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December 6, 2025 Good morning. I’m off this week, so my colleague Emily Weinstein is filling in to tell you about the return of NYT Cooking’s holiday cookie extravaganza. —Melissa Kirsch Rachel Vanni for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Samantha Seneviratne. Prop Stylist: Megan Hedgpeth. Sweet season By Emily Weinstein I’m the editor in chief of New York Times Cooking and Food. I’ve always had a sweet tooth; I have memories of stirring heaps of extra powder into my chocolate milk when I was a child, until it was lumpy and stunningly sugary. But my love of desserts didn’t actually extend to making them, even as I got older. I found baking in particular to be a frustrating and messy exercise, and unsatisfying too — after the haphazard measuring and beating, with my counters a crime scene of spilled cocoa powder and splattered egg, the recipe rudely wouldn’t turn out right. (Even back then I understood the problem wasn’t the recipe. It was the baker.) At one point, I told Dorie Greenspan, the cookbook author and queen of home baking, that I found baking to be more difficult than cooking. No, she said, sage and kind, baking is easier than cooking! In baking, you just have to follow the directions. In that spirit — and in honor of Cookie Week, New York Times Cooking’s annual holiday baking spree, with seven new recipes and videos to match — I have some directions and advice for you. Try them and I promise that you’ll be happier in the kitchen. These days, I bake a lot, and I’ve found a kind of bliss in the process, and the same childhood euphoria that comes from that first sweet bite (or in the case of that chocolate milk, the first sweet sip). Read the recipe all the way through before you start baking. I know this is boring, an assignment in English class when you’re ready for recess. Do it so you’re not caught off guard when, for instance, a recipe calls for you to chill the dough for three hours, but the party starts in 20 minutes. Measure and prepare all your ingredients first. This is also a little dull. But once you start moving through the recipe, you’ll find how amazing it is to have everything you need at hand so you can glide through the steps, no pausing to frantically search for the salt. And, if your cookie recipe calls for room temperature butter (many do), take it out of the fridge to soften as soon as you’ve decided to bake. Cookie dough generally freezes well; make extra. Freeze the dough in individual portions if you want to be able to bake a single cookie on a whim. (You can easily double recipes using our new scaling feature. You’ll need to be in the Cooking app on Android or iOS; click on the little icon at the top right of the ingredients list.) It’s better to underbake than to overbake. You can’t unbake a cookie any more than you can unsalt a soup. So take the pan out of the oven when the cookies look just done; they’ll firm up as they cool. (And if you take them out of the oven and they’re still raw, just put them back in for a minute.) Really, follow the directions, especially if you’re making a recipe for the first time. If the recipe says to leave two inches between the cookies on the baking sheet, do it. If it says not to move the baked cookies until they are completely cool, listen. And now, the cookies. Here are three from this year’s delicious batch. Mint chocolate cool Rachel Vanni for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Samantha Seneviratne. Prop Stylist: Megan Hedgpeth. My favorite ice cream flavor, reborn as a cookie. Eric Kim’s recipe is easy to make and has such a fun and striking appearance, with its green angles and chocolate curls. You don’t even need an electric mixer, though it’s helpful to have an offset spatula to spread the melted white chocolate (tinted green with food coloring) that coats the shortbread base. If you don’t have an offset spatula, a regular rubber one or even the back of a spoon works fine. Coffee and spice Rachel Vanni for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Samantha Seneviratne. Prop Stylist: Megan Hedgpeth. Melissa Clark funnels the signature flavors of Vietnamese coffee — espresso and condensed milk — into the hypnotic swirls of a marbled brownie. I learned something new from this recipe, which is that the neatest way to cut brownies once you’ve baked them is to chill them in the pan for at least an hour, flip the whole slab out upside down, and then slice them that way. Ginger, lime and a bit of a buzz Rachel Vanni for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Samantha Seneviratne. Prop Stylist: Megan Hedgpeth. Dan Pelosi’s Dark ’n’ Stormy Cookies have dark rum in the dough and the glaze, inspired as they are by the cocktail made with ginger beer, rum and a bright slash of lime. This is a festive cookie for an excellent party (but maybe not one for the school volleyball team’s bake sale). THE LATEST NEWS In the Courts The Supreme Court agreed to review the constitutionality of President Trump’s effort to end birthright citizenship. A judge ruled last week that Lindsey Halligan, a federal prosecutor appointed by Trump, was in the job illegally. But she has still not left her post. A federal judge in Florida approved the release of grand jury documents from an investigation of Jeffrey Epstein nearly two decades ago. Trump Administration A federal vaccine committee voted to end the longstanding recommendation that all newborns be immunized against hepatitis B. A video of the U.S. military’s Sept. 2 attack on a boat in the Caribbean shows the survivors waving overhead, according to people who saw it. Some interpreted it as an attempt to surrender. FIFA, soccer’s global governing body, awarded Trump with a new peace prize after its leader had publicly lobbied for Trump to receive the Nobel Peace Prize. Other Big Stories Vanity Fair will not renew its contract with the journalist Olivia Nuzzi, extricating itself from the controversy over her relationship with Robert F. Kennedy Jr. The E.U. fined X, Elon Musk’s social media company, $140 million for violating a law that regulates digital content. The New York Times sued Perplexity, an A.I. start-up, claiming that Perplexity repeatedly used its copyrighted work without permission. THE WEEK IN CULTURE Frank Gehry Frank Gehry at his studio in Los Angeles in 2021. Erik Carter for The New York Times Frank Gehry, a titan of architecture who designed some of the world’s most recognizable buildings, died at 96. Many of Gehry’s projects, including the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao and the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, are regarded as masterpieces. See 12 projects that show the scope of his work. Netflix-Warner Bros. Deal Netflix announced it would acquire Warner Bros. Discovery’s studio and streaming business for $83 billion. The deal, which includes TV and film studios as well as HBO Max (but not CNN), would give Netflix even more leverage over Hollywood — and a greater presence in theatrical releases. Film and TV Nick Wilde (voiced by Jason Bateman) and Judy Hopps (Ginnifer Goodwin) in “Zootopia 2.” Disney/Disney, via Associated Press The animated couple from “Zootopia” has its own fandom, some of which hails from the furry community. The love runs deep. The race for this year’s Academy Award for Best Picture has five sure bets. What about the other slots? Theater At least six stage productions this year have a homophobic slur in their titles — sometimes to shock or provoke, but also to reclaim the word. Does that make it OK? The authorities in Japan said Jeremy O. Harris, the Tony-nominated playwright and actor, was arrested on suspicion of attempting to smuggle illegal drugs. More Culture Gellért Bath Stephen Hiltner/The New York Times In Budapest, political disputes and aging infrastructure have led to cascading problems at some of the city’s beloved baths. Brasses roared with punitive force; strings attacked notes as if lashing them. The Pittsburgh Symphony, playing at Carnegie Hall, sounds exactly how an orchestra should sound, writes David Allen. A new $40 million exhibit at the National Archives, opening nine months after Trump fired the chief archivist, uses technology to explore the items in its vaults. Morning readers: Save on the complete Times experience. Experience all of The Times, all in one subscription — all with this introductory offer. You’ll gain unlimited access to news and analysis, plus games, recipes, product reviews and more. CULTURE CALENDAR 📺 “Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery” (Netflix): The third installment in this whodunit series, featuring Daniel Craig’s drawling detective Benoit Blanc, hits the streaming service on Friday. The mystery this time concerns “a very 2025 case” our critic Alissa Wilkinson writes: a murder in a church with a charismatic preacher who has been radicalizing his flock against the evils of modernity. And while the film takes on some big ideas around religion, Alissa writes, it does so with “a remarkably light, affectionately irreverent touch.” Read our review. RECIPE OF THE WEEK Christopher Testani for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Monica Pierini. By Melissa Clark Kharra masala fish (fish with onions and tomatoes) If a fragrant seafood dish seems like just the thing for this cold December weekend, make Zainab Shah’s speedy kharra masala fish. She starts by seasoning tomatoes and onions with whole spices — coriander, cumin, mustard seed and dried chiles. Then she adds fillets of white fish (any kind you like), letting them steam and absorb all the rich flavors. A garnish of fresh ginger, green chiles and cilantro gives it all a pungent freshness. Serve with rice, roti or by itself for a saucy, savory meal. REAL ESTATE Jeff Allyn, left, and David Barenholtz. Philip Cheung for The New York Times The Hunt: A pair of business consultants looked for a low-maintenance place near Palm Springs, Calif., to spend the winters. Which home did they choose? Play our game. What you get for $975,000 in Missouri, Florida and New Mexico: a Tudor Revival near a university; a bungalow in West Palm Beach; and an adobe farmhouse close to art galleries and skiing. Not-so-smart home: A fight over who can control the garage has opened up a wider debate about consumer rights. T MAGAZINE Drawing by Chris Ware Read this weekend’s issue of T, The Times’s style magazine. LIVING Ah, Paris: Visiting the City of Light for the first time and feeling a bit overwhelmed? Our guide will help make sure you hit the highlights and leave time for serendipitous discovery. Life of the party: If you want to have people over for the holidays but don’t want to spend a lot of time in the kitchen, try these three-ingredient appetizers. ADVICE FROM WIRECUTTER Limited space? Add some mirrors. Typically, to create spaciousness, we have to take things away: objects, clutter, walls. But adding a mirror is an often-overlooked way to make a space feel bigger. Any of Wirecutter’s favorite mirrors can help facilitate this optical illusion — with some strategic placement, that is. Tight hallway or entryway? Try hanging your mirror on a wall across from a light source so the glow reflects into the rest of the room. Or try two instead of one: Mirrors placed on opposite walls can create a sense of infinity. And consider height. A tall mirror can have the effect of raising your ceilings. — Ivy Elrod GAME OF THE WEEK Indiana’s quarterback, Fernando Mendoza. Doug Mcschooler/Associated Press No. 1 Ohio State vs. No. 2 Indiana, Big Ten championship: Is this the most important college football game of the year? Is it basically pointless? Might it be both? Why it matters: For powerhouse Ohio State, an undefeated season is just another year. For Indiana, it’s once-in-a-lifetime. Before Coach Curt Cignetti arrived and performed something of a college football miracle, Indiana had more losses in its history than any other program. The Hoosiers have never played in a Big Ten championship game, and they haven’t beaten Ohio State since the 1980s. Why it doesn’t: There was a time when this game — between two undefeated, major conference teams — would decide who plays for a national championship. But no longer. These days, college football greatness is determined by a 12-team playoff, and both of these teams are comfortably in that field. The winner today will get a first-round bye. The loser might, too. Tonight at 8 p.m. Eastern on Fox NOW TIME TO PLAY Here is today’s Spelling Bee. Yesterday’s pangrams were ambiance and ambience. Take the news quiz to see how well you followed this week’s headlines. And here are today’s Mini Crossword, Wordle, Sudoku, Connections and Strands. Thanks for spending part of your weekend with The Times. Sign up here to get this newsletter in your inbox. Reach our team at themorning@nytimes.com. Host: Sam Sifton Editor: Adam B. Kushner News Editor: Tom Wright-Piersanti Associate Editor: Lauren Jackson News Staff: Evan Gorelick, Brent Lewis, Lara McCoy, Karl Russell News Assistant: Lyna Bentahar Saturday Writer: Melissa Kirsch Editorial Director, Newsletters: Jodi Rudoren

