The Headlines - Trump’s New Pick for Attorney General, and a Surprise Turn in U.S. Drug Deaths

Episode Date: November 22, 2024

Plus, a “Wicked” warning.   Tune in every weekday morning. To get our full audio journalism and storytelling experience, download the New York Times Audio app — available to Times news subscribers on iOS — and sign up for our weekly newsletter.Tell us what you think at: [e-mail]. On Today’s Episode:Matt Gaetz Withdraws From Consideration for Attorney General, by Peter Baker, Maggie Haberman and Jonathan SwanTrump Picks Pam Bondi, Florida’s Former Top Prosecutor, for Attorney General After Gaetz Withdraws, by Devlin Barrett, Maggie Haberman, Eric Lipton and Kenneth P. VogelThe ‘Landslide’ That Wasn’t: Trump and Allies Pump Up His Narrow Victory, by Peter BakerWhat’s Behind the Remarkable Drop in U.S. Overdose Deaths, by Jan Hoffman and Noah WeilandWith Use of New Missile, Russia Sends a Threatening Message to the West, by Marc Santora, Lara Jakes, Valerie Hopkins, Andrew E. Kramer and Eric Schmitt‘This Helps Netanyahu’: Israelis Rally Around Netanyahu Over Warrant, for Now, by Isabel Kershner‘Wicked’ Fans Singing in Movie Theaters Are Anything but Popular, by Remy Tumin and Sara Ruberg

From the New York Times, it's the headlines. I'm Tracy Mumford. Today's Friday, November 22nd. Here's what we're covering. Matt Gaetz is out. The former representative from Florida abruptly pulled his name from consideration for attorney general after his prospective nomination ran into trouble in the Senate. Gates has faced allegations of sex trafficking and illicit drug use. And while he's consistently denied any wrongdoing, many senators had questions about confirming someone under that kind of cloud.

I know enough people that were a hell known in the conference to know that the path would have been very, very difficult, if possible. I doubt it was. Senator Kevin Kramer of North Dakota, a Republican, said Gates stepping back was a relief. Gates announced his decision on social media where he said he didn't want to be a distraction to the Trump transition. From the reporting of my colleagues, it looks like he took even the Trump team by surprise. It came after he spent an entire day on the Hill meeting with Republican senators. Annie Carney covers Congress. The Times has learned that Gates told people close to him

he determined there were at least four Republican senators who were strongly opposed to him. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Susan Collins of Maine, Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, and the newly elected John Curtis of Utah. There's a question of if there will be such backlash from the mago wing of the party against these Republican senators who expressed concerns about Gates, that they will harass them or blame them for not giving Trump the cabinet he wants, and therefore they're going to feel too much pressure for them not

to do it again to another nominee. That's an open question. Meanwhile, the Trump team wasted no time replacing Gates. With an hours, Trump said he plans to nominate Pam Bondi for attorney general instead. Bondi previously served as the state attorney general of Florida. In that position, she focused on addressing drug abuse and child trafficking, but also embraced partisan legal fights, including trying to overturn the Affordable Care Act. Bondi was part of Trump's legal team during his first impeachment, and she's been an outspoken critic of the criminal prosecutions against him.

Trump posted on social media that, quote, Pam will refocus the DOJ to its intended purpose of fighting crime. Last night, the full count of the Republicans majority in the Senate became clear. It will be 53 to 47 after Senator Bob Casey, a three term Democrat from Pennsylvania, conceded to his Republican challenger, David McCormick. The extremely close race, where McCormick won by less than half a percentage point, had triggered a recount. The expanded Senate majority, along with Republicans' control of the House, will give Trump more flexibility to pursue his agenda. And while some votes are still being counted, a tally used by the New York Times

of the nationwide popular vote shows Trump will land at 49.997 percent, about 1.6 percentage points over Kamala Harris. His campaign has been calling his victory a landslide, and Trump himself has said it gives him, quote, an unprecedented and powerful mandate. But as the last ballots come in, his lead in the popular vote is one of the smallest in the last 150 years. The Newest Data from the Federal Government Newly released data from the federal government shows a remarkable trend. For the first time in years, the number

of drug overdose deaths in the U.S. has been falling. Preliminary data shows a drop of about 15% in deaths nationwide. That's for a number of reasons. Overdose reversal medications like Narcan have been widely distributed. There have been public campaigns warning people

about counterfeit pills contaminated with fentanyl, and the fentanyl, and the fentanyl on the streets is actually getting weaker. Federal officials say that's because they've been cracking down on Mexican cartels and the supply chains that feed their operations. At the same time, experts say there's another more concerning explanation for the decline in overdoses—a change in drug users' habits. Fentanyl is now often diluted with xylazine, an animal tranquilizer that can cause horrific skin ulcers.

