Trump Picks New Attorney General After Gaetz Steps Down Amid Scandal
Plus, international court's arrest warrants for Netanyahu, Gallant & 'Wicked' premiere
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📌 GAETZ QUICKLY REPLACED AS TRUMP’S ATTORNEY GENERAL PICK AFTER BOMBSHELL HOUSE LEAK
Hours after former Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz (FL) withdrew from attorney general consideration yesterday, President-elect Donald Trump named Florida’s former Attorney General Pam Bondi for the nation's top legal job.
A longtime Trump ally, Bondi was one of Trump’s lawyers during his first impeachment trial.
Since then, she has been a chair at the America First Policy Institute, a think tank set up by former Trump administration staffers.
Bondi was Florida’s first female attorney general, and spent more than 18 years as a prosecutor.
GAETZ WITHDRAWAL
Just over a week after Trump selected Gaetz, the Florida congressman admitted his confirmation was “unfairly becoming a distraction.” The announcement came a day after the House Ethics Committee voted along party lines not to release the results of its investigation into sexual misconduct allegations against Gaetz. That did not stopped leaks, though.
The New York Times obtained a diagram that federal investigators used to map out payments between Gaetz, his associates and women he paid for sex. Most names and images were redacted by the Times.
One document showed that federal investigators established a network of payments — mostly made through Venmo — from Gaetz to women, including some who testified that he paid them for sex.
It revealed a web of thousands of dollars in payments between Gaetz, a group of his friends, and women who they had drug-fueled sex parties with, according to testimony. The payments were made between 2017 and 2020; Gaetz was elected to Congress in 2016 and resigned just days ago. The chart does not say what the payments were for.
The other central node on the chart is Gaetz’s associate and friend Joel Greenberg, who was sentenced to 11 years in prison for sex trafficking and other charges after pleading guilty in 2021.
Greenberg told authorities that the two men both had sex with a 17-year-old when Gaetz was a member of Congress. The chart shows that Greenberg paid the 17-year-old girl $450, but does not connect Gaetz directly to her.
A hacker also leaked access to testimony from that woman, now in her mid-20s, who confirmed she had sexual encounters with Gaetz at a party in 2017. Gaetz has denied the allegations.
ROUGH HEADWINDS
Even before the leaks, Gaetz was facing a tough Senate confirmation process. An estimated 30 or more Republican senators privately told reporters they thought he was unqualified for the job.
Trump responded to Gaetz’s withdrawal by saying that he “greatly appreciate[d] the recent efforts of Matt Gaetz in seeking approval to be Attorney General” and that the 42-year-old “has a wonderful future, and I look forward to watching all of the great things he will do!”
What’s next? Almost immediately after Trump selected Gaetz to lead the Department of Justice, the Florida representative resigned from the 118th Congress. His resignation prompted Republicans to block the Ethics report’s release.
However, Gaetz was just elected in November to the 119th Congress. That means he might be coming back to Capitol Hill. Florida’s governor has not scheduled a special election for the seat yet.
If he does return, there’s a higher chance the findings from the House investigation will be released. The Ethics Committee is set to meet about the report again next month, before the next term begins. If he doesn’t return, there’s talk that he is considering a run for Governor of Florida in 2026.
📌 INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL COURT ISSUES ARREST WARRANTS FOR ISRAEL’S LEADERS
The International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former defense minister Yoav Gallant on Thursday “for crimes against humanity and war crimes” related to Israel’s military operations in the Gaza Strip over the last year.
The court accused Netanyahu and Gallant of using starvation as a method of war, as well as using “murder, persecution, and other inhumane acts” as part of their war against Hamas in Gaza.
A global first: This is the first time the world’s top war-crimes court has ever issued an arrest warrant against a democratically-elected leader.
The ICC also issued a warrant for Hamas’ military leader Mohammed Deif, who Israeli authorities say was killed in July. Prosecutors were unable to confirm his death.
WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?
If Netanyahu or Gallant visit any of the court’s 124 member nations, including most of Europe, they could be arrested by local authorities — the ICC does not have its own police.
Israel and the US view the court at biased and are not members of the ICC, so Netanyahu and Gallant won’t face risk of arrest at home or in the US.
