News Information and Media Site: Nightly Rundown: Matt Gaetz withdraws attorney general bid; Strong storms slamming both coasts; Jussie Smollett hoax conviction overturned

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By Dan Donahue

Thursday, November 21, 2024

Good Thursday afternoon. Matt Gaetz has removed his name from consideration for attorney general after facing backlash, we're tracking strong storms slamming both coasts, and Jussie Smollett's hate crime hoax conviction has been overturned.

Here is what's in our Nightly Rundown.

Matt Gaetz withdraws bid for attorney general amid sexual misconduct allegations

Matt Gaetz announced this afternoon that he is withdrawing his name from consideration after he was chosen by President-elect Donald Trump to serve as attorney general, amid allegations of sexual misconduct.

"It is clear that my confirmation was unfairly becoming a distraction to the critical work of the Trump/Vance Transition," Gaetz posted on social media.

"There is no time to waste on a needlessly protracted Washington scuffle, thus I'll be withdrawing my name from consideration to serve as Attorney General," he added.

The embattled former Florida congressman was previously investigating by the Justice Department, the very department Trump selected him to lead, over sex trafficking allegations involving a 17-year-old girl, but he was not charged.

NBC News also learned today from a source familiar that the House Ethics Committee, which had been investigating Gaetz, was told that he had two sexual encounters with a 17-year-old girl at a 2017 party.

Gaetz has repeatedly denied the allegations against him, including that he had sex with a minor.

Pete Hegseth, Trump's pick for defense secretary, speaks out on sexual assault allegation

Pete Hegseth, President-elect Trump's pick for defense secretary, spoke out today about the accusation that he sexually assaulted a woman in 2017, after a police report on the alleged incident was made public.

"As far as the media is concerned, I'll keep this very simple. The matter was fully investigated, and I was completely cleared, and that's where I'm going to leave it," the former Fox News host told reporters on Capitol Hill, where he's meeting with Republican senators alongside Vice President-elect JD Vance.

Hegseth's accuser said that she was in his hotel room after a political conference in 2017 in Monterey, California. She told police Hegseth took her phone, blocked her from leaving, and sexually assaulted her, according to the report. The woman "remembered saying 'no' a lot," the report said.

A lawyer for Hegseth has said the encounter was consensual, and confirmed Hegseth paid the accuser an undisclosed amount, but "maintains his innocence."

First winter storm of the season hits Northeast, atmospheric river pummels West Coast

We're tracking strong storms on both sides of the country, with millions in Great Lakes and the Northeast getting their first taste of winter, and an atmospheric river delivering heavy rain and potential flash floods to the West Coast.

The Northeast is getting some much-needed rain after nearly two months of historic drought conditions. The same system is delivering snow and gusty winds up to 40 mph to the Great Lakes region, causing dangerous road conditions.

On Friday, at least six inches of snow is expected across northeast Pennsylvania and southern New York, including the Pocono and Catskill mountains.

On the other side of the country, that strong atmospheric river is bringing heavy rain and snow to Northern California and southwestern Oregon, on the heels of the bomb cyclone that left at least two people dead.

Jussie Smollett's conviction in hate crime attack hoax overturned

Actor Jussie Smollett's conviction for orchestrating a 2019 hate crime hoax has been overturned by the Illinois Supreme Court over prosecutorial issues.

After reviewing Smollett's case, the state's high court found that the former "Empire" actor should not have been charged after entering a previous non-prosecution agreement with the Cook County State's Attorney's Office.

Smollett told Chicago police in January 2019 that he was the victim of a racist and homophobic attack near his home. The next month Smollett was arrested, after police said he made it up.

In 2021, Smollett was found guilty of five counts of disorderly conduct and later sentenced to 150 days in jail and 30 months of probation.

ICC issues arrest warrant for Netanyahu over alleged war crimes in Gaza

The International Criminal Court has issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, as well as Hamas military chief Mohammed Deif, for alleged crimes against humanity and war crimes.

Netanyahu's office swiftly fired back, calling the decision "antisemitic," rejecting the charges as "absurd and false," and denouncing the ICC as a "biased and discriminatory political body."

A spokesperson for the National Security Council said the U.S. "fundamentally rejects" the court's decision and is "deeply concerned by the prosecutor's rush to seek arrest warrants and the troubling process errors that led to this decision."

Neither Israel nor the U.S. recognize the jurisdiction of the ICC, which has no police to enforce its arrest warrants.

What else we're watching:

Vladimir Putin said Russia fired a new intermediate-range ballistic missile at Ukraine today in response to Kyiv's attack this week using long-range, U.S.-made missiles.

Two motorcycle deputies were killed and a third is fighting for his life after they were struck by a vehicle today, the Palm Beach County Sheriff's said.

The NFL has issued a security warning to teams, and the FBI has launched an investigation, after a rash of burglaries at the homes of professional athletes, including Kansas City Chiefs stars Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce.

A New York City urologist has been sentenced to life after he was convicted for sexually abusing patients, including minors.

A Wisconsin father who allegedly faked his own death while kayaking and fled the country has been in contact with police, and even explained how he did it, the Green Lake County Sheriff's Office said today.

If you paid $6.2 million for a duct-taped banana, what would you do with it?

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.