November wildfires rage in the Northeast and Trump critics fear retribution: Morning Rundown
Trump critics fear he may enter office looking for retribution. An historic drought is fueling a rare November wildfire in the Northeast. And a dramatic comeback on “Sunday Night Football.”
Here’s what to know today.
Trump critics worry he’ll target them for retribution
Olivia Troye, a former Trump administration official who denounced him in a speech at the Democratic convention in August, was boarding a plane recently when a passenger looked at her and said: “Your days are numbered.”
Not wanting to escalate a bad situation, she said nothing, but the troubling encounter is emblematic of the hostility she’s faced as a recognizable and vocal critic of Trump. “I’m worried that I’ll be targeted by him and a lot of people in his circle,” Troye said in an interview. “They very much know who I am. And I’m concerned for my family.” One former Trump White House official who has publicly spoken against Trump described feeling “scared” and declined to let their name be used.
During the campaign, Trump has made different statements about whether he might target people who’ve upset him, and what he’s said can be construed in different ways. He gave a speech last year hours after he was charged with mishandling classified documents and said that if elected, he would “appoint a real special prosecutor to go after the most corrupt president in the United States of America: Joe Biden and the entire Biden crime family,” and he’s made threats that special prosecutor Jack Smith should be “thrown out of the country.” But in February, he dismissed any concerns that he might want vengeance, saying: “My revenge will be success.”
After four years out of power spent airing grievances over how he believes he’s been mistreated by law enforcement, Trump will be sworn in on Jan. 20 with a panoply of governmental powers at his disposal.
He’s made no secret of who he believes has wronged him, and as president he could upend their lives through investigations, tax audits or courts-martial if he chose.
Read more:
➡️ Trump wrote on Truth Social that anyone running to be next Senate majority leader should agree to let him make recess appointments to his cabinet.
➡️ Trump announced that Tom Homan, the former acting director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, will be his administration’s “border czar.”
➡️ Democrats are holding out hope in the Pennsylvania Senate race, where Republican Dave McCormick holds a narrow lead of Democratic Sen. Bob Casey.
➡️ The NBC News Home Buyer Index shows those with tough housing markets shifted more sharply toward Trump.
➡️ Rep. Jim Jordan is leaving the door open for special counsel Jack Smith to testify before Congress.
➡️ Arab and Muslim voters moved away from the Democratic Party this year in ways that led some to warn of a shift from a voting bloc that has been reliably Democratic.
Historic drought fuels blazes across the Northeast
Firefighters from coast to coast are battling wildfires as the country begins to prepare for the holiday season, with fires in New Jersey covering thousands of acres in tinderbox conditions created by a historic drought.
The blazes in the Northeast have claimed at least one life: Dariel Vasquez, an 18-year-old New York Parks employee, was killed Saturday by a falling tree while battling a fire in Sterling Forest, on the border of New York and New Jersey. The Jennings Creek wildfire in Passaic County, New Jersey, close to the New York state line, had grown by about 4.6 square miles and was only 10% contained as of last night, the New Jersey Forest Fire Service said.
“Not only is the fire burning on top of the ground, but it’s burning under the ground, so it’s very labor-intense,” a local official said. “To put these fires out takes a lot of time and energy, and you can see by those numbers, we’ve been running our folks ragged”
Much of the Northeast has been experiencing a record lack of rain, with some areas such as Philadelphia going without any precipitation for 42 days until a small shower yesterday.
Highlights from Week 10 of the NFL
“Sunday Night Football” produced another stunning game, with the Detroit Lions coming from behind to beat Houston Texans 26-23 in the final seconds. NBC News Sports editor Greg Rosenstein shares the highlights.
👑 The Texans were up 23-7 at halftime but the Lions rallied, scoring 19 unanswered to win their seventh game in a row. Jake Bates’ 52-yard field goal as time expired was the difference.
💪 The Kansas City Chiefs remained the only undefeated team in the NFL thanks to late heroics of their own. Leading 16-14 in the final seconds against the Denver Broncos, they blocked Wil Lutz’s 35-yard attempt to secure the win. Pop superstar Taylor Swift, Kansas City tight end Travis Kelce’s girlfriend, was on hand for the dramatic victory.
🤩 Russell Wilson and the Pittsburgh Steelers went to Washington and defeated the red-hot Commanders 28-27. Trailing 23-21 with 2:27 remaining, Wilson hit new wide receiver Mike Williams for the 32-yard score and the Steelers stopped Washington on their next possession. Pittsburgh has now won four in a row.
🏃♂️The Arizona Cardinals destroyed the New York Jets 31-6 at home. Cardinals QB Kyler Murray was incredibly precise, going 22 of 24 for 266 yards passing with a touchdown. Aaron Rodgers had only 151 yards passing with no scores as New York dropped its sixth game in its last seven.
25 monkeys found after 43 escape from South Carolina research facility
25 monkeys believed to be among 43 that escaped a South Carolina research facility last week have been recovered, and eyes are on a “sizable group” nearby, police said. At least some of the rest of the 18 escapees were believed to be along a fence line around the facility; the primates in that group have “bedded down in the trees for the night,” police said. Authorities urged residents near the facility to keep windows and doors secured while the search for the primates remained active.
Veterinarians have examined the 25 recovered monkeys and concluded they were unharmed and in good health.
Read All About It
- Mattel’s “Wicked” movie dolls mistakenly listed a pornography site on its packaging.
- Yale University announced a new course that is focusing on Beyoncé’s cultural and political influence.
- A 6.8-magnitude earthquake shook eastern Cuba, after weeks of hurricanes and blackouts.
- More women are seeking testosterone therapy, prompted by influencers, according to doctors.
Staff Pick: The growing debate over cellphones in schools
Parents and lawmakers across the U.S. are working to figure out how to best serve American kids in an increasingly digital age. In Florida, the state has banned cellphone use in classrooms in an attempt to reprioritize focused learning. Tech intern Bruna Horvath spoke to parents, teachers, students and school board members in Broward County, the location of the Parkland school shooting, about controversy caused by the board’s decision to take Florida’s law a step further and ban cellphones for the entire school day.
— Ben Goggin, deputy tech editor
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Thanks for reading the Morning Rundown. Today’s newsletter was curated for you by Elizabeth Both.