CRITICISM OF THE CALL
The White House issued a statement condemning the ICC announcement. Mike Waltz, Trump’s national security adviser pick, also posted, “The ICC has no credibility and these allegations have been refuted by the US government.”
Israel strongly rejects the accusations. Netanyahu’s office called the move “an antisemitic step that has one goal – to deter me, to deter us from having our natural right to defend ourselves against enemies who try to destroy us."
Critics note that few sitting world leaders — including those in Syria, Iran, North Korea, and China — have been subject to ICC charges or investigations. The court issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin in 2023 over the invasion of Ukraine.
📌 WILL ‘WICKED’ BE THE TALK OF 2024?
Today is the day theater lovers have been waiting for: the film adaptation of ‘Wicked’ is hitting the big screen. The movie stars Tony Award-winning actress Cynthia Erivo and pop superstar Ariana Grande, and was directed by the man behind ‘In the Heights’ and ‘Crazy Rich Asians,’ John M. Chu.
The film, rated PG, will be the first of two installments of the popular Broadway musical adaptation, with the second arriving in November 2025. It is based on the Gregory Maguire book of the same name and a prequel to Judy Garland’s ‘The Wizard of Oz.’
Film execs are trying to make ‘Glicked’ — a combination of ‘Wicked’ and ‘Gladiator II,’ which also comes out today — the next ‘Barbenheimer,’ an ode to when ‘Barbie’ and ‘Oppenheimer’ were released on the same day, and ruled the box offices and award shows last year. Only time will tell…
The reviews are in:
The New York Times said, “Cynthia Erivo is the strongest draw in this splashy, overly long movie, which is the first installment in a two-part adaptation of the Broadway show.”
Time reports, “The movie is so aggressively colorful, so manic in its insistence that it’s OK to be different, that it practically mows you down,” but guesses more people will like it than don’t.
USA TODAY wrote, “The song-filled character study of the Wicked Witch of the West’s early years ekes out great performances from Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande that’ll wow musical theater kids and old-school ‘Oz’ fans alike.”
The only way to find out – go see for yourself!
⏳ SPEED READ
🚨NATION
📌 Police report reveals new details from sexual assault allegation against Trump’s defense secretary nominee (CNN)
📌 House passes bill that would allow Treasury to target nonprofits it deems to support terrorism (AP)
📌 Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy float ending remote work for federal employees and 'large-scale firings' (NBC)
📌 The FBI and DHS leaders won’t testify publicly about national security threats before the Senate (AXIOS)
🌎 AROUND THE WORLD
📌 Putin warns West as Russia hits Ukraine with new missile (BBC)
📌 Brazilian police indict former President Bolsonaro and aides over alleged 2022 coup attempt (AP)
📌 American among 5 tourists dead amid concerns over alcohol tainted with methanol in Laos (USA TODAY)
📌 At least 42 killed as gunmen open fire on vehicles carrying Shiites in northwest Pakistan (ABC)
📱BUSINESS, SCIENCE & TECH
📌 Man who spent $6.2 million on banana duct-taped to wall says he's going to eat it (CNBC)
📌 Newly identified chemical in drinking water is likely present in many homes and could be toxic, study finds (NBC)
📌 Ground beef recalled due to possible E. coli contamination (CNN)
📌 NBCUniversal shakeup ends a turf war and puts Donna Langley in the driver’s seat (VARIETY)
🎬 SPORTS & ENTERTAINMENT
📌 Jussie Smollett’s conviction overturned in alleged hate crime hoax (VARIETY)
📌 NFL issues alert to teams about crime ring targeting players (FOX)
📌 Ellen DeGeneres and wife Portia de Rossi moving to England after Trump’s election win, “never coming back” to the US (THE WRAP)
📌 Chris Stapleton wins big at country music awards (BBC)
🎉 CHEERS TO THE FREAKIN WKND
WHAT WE’RE READING: Mosheh: Leonardo da Vinci ~ Walter Isaacson; Jill: The Algebra of Wealth: A Simple Formula for Financial Security ~ Scott Galloway
WHAT WE’RE EATING: Mosheh: Loacker Minis Wafers; Jill: Turkey for me, Turkey for you…