The Supreme Court allows Texas to use its new congressional district map in the latest attempt to secure a midterm edge. Vice President JD Vance reveals in an exclusive interview what he and the second lady think about online speculation on their marriage. And, everything you need to know about the FIFA World Cup draw.
Here's what to know today.
How the GOP's latest district map win will affect the midterms
The Supreme Court allowed Texas to use a new congressional district map in next year's midterm elections that was drawn to maximize Republican political power.
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Granting an emergency application filed by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, the conservative majority paused a lower court ruling that said the map was unlawful because Republican lawmakers, at the direction of the Trump administration, explicitly considered race when drawing new districts.
The unsigned order said that Texas is "likely to succeed on the merits of its claim," including that the lower court "failed to honor the presumption of legislative good faith" when assessing the state Legislature's motives. The ruling appeared to be 6-3, with the three liberal justices dissenting.
The map was redrawn to add up to five additional Republican House seats, which no one contests, but the lower court found that the map was drawn with the aim of moving certain minority voters into different districts.
The decision marks a win for President Donald Trump, who filed a brief urging the court to rule in favor of Texas.
Florida entered the national redistricting arms race, with lawmakers holding a hearing that kicked off yet another contentious map-drawing fight. Republicans are hoping Florida will be fertile ground for further shoring up the party's narrow House majority ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. But it won't be easy, legally or politically.
More politics news:
- The Justice Department failed to secure an indictment against New York Attorney General Letitia James, a person familiar with the matter told NBC News.
- The CDC advisory panel is expected to vote on hepatitis B vaccines today after delaying the decision in an unruly and misinformation-filled meeting.
- U.S. Southern Command said the Pentagon carried out another "lethal kinetic strike" at Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's direction on a vessel in the eastern Pacific Ocean that killed four men.
- FDA Commissioner Marty Makary claimed the Biden administration withheld data from the public on the heart risks from the Covid vaccine.
- The White House has brought in a new architect to work on Trump's "vision" for his massive $300 million ballroom project, officials said.
Vance laughs off rumors about his marriage
Vice President JD Vance and his wife, Usha Vance, have faced speculation about their marriage since the 2024 presidential campaign. The rumors heated up last month when she was seen without her wedding ring in a public appearance.
In an exclusive interview with NBC News, Vance said he finds observations about his relationship with his wife humorous and Usha has “evolved in this new role” of second lady. He also admitted that the rumors have been “difficult on the family.”
Vance also said during the interview that he disagrees with fellow Republicans who have warned of a rise in antisemitism in their party.
Hollywood's embrace of Saudi Arabia's financial backing
There's a new trend in Hollywood: Saudi Arabian financing. Actors are set to receive checks for attending this week's Red Sea Film Festival. Studio executives are traveling to the kingdom to meet about potential deals. And at the highest levels, Saudi money could end up helping to finance a massive media merger.
For the entertainment industry, Saudi financing has become more appealing as other sources of money have dried up in the aftermath of the Covid pandemic, the 2023 dual actors' and writers' strikes, and shifting audience habits away from film and TV to social media.
But Saudi Arabia's controversial human rights record makes the relationship an uneasy one for some in the West — and a sensitive topic to talk about in Hollywood, where more than a dozen insiders, including agents, producers, executives, bankers and publicists declined to go on the record about the inrush of potential Saudi cash.
What to know about the FIFA World Cup draw
Each nation's path to the men’s 2026 FIFA World Cup trophy will begin today.
The 48-team field, the largest in the competition’s history, will be split into 12 groups of four during a draw held in Washington, D.C. The event runs from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. Fans can watch the draw in Spanish on Telemundo, the Telemundo app and streaming on Peacock. Fox will carry the English-language broadcast. In addition, a stream of the draw will be available on FIFA.com.
Global politics will be at play, as well. It will be the first time Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum and Trump have met in person. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney will also be there, as both countries navigate pressing disagreements with the Trump administration. And Trump himself may even receive FIFA’s inaugural “Peace Prize.”
More sports news:
- Michael Jordan is scheduled to testify today in a federal antitrust trial against NASCAR, two people close to the NBA Hall of Famer told NBC News.
- The Abu Dhabi Grand Prix will be F1's first title decider in four years — and the first since 2010 where more than two drivers are in the hunt to win the trophy in the season finale.
Read All About It
- The European Commission said it was fining Elon Musk’s social media app X the equivalent of $140 million, saying that it had breached the bloc’s digital rulebook — a move that will likely draw the ire of the U.S. government.
- Here's what we know about the suspect accused of planting pipe bombs near both the Republican and Democratic national party headquarters on the eve of the Jan. 6 attack.
- Surgeons who perform a type of spinal surgery for scoliosis said insurance companies aren't aligning their policies with the latest medical research.
- The U.S. Navy found "substandard" practices and other failures in the results of its investigation into incidents involving the USS Harry S. Truman carrier strike group.
- The Eurovision Song Contest is facing a major boycott after a push to eject Israel from the contest was rejected.
- With the new year just weeks away, the color experts at Pantone have declared 2026's official Color of the Year is "Cloud Dancer."
Staff Pick: iPad shuffle
The Los Angeles Unified School District joined a sea change last year when it banned students from having smartphones in class. But after that, some parents began asking why their kids were still on screens all day — just on school-issued iPads and Chromebooks.
In recent tense listening sessions I attended, irate parents laid out ways they saw devices create behavior problems in their children and asked why there weren't more restrictions on them.
Los Angeles Unified is the first major school district to face an organized — and growing — campaign by parents demanding schools pull back on mandatory screentime. District leaders say they need to be careful not to go too far in the other direction and create setbacks for kids in a digital-first world. But this is poised to be a major issue throughout 2026, and these upset parents promise they won’t let up on the pressure. — Tyler Kingkade, national reporter
NBC Select: Online Shopping, Simplified
The NBC Select team pulled together the best gifts on Amazon worth ordering before shipping deadlines hit. Plus, under-$50 crowd-pleasers, clever stocking stuffers for adults and a curated mix of finds that will make holiday gifting easier.
Sign up to The Selection newsletter for hands-on product reviews, expert shopping tips and a look at the best deals and sales each week.
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