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Gaetz gone, Netanyahu wanted and Smollett cleared (technically)

 
Today's politics story

Gaetz bows out, Trump pivots to Pam Bondi

What happened
Former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) yesterday abruptly withdrew from consideration to be President-elect Donald Trump's attorney general nominee, saying he did not want his endangered nomination to become a "needlessly protracted Washington scuffle" that would distract the incoming administration. Hours later, Trump said he would nominate former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi, a lobbyist and longtime loyalist who was one of his impeachment lawyers, instead.

Who said what
Gaetz's withdrawal was a "brutal reality check" for Trump, showing he "isn't all-powerful despite the Republican trifecta in government," Politico said. There was a "growing consensus," even in Trump's team, that Gaetz "could not be confirmed by the Senate because of allegations that he had taken part in drug-fueled sex parties," The New York Times said. Right before he bowed out, CNN said, reporters asked Gaetz about new allegations he had sex with an underage woman twice, not once, as previously reported. He has denied having sex with a minor.

Gaetz's "hasty withdrawal" and Trump's "quick pivot to Bondi" are emblematic of the president-elect's "tumultuous decision-making as he rushes out nominations — some of questionable character and credentials — at a breakneck pace," without the traditional vetting, The Associated Press said. Unlike Gaetz, Bondi "comes with years of legal work under her belt," though both nominees share another "trait Trump prizes above all: loyalty."

"If you look at all the possible alternatives, this is a sober pick," Georgia State College of Law Professor Anthony Michael Kreis told the Times. Bondi "does not have the obvious character flaws of Gaetz," said Fred Guttenberg, who clashed with Bondi on gun laws after his daughter was killed in the Parkland school shooting. "However, she is just as dangerous — maybe more so — because she will always put Trump ahead of the needs of the country."

What next?
Gaetz resigned from Congress — both this term and next — after Trump nominated him, Politico said, but he might be able to "return to Capitol Hill in January and serve in the seat his Florida constituents elected him to in November" if Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) agreed.

 
 
Today's MIDEAST story

Global court issues arrest warrant for Netanyahu

What happened
The International Criminal Court yesterday issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, and Hamas military leader Ibrahim Al-Masri, saying the three men were likely responsible for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza and Israel. Hamas killed about 1,200 Israelis and abducted 250 others in its Oct. 7. attack. Israel's known death toll in Gaza topped 44,000 yesterday, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, with more than half of the dead noncombatants.

Who said what
The ICC said it found "reasonable grounds" to believe Netanyahu and Gallant were "criminally responsible" for the "war crime of starvation as a method of warfare" and the "crimes against humanity of murder, persecution and other inhumane acts." The crimes attributed to Masri, commonly known as Mohammed Deif, include murder, torture and "rape and other form of sexual violence." Israel said it killed Deif in July, but the ICC said it had no proof of his death. 

Netanyahu said he "utterly rejects the false and absurd charges," calling the ICC a "biased and discriminatory political body" with no jurisdiction in Israel. The White House National Security Council said the U.S. "fundamentally rejects" the ICC's decision. The court is an independent body, and neither the U.S. nor Israeli is a signatory to its statute.

What next?
Netanyahu and Gallant are "unlikely to find themselves in a courtroom standing trial on the charges anytime soon," since the ICC relies on its 124 signatory nations to make arrests, The New York Times said. But the warrants "could affect their international travel," The Washington Post said, as several European leaders — including Israel allies — "affirmed they would uphold their obligations" to the court and arrest the Israeli leaders if they set foot in their countries.

 
 
Today's CULTURE Story

Jussie Smollet conviction overturned on appeal

What happened
The Illinois Supreme Court yesterday overturned the 2021 felony conviction of actor Jussie Smollett, ruling he should not have been prosecuted a second time after the charges against him had been resolved in a plea deal. Police found that Smollett, who is Black and gay, had staged a fake hate crime against himself in Chicago in 2019, allegedly because he was "unhappy with the studio's response to hate mail he received" while appearing on the show "Empire," The Associated Press said.

Who said what
Prosecutors in Cook County State Attorney Kimberly Foxx's office dropped the initial charges against Smollett in 2019, saying he had agreed to forfeit his $10,000 bond and perform community service. The decision "sparked immediate backlash from the city's top leaders," The Washington Post said, in part because Smollett did not have to admit he staged the attack or apologize.

