News Information and Media Site: Nightly Rundown: Calls to release Gaetz ethics report; FBI: “potential terrorist attack” thwarted in Houston; The Onion buys InfoWars

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By Dan Donahue

Thursday, November 14, 2024

Good Thursday afternoon. There is growing fallout from Donald Trump's move to nominate Matt Gaetz for attorney general, the FBI said it has thwarted a "potential terrorist attack" in Houston, and satirical publication The Onion has bought Alex Jones' InfoWars out of bankruptcy.

Here is what's in our Nightly Rundown.

Pressure to release House ethics report on Matt Gaetz before his confirmation vote for attorney general

The House Ethics Committee is facing growing pressure to release its report on Rep. Matt Gaetz, the Florida Republican who abruptly resigned from Congress after President-elect Donald Trump tapped him to serve as attorney general.

Gaetz has been the subject of a House Ethics Committee investigation into whether he engaged in sexual misconduct and illicit drug use, but his resignation will effectively end that probe.

The congressman was previously under federal investigation over allegations of sex trafficking involving a 17-year-old girl, but he was not charged. He has repeatedly denied the allegations against him, including that he had sex with a minor.

Senators from both sides of the aisle are now calling on the ethics committee to release its findings to other lawmakers. Outgoing Senate Judiciary Chairman Dick Durbin called on the panel to "preserve and share all relevant documentation" with his committee.

An attorney representing the woman who was 17 when Gaetz was allegedly involved in a sexual relationship with her called Gaetz's likely nomination "a perverse development in a truly dark series of events."

"We would support the House Ethics Committee immediately releasing their report. She was a high school student and there were witnesses," attorney John Clune wrote on social media.

Houston man accused of attempting to support ISIS, planning terrorist attack, FBI says

A 28-year-old Houston man has been arrested for attempting to provide material support to ISIS, and admitted to planning an attack on U.S. soil, the FBI said today.

Investigators learned Anas Said was searching for ways to commit violent acts on behalf of ISIS in the Houston area, and considered carrying out an attack on local military recruiting centers, according to the FBI's Houston office.

Said is also accused of offering his home as a sanctuary for ISIS operatives, bragging that he would commit a "9/11-style" attack if he had the resources to do so, and attempting to produce ISIS propaganda.

"We stopped a potential terrorist attack from happening right here in Houston!" the FBI's Houston office posted on social media. Said is now in custody and set for a detention hearing Nov. 14.

Tropical Storm Sara forms in the Caribbean, could potentially impact Florida

Tropical Storm Sara has formed in the Caribbean, threatening to bring "life-threatening and potentially catastrophic flooding" and mudslides to Central America through the weekend, according to the National Hurricane Center.

Sara is now about 50 miles northeast of the Nicaragua/Honduras coastline, with maximum sustained winds of 40 mph, and moving west at 12 mph.

Florida could see impacts from this late season storm by the middle of next week, though the location and intensity are still unclear.

The Onion buys Alex Jones' Infowars in bankruptcy auction

The Onion, the satirical news publication, announced today that is has won the auction to buy InfoWars and the rest of conspiracy theorist Alex Jones' media empire out of bankruptcy.

The purchase was made with help from families of victims of the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, The Onion's CEO Ben Collins said.

The Sandy Hook families won nearly $1.5 billion in lawsuits against Jones after he spread falsehoods about the shooting, leading him to file for bankruptcy in 2022.

Jones confirmed the sale today. "I don't know what's going to happen, but I'm going to be here until they come and turn the lights off," he said in a video posted to social media.

What else we're watching:

Rescues are working to reach a man who became trapped after a collapse at a demolition site in Louisville, Kentucky.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul is reviving New York City's controversial congestion pricing plan, with tolls reduced from $15 to $9.

A fire on top of a 44-story skyscraper sent a cloud of smoke over the New York City skyline today. Firefighters said they brought it under control within about 40 minutes.

The Tampa Bay Rays will play their 2025 home games in a temporary new home, after Hurricane Milton shredded the roof of Tropicana Field and caused $55 million in damage, Rays executives said.

Four California residents were arrested for insurance fraud after they claimed their luxury cars had been trashed by a bear, and investigators noticed something strange in a video of one of the incidents, officials said.

The "TODAY" show has announced the new co-anchor who's replacing Hoda Kotb.

Watch us this evening at 6:30 p.m. ET / 5:30 p.m. CT on NBC, or check your local NBC station listing. After the broadcast, access Nightly News video on NBCNightlyNews.com or the NBC News app.