THIS DAY IN HISTORY December 06 1884 Washington Monument completed On December 6, 1884, in Washington, D.C., workers place a nine-inch aluminum pyramid inscribed with “Laus Deo,” meaning praise (be) to God, atop a tower of white marble, completing the construction of an impressive monument to the city’s namesake and the nation’s first president, George Washington.... read more Sponsored Content by REVCONTENT Arts & Entertainment 1933 “Ulysses” is ruled not obscene 1969 Murder at the Altamont Festival brings the 1960s to a violent end Civil War 1865 13th Amendment ratified European History 1921 Irish Free State declared Natural Disasters & Environment 1907 The Monongah coal mine disaster Sports 1961 Ernie Davis becomes first Black player to win Heisman Trophy World War I 1917 The Great Halifax Explosion World War II 1941 FDR to Japanese emperor: “Prevent further death and destruction”

The Blame Game (Patrick Smith / Getty)   View in browser President Donald Trump has promised not only that America will be “great again” but also that it will be “healthy again,” “wealthy again,” “beautiful again,” and—crucially—“affordable again.” Now, as the country faces persistent inflation, a housing crisis, and rising prices on consumer goods, he claims that affordability is nothing more than a “con job,” an opportunistic buzzword leveraged by a rival party. “The word affordability is a Democrat scam,” he said during a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday. Incoming presidents don’t get to pick the economy they inherit, but they can only credibly blame their predecessors for so long. In a Fox News poll last month, almost twice as many respondents said that Trump, not Joe Biden, is responsible for current economic conditions. Per new polling from Politico, 46 percent of Americans say the cost of living in the United States is the worst they can remember it being, and 46 percent think Trump is to blame for those high costs. The trend isn’t entirely new; voters have blamed Trump for the economy throughout the year. As frustration persists, the president is pointing fingers at the Democrats, but he can’t dispute the data. Americans now face both a weakening dollar and stagnant income levels. Trump’s surprise implementation of punitive tariffs this summer ended up making all sorts of goods, including clothing and beef, more expensive. Meanwhile, millions have left the country (voluntarily or not) amid the administration’s crackdown on immigration, according to the Department of Homeland Security’s estimates. This exodus, combined with a reduction in newcomers, has the potential to harm local economies. Trump has tried conflicting strategies to deal with voter frustration. He has a tendency to invoke the previous administration when things go wrong—at the start of his term, he said Biden’s name an average of six times a day, often to fault him for the economy or immigration issues. But during a recent meeting with New York City Mayor-Elect Zohran Mamdani, the president appeared to check his impulse to vilify Dems, beaming over Mamdani’s proposals to fix the cost-of-living crisis. “Some of his ideas really are the same ideas I have,” Trump said: “The new word is affordability.” About a week later, he dubbed himself the “AFFORDABILITY PRESIDENT” on Truth Social. But again, that only lasted so long: Affordability actually “doesn’t mean anything to anybody,” he said on Tuesday. Next week, he’ll pivot once more as he sets off on a national tour to assuage voters’ concerns about the economy and inflation. Sentiments about a president’s approach to the economy usually carry over to the incumbent party—and at the moment, Trump’s relative unpopularity is Democrats’ gain. The party has jumped at the chance to pummel Trump on affordability, which proved to be a winning issue in recent elections: The cost-of-living rhetoric that catapulted Mamdani to victory in New York City also helped two other Democrats win important races last month. The political scientist Lynn Vavreck told me yesterday that when Trump downplays the issue, he risks repeating some of what led to George H. W. Bush’s downfall in 1992: Bush lost that election to Bill Clinton in large part because his optimism about the economy failed to connect with voters’ reality. Biden suffered from a similar disconnect—and the same problem is creeping up on Trump ahead of the midterms. Approval ratings for a president’s first year in a new term often benefit from what the economic historian Robert J. Gordon calls the “honeymoon effect”—a bump that isn’t neatly explained by anything other than voters’ inclination to give leaders time to warm up. But by the time midterm season rolls around, voters tend to be less forgiving. Ten months into Trump’s presidency, the polling is starting to track a similar pattern: His approval ratings started at 47 percent and have since slipped to 36 percent (thanks to more than just affordability). Trump has been known to bounce back. But if the honeymoon is ending, that’s one thing he can’t blame Biden for. Related: Derek Thompson on the affordability curse Trump doesn’t understand inflation, James Surowiecki argues.