But people who use the mixture often pass out for hours, essentially stopping them from taking more fentanyl. And in places where meth use has surged, some drug users say they get high enough or distracted enough by that drug that they're also using less fentanyl. Still overall drugs continue to take a brutal toll on the US. The most recent data suggests that about 97,000 Americans a year are dying from overdoses. overdoses. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is pushing back forcefully after the International Criminal Court issued a warrant for his arrest, saying he's responsible for the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Israel will not recognize the validity of this decision.

We will continue to do everything we must do to defend our citizens and defend our state. The court found that Netanyahu, along with Israel's former defense minister, Yoav Galant, intentionally used starvation as a method of warfare, killing Gazans, including young children, by cutting off food to the territory. Netanyahu and Gallant were also accused of numerous other crimes against humanity. The Israeli prime minister's office called the charges false and absurd and said the court was motivated by anti-Semitism and hatred of the Jewish state. Netanyahu is now one of a handful of sitting leaders the ICC

has issued warrants for, including Russian President Vladimir Putin, who was charged with war crimes after invading Ukraine. Netanyahu could now be arrested if he travels to any of the 124 countries who are members of the court. The list does not include Israel or the U.S. The ICC also issued a warrant for the military leader of Hamas, Mohammed Daif, for crimes against humanity, including murder, sexual violence, and taking hostages. Israel claims it killed Daif in an airstrike, but the court has not verified his death.

In Russia, the Kremlin has sharply escalated its showdown with the West. On Thursday, the Russian military fired a newly developed intermediate-range ballistic missile at Ukraine, a type of weapon that's capable of carrying a nuclear payload. The missile didn't have any nuclear warheads on board, but analysts say the strike was designed to intimidate Ukraine and its allies and show that Russia could strike with a nuclear weapon if and when it chooses. Ukraine has no way to track or shoot down this type of missile, which flies at hypersonic speeds.

Hours after the launch, Vladimir Putin said Russia has the right to strike the military facilities of any country that lets its weapons be used against Russia. It was a clear warning to the US and Britain, who recently gave Ukraine permission to use weapons they supplied to strike deeper into Russia. And finally, somewhere right now there is a movie theater packed with people watching Wicked. And I'm fully aware I am saying this at 6 a.m. There were midnight screenings, early morning screenings. Some theaters have screenings basically 24-7 this entire weekend

for the very much anticipated film version of the Broadway musical. First, please know I'm speaking as a theater kid myself. And some fans are warning that you should know what you might be getting into. Because if you think you're going to sit in that theater and hear Ariana Grande singing to you, you are not. Okay? You are going to hear the girl two seats over that didn't make it on Broadway, that still has a lot to give, and it is about to come out. Fans in some of the early screenings of the musical have been belting it out.

Don't say I didn't warn you. But the idea of an impromptu sing-along is not universally popular. Please do not sing during the movie. I don't want to hear a single, ah, ah, none of it. Some theaters are planning to let moviegoers channel their enthusiasm into specially designated

sing-along screenings, where you're encouraged to try your best take at Defying Gravity. But those are not scheduled to start until Christmas. So if you are less into singing and more into swords, Gladiator 2 is also opening this weekend, and there will probably be no one trying to hit any high notes in there. Some have dubbed the double feature Glick-It speculating that the two movies could bring the kind of crossover enthusiasm and box office profits that the Barbenheimer phenomenon delivered last year. Those are the headlines. Today on The Daily, a deeper look at how Matt Gaetz's push to be Attorney General fell apart. That's next in the New York Times audio app, or you can listen wherever you

get your podcasts. This show is made by Robert Jemison, Jessica Metzger, Jan Stewart, and me, Tracy Mumford, with help from Isabella Anderson. Original theme by Dan Powell. Special thanks to Larissa Anderson, Jake Lucas, Zoe Murphy, Sean Paik and Paula Schuman. The headlines will be back on Monday.