Today's Top Stories from NBC News

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 13, 2025

In today's newsletter: Politicians who have felt Trump's wrath face a surge of threats. More photos are released of Jeffrey Epstein and high-profile men. And, prosecutors might seek federal hate crime charges against the suspect in Charlie Kirk's assassination.

Here's what to know today.

▼ The Lead

A surge of recent threats for Trump's opponents

(Tom Williams / Getty Images)

President Donald Trump's heated rhetoric against politicians he perceives as his enemies has resulted in a barrage of threats against at least 22 officials on both sides of the aisle in recent weeks, according to an NBC News tally.

Numerous Democrats, including Sens. Chuck Schumer and Elissa Slotkin, have been targeted with threats after being mentioned in social media posts by the president. But even more Republicans, including Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene and more than a dozen Indiana state lawmakers, have faced similar threats after attracting Trump's ire.

Three of the members of Congress that Trump accused of sedition, meanwhile, have filed complaints against him with the U.S. Capitol Police. The Capitol Police declined to comment on the complaints, saying in a statement, "For safety reasons, we cannot discuss any potential investigations."

The threats come amid a spike in political violence, including the November shooting of two National Guard members in Washington, D.C.

While the bulk of the legislators threatened from 2000 to 2012 were Democrats, the survey found the victims have been split nearly 50-50 from 2013 to the end of last year.

Read the full story.

More politics news:

Former Speaker Nancy Pelosi derided Republicans for what she called a "vote no and take the dough" tactic. But now some swing-district Democrats are doing the same.

Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem is blaming subordinates for not hitting arrest quotas, according to two DHS officials with direct knowledge of the matter.

Some spouses of U.S. citizens were recently detained by ICE at what they thought were going to be routine green card interviews.

A new Trump administration policy could make it more difficult for many lawful permanent residents to become U.S. citizens.

Democrats on the House Oversight Committee released more images from the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein's estate.

Some of the pictures showed Epstein with a number of high-profile figures, including Trump, Bill Clinton, Steve Bannon, Larry Summers, Bill Gates, Woody Allen, Richard Branson and Alan Dershowitz. They do not appear to show illegal activity by these individuals.

They appear among 19 photos released by the committee, a small portion of the 95,000 photos it said it received in the latest batch from the Epstein estate.

Read the full story and see the photos.

DOJ weighs novel hate crime case against suspect in Charlie Kirk's assassination

The Justice Department is weighing how to possibly bring federal charges against the suspect accused of killing Charlie Kirk, including under a novel legal theory that it was an anti-Christian hate crime, according to three people familiar with the investigation.

The suspect, Tyler Robinson, is already facing multiple state charges, including an aggravated murder count, and Utah prosecutors plan to seek the death penalty. Robinson's partner is trans, and authorities say he was motivated to kill Kirk because of the late conservative activist's anti-trans views.

The effort to bring federal charges in the Kirk case has been met with resistance by some career prosecutors who have argued that the crime doesn't appear to fall under any federal statutes, the three sources said. Prosecuting it as an anti-Christian hate crime would be highly unusual because the federal case would likely turn on equating anti-trans views with Christianity, according to the three people familiar with the matter.

Read the full story.

▼ Quiz Time

What new category was introduced during the 2026 Golden Globes nominations?

A. Best podcast
B. Best franchise or reboot
C. Best AI special effects
D. Best animal actor

Find out the answer and test your knowledge of this week's most-read stories. (The answer to the question is also at the bottom of this newsletter.)

Take the news quiz

▼ Read All About It

Peter Greene, the actor known for playing villains and criminals, including his role as Zed in "Pulp Fiction," died at his New York City home, his manager confirmed. He was 60.

Prosecutors alleged that former University of Michigan football coach Sherrone Moore barged into a former lover's home and threatened to kill himself, telling her that his "blood is on your hands."

A series of AI-generated deepfakes and videos, many made with OpenAI's Sora, appears to show Ukrainian soldiers apologizing to the Russian people and blaming their government for the war.

Florida-based Grey Bull Rescue Foundation said it was behind the operation to get María Corina Machado to Norway for her Nobel Peace Prize.

Torrential rain has turned the Gaza Strip's tent cities into swamps, killed at least a dozen people and washed away hopes that a ceasefire would improve the quality of life for millions of displaced people.

Taylor Swift broke down in tears as she reflected on a thwarted terror attack and the mass stabbing that left three of her young fans dead.

▼ Staff Pick

Marty's supreme marketing blitz

Timothée Chalamet is becoming a fixture during awards season and this year is no different. The buzz around his role in film studio A24's "Marty Supreme" has already garnered him a Golden Globe nomination, but the marketing for the film that will be released on Christmas Day is just getting started.

"Marty Supreme" represents A24's biggest production budget to date, at about $60 million. The marketing is an additional cost, which A24 has not disclosed, though it is widely believed to be less expensive than a traditional campaign because of its reliance more on unconventional stunts than on costly TV and outdoor ads.

Senior entertainment reporter Rebecca Keegan looked at the unique marketing campaign that includes a blimp, a Wheaties box and trendy merch.

— Christian Orozco, newsletter and platforms editor

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Thanks for reading the Morning Rundown. Today's newsletter was curated for you by Christian Orozco.

By the way, the answer to the quiz question above is A. Best podcast.

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