🚨 Republicans turn on legal immigrants In Congress, the GOP's immigration crackdown increasingly includes more scrutiny of people who have already navigated the lengthy legal process. The big picture: After two National Guard personnel were shot last week in D.C., the Trump administration has paused asylum, vowed to expand its travel bans to more than 30 countries and called for a review of green card holders from 19 countries. The suspected assailant arrived in the U.S. from Afghanistan under a Biden-era parole program and was granted asylum this year. Another Afghan national was arrested this week on suspicion of making a bomb threat online. Driving the news: Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio) introduced legislation on Monday banning dual citizenship — forcing immigrants to choose just one citizenship. Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) announced a new bill on Wednesday that, among other restrictions, would allow the Homeland Security secretary to strip citizenship from immigrants if they join riots or violent protests. Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) has been pushing his "PAUSE Act," which would freeze all legal immigration and end automatic birthright citizenship. Zoom out: Online, MAGA influencers and candidates have been promoting their own aggressive anti-immigration wish lists — from shutting down the refugee program to mass denaturalization, as Axios' Tal Axelrod reported. President Trump on Sunday said he would "absolutely" denaturalize certain Americans if he could. Multiple Senate Republicans were not ready to weigh in on such an idea, citing unfamiliarity with the legal arguments. What's next: The Supreme Court announced today it will take up a case on Trump's executive order to end birthright citizenship. If the justices agree with the president, the court could overrule a constitutional right it has previously upheld, Axios' April Rubin reports. — Stef Kight

⚡️ GOP's health care mess Senate Majority Leader John Thune and House Speaker Mike Johnson are both considering votes on GOP health care priorities next week — if they can figure out what those priorities are. Why it matters: Democrats are unified in their demand for a three-year extension of the Affordable Care Act's enhanced subsidies, which expire Dec. 31. Republicans are still divided and debating their counteroffers. Johnson hopes to reveal a House GOP health care package early next week, though some sources are skeptical that will happen. Thune has promised Democrats a vote on their health care bill next week. But his conference is still in the idea stage on their counters, which are more likely to come as amendment or unanimous consent votes rather than a single broader GOP package. Between the lines: Don't expect any health care package to pass next week. The real question is whether the voting exercise in the Senate and maybe the House fuels ongoing bipartisan dealmaking — or hampers it. Zoom in: Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) is circulating a plan that would extend the expiring subsidies — but with a $200,000 income cap and no zero-dollar premium packages, Semafor's Burgess Everett reports. Sen. Roger Marshall (R-Kan.) told us he hopes a GOP package will include moving the expiring subsidies into health care savings accounts and adding his bipartisan bill requiring more price transparency. Republicans are also again eyeing changes known as cost-sharing reductions, aimed at lowering premiums, but that could cut subsidies for some enrollees. Multiple senators described the conversations as broad and fluid, with no real consensus this week on any single GOP package. And Hyde protections continue to be a sore spot, with some Republicans demanding increased assurances that subsidies aren't used for abortions. In the House, Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) has been holding "listening sessions" with committee leaders and rank-and-file Republicans for weeks to find a consensus GOP plan. A bipartisan group of 35 centrist lawmakers, led by Reps. Jen Kiggans (R-Va.) and Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.) unveiled a two-year extension of the ACA subsidies yesterday, but it doesn't have buy-in from leadership. "We're going to come up with something that I think even people like Jen would support," Scalise said yesterday. House GOP leaders have also discussed proposals that would not extend the enhanced subsidies but instead expand association health plans, in which employers band together to purchase health coverage for workers. House Democrats, meanwhile, filed a discharge petition for a clean three-year extension — the same approach Senate Democrats say they'll put on the floor next week. No Republicans have signed on, and few seem willing to do so. Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.) is also floating a plan that mirrors a White House proposal that was postponed after conservative pushback. Reality check: A sizable bloc of Republicans in both chambers remains ideologically opposed to extending the subsidies in any form. Getting a plan with only GOP buy-in through the House looks nearly impossible — if Johnson omits an extension of the ACA subsidies, he'd lose vulnerable Republicans who are fighting to extend them. And even if House GOP leadership opted to bring up a bipartisan bill under suspension, they'd still need to find 80 willing Republicans. It will also take time for leadership to familiarize members with the proposal. The bottom line: With only 10 session days to go, it looks increasingly likely the health care fight will continue into next year. — Stef Kight, Kate Santaliz and Hans Nichols

Frank Gehry, Titan of Architecture, Is Dead at 96 https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/05/arts/design/frank-gehry-dead.html?

🏛️ Dems bet on affordability Illustration: Natalie Peeples/Axios Congress' top Democrats want to make next year's elections a referendum on affordability under President Trump, Axios' Stephen Neukam and Hans Nichols report. Making America affordable again will run through nearly every part of Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer's and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries' efforts to pit their economic plans against Trump's record. 💰 Their goal: isolate and amplify the affordability issue at nearly every turn. Schumer wants lawmakers to push legislation aimed at lowering costs across health care, housing, food and energy. The other side: White House officials know they have a political problem, and they insist relief is coming. Trump recently lifted reciprocal tariffs on several grocery staples, including coffee, tea and beef. ⛽️ Officials also tout cheaper gas, and insist prices generally are leveling off. But Trump has dismissed Democrats' cost-of-living focus, saying earlier this week that affordability is a "con job" that "doesn't mean anything to anybody." Go deeper.

Cauldron for Milan Cortina Winter Olympics lit at Italy’s presidential palace with 2 months to go A preliminary cauldron was lit by the Olympic flame at Italy’s presidential palace on Friday as the countdown to the Milan Cortina Winter Games approached the two-months-to-go mark. International Olympic Committee president Kirsty Coventry, Italian President Sergio Mattarella and Premier Giorgia Meloni were in attendance for the ceremony. AP Video shot by Silvia Stellacci https://apnews.com/video/cauldron-for-milan-cortina-winter-olympics-lit-at-italys-presidential-palace-with-2-months-to-go-7b6fb2c991eb4cc1b4d12193be6eb6a4?

Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, actor who performed in ‘Mortal Kombat,’ has died at 75 https://apnews.com/article/cary-hiroyuki-tagawa-died-2a5ac471aa2dd5d7218205ff8b654b08?

EU hits Elon Musk’s X with 120 million euro fine for breaching bloc’s social media law LONDON (AP) — European Union regulators on Friday fined X, Elon Musk’s social media platform, 120 million euros ($140 million) for breaches of the bloc’s digital regulations, in a move that risks rekindling tensions with Washington over free speech. https://apnews.com/article/x-elon-musk-twitter-european-union-regulations-0a135601e050518d5aa0a0155f973177?

Suspect in DC pipe bomb case said to have confessed in interviews with investigators, AP sources say The man accused of planting a pair of pipe bombs outside the headquarters of the Republican and Democratic national parties in Washington on the eve of the U.S. Capitol attack confessed to the act in interviews with investigators, two people familiar with the matter told The Associated Press. Brian Cole Jr. also indicated that he believed the 2020 election was stolen and expressed views supportive of President Donald Trump, said the sources. A spokesperson for the federal public defender’s office, which will be representing Cole at a Friday court appearance, declined to comment. Read more. RELATED COVERAGE ➤ BREAKING: Grand jury transcripts from abandoned Epstein investigation in Florida ordered released Trump administration will expand travel ban to more than 30 countries, Noem says Trump’s security strategy slams European allies and asserts US power in Western Hemisphere Renewed fighting in eastern Congo threatens ‘historic’ peace deal brokered by Trump US Treasury slaps $7.1M fine on New York firm for managing properties for Putin ally 🏞️ U.S. national parks will offer free entry on President Trump's birthday — but not MLK Day or Juneteenth. Go deeper.

