s air force initially said a missile fired on Thursday by Russia at the Ukrainian city of Dnipro was an ICBM, sparking concerns of a major escalation in the 2-1/2-year-old war with Russia. But the US said it believes Russia fired a never-before-fielded intermediate-range ballistic missile. While this type sends a less threatening signal, the incident could still set off alarms in the region. Why is there talk about WWIII?

More news to know now

What’s the weather today? Check your local forecast here.

Pacific Northwest reeling from bomb cyclone

A developing storm system forecast to swing off the Oregon and Washington coastline on Friday will add to the Pacific Northwest’s weather forecast. But it should not rage quite like one earlier this week, which was blamed for two deaths and will likely fuel flooding, rock slides, debris flows and power outages. Read more

How much does a Thanksgiving dinner cost in 2024?

One thing Americans can be thankful for this year is a lower price tag on Thanksgiving dinner staples. US farmers are expected to raise about 205 million turkeys this year, the lowest amount since 1985 because of an increase in avian influenza, according to the US Department of Agriculture. Despite the lower supply, demand for Turkey has fallen this year and prices have followed. The American Farm Bureau Federation’s volunteer shoppers found a 16-pound turkey costs $25.67 on average – a 6% decrease from last year. How about the other items on the table?

Today’s talkers

When ‘swipe right or left’ has political meaning

Are fishing pics conservative-coded? Does blue hair mean they voted blue too? These are the questions on some singles’ minds as they navigate the minefield that is online dating post-election. On dating apps, some users are scanning for clues as to how the other person may have voted. Some singles even go to great lengths to conceal their true political opinions − or at least that’s what they’re accused of. Here’s what to do if you’re single and worried about politics on dating apps.

Photo of the day: A $6.2 million banana

Maurizio Cattelan’s art installation “Comedian” sold at auction at Sotheby’s in New York this week, purchased by a Chinese cryptocurrency entrepreneur for approximately $6.2 million.

Nicole Fallert is a newsletter writer at USA TODAY, sign up for the email here. Want to send Nicole a note? Shoot her an email at [email protected].