What to know today
- BOAT STRIKES: The White House confirmed media reports that said there was a second strike on an alleged drug boat in the Caribbean on Sept. 2, which killed the survivors of an initial strike. The House and the Senate have begun inquiries into the second strike.
- INDIANA REDISTRICTING: Indiana Republican state lawmakers released a new congressional map proposal today designed to net the party two seats in next year’s midterm elections. The move comes after significant pressure from President Donald Trump.
- TRUMP'S MRI: The White House physician wrote in a memo released today that Trump's MRI from an October checkup was of his cardiovascular system and abdomen and that all of the imaging was “perfectly normal.”
- ALINA HABBA: In a loss for Trump, an appeals court upheld a lower court ruling disqualifying Habba from her position as acting U.S. attorney for the District of New Jersey.
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Kristi Noem calls for new travel ban after National Guard shooting
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said today she is recommending a “full travel ban” from countries that are “flooding our nation with killers, leeches, and entitlement junkies.”
“I just met with the President. I am recommending a full travel ban on every damn country that’s been flooding our nation with killers, leeches, and entitlement junkies,” Noem wrote on X.
“Our forefathers built this nation on blood, sweat, and the unyielding love of freedom—not for foreign invaders to slaughter our heroes, suck dry our hard-earned tax dollars, or snatch the benefits owed to AMERICANS.WE DON’T WANT THEM. NOT ONE,” she added.
The Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to a request for comment about which countries Noem was referring to tonight.
Publishing house of Franklin the Turtle issues statement after Pete Hegseth uses the character in post about boat strikes
The publishing house of Franklin the Turtle issued a statement after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth included what appeared to be an artificial intelligence-generated image of the children’s book character in a post titled “Franklin Targets Narco Terrorists.”
“Franklin the Turtle is a beloved Canadian icon who has inspired generations of children and stands for kindness, empathy, and inclusivity,” the publishing house, Kids Can Press, wrote tonight in a statement on X.
“We strongly condemn any denigrating, violent, or unauthorized use of Franklin’s name or image, which directly contradicts these values,” the statement read.
In the image Hegseth posted over the weekend, the character stands on a helicopter aiming a machine gun at a boat. The post followed news reports that the Defense Department carried out a second strike on an alleged drug boat Sept. 2, which the White House confirmed today.
Trump calls in to telerally for Tennessee GOP House candidate on eve of special election
Trump tonight called in to a telerally for voters in Tennessee’s 7th Congressional District, encouraging them to get out and vote for Republican candidate Matt Van Epps in tomorrow's special election.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., introduced Trump at the rally, where Trump called the election "a big deal" on account of the slim GOP majority in the House.
“This is a big deal because now we’re, like, three votes up on the radical left, and this would be a wonderful victory for us,” Trump said.
Trump has repeatedly pushed for his supporters to cast ballots in the race as it has become the target of millions of dollars of PAC spending with Democrats hopeful about their prospects, even though the deep-red district voted for Trump by more than 20 percentage points last year.
Trump encouraged supporters to get out the vote for Epps yesterday, too, posting on Truth Social that Epps had his “Complete and Total Endorsement.”
Sen. Mark Kelly says threats against him have gone up since Trump accused him of 'seditious behavior'
Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., said today that there has been an increase in threats against him and his wife, former Rep. Gabby Giffords, after Trump said Kelly and other Democratic lawmakers had engaged in “seditious behavior, “punishable by death.”
“You know, Gabby and I are no stranger to political violence. We get a lot of threats already. She continues to get threats. She gets threats on her life. More so today, because what Donald Trump said about me 10 days ago, that I should be hanged, that I should be executed, the threats on us have obviously gone up,” Kelly said.
Trump had said he wasn’t threatening the Democratic lawmakers.
Kelly is the focus of a Pentagon investigation and an FBI inquiry for having made a video with other Democratic lawmakers that called on troops to refuse illegal orders.
Kelly today also expressed his confidence in Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Roger Wicker, R-Miss., who said in a statement over the weekend that the committee would conduct oversight into a second strike on an alleged drug boat in the Caribbean on Sept. 2.
“I have confidence, tremendous confidence, in the chairman of the Armed Services Committee, Roger Wicker, senator from Mississippi, and the ranking member, Jack Reed, and I have spoken to him about this, and I know he’s going to try to do a thorough job. Where I don’t have a lot of confidence is in the secretary of defense,” Kelly said.
“I think he understands, you know, what we’re up against with this administration,” Kelly said of Wicker. “I wish he’d speak out a little bit more, but ... I think he’s going to try to do the right thing.”
