News Information and Media Site: Nightly Rundown: Trump and Biden meet at White House; Matt Gaetz nominated for attorney general; Republicans win control of Congress

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By Dan Donahue

Wednesday, November 13, 2024

Good Wednesday afternoon. Donald Trump and Joe Biden met face to face today at the White House, the president-elect has nominated Matt Gaetz to serve as attorney general, and the houses of Kansas City Chiefs superstars Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce were burglarized.

Here is what's in our Nightly Rundown.

Trump meets with Biden at White House, promises "smooth" transition

President-elect Donald Trump and President Joe Biden met in the Oval Office today, marking the first time Trump has been in the White House since leaving office in 2021 as he prepares to return to the seat of power.

It was also the first time the two rivals, who have made no secret of their mutual animosity, had an extended face-to-face meeting since Biden's shaky debate performance in June that eventually drove him out of the race.

The two made remarks to reporters before their closed-door meeting. Speaking first, Biden welcomed Trump back to the White House and called for a smooth transition to the next administration.

Trump vowed the transition will be as "smooth as it can get," which would be a stark contrast to the violence that erupted after the 2020 election, when a mob of Trump supporters attacked the Capitol on January 6th.

Trump did not invite Biden to the White House in 2020, as he refused to concede the election results and worked to delay the transition.

More on the Trump transition:

Just before we published this newsletter, Trump announced he has nominated Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida, who is the subject of a House ethics probe, to become U.S. attorney general.

Trump also announced this afternoon that he is nominating Tulsi Gabbard, the former Democratic congresswoman, to serve as Director of National Intelligence.

Trump has picked Pete Hegseth, a Fox News host and Army National Guard veteran, for defense secretary, catching some Republicans by surprise.

Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy will head a new "Department of Government Efficiency," Trump said. But has Musk been overstaying his welcome at Mar-a-Lago?

Special counsel Jack Smith and his team plan to resign before Trump takes office, a source familiar with the matter said.

Republicans win control of the House, elect new Senate majority leader

Republicans have won total control of Washington, with NBC News now projecting the party has retained its majority in the House more than a week after Election Day.

President-elect Trump huddled with House Republicans today behind closed doors, giving his endorsement to Mike Johnson for speaker and joking about running for a third term.

Also today, Senate Republicans elected Sen. John Thune of South Dakota as their new GOP caucus leader and the next Senate majority leader in a secret ballot vote.

Thune beat out two other senators for the role, Rick Scott of Florida, who had the backing of many of Trump's MAGA allies, and John Cornyn of Texas.

Thune will replace Sen. Mitch McConnell, the longest-serving Senate party leader in U.S. history, who is stepping down from the role after 18 years.

Chiefs superstars Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce's homes burglarized

The Kansas City-area homes of Chiefs superstars Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce were broken into and burglarized last month, according to authorities and police reports.

Police responded to Mahomes' house in Belton, Missouri, shortly after midnight Oct. 6, according to an incident summary from the Cass County Sheriff's Office. The report does not say whether anything was taken.

Mahomes confirmed the break-in during a media availability today, calling it "frustrating" and saying that it's "something that you don't want to happen to really anybody, but obviously yourself."

The next night, Kelce's home in Leawood, Kansas, was broken into and $20,000 in cash was taken, according to a police report obtained by NBC affiliate KSHB.

It is not clear whether a suspect has been identified. There was no immediate response to a request for comment from Kelce's representatives.

Missing Indianapolis man found dead in Planet Fitness tanning bed

Indianapolis police are investigating after a man was found dead in a tanning bed at a Planet Fitness gym Monday morning.

Derek Sink, 39, went into the tanning bed on Friday, his family told NBC affiliate WTHR of Indianapolis, and they believe he was there all weekend.

Sink's family said he had struggled with drugs and a needle was found in the room with him. According to his aunt, Sink was wearing an ankle monitor that led investigators to determine he never left the gym.

It's not clear how Sink's body went undiscovered for so long.

Planet Fitness said in a statement: "We were deeply saddened by the passing of one of our members, and the franchise owner is working with the local authorities in their investigation."

What else we're watching:

A massive explosion at a factory in Louisville, Kentucky, left two people dead and several others injured on Tuesday, officials said.

A U.S. government employee has been charged with leaking classified information related to Israel's plans to attack Iran, according to court papers filed today.

Inflation rose by 2.6% year over year in October, hotter than the 2.4% annual rate in September, but in line with economists' expectations.

An American citizen was found dead in a luxury hotel in Ireland after he was assaulted, according to authorities.

23andMe is cutting 40% of its workforce, as the company's financial struggles raise concerns about what may happen with customers' personal data.

"Full House" star Dave Coulier revealed he's battling cancer on the "TODAY" show.

People has announced its 2024 Sexiest Man Alive.

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.