4 Republicans defy Speaker Johnson to force House vote on extending ACA subsidies
WASHINGTON (AP) — Four centrist Republicans have broken with their party's leadership over health care. They've signed onto a Democratic-led petition that will force a House vote on extending for three years an enhanced pandemic-era subsidy that lowers health insurance costs for millions of Americans. The stunning move Wednesday comes the same day House Republican leaders pushed to passage a health care bill that doesn't address the soaring monthly premiums coming for those with insurance through the Affordable Care Act. A House vote on the subsidies could come as soon as early January. Even if it passed, it would face an arduous climb in the Republican-led Senate.
Senate passes $901 billion defense bill that pushes Hegseth for boat strike video
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate has given final passage to an annual military policy bill that will authorize $901 billion in defense programs. The legislation is attempting to overhaul how the Pentagon purchases weapons and pressures Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to provide lawmakers with video of strikes on alleged drug boats in international water near Venezuela. The annual National Defense Authorization Act also raises troop pay by 3.8%. However, the legislation includes some pushback on recent moves by the Pentagon. Several Republican senators back Hegseth and his decision not to release the video publicly. Democrats call for part of the video to be released publicly and for every member of Congress to have access to the full footage.
Rob and Michele Reiner's son appears in court on murder charges while siblings speak of their loss
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Nick Reiner, son of Rob Reiner, appeared in court as he faces charges of first-degree murder in the killing of his parents. The 32-year-old did not enter a plea as he appeared Wednesday from behind the glass wall of a custody area. He was in shackles and wearing a jail suicide prevention smock. The 78-year-old actor and director Rob Reiner and his wife, Michele Singer Reiner, were found dead from stab wounds in their Los Angeles home Sunday. The couple's other two children, Jake and Romy Reiner, released a statement saying they are feeling unimaginable pain at the loss of parents who were also their best friends.
FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino says he plans to resign next month as bureau's No 2 official
WASHINGTON (AP) — FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino says he’ll resign from the bureau next month, ending a brief tenure in which he clashed with the Justice Department over the handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files and was forced to reconcile the realities of his law enforcement job with provocative claims he made in his prior role as a popular podcast host. The departure, which had been expected, would be among the highest-profile resignations of the Trump administration. It comes as FBI leadership has been buffeted by criticism over Director Kash Patel’s use of a government plane for personal purposes and social media posts about active investigations.
Trump gives a partisan prime-time address insisting the economy is stronger than many voters feel
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump says he is sending a $1,776 bonus check to U.S. troops for Christmas. It was a highlight of an unusually partisan address carried live on network television on Wednesday. Trump said his tariffs were funding the payments as he tried to reassure a worried public about the health of the economy. Trump says 1.45 million military service members will get what he called a “warrior dividend” before the holiday. “The checks are already on the way,” he said. His bonus payments for the troops come as millions of Americans are fretting about the costs of groceries, housing, utilities and their holiday gifts as inflation remains elevated and the labor market has weakened in recent months.
Investigators seek older video that might show the Brown campus shooter days before the attack
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — Authorities are asking the public to review any security or phone footage from the week before the mass shooting at Brown University in the hopes it might help investigators identify someone they believe might have been casing the scene before the attack. With the search for the shooter in its fifth day Wednesday, the city of Providence is on edge, with investigators showing no sign that they're close to figuring out who was behind Saturday's attack that killed two students and wounded nine others. The request to review older video came after authorities released several clips from the day of the attack. In all of those, the person authorities are trying to identify was masked or had their head turned.
Jack Smith tells lawmakers his team developed 'proof beyond a reasonable doubt' against Trump
WASHINGTON (AP) — Former Justice Department special counsel Jack Smith has told lawmakers in a closed-door interview his team “developed proof beyond a reasonable doubt” President Donald Trump criminally conspired to overturn his 2020 election loss. That's according to portions of Smith's opening statement obtained by The Associated Press on Wednesday. Smith says investigators had “powerful evidence” Trump broke the law by hoarding classified documents at his Florida estate from his first term as president and by obstructing government efforts to recover the records. Smith says decisions in the investigations were made without regard to consideration of Trump’s Republican candidacy in 2024. He testified for some eight hours behind closed doors. Trump has said he'd rather see Smith testify publicly.
US government admits role in causing helicopter-plane collision that killed 67 in Washington
The U.S. government says the actions of an air traffic controller and Army helicopter pilot played a role in a fatal collision last January between an airliner and a Black Hawk near the nation’s capital. The government responded Wednesday to the first lawsuit filed by one of the victims’ families. It said it is partly liable but suggested others may have also played a role. Authorities had said the helicopter was flying higher than allowed when it collided with the American Airlines regional jet landing at Ronald Reagan National Airport. The crash killed all three soldiers aboard the helicopter and the plane's 60 passengers and four crew.
Shooting of MIT professor Nuno Loureiro has police searching for a suspect
BROOKLINE, Mass. (AP) — Police have intensified their search for a suspect in the killing of Massachusetts Institute of Technology physics professor Nuno F.G. Loureiro. He was shot at his home outside Boston on Monday night and died at a hospital on Tuesday. The Norfolk District Attorney’s Office said the investigation is ongoing with no suspects in custody. Loureiro, a physicist and fusion scientist, joined MIT in 2016 and led the Plasma Science and Fusion Center. People gathered Tuesday night outside his home to honor him, some holding candles. The FBI said it does not know of any connection to the professor's shooting and a recent deadly shooting at Brown University.
The Oscars will move to YouTube in 2029, leaving longtime home of ABC
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has announced a major change for the Oscars. Starting in 2029, the awards ceremony will stream on YouTube. ABC will continue broadcasting the event until 2028, which will mark the 100th Oscars. This shift announced Wednesday represents a significant move for one of television's marquee events. Starting in 2029, YouTube will retain global rights to streaming the Oscars through 2033. YouTube will effectively be the home to all things Oscars, including red-carpet coverage, the Governors Awards and the Oscar nominations announcement.