Grand jury transcripts from abandoned Epstein investigation in Florida can be released, judge rules ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — A federal judge on Friday gave the Justice Department permission to release transcripts of a grand jury investigation into Jeffrey Epstein’s abuse of underage girls in Florida — a case that ultimately ended without any federal charges being filed against the millionaire sex offender. https://apnews.com/article/jeffrey-epstein-florida-bd036cbe2fa4e98d27aa473fd6daa3bd?

Powerhouse Attorney Hammers Bondi’s DOJ Over ‘Unprecedented’ Humiliation The Justice Department failed to re-indict New York’s attorney general after the first case fell apart. Letitia James’ lawyer blasted the Trump administration’s “unprecedented” efforts to bring a baseless case against her after a grand jury refused to indict the New York attorney general for mortgage fraud.After a judge threw out the Justice Department’s cases last month against James and another one of President Donald Trump’s foes, former FBI Director James Comey, Attorney General Pam Bondi’s DOJ rushed to secure a new indictment and presented it to a grand jury just 10 days later, CNN reported. The move backfired, though, and the grand jury on Thursday took the unusual step of failing to return an indictment, James’ attorney Abbe Lowell told CNN’s Kaitlan Collins on The Source. “I’ve practiced law for a long time, and in my experience as both a prosecutor, when I was that in the Justice Department, and as a defense attorney, I can’t tell you a time… where a federal prosecutor thought a case was strong enough to bring to a grand jury, and the grand jury has said no,” she said. Lowell has represented numerous high-profile clients—including Hunter Biden, Jared Kushner, and Ivanka Trump—and is also defending another Trump target, Fed Governor Lisa Cook, against the president’s attempts to fire her. During a federal grand jury hearing, which is conducted in secret, the prosecutor presents evidence to the jury to show probable cause—or reasonable grounds to believe—that a crime was committed. Given that the prosecutor only has to present favorable evidence and there’s no defense to make a counter-argument, the popular saying goes that a prosecutor could get a grand jury to indict a ham sandwich. Lowell said it was already “unprecedented” for the government to bring a case “with no basis,” but that she’d heard the government might try bringing the case before a new grand jury in a different city in Virginia. “If they do that, people need to pay attention,” she said. “It’s not like this is normal, but what it does do is show how far they’ll go to break the rule of law, to do a revenge tour that President Trump has ordered.” The White House and the DOJ both declined to comment. In September, the president inadvertently published a private Truth Social message intended only for Bondi calling for the prosecutions of Comey, James, and Democratic Sen. Adam Schiff of California. Trump had long called for them to be prosecuted after James led a civil fraud case against Trump in New York and Comey oversaw a probe into Russian interference in the 2016 election. Schiff, who served 12 terms in the U.S. House of Representatives before running for Senate, led the House’s 2020 impeachment of Trump. Around the same time that Trump accidentally published his message to Bondi, acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, veteran prosecutor Erik Siebert, refused to charge James with mortgage fraud, citing a lack of evidence in the case. Trump replaced him with his personal attorney Lindsey Halligan, a former beauty pageant contestant and insurance lawyer with no prior prosecutorial experience. A judge ruled on Nov. 24 that Halligan’s appointment was invalid, so the DOJ brought in a new prosecutor from Missouri to try Thursday to secure an indictment, Lowell said. The latest failure was a “pretty big embarrassment” for both Trump and the DOJ, the CNN host noted, given how rare it is for a grand jury to refuse to indict. Asked if there was any indication why the grand jury refused to indict, Lowell said more information about the secret proceedings might come out over the next few days. “We filed a motion that probably had seven single-spaced pages of statements President Trump has made to go after [James],” she said. “If they re-indict or if they try to up it again and they keep trying, and again, all they’re doing is making our motion stronger and stronger.” James said in a statement Thursday, “As I have said from the start, the charges against me are baseless. It is time for this unchecked weaponization of our justice system to stop.” “I am grateful to the members of the grand jury and humbled by the support I have received from across the country,” she added. “Now, I will continue to do my job standing up for the rule of law and the people of New York.” https://www.thedailybeast.com/powerhouse-attorney-abbe-lowell-hammers-pam-bondis-doj-over-unprecedented-letitia-james-humiliation/?

Republican Secretly Gives Mike Johnson Bombshell Warning as MAGA Mutiny Spirals GOP lawmakers are increasingly furious with the House Speaker’s leadership. House Republicans are privately fuming at Speaker Mike Johnson over his failure to lead on issues such as the cost-of-living crisis and skyrocketing healthcare premiums, according to CNN. GOP lawmakers were already on edge over voters’ economic concerns, President Donald Trump’s falling approval ratings, and Democrats’ success last month in a slate of crucial statewide races—not to mention the administration’s efforts to block the release of the Jeffrey Epstein files and the president’s risky nationwide gerrymandering campaign. This week, they received yet another wake-up call after the Republican candidate in a special election in bright-red Tennessee vastly underperformed against his progressive challenger, winning by just single digits. Privately, a GOP lawmaker told Johnson, 53, his leadership was “slipping away,” and that frustration was “boiling over” among the members of his caucus, CNN reported. “Morale has never been lower,” the lawmaker, whose identity was not revealed, told Johnson. House members returned from their Thanksgiving break expecting to vote on a bill that would show Republicans are taking their constituents’ economic concerns seriously, according to CNN. Instead, they were told the week’s main legislative effort would involve regulating college athletics. In the meantime, Republicans still don’t have a plan for bringing down healthcare costs after the latest GOP spending bill cut nearly $1 trillion in Medicaid spending and failed to extend health insurance subsidies under the Affordable Care Act. Premiums for about 22 million Americans will skyrocket next year after the ACA credits expire, with the average recipient seeing their premiums double. Although Johnson keeps saying he’s working on a plan, some House members are frustrated because they don’t see any progress. GOP Rep. Carlos Gimenez insisted to CNN that he had confidence in the speaker. Johnson promised on Thursday to unveil a plan next week, but many members of his own party still have no idea what it will include. They also worry that it’s too late to pass legislation by the end of the year, and unless the plan includes some version of extending the enhanced subsidies—which is seen as unlikely—millions of Americans could be priced out of their healthcare plans. “We’re trying to get consensus on it. It’s a complicated matter. Lots of opinions on it,” Johnson told reporters. The Daily Beast has reached out to Johnson’s office for comment. GOP lawmakers are frustrated that the House has been “missing in action,” as one California representative put it, thanks in part to Johnson’s willingness to cede power to Trump, CNN reported. Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie, who has clashed repeatedly with the president, accused Johnson of being a “rubber stamp” for Trump, and warned that a flood of Republican retirement announcements was coming. “You have a lot of intelligent, hard-working people who gave up a lot of things to be here in Congress, only to find out that all they get to do is come here and rubber-stamp whatever Donald Trump wants, and that’s kind of humiliating,” he told CNN. “That’s why you have so many people running for statewide office and retirements being announced, because nobody wants to be a rubber stamp. You could get a monkey to do this job,” he added. https://www.thedailybeast.com/republican-secretly-gives-mike-johnson-bombshell-warning-as-maga-mutiny-spirals/?

