Republicans search for a plan as Trump orders them to let the Affordable Care Act subsidies expire. The campaign for Nancy Pelosi's seat will signal how Democrats want to chart the future of their party. And the mysterious flight of Palestinians to South Africa brings worries to an already-fragile ceasefire in Gaza.
Here's what to know today.
Obamacare tax credits look likely to expire as GOP weighs alternatives
The subsidies that have kept health care costs down for the Affordable Care Act appear set to expire after a closed-door meeting of House Republicans. President Donald Trump told Republicans not to "waste" their time on extending the subsidies, which were at the heart of the government shutdown battle.
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House Republican leaders railed against the ACA during a closed-door conference meeting yesterday and made a forceful case against extending the subsidies, according to two lawmakers in attendance.
An estimated 22 million people in the U.S. could see their health insurance premiums soar in some cases, by thousands of dollars per month, as billions in funding for the ACA expires on Dec. 31. The expiring funds, costing about $35 billion per year, were first passed during the pandemic to subsidize insurance payments, capping premiums for a "benchmark" ACA, or "Obamacare," plan to 8.5% of income.
Trump and Republicans have dialed up their attacks on that pot of funding, making it increasingly clear that they won't allow an extension in its current form.
Instead, Republican leaders have urged members to draft up alternative options that would give the funds directly to Americans, perhaps through tax-advantaged health savings accounts (HSAs), flexible savings accounts (FSAs), or even direct cash payments.
"The only healthcare I will support or approve is sending the money directly back to the people," Trump wrote on social media, saying he won't accept a continuation of the ACA structure where the funds are provided to insurance companies to keep premiums down.
More politics news:
- Democrats have launched a new effort to allow civil rights lawsuits against federal law enforcement agents, seizing on allegations of abuse as part of Trump's immigration crackdown.
- A whistleblower who came forward to House Democrats alleging convicted sex offender Ghislaine Maxwell received preferential treatment at a federal prison camp said she was not motivated by politics.
- A panel of federal judges blocked Texas from using its new congressional map, which Republicans drew in an effort to shore up the party’s narrow House majority in next year's midterm elections.
- Marjorie Taylor Greene said Trump's handling of the Epstein case has been "destructive" to his MAGA movement.
- The House passed a resolution to rebuke Rep. Chuy Garcia over his ploy to handpick his Democratic successor.
Congress approves sending the Epstein files bill to Trump’s desk
Congress voted overwhelmingly to pass legislation to compel the Justice Department to release all its records related to the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein — a major victory for lawmakers in both parties who have been pushing for the release for months.
As the final vote tally in the House, 427-1, was read, several Epstein survivors who were sitting in the gallery embraced each other as loud cheers went up through the chamber. Rep. Clay Higgins, R-La., was the only lawmaker to vote no.
Just hours later, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer headed to the floor and requested unanimous consent that the measure be immediately forwarded to Trump's desk once the bill is sent over from the House. No senators objected.
What the race to succeed Nancy Pelosi means for the Democratic Party
Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's announcement that she would not seek re-election sets up a clearer picture of the race to be San Francisco's next representative in the House — and of how Democrats want to chart the future of their party at a moment of generational change.
The two main contenders for Pelosi's district — Scott Wiener, a California state senator, and Saikat Chakrabarti, the former chief of staff to Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez — had already jumped into the race ahead of Pelosi's decision. Others could jump into the California race ahead of next June's all-party primary, but already the two existing candidates' views reflect different wings of the Democratic Party.
In interviews with NBC News, Wiener said that he has a record of building diverse coalitions and delivering on legislation, while Chakrabarti touted his push for "whole scale, structural change." The perspectives reflect the wider party debate about whether to seek political change more through practical advances within existing systems or rather by overhauling those longstanding systems entirely.
Japanese seafood caught up in China spat?
Japan has been feeling the sting of China’s economic retaliation as their diplomatic spat over Taiwan worsens, with travel agencies canceling group tours and fears mounting over an outright ban on Japanese seafood and movies.
The two largest economies in Asia have been locked in a war of words that began when Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi told lawmakers on Nov. 7 that a Chinese attack on Taiwan could force a military response from Tokyo. China, which claims self-ruling Taiwan as a breakaway province to be seized by force if necessary, has repeatedly demanded that Takaichi retract her “egregious” remarks.
Chinese authorities have also advised its citizens not to travel to their neighbor, with several major Chinese airlines starting to offer free refunds or itinerary changes for eligible flight tickets to and from Japan.
At least two Japanese movies, “Crayon Shin-chan the Movie: Super Hot! The Spicy Kasukabe Dancers” and “Cells at Work!,” will have their releases postponed in mainland China, state-backed media China Film News said Monday.
Beijing’s threats have fueled concerns for Japan’s already fragile economy that is heavily dependent on China, especially as Tokyo grapples with the effects of U.S. tariffs.
Read the full story on this growing feud.
Read All About It
- Singer D4vd has been identified as a suspect in the death of a 15-year-old girl who was found dead in a vehicle owned by the singer, according to an LAPD source.
- Karen Read, who was acquitted in the case of her boyfriend's death, filed a lawsuit alleging she was framed for murder in a coverup plot.
- A man pardoned by Trump for storming the Capitol was arrested on child molestation charges. Florida officials said he tried to use an anticipated Jan. 6 payout to silence the victim.
- Gustav Klimt's 'Portrait of Elisabeth Lederer,' sold for an astonishing $236.4 million, making it the most expensive auction sale of a work of modern art.
- A woman is in critical condition after she was set on fire while riding a Chicago Transit Authority train.
- It is a case of wolves in fishermen's clothing as several of them have been spotted pulling crab traps from waters off Canada's west coast in what scientists say may be the first documented case of the animals using a tool.
Staff Pick: Exhibit AI
A reporter colleague once advised me to keep my eyes out for future topics while working on a story. They said they always made a list of ideas that could snowball from a current reporting project, sniffing out leads that made them stop and think, "I wonder what that's all about."
In September, I was in the thick of learning how people are using ChatGPT and similar AI tools to represent themselves in court and had the pleasure of chatting with Judge Erica Yew of the Santa Clara County Superior Court in California. She mentioned that while she was excited about generative AI's potential to help people access the justice system, she was also worried about the potential for deepfakes to be passed off as real evidence in her courtroom.
My ears perked up. Judge Yew mentioned that one of her colleagues had recently dealt with a case of alleged deepfakes masquerading as authentic media. I followed the rabbit hole and soon discovered that judges around the country were increasingly worried about the issue, even if we're still in the early days of the deepfake-disguised-as-real-evidence phenomenon.
While judges are often hesitant to discuss legal matters, those I met and talked with for this piece were either paying attention to the issue or extremely curious to collaborate and learn more. Before long, I had also talked with legal experts, startup founders, professors, and non-profit leaders about the issue — a sign that my perked-ear instincts were correct. — Jared Perlo, AI reporter
NBC Select: Online Shopping, Simplified
The NBC Select team chose the best beauty sets from Sephora, along with standout new launches from our November Notable roundup. Plus, a cheat sheet of what's worth buying on Black Friday — and what can wait.
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