Tuesday Briefing: An ethics report on Matt Gaetz

Plus, a new era of bumper stickers

View in browser|nytimes.com December 24, 2024 By Natasha Frost Good morning. We're covering a House Ethics Committee investigation into Matt Gaetz and an update on efforts to release the hostages held in Gaza. Plus: An era of zany bumper stickers. Matt Gaetz has denied wrongdoing. Anna Watts for The New York Times An explosive report on Matt Gaetz The House Ethics Committee said that its lengthy investigation into Matt Gaetz, Donald Trump's onetime pick for attorney general, found that he had regularly paid for sex and used illegal drugs. He was also accused of having paid for sexual relations in 2017 with a 17-year-old girl. The report, released yesterday, concluded that Gaetz's actions violated state sexual misconduct laws in Florida, which Gaetz formerly represented in Congress. The laws include Florida's statutory rape law, though the report did not find conclusive evidence that he had violated federal sex trafficking laws. It was released weeks after Gaetz withdrew from consideration to be the nation's chief law enforcement officer. Read the main takeaways here. Gaetz has denied wrongdoing. He mounted a last-ditch effort to block the report's release yesterday, filing an emergency motion in Federal District Court, but he was notified that he had filed it improperly. On social media, he argued that he was being unfairly maligned by a "sham witch-hunt report." In other U.S. political news: President Biden commuted the death sentences of 37 federal prisoners, all of whom remain subject to life imprisonment. He declined to commute the sentences of three others. Donald Trump has suggested in recent days that he wants to bring Greenland and the Panama Canal under American control. Bill Clinton, 78, was hospitalized in Washington for testing and observation after developing a fever. "Don't lecture me," Benjamin Netanyahu warned Israeli lawmakers on Monday. Pool photo by Debbie Hill Netanyahu signaled progress on a hostage deal Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel said that "some progress" was being made toward a deal with Hamas to release the hostages who have been held captive in Gaza for more than a year, but he dismissed pressure to act faster. "I don't know how long it will take," he told lawmakers in Parliament. The Israeli leader did not provide any details about the negotiations to secure the release of about 100 people who were taken on Oct. 7, 2023, about a third of whom are believed to be dead, according to the Israeli authorities. In exchange for their release, a number of Palestinians imprisoned in Israel would be freed, according to the outlines of the deal. Netanyahu's pledge to secure the hostages' release by any means necessary did little to quell the anger of opposition lawmakers, many of whom shouted over him and some of whom were ejected during the address. Gaza: Gangs are filling a power vacuum left by Israel in the south of the territory, hijacking desperately needed aid for Palestinian residents. Syria: Top Arab diplomats visited Damascus, the capital, in the latest international diplomatic overture to the rebel coalition running the country. Robert Fico, left, with Vladimir Putin. Gavriil Grigorov/Sputnik, via Reuters Slovakia's leader met with Putin Robert Fico, the prime minister of Slovakia, made a surprise visit to Moscow for talks with President Vladimir Putin on natural gas supplies and the conflict in Ukraine. A fixture of Slovak politics for decades, Fico has drifted steadily to the populist right. He returned to power for a third stint as prime minister after narrowly winning a 2023 election. The meeting was a blow to the E.U., which has struggled to keep a united front against Russia over the war in Ukraine. This year, Hungary's prime minister, Viktor Orban, also visited Moscow to meet with Putin, breaking with E.U. policy. Ukraine: Sending roughly 10,000 North Korean troops to aid Russia on the battlefield was Kim Jong-un's decision, not the result of a Kremlin request, U.S. officials said. MORE TOP NEWS Jefferson Siegel for The New York Times Crime: Luigi Mangione, who is charged with killing UnitedHealthcare's chief executive, pleaded not guilty in his first court appearance in New York. Health: Researchers are seeking an explanation for the growing prevalence of autism. Whatever it is, it's not vaccines. Germany: Days after five people were killed in an attack on a Christmas market, calls for solidarity have given way to political sniping. Cars: The Japanese automakers Honda and Nissan agreed to formally begin talks to combine their operations. They aim to complete the merger by August 2026. Ireland: After decades of silence, many older men are now talking about the sexual abuse they suffered at Catholic schools. France: President Emmanuel Macron appointed a new cabinet less than three weeks after the previous government collapsed over a bitter budgetary stalemate. Democratic Republic of Congo: The mpox epidemic has reached Kinshasa, the country's populous capital, infecting mothers who sell sex to survive and their children. Tech: The U.S. initiated a trade investigation into China's production of older computer chips that are integral for cars, telecom networks and weapons. New York: A man is in custody after the police said he set a woman on fire, burning her to death on the subway. Mozambique: The highest court upheld the results of a presidential election in which a ruling party candidate was declared the winner despite allegations of widespread irregularities. Hawaii: Kilauea, one of the world's most active volcanoes, erupted early yesterday. It most recently erupted in September. SPORTS NEWS Tennis: Max Purcell, the 2024 U.S. Open men's doubles champion, has been provisionally suspended while under investigation for doping. Basketball: AJ Dybantsa isn't just the best player in high school basketball. He is the face of a revolution. MORNING READ A.I. often gets criticized for its "hallucinations" — the generation of fake but plausible information. But scientists are finding these imaginings useful, as the machines dream up riots of unrealities that have helped researchers track cancer, design drugs, invent medical devices, uncover weather phenomena and even win a Nobel Prize. Lives lived: Alfa Anderson, who sang the famous refrain, "Le freak, c'est chic," on one of disco's biggest hits, died at 78. CONVERSATION STARTERS Beep beep: Robots excel at a lot of tasks. But in the kitchen, real chefs are hard to replace. Font of inspiration: One man is behind the typefaces used in box office hits like "Barbie" and "Wicked." On the hunt: New York City has a secret weapon in its war on rats: Katie the dog. Dazzling diamonds: How did France's crown jewels end up in New Jersey? ARTS AND IDEAS Graham Dickie/The New York Times Honk if you get the reference Gone are the days of "Coexist" or "Free Tibet": Bumper stickers are getting weirder and more ironic. The company Frog Mustard is among the most prolific creators of absurd bumper stickers, including ones that read "On my way to get a lobotomy" and "I'm pro-sexualizing the green M&M and I vote!" "Bumper stickers used to actually say something about the person," said Elizabeth Goodspeed, a graphic designer. Now, she said, "they don't tell me anything about the person beyond that they are on the internet." We hope you've enjoyed this newsletter, which is made possible through subscriber support. Subscribe to The New York Times. RECOMMENDATIONS Kerri Brewer for The New York Times Cook: This savory breakfast dish can be prepared the night before. Travel: Keep your clothes in good shape with packing tips from the pros. Read: Times journalists recommend the books they enjoyed this year. Cope: Spending time with family can be fraught. Here's how to set boundaries. 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. See you tomorrow. — Natasha P.S. We asked readers to share their holiday traditions. Bette Sullivan, from Sumner, Wash., sent this note: "We look out the window at the sky on Christmas Eve to be the first to spot Rudolph's nose — the red light of a plane flying overhead. No matter where we've lived or how cloudy the sky has been, somehow, for 50 years, there's always been a red light in the distance, the signal that it's time to brush your teeth and go to sleep, or else Santa won't come." 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