Trump said the award was “truly one of the great honors of my life” in a speech where he bragged about World Cup ticket sales immediately after touting the wars he claimed he solved. “The world is a safer place now,” Trump said. “The United States one year ago was not doing too well, and now I have to say we’re the hottest country anywhere in the world, and we’re going to keep it that way.” Trump was welcomed onto the stage at the Kennedy Center by FIFA President Gianni Infantino, where he immediately put on the medal as the top soccer organization official sang his praises. “You definitely deserve the first FIFA Peace Prize for your action, for what you have obtained in your way, but you have obtained it in an incredible way. ” Infantino said. “You can always count as a president on my support.” Ahead of the announcement, Trump insisted he had not been told he would receive the prize, but he said it would be a great honor. He also bragged about solving eight wars with “another one coming.” The “FIFA Peace Prize–Football Unites the World” was created in the weeks after it was announced that Trump was not being given this year’s Nobel Peace Prize. Trump, 79, had conducted an all-out campaign to receive that long-coveted prize and remains deeply bitter that it slipped through his grasp this time. He continues to bring it up, including earlier this week. Infantino even called for Trump to win the Nobel Peace Prize, but after the snub, Infantino came up with his own award to give the president he has wooed for months. FIFA announced its peace prize last month, which it said would be given annually to individuals who have taken “exceptional and extraordinary actions for peace.” Infantino has worked to ingratiate himself with the president at nearly every opportunity since Trump returned to office. He has gushed over Trump and brought along trophies for the gold-loving president to hold and admire during their appearances together in the Oval Office. The president also took center stage at the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup on July 13 where he stood in the middle of Chelsea players as they hoisted the trophy into the air. Infantino was even seen handing a spare winners’ medal to Trump after the team received them, which he pocketed. On Thursday, the president happily greeted Infantino when he spotted him in the audience at his event at the Institute of Peace. Trump went on to boast about World Cup ticket sales. Infantino was also in attendance for Trump’s inauguration and the Sharm El-Sheikh peace summit in Egypt in October. The president has wholeheartedly embraced the planning of the World Cup, which will hold games in the U.S. as well as in Mexico and Canada. He even established a task force to make sure it runs smoothly, led by Andrew Giuliani, the son of his former lawyer, Rudy Giuliani. Friday’s World Cup draw event was a star-studded affair. with Heidi Klum and Kevin Hart co-hosting the final draw. Performances included some of Trump’s favorite artists, including Andrea Bocelli and the Village People, as well as Robbie Williams and Nicole Scherzinger. https://www.thedailybeast.com/trump-gets-fake-peace-prize-at-tacky-kennedy-center-takeover/? ps:What does Solomon have to say about this? "Vanity of vanities," says the Preacher; "Vanity of vanities, all is vanity."

US vaccine advisers say not all babies need a hepatitis B shot at birth NEW YORK (AP) — A federal vaccine advisory committee voted on Friday to end the longstanding recommendation that all U.S. babies get the hepatitis B vaccine on the day they’re born. https://apnews.com/article/vaccines-babies-hepatitis-b-10f8db54beb38c5cd39a94f8a3657752?

Lithuanian court convicts the leader of a governing party of inciting hatred against Jews VILNIUS, Lithuania (AP) — A Lithuanian court on Thursday convicted the leader of one of the parties in the country’s coalition government for making antisemitic comments and fined him 5,000 euros (about $5,800). https://apnews.com/article/lithuania-court-antisemitism-coalition-zemaitaitis-conviction-29e66a87c858671b835a5189f5266e8f?

West Virginia again bans religious reasons for school vaccine exemptions West Virginia’s Supreme Court has reinstated a ban on parents citing their religious beliefs to opt out of required school vaccines for their children. The Supreme Court acted six days after a county circuit judge issued an injunction in a lawsuit filed in June. The judge had said children of families who objected to the state’s compulsory vaccination law on religious grounds would be allowed to attend school. Read more. Key points: West Virginia was among just a handful of states that granted only medical exemptions from school vaccinations when Gov. Patrick Morrisey issued an executive order in January allowing religious exemptions. Morrisey’s authority to issue the order was challenged in a lawsuit. The state’s school vaccination policy has been heralded by medical experts as one of the most protective in the U.S. for children. It requires children to receive vaccines for numerous diseases – including chickenpox, measles, mumps, polio and tetanus – before starting school. At least 30 states have religious freedom laws modeled after the federal Religious Freedom Restoration Act, which allows federal regulations that interfere with religious beliefs to be challenged. RELATED COVERAGE ➤ West Virginia parents can cite religious beliefs to opt out of school vaccines, judge says Groups sue over West Virginia governor’s order on religious exemptions for school vaccines West Virginia GOP governor signs ‘religious freedom’ bill

Vatican commission again says no to ordaining women as deacons; recommends other ministries A second Vatican study commission has determined that women should not be ordained as deacons. The Vatican took the unusual step of publishing a synthesis of the commission’s findings, including the members’ votes on specific theological questions. The conclusion left open the possibility for further study but proposed instead the creation of new lay ministries to give women more participation in the life of the church. Read more. Why this matters: Catholic women do much of the church’s work in schools and hospitals and are usually responsible for passing the faith to the next generation. Some have complained of their second-class status. Deacons are ordained ministers who perform many of the same functions as priests, presiding at weddings, baptisms and funerals. They can preach but cannot celebrate Mass. For male seminarians, the diaconate is a transitional ministry on their way to being ordained as priests. Married men can also be ordained as permanent deacons. Women cannot, although historians say women served as deacons in the early Christian church. RELATED COVERAGE ➤ Pope cancels Holy See fundraising commission announced under questionable circumstances Pope Leo XIV's first full-length US book, 'Peace Be with You,' to be released in February Pope Leo shares his thoughts on the conclave, reflects on spirituality and future travels

A single hostage's remains in Gaza after identification of Thai worker's remains Israeli and Thai officials say remains that militants in Gaza handed to Israel were those of a Thai agricultural worker killed during the 2023 attack that started the war. The return of Sudthisak Rinthalak’s remains leaves remains of a single hostage, Israeli Ran Gvili, to be returned in the first phase of the ceasefire deal. Read more. Key points: The subsequent phases under a U.S.-drafted, U.N.-backed plan for Gaza remain deeply uncertain. There has been no word on how provisions for Hamas’ disarmament will be carried out, or how a planned international security force will be established. Sudthisak had been employed at Kibbutz Be’eri in southern Israel. Thais make up a large part of Israel’s agricultural workforce. They were the largest group of foreigners taken captive by militants in the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas-led attack. Israeli Ran Gvili is now the last hostage whose remains have yet to be returned. Gvili was an Israeli police officer killed at Kibbutz Alumim as he fought to protect residents and save Israelis fleeing gunmen at the nearby Nova music festival. RELATED COVERAGE ➤ The last hostage in Gaza was captured while fighting to save a kibbutz At least 4 countries pull out of 2026 Eurovision contest as Israel’s participation sows discord What Israel’s plan to reopen the Rafah border crossing means for Palestinians in Gaza

