Friday Briefing: Trump’s newest appointments

Plus an Israel-France soccer match.

View in browser|nytimes.com November 15, 2024 By Natasha Frost Good morning. We're covering Donald Trump's provocative cabinet picks and Israeli strikes on Gaza, Lebanon and Syria. Plus: Meet the man who helps travelers pull off "skiplagging." Robert F. Kennedy Jr. campaigning with Donald J. Trump in October. Kenny Holston/The New York Times Trump taps Kennedy for health secretary As a candidate, President-elect Donald Trump promised to let Robert F. Kennedy Jr. "go wild on health." Yesterday, Trump said that he would nominate Kennedy to lead the Health and Human Services Department, which would give a vocal skeptic of vaccines significant influence over public health policy. Kennedy has no medical or public health degree. Earlier, Republicans and Democrats alike had expressed dismay at Trump's choice of former Representative Matt Gaetz to lead the Justice Department as attorney general. Lawmakers called on a congressional panel to release the results of its investigation into various allegations of misconduct by Gaetz, who effectively ended that probe by resigning from Congress after Trump's announcement. Here's how our reporters reacted to Gaetz's nomination. Trump said he would name Todd Blanche, who oversaw his legal defense against a number of indictments, to become the No. 2 official at the Justice Department. About a dozen cabinet or cabinet-level roles have yet to be announced. Analysis: Trump's choice of loyalty over experience in his appointments demonstrates his desire to shatter Washington norms and makes it clear that he will not brook resistance in his second term. It's also his first show of force to Senate Republicans, who will be under immense pressure to confirm his nominees. In other politics news: President Biden's final international diplomatic tour, meant to reaffirm his legacy, will be in the shadow of Trump's victory. Democracy Forward, a liberal-leaning legal organization, unveiled a large-scale effort meant to thwart Trump's agenda from the moment he takes office. Here is the list of Trump's nominations. Follow our live updates on the transition. Recovering bodies from the site of an Israeli airstrike in Baalbek, Lebanon, on Thursday. Nidal Solh/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images Israel batters Gaza, Lebanon and Syria An Israeli strike on a civil defense center in the city of Baalbek in northeast Lebanon killed at least 12 rescue workers, the regional governor said. Lebanon's civil defense agency, which performs emergency and medical services, is an arm of the Lebanese state and is not affiliated with Hezbollah, the militant group backed by Iran. On the same day, Israeli fighter jets bombarded sites in Damascus, the Syrian capital, that Israel said were affiliated with Palestinian Islamic Jihad, a militia backed by Iran. Those attacks killed at least 15 people and wounded 16 others, including children, according to the Syrian state media. The Israeli military has also bombed a densely populated tent encampment in southern Gaza that was designated a humanitarian zone for displaced Palestinians, saying its target was a loaded weapons launcher in the area. A child was killed in the attack and more than 20 other people were injured, according to the Palestinian news agency Wafa. In other news from the conflict: Aides to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel are under investigation over accusations that they altered the official record of a call from a general to Netanyahu on the morning that Hamas attacked Israel last year. Here's what we know so far. Elon Musk met with Iran's ambassador to the U.N. to discuss what two Iranian officials described as how to defuse tensions between Iran and the U.S. Israel's right wing is eager to annex the West Bank, and many see support for that vision in Trump's appointments. Ben & Jerry's sued its parent company, Unilever, accusing the consumer goods giant of trying to stop it from expressing support for Palestinian refugees. The match in Paris was attended by President Emmanuel Macron, front right, and his predecessors François Hollande and Nicolas Sarkozy, in the row behind him, among other political figures. Christian Hartmann/Reuters A high-profile France-Israel soccer game President Emmanuel Macron of France and other top political leaders made a rare appearance at what would normally have been a run-of-the-mill soccer match between Israel and France in Paris last night. (The match ended in a 0-0 draw.) After violence a week earlier in Amsterdam surrounding a match between a Dutch team and a different Israeli squad, the authorities in France vowed to prevent such scenes from being repeated there. About 