A special prosecutor revived the case and secured a conviction on five disorderly conduct charges in 2021. Smollett served six days of his 150-day sentence before being released on appeal. The special prosecutor, Dan Webb, said yesterday he "respectfully" disagreed with the high court overturning that conviction, but noted the justices did not declare Smollett innocent.

The Supreme Court is "aware" that "many people were dissatisfied with the resolution of the original case and believed it to be unjust," Justice Elizabeth Rochford said in the 5-0 decision, but "what would be more unjust" is the Smollett conviction setting a precedent that "the state was not bound to honor agreements upon which people have detrimentally relied."

What next?
Foxx, who did not seek a third term, will be replaced on Dec. 2 by her elected successor, Eileen O'Neill Burke. Smollett, 42, is still acting. 

 
 

It's not all bad

A rare breed of snails once classified as extinct in the wild is reproducing again in French Polynesia, marking a historic win in global conservation efforts. The tiny mollusks, partula tohiveana, were reintroduced to Moorea Island in the 1990s, from zoo-raised stock. This fall, an unmarked partula tohiveana was discovered, proving that the snails are successfully breeding in the wild — and paving the way for the species to be upgraded to critically endangered status.

 
 
Under the radar

In 2024, Florida saw 81 cases of Vibrio vulnificus — more commonly known as flesh-eating bacteria, the deadliest species of the Vibrio genus — according to the latest data from the state. About half of these cases occurred after Hurricanes Helene and Milton ravaged parts of the state. "Flooding associated with hurricanes could very well lead to a redistribution of Vibrio further inland," John Drake, the director of the Center for the Ecology of Infectious Diseases at the University of Georgia, said to the BBC. 

Vibrio is merely one of the bacteria that become prevalent during hurricanes. Gastrointestinal infections are "one of the biggest impacts of hurricanes and other tropical cyclones," said the BBC. Cases of cholera, for example, tend to increase following storm flooding. And wind can play a role in disease travel as much as water does. 

One of the largest contributors to floodwater-disease spread is the failure of U.S. sewage and septic systems. "It is painfully evident that our antiquated stormwater and sewage systems cannot manage the downpours, tidal surges and rising sea levels that climate change is delivering," Henry Skinner, CEO of the AMR Action Fund, a venture capitalist fund that invests in the development of antibiotics, antifungals and other antimicrobials, wrote in Harvard Public Health. This failure "disproportionately affects poor and vulnerable communities," posing an environmental justice concern. "To work properly, septic systems need to sit above an adequate amount of dry soil that can filter contaminants from wastewater," said The Washington Post.

 
 
On this day

November 22, 2005

Angela Merkel was sworn in as the chancellor of Germany, becoming the first woman to hold the position. Merkel served as chancellor until 2021; during her tenure, she was widely considered the world's most powerful woman. Today, women serve as head of government in 29 countries.

 
 
TODAY'S newspaperS

Matt Gaetz "pulls out as nominee for attorney general," the Los Angeles Times says on Friday's front page. Donald Trump's "notorious" pick "drops out amid sex-report drama," the New York Post says, under the headline: "Shut the Gaetz." He withdrew after "seeing he didn't have votes for approval," The New York Times says. "As Gaetz withdraws, GOP warms to" Pete Hegseth, Trump's Pentagon pick, who also faces sex assault allegations, The Washington Post says. "Baggage mires Trump's choices," but "supporters' hopes high after Trump win," USA Today says. 

► See the newspaper front pages

 
 
Tall tale

Not so fast, thieves!

Two men got more than they bargained for when they tried to rob Olympic legend Mo Farah. The most successful track distance runner of all time was jogging with his wife, Tania, on their English estate when he saw a van pull up beside the cellphone he had left at the side of the road. When the would-be thieves snatched the phone, Farah's legs "reflexively kicked into action" and he ran full speed toward the van, The Times of London said. The men "immediately handed back the phone."

 
 

Morning Report was written and edited by Theara Coleman, Nadia Croes, Catherine Garcia, Scott Hocker, Anya Jaremko-Greenwold, Justin Klawans, Devika Rao, Rafi Schwartz and Peter Weber, with illustrations by Stephen Kelly and Julia Wytrazek.

Image credits, from top: Michael M. Santiago / Getty Images; Debbie Hill / Pool / AFP via Getty Image; Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune / Tribune News Service via Getty Images; Illustration by Julia Wytrazek / Getty Images