🎉 Yahoo! It's Friday! You made it. In today's edition: The World Cup draw is here, Lions beat Cowboys on TNF, Weekend Watchlist, how the ACC could miss the CFP, Kroenke's sports empire is thriving, and more. Yahoo Sports AM is written by Kendall Baker and Jeff Tracy. Let's sports...   🚨 ICYMI HEADLINES 🏀 LeBron's streak ends: LeBron James scored fewer than 10 points for the first time since 2007, snapping his mind-blowing streak after 1,297 straight games of double-digit scoring. Michael Jordan has the second-longest streak ever (866) and Kevin Durant now has the longest active one (267). Typical LeBron: James had a chance to keep the streak going on Thursday night, with eight points and the ball as time ran out in a tie game. But instead of taking the shot himself, he made the extra pass and found Rui Hachimura in the corner for a game-winning buzzer-beater. 🏈 Vandy's last-ditch effort: No. 14 Vanderbilt reportedly explored the possibility of playing a 13th game this weekend in an effort to boost their odds of making the College Football Playoff. As it stands, the Commodores have next to no chance of making the 12-team field. 🏀 Giannis out 2-4 weeks: Hours after reports surfaced that the Bucks and Giannis Antetokounmpo were discussing his future with the team, the two-time MVP went down with a non-contact calf strain that's expected to sideline him for 2-4 weeks. 🏈 Coaching carousel: James Madison is hiring former Florida head coach Billy Napier, who was fired midseason; Penn State is reportedly focused on Iowa State's Matt Campbell. 🥊 Class of 2026: Gennadiy "GGG" Golovkin, Antonio "Magic Man" Tarver and Nigel "The Dark Destroyer" Benn headline the International Boxing Hall of Fame's Class of 2026. They'll be inducted in June at the Hall of Fame in Canastota, New York, 30 miles east of Syracuse.   ⚽️ GLOBAL GAME THE WORLD CUP DRAW IS HERE (Amy Monks/Yahoo Sports) The draw for the 2026 World Cup is this afternoon (12pm ET, Fox) at The Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., where each participating nation will learn their group stage opponents for next summer's tournament in the U.S., Canada and Mexico. How it works: The record 48-team field, currently split into four pots of 12, will be drawn into 12 groups of four that will compete against each other in the opening round-robin. 42 nations have already qualified, with the final six set to be determined via playoff in March. From Yahoo Sports' Steven Goff: The World Cup draw will bring together coaches and officials from qualified teams, diplomats and politicians, celebrity guests, former soccer stars and current and former non-soccer athletes. It will rekindle the bromance between the bosses of soccer and the host country, with FIFA president Gianni Infantino expected to award U.S. President Donald Trump with a peace prize that, until last month, did not exist. It will throw a bone to a nation's capital, which, in a World Cup rarity, was passed over as a match venue because of an inadequate stadium. And if that's not enough, if a global TV audience demands even more from the drawn-out festivities beyond Kevin Hart, Robbie Williams, Tom Brady, Shaquille O'Neal, Wayne Gretzky and Aaron Judge, there is … The Village People. (But will they improvise "Y-M-C-A" into "F-I-F-A?") Oh yes, there is the soccer aspect, too. For the unengaged American observer, it's Selection Sunday for the NCAA basketball tournament but with greater unpredictability, far more wrinkles and a much longer runway to the competition. Soccer fans worldwide will debate the groups and pathways to the knockout stage until the June 11 grand opening at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City.   📸 SNAPSHOTS THROUGH THE LENS Gibbs jogs out of the tunnel before the game. (Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) 🇺🇸 Detroit, Michigan — The Lions overwhelmed the Cowboys in Thursday's 44-30 victory behind another huge game from Jahmyr Gibbs (120 yards, 3 TD), putting Detroit (8-5) just a game out of the playoffs and sending Dallas (6-6-1) back to the brink of postseason irrelevancy. Jahmyr matches Barry: Gibbs has now scored a staggering 47 touchdowns in his first 45 career games, tying Barry Sanders for the most before turning 24 in NFL history. And he's still got four games left to pass him. (Angelos Tzortzinis/AFP via Getty Images) 🇬🇷 Athens, Greece — Greek rower Stefanos Ntouskos lights a cauldron with the Olympic flame in front of the Parthenon during the Olympic torch relay on Wednesday. Countdown to Milan Cortina: The Opening Ceremony for the 2026 Winter Games is just 63 days away on February 6 (though curling actually begins two days earlier). (Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images) 🇧🇸 Albany, Bahamas — Scottie Scheffler plays his first tee shot during Wednesday's practice round at Albany Golf Course ahead of the Hero World Challenge, an unofficial PGA Tour event hosted by Tiger Woods. Leaderboard: Scheffler, naturally, is among the leaders entering the second round after shooting a 6-under 66 on Thursday. He's tied at the top with four others (Akshay Bhatia, Wyndham Clark, J.J. Spaun, Sepp Straka) in the limited field of 20 golfers. (Alex Grimm/Getty Images) 🇩🇪 Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany — A Freiburg supporter waits in the stadium for the DFB Cup Round of 16 match between Sport-Club Freiburg and SV Darmstadt 98 at Europa-Park Stadion. Eight teams left: Germany's annual domestic cup has reached the quarterfinals, where Bayern Munich — undefeated in league play this season — are favorites to emerge with their record 21st title. No other club has more than six.   📺 VIEWING GUIDE WEEKEND WATCHLIST The Power 4 championships are all on Saturday. (Henry Russell/Yahoo Sports) 🏈 FBS Conference Championships All nine FBS conferences play their championship games this weekend. Four will take place tonight, with games hosted by the higher-ranked teams. The other five will take place tomorrow at NFL stadiums. CUSA: Kennesaw State at Jacksonville State (Fri. 7pm ET, CBSSN) Sun Belt: Troy at No. 25 James Madison (Fri. 7pm, ESPN) American: No. 24 North Texas at No. 20 Tulane (Fri. 8pm, ABC) Mountain West: UNLV at Boise State (Fri. 8pm, Fox) Big 12: No. 4 Texas Tech vs. No. 11 BYU (Sat. 12pm, ABC) … AT&T Stadium (Cowboys) MAC: Miami-Ohio vs. Western Michigan (Sat. 12pm, ESPN) … Ford Field (Lions) SEC: No. 3 Georgia vs. No. 9 Alabama (Sat. 4pm, ABC) … Mercedes-Benz Stadium (Falcons) Big Ten: No. 1 Ohio State vs. No. 2 Indiana (Sat. 8pm, Fox) … Lucas Oil Stadium (Colts) ACC: No. 17 Virginia vs. Duke (Sat. 8pm, ABC) … Bank of America Stadium (Panthers) What's at stake: The five highest-ranked winners of these nine games following Sunday's final CFP rankings reveal will earn an automatic berth in the 12-team playoff. ⚽️ MLS Cup Final Inter Miami hosts the Vancouver Whitecaps in Saturday's MLS championship (2:30pm, Fox/Apple) as both clubs seek their first title. Messi vs. Müller: Miami's Lionel Messi and Vancouver's Thomas Müller will face off for the 11th time in their storied careers, with Müller holding a significant 7-3 advantage. Their presence in this final also means that, no matter what, someone will walk away from this game as the first player to have won both a World Cup and an MLS Cup.* *Messi won the 2022 World Cup with Argentina while Müller won in 2014 with Germany. Two other players could join the club, too: Miami's Sergio Busquets won the 2010 World Cup with Spain and Miami's Rodrigo de Paul won alongside Messi in 2022. 