4,000 police officers and 1,600 private security personnel and stewards were deployed ahead of the match in a vast security operation. Quotable: "We are a big country. We know how to put on big events like we did during the Olympics. We won't tremble before this match," said Laurent Nuñez, Paris's police chief. MORE TOP NEWS Francis R Malasig/EPA, via Shutterstock Philippines: Typhoon Usagi made landfall. The authorities warned that it could cause widespread flooding and landslides in the north. Climate: With little progress made on curbing emissions, the planet is heading for dangerous levels of warming this century, a report found. Norway: Parliament apologized for policies that silenced the Sami and other Indigenous people and forced their children into boarding schools. Tech: ​The E.U. fined Meta roughly $840 million for breaking competition laws with Facebook Marketplace. Entertainment: The Walt Disney Company shared strong growth expectations with investors — not just for 2025, but also for 2026 and 2027. Media: The Onion, the satirical news outlet, won a bid to buy Alex Jones's conspiratorial Infowars site out of bankruptcy, with plans to make it a parody of itself. But a judge put the sale on hold. Christmas: Environmentalists in Italy are calling on Pope Francis to halt the chopping down of a huge tree destined for St. Peter's Square. SPORTS NEWS Boxing: Jake Paul and Mike Tyson are gearing up for a boxing match that is expected to be the most watched program on Netflix this weekend. Skiing: With a new right knee, Lindsey Vonn said she planned to rejoin the U.S. team with hopes of racing on the World Cup circuit this winter. Soccer: Barcelona's new billion-euro agreement with Nike could be the solution to the club's financial woes. Baseball: Shohei Ohtani's 50th home run ball is on display and under tight security inside Taipei 101, the tallest building in Taiwan. MORNING READ Aktarer Zaman Perhaps you've heard of skiplagging — purchasing a flight itinerary with a layover that is the intended destination and skipping the last leg. Some travelers will employ this tactic when it's cheaper than buying a direct flight. (Airlines despise it.) Aktarer Zaman, above, founded a website called Skiplagged in 2013 to help travelers unearth such deals. "Ethics are a personal decision," he told The Times. "Is this pricing even ethical? It's motivated by profit." Lives lived: Theodore Olson, a conservative Supreme Court litigator who surprised colleagues and foes alike when he took up traditionally liberal causes like gay marriage and the children of undocumented immigrants, died at 84. CONVERSATION STARTERS Not so cold blooded: Ball pythons were long assumed to be solitary, but snakes in captivity actually have social lives. They're even cuddly. Hollywood history: A dozen sketches by the costume designer Edith Head were sold at auction. Two Grace Kelly designs fetched the highest sums. A.I. dating: A Times reporter tested chatbots to see if they could improve his dating life. The results were mixed. Mass appeal: People magazine named John Krasinski its sexiest man alive. ARTS AND IDEAS Ben Hickey Test your knowledge of children's books Where did the Brothers Grimm live and work? What is Paddington Bear's country of origin? From which nation did Pippi Longstocking and her creator, Astrid Lindgren, hail? A strong sense of place can deeply influence a story, and in some cases, the setting can even feel like a character itself. This week's literary geography quiz celebrates popular children's books and stories from cultures around the world. Take the quiz here. We hope you've enjoyed this newsletter, which is made possible through subscriber support. Subscribe to The New York Times. RECOMMENDATIONS Rachel Vanni for The New York Times Cook: Roast squash until caramelized, and top with cinnamon toasted nuts. Read: Let us help you find your next book. Exercise: Here's how to pick a personal trainer. Listen: "The Good Whale," a new podcast from Serial Productions, tells the true story of a movie-star orca and his odyssey back to the ocean. Episodes 1 and 2 are out now. Play the Spelling Bee. And here are today's Mini Crossword and Wordle. You can find all our puzzles here. That's it for today's briefing. Have a great weekend. — Natasha Reach Natasha and the team at briefing@nytimes.com. Need help? Review our newsletter help page or contact us for assistance. You received this email because you signed up for Morning Briefing: Europe Edition from The New York Times. To stop receiving Morning Briefing: Europe Edition, unsubscribe. To opt out of other promotional emails from The Times, including those regarding The Athletic, manage your email settings. 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