Wicker told reporters today that he spoke to Hegseth about the Sept. 2 boat strikes and said he will be speaking to the admiral in charge of the operation. He added that he thinks it's "best that we get our classified briefings so that we’ll have the ground truth and also the documents and the video."
Trump indicated last month that his administration won't seek congressional approval to target drug traffickers.
Treasury secretary announces investigation into alleged tax fraud in Minnesota
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said today that his department will investigate allegations that Minnesota tax dollars have been diverted to the terrorist organization Al-Shabaab.
"At my direction, @USTreasury is investigating allegations that under the feckless mismanagement of the Biden Administration and Governor Tim Walz, hardworking Minnesotans’ tax dollars may have been diverted to the terrorist organization Al-Shabaab," Bessent wrote on X. "We will share our findings as our investigation continues."
The announcement comes days after Trump wrote on social media that Somalis were “completely taking over the once great state of Minnesota." In the same post, he called Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, the 2024 Democratic vice presidential nominee, “retarded.”
Walz responded to the attacks on NBC News' "Meet the Press" yesterday by chastising the Trump administration for "demonizing an entire group of people who came here fleeing civil war" and accused Trump of efforts to "deflect, demonize, come up with no solutions" with regard to tax fraud.
GOP senator says he has spoken with Pete Hegseth about the Sept. 2 boat strikes
Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Roger Wicker, R-Miss., said today that he has spoken with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth about the Sept. 2 strikes on an alleged drug boat in the Caribbean.
"I’ve spoken to the chairman of joint chiefs of staff, I’ve spoken to the secretary of defense and will be speaking to the admiral that was in charge of the operation," Wicker told reporters, referring to Navy Adm. Frank M. Bradley, who the White House said was in charge of the Sept. 2 operation.
Bradley is expected to be in Washington this week to speak with senior lawmakers about the Sept. 2 strikes, according to two people familiar with the matter.
"Well, the secretary did indicate, which has now been in the news media, that there was a second attack," Wicker said today. "And after that, I think it’s best that we get our classified briefings so that we’ll have the ground truth and also the documents and the video."
Wicker said his goal in the oversight process is to “get to the facts,” which he said could happen “to the extent that we’re able to see videos and see what the orders were.”
Trump signs two bills into law
Trump signed two bills into law this afternoon, the White House announced on social media.
The first, called the Medal of Honor Act, gives Medal of Honor recipients their first congressional pension raise in nearly 25 years. The measure increases the monthly special pension by nearly 500%, from just over $1,400 to $8,333, and establishes a monthly pension, also just over $1,400, for surviving spouses of recipients.
The second bill, called the SUPPORT for Patients and Communications Reauthorization Act of 2025, reauthorizes and revises public health programs administered by the Department of Health and Human Services that address responses to substance use disorders.
Costco sues the Trump administration, seeking a refund of tariffs
Costco Wholesale has sued the Trump administration, asking the Court of International Trade to consider all tariffs collected under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act unlawful.
The company said in a filing Friday that it is seeking a “full refund” of all duties under the act paid as a result of Trump’s executive order, which imposed what he called “reciprocal” tariffs.
“Because IEEPA does not clearly authorize the President to set tariffs ... the Challenged Tariff Orders cannot stand and the defendants are not authorized to implement and collect them,” Costco’s lawyer writes in the lawsuit.
The Supreme Court is reviewing the legality of Trump’s sweeping tariff agenda. In early November oral arguments, justices appeared skeptical about the government’s case to let them continue.
At least 11 Indiana Republicans were targeted with threats or swatting attacks amid redistricting pressure from Trump
At least 11 elected Republicans in Indiana have been the targets of swatting attacks and other threats in the weeks since Trump publicly pressured state lawmakers to approve a new congressional map that would benefit Republicans.
In a lengthy social media tirade on Nov. 16, Trump blasted Indiana state Senate Republicans for not supporting the effort, naming two state senators and Gov. Mike Braun. The next day, Trump said he would “strongly” endorse against anyone who opposes the push.
State House lawmakers began taking up redistricting legislation today, formally introducing the new map. The Senate is expected to do the same next week.
Republican Sen. Republican Mike Bohacek, who opposes redistricting, said in a statement today that he was the target of a bomb threat last week.
Chuck Schumer says there have been ‘multiple bomb threats’ to his New York offices
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said that several of his New York offices have faced bomb threats via an email with the subject line “MAGA.”
Law enforcement is addressing the matter, and no one has been hurt, Schumer said in a statement, thanking law enforcement for the response.