🏈 NFL Week 14 Sunday's slate is headlined by three critical divisional matchups in which the winner will claim sole possession of first place with four games left. AFC South: Colts at Jaguars (1pm, CBS) … Indy and Jacksonville are both 8-4. AFC North: Steelers at Ravens (1pm, CBS) … Pittsburgh and Baltimore are both 6-6. NFC North: Bears at Packers (4:25pm, Fox) … Chicago (9-3) leads Green Bay (8-3-1) by a half-game. Best of the rest: The 8-4 Bills, currently holding the AFC's final playoff spot, host the 4-8 Bengals (1pm, Fox); The 6-6 Chiefs, who may need to run the table for a shot at the postseason, host the 7-5 Texans (8:20pm, NBC). 🏎️ F1 Season Finale Three drivers are still alive for the championship entering Sunday's Abu Dhabi Grand Prix (8am, ESPN2) — the 24th and final race of the F1 season. McLaren's Lando Norris (408 points) controls his own destiny, but Red Bull's Max Verstappen (396) and McLaren's Oscar Piastri (392) can still catch him, though Piastri is an extreme long shot. Verstappen will win the title if… He wins the race and Norris finishes outside the top three; or he finishes second and Norris finishes eighth or lower; or he finishes third and Norris finishes ninth or lower. If Verstappen misses the podium, he cannot win the title. 🏀 NCAA Men's Basketball It's heaven on the hardwood this weekend with six ranked matchups: No. 11 Gonzaga at No. 18 Kentucky (Fri. 7pm, ESPN2); No. 10 Iowa State at No. 1 Purdue (Sat. 12pm, CBS); No. 4 Duke at No. 7 Michigan State (Sat. 12pm, Fox); No. 6 Louisville at No. 22 Indiana (Sat. 2pm, CBS); No. 14 Illinois at No. 13 Tennessee (Sat. 8pm, ESPN); No. 20 Auburn at No. 2 Arizona (Sat. 10pm, ESPN). Player of the Year? Preseason All-American Braden Smith has been lights out for top-ranked Purdue, becoming just the third player in the last three decades to go 8-0 with 100+ points, 70+ assists and 15+ made threes through eight games. He also dropped one of the smoothest dimes you'll see all season in Tuesday's win over Rutgers. ⚽️ NCAA Soccer Championships The Men's Tournament has reached the Elite Eight and the Women's Tournament has reached the College Cup (Final Four), which is being held at CPKC Stadium, home of the NWSL's Kansas City Current. Men: No. 7 Georgetown vs. No. 15 NC State (Fri. 6pm, ESPN+); No. 8 Portland vs. No. 16 Furman (Fri. 10pm, ESPN+); No. 4 Maryland vs. Washington (Sat. 1pm, ESPN+); No. 14 Akron vs. Saint Louis (Sat. 1pm, ESPN+) Women: No. 2 TCU vs. No. 3 Florida State (Fri. 6pm, ESPNU); No. 1 Stanford vs. No. 2 Duke (Fri. 8:45pm, ESPNU) … Winners meet on Monday in the championship. More to watch: 🏀 NBA: Lakers at Celtics (Fri. 7pm, Prime); Mavericks at Thunder (Fri. 9:30pm, Prime); Warriors at Cavaliers (Sat. 7:30pm, NBA) … OKC's only loss this season (21-1) came by two points. We're officially on 74-win watch. 🏒 NHL: Golden Knights at Devils (Fri. 7pm, NHL); Avalanche at Flyers (Sun. 1pm, NHL) … Colorado (19-2-6) has just two regulation losses all season. No other team has fewer than five. 🏀 NCAAW: Purdue at No. 6 Michigan (Sun. 12pm, BTN); DePaul at No. 1 UConn (Sun. 1pm, FS1); Oregon at No. 4 UCLA (Sun. 3pm, FS1); No. 21 Washington at No. 16 USC (Sun. 8pm, BTN) ⚽️ Premier League: Aston Villa vs. Arsenal (Sat. 7:30am, USA); Manchester City vs. Sunderland (Sat. 10am, Peacock) … Top-six matchups. 🏐 NCAA Volleyball Championships: First and Second Round (Fri-Sat, ESPN+) … The field will be cut to 16 by Saturday night. ⛳️ PGA: Hero World Challenge (Fri-Sun, Peacock/Golf/NBC) … The 20-player event continues at Albany Golf Club in The Bahamas. 🏊 Swimming: U.S. Open Championships (Fri-Sat, Peacock) … The year's final major long-course meet concludes in Austin, Texas. 👊 MMA: UFC 323 (Sat. 10pm, ESPN+ PPV) … Merab Dvalishvili and Petr Yan's bantamweight title fight headlines the card in Las Vegas. ❄️ The Snow League: China (Fri-Sat, Peacock) … 36 snowboarders and 16 freeskiers will compete in the second event of Shaun White's winter sports league, which kicked off this past March in Aspen.   🏈 12-TEAM PLAYOFF COULD THE ACC MISS OUT ON THE CFP? Virginia beat Duke, 34-17, in their first matchup last month. (Lance King/Getty Images) The ACC has produced three of the last 12 college football national champions. This year, thanks to bad losses, bad coaching and a bonkers five-team tiebreaker, the league is in very real danger of missing the College Football Playoff entirely. State of play: The 12-team playoff includes seven at-large teams and five automatic qualifiers designated for the five highest-ranked conference champions. The five AQs are often misunderstood as being designated to the four power league champions, plus the highest-ranked non-power league champion. But that's not the case. The outlook: If No. 17 Virginia beats unranked Duke in Saturday's ACC title game, they'll get the fourth AQ bid and the No. 11 seed, while the winner in the American (No. 20 Tulane vs. No. 24 North Texas) will get the fifth AQ bid and the No. 12 seed. But if Duke wins… and No. 25 JMU beats Troy in the Sun Belt title game… the fifth and final AQ bid would almost certainly go to the 12-1 Dukes (ironic name) over the 8-5 Blue Devils. From Yahoo Sports' Jay Busbee: The ACC is one bad game away from scrapping with the American and Sun Belt conferences for slots in the CFP. All due respect to the American and Sun Belt, but they aren't exactly the conference of Bobby Bowden, Duke-Carolina and The U. The conference might still slide in via the at-large route; Miami sits at No. 12 in the CFP rankings and is idle this weekend. A loss by No. 11 BYU in the Big 12 championship would set up a head-to-head comparison with No. 10 Notre Dame, which Miami beat earlier this season. And if No. 9 Alabama gets its crimson doors blown off in the SEC championship, that could open another spot in the CFP bracket. Absent that possibility, though, the chances of an ACC lockout ride on the 3.5-point favorite Cavaliers. The entire conference will be rooting so hard for Virginia that Duke might as well be an out-of-conference opponent.   🏆 PAST CHAMPS WORLD CUP TRIVIA (Franck Fife/AFP via Getty Images) With the draw for the 23rd FIFA World Cup coming later today, it's worth looking back at the first 22 editions, which have featured just eight winning nations. Question: Can you name all eight? Hint: Five Europe, three South America. Answer at the bottom.   👑 TITLE FAVORITES THE KROENKE EMPIRE IS THRIVING Stan Kroenke. (Ronald Martinez/Getty Images) What do the Los Angeles Rams, Denver Nuggets, Colorado Avalanche and Arsenal Football Club have in common? They're all owned by Kroenke Sports & Entertainment (KSE), the holding company* started in 1999 by businessman Stan Kroenke, the 113th-richest person in the world. What else do they have in common? They're all thriving. Kroenke teams are currently favored to win the Super Bowl (Rams), Stanley Cup (Avalanche), English Premier League (Arsenal) and Champions League (Arsenal), and the Nuggets have the second-best odds to win the NBA title. The great empire: In the age of sports empires, KSE is king, sporting a valuation of $21.2 billion, according to CNBC. That puts them well ahead of other multi-team conglomerates like Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment (Commanders, 76ers, Devils, Crystal Palace) at $14.6 billion and Fenway Sports Group (Red Sox, Liverpool, Penguins) at $14.2 billion. *KSE holdings: In addition to the Rams, Nuggets, Avalanche and Arsenal, Kroenke Sports & Entertainment also owns the Colorado Rapids (MLS), Colorado Mammoth (NLL) and Arsenal Women's Football Club (WSL). The company also owns each team's home stadium, including SoFi Stadium (home of the Rams and Chargers), as well as Altitude TV (Denver-area sports network) and Skycam (camera system).   Trivia answer: Brazil (5 World Cup wins), Germany (4), Italy (4), Argentina (3), France (2), Uruguay (2), England (1), Spain (1)

Netflix to acquire Warner Bros. studio and streaming business for $72 billion NEW YORK (AP) — Netflix struck a deal Friday to buy Warner Bros. Discovery, the Hollywood giant behind “Harry Potter” and HBO Max, in a $72 billion deal that would bring together two of the biggest players in television and film and potentially reshape the entertainment industry. https://apnews.com/article/netflix-warner-acquisition-studio-hbo-streaming-f4884402cadfd07a99af0c8e4353bd83?

Bongino Makes Jaw-Dropping Admission About His Unhinged Conspiracies “I was paid in the past for my opinions,” former podcaster explained on Fox News. FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino has publicly distanced himself from his own conspiracy rhetoric, offering a striking walk-back of claims he made before joining the agency’s leadership. Bongino, who was sworn in earlier this year, was pressed by Fox News host Sean Hannity about his past claim that the FBI was complicit in planting pipe bombs near the Republican National Committee and Democratic National Committee ahead of the Capitol riots of Jan. 6, 2021. Bongino responded by admitting something shocking. “I was paid in the past for my opinions, that’s clear, and one day I’ll be back in that space,” Bongino declared. “But that’s not what I’m paid for now. I’m paid to be your deputy director, and we base investigations on facts.”His transformation comes at a sensitive moment for the bureau. Just hours earlier, federal agents arrested Brian Cole Jr., 30, of Woodbridge, Virginia, who investigators believe planted the two explosive devices. Cole has been charged with transporting an explosive device in interstate commerce and malicious destruction by means of explosion. Nobody was hurt by the bombs, but both devices could have been deadly if authorities had not been able to disarm them in time, according to the FBI. The arrest directly undercuts Bongino’s earlier assertions. On his podcast in January—just months before taking office—he called the pipe-bomb case “the biggest scandal in FBI history” and alleged, without evidence, that the agency “knew” the identity of the bomber. He also claimed the devices were planted “to create a narrative that crazy MAGA people are trying to assassinate Kamala Harris.” On Fox News, Bongino insisted the bureau would now move forward based solely on verified information. “We’re going to be guided by the facts as this thing goes forward,” he said. The comments mark a rare public attempt by an FBI leader to walk back conspiracy-adjacent claims about an active investigation. As a podcaster, Bongino built an entire brand on turbocharged conspiracies. He routinely pushed baseless claims that the 2020 election was “stolen,” elevating debunked voter-fraud theories. He cast the federal government as a shadowy “deep state” cabal out to persecute conservatives, insisting that agencies like the FBI and Justice Department were weaponized against Donald Trump and his allies. During the pandemic, he amplified COVID-19 misinformation while railing against vaccine mandates, despite being vaccinated himself. He also floated the idea of hammering political opponents with treason charges and using federal power to punish critics, from intelligence officials to President Joe Biden. The FBI has been contacted for comment. https://www.thedailybeast.com/bongino-makes-jaw-dropping-admission-about-his-unhinged-conspiracies/?

Fox News Host Confronts Top Trump Goon With Catastrophic Polling Kevin Hassett scrambled to contend with the numbers right in front of his face. Top Trump economic adviser Kevin Hassett got an uncomfortable reality check on Fox News Thursday as an unusually persistent anchor laid down the facts. Martha MacCallum told Hassett that Americans are searching for answers on affordability like never before, and most are pinning the blame squarely on President Donald Trump. MacCallum played a clip of CNN’s Harry Enten highlighting a surge in Google searches for “affordability,” up 110 percent compared to last year, and noting that cost-of-living concerns now outrank nearly every other issue, including the economy itself. “He won on affordability and the cost of living in 2024—and he has completely lost the plot,” Enten said. Hassett, director of the National Economic Council, tried to push back, insisting, “No, he absolutely has not,” and framing the conversation around what Trump calls the “Democrats’ affordability hoax.” He claimed inflation under President Joe Biden slashed Americans’ purchasing power by an average of $3,000 and suggested that under Trump, people had already gained $1,200 in purchasing power this year. MacCallum pressed on, noting that wage growth still lags behind inflation. Hassett maintained his talking points, arguing the government shutdown and other factors were skewing perception. Then came the hammer blow: 76 percent of respondents rated the current state of the economy “only fair” or “poor,” and 62 percent said Trump was more responsible for the country’s financial malaise than Biden. “What would you say to people who are answering the survey that way?” MacCallum asked. Hassett pivoted to a mix of optimism and vague projections, citing holiday shopping trends and assurances from Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent that growth would improve in the first half of next year. The exchange highlighted a stark gap between Trump administration messaging and voter sentiment. Even on a pro-Trump network, Hassett had to face polling showing the president faltering on affordability, the issue that powered his 2024 victory. https://www.thedailybeast.com/fox-news-host-hits-trump-goon-with-catastrophic-polling-on-air/?

Damning Leaked Figures Show ICE Barbie Is Failing to Arrest the ‘Worst of the Worst’ The Trump-ordered raids appear to be missing their claimed target. Leaked Immigration and Customs Enforcement data show that nearly three-quarters of detainees have no criminal conviction, undermining President Donald Trump’s promise to remove “millions and millions of criminal aliens.” The figures, leaked to the libertarian Cato Institute, expose the gulf between the administration’s rhetoric and results, as Trump’s top enforcer, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, insists the dragnet is targeting America’s “worst of the worst.” Since Oct. 1, 73 percent of people booked into ICE custody had no criminal conviction, while nearly half had neither a conviction nor pending charges, according to the Cato analysis. Just 5 percent had a violent conviction. ICE detained almost as many people for immigration offenses—such as illegal entry or re-entry—as for violent crimes. The vast majority of people booked into ICE detention had no convictions. Cato Insititute Cato’s director of immigration studies, David Bier, said: “President Trump’s deportation agenda does not match the campaign promises that he made, nor the rhetoric from his officials. The agenda is taking resources away from targeting true public safety threats, whether from immigrants or Americans. ICE should redirect its resources back toward serious public safety threats.” Separate figures obtained by CBS News for Border Patrol’s latest operation in North Carolina suggest it is facing similar problems. Addressing the data, the agency’s lead commander for its operations in Chicago and Charlotte, Gregory Bovino, who earlier this month was declared by a judge to be a liar after he falsely claimed he was hit in the head with a rock before lobbing tear gas at protesters, said to Bier on X, “Many immigration offenses are felonies and should be counted. Traffic offenses such as DWI sure as hell count. “Thousands of dead Americans attention to that [sic]. You know, the dead Americans you ignore while you’re busy choosing illegal aliens over US citizens.” Cato noted that the shift in arrests began after April 26, 2025, when the White House leaned harder into mass detentions. Compared with the October 2024–April 2025 period, 80 percent of the surge in daily ICE book-ins since October has come from people with no criminal convictions. Other datasets back those patterns. A Freedom of Information Act release reviewed by the Deportation Data Project at UC Berkeley Law and UCLA School of Law found that by late July, 67 percent of ICE arrests were of people without criminal convictions, and nearly 40 percent had no convictions or charges. Under President Joe Biden, just one in 10 arrests involved people with no criminal history, the researchers reported. The scale of the increase is stark, with ICE arrests of immigrants without criminal convictions ballooning 571 percent from January, while arrests of people with no conviction and no charge jumped 1,500 percent, according to the FOIA dataset. The graph shows off spikes in arrests in January and June. Cato Insititute ICE’s own public-facing detention dashboard paints a similar picture. By mid-November, 69 percent of ICE detainees arrested by ICE officers had no criminal conviction, and 40 percent had no charge at all. Meanwhile, detainees who had criminal convictions but no pending charges skyrocketed from fewer than 1,000 in January to more than 21,000—a 2,370 percent increase. ICE data show the share of people detained after an ICE arrest who have criminal convictions has dropped from 62 percent in January to 31 percent in November, while those held with no conviction or charge have jumped from six percent to 40 percent. Deportation figures follow the same pattern. In November 2025, ICE’s data show that 70 percent of people it removed had no criminal convictions, and 43 percent had neither a conviction nor a pending charge. ICE removals from detention between Nov. 1 and Nov. 16, 2025. Cato Insititute CBS News reported that only one-third of Border Patrol arrests in Charlotte, North Carolina, during Trump’s high-profile “Green Army” deployment involved people with criminal histories. A DHS spokesperson said the figures cited by CBS News were “likely inaccurate” but did not provide any alternate breakdown of criminality beyond what appeared in the document. The department did, though, finally release some meaningful figures of its own. After months of offering only percentage increases, Noem posted on X that there had been a 1,153 percent increase in assaults on agents between Jan. 21 and Nov. 21 this year. She said that figure represented 238 reported assaults against ICE law enforcement compared to 19 during the same period last year. “President Trump and I will always stand with the men and women of @ICEgov who risk their lives every single day to arrest the worst of the worst.” Noem posted about the number of assaults on ICE agents. X The Daily Beast contacted the White House for comment. DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said that “70 percent of illegal aliens ICE arrested across the country have criminal convictions or pending criminal charges just in the U.S.,” and that that didn’t “account for those wanted for violent crimes in their home country or another country, INTERPOL notices, human rights abusers, gang members, terrorists, etc.” https://www.thedailybeast.com/damning-leaked-figures-show-ice-barbie-kristi-noem-is-totally-failing-to-arrest-the-worst-of-the-worst/