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Officials in Israel are largely condemning a decision by the International Criminal Court in The Hague to issue arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Galant. The court has accused the leaders of war crimes related to the war in Gaza. NPR's Scott Newman reports from Tel Aviv. Netanyahu's office and several government ministers labeled the decision anti-Semitic.
Galant's replacement, Defense Minister Israel Katz, called it a, quote, moral disgrace. The court says it has reasonable grounds to find that Netanyahu and Galant bear criminal responsibility for using starvation as a method of warfare and for crimes including murder and persecution in Gaza.
However, the human rights group Bet Salam says the ICC's decision isn't surprising and called it, quote, "...one of the lowest points in Israeli history." Enforcement of the warrants is dependent on the ICC's 124 member states, which do not include Israel or its ally, the United States.
Scott Newman, NPR News, Tel Aviv. With former Florida Congressman Matt Gaetz stepping aside as President-elect Donald Trump's Attorney General nominee, Trump has chosen another Floridian. Trump announcing on his social media platform he's picking former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi. Bondi is a longtime Trump ally and was one of the lawyers at his first impeachment trial. She spent more than 18 years as a prosecutor and has been chair of the America First Policy Institute.
Gates resigned his House seat this week amid an investigation into allegations of sex with a minor and illicit drug use. An atmospheric river is slamming the West Coast intermittently, leaving thousands without power and closing some schools there. The National Weather Service warns Eureka in Northern California could see flooding. Suki Lewis of member station KQED has more. Nearly 12 inches of rain fell in the nearby coastal mountains in just 24 hours.
James White of the National Weather Service says the biggest area of concern is the Eel River south of Eureka, which is expected to keep rising overnight and into tomorrow. As it reaches major flood stage, it's going to cut off a lot of roads, and a lot of those farmers need to move their livestock as the river rises. And so that can always be a dangerous situation if people get trapped out there. Transportation officials say they're preparing in case the rising water cuts off the small northern California town of Ferndale.
As rain continues to fall on already saturated ground, there's also a greater risk of downed trees and mudslides. For NPR News, I'm Suki Lewis in Eureka. President-elect Donald Trump's chief cost-cutters, billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk and former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy have big plans in terms of downsizing, wherever those efforts could run into a constitutional clash. Proposal from the two where they encourage Trump to refuse to spend money allocated by Congress could conflict with the 1974 law.
On Wall Street, the Dow was up 461 points. This is NPR. Brazil's former far-right president has been indicted on charges of plotting to overturn the government after his re-election loss in 2022. Federal police in the South American nation say Jair Bolsonaro and 36 others conspired together to keep the former president in power. NPR's Kerry Kahn reports.
The nearly 900-page federal police report into the alleged coup involved what authorities say was a far-reaching criminal organization attempting a violent overthrow of the democratic state. Indicted along with Bolsonaro are his former defense minister, who was his vice presidential running mate, his former spy chief, and the president of his political party.
It's now up to Brazil's attorney general to decide whether charges will be pursued. If convicted, Bolsonaro could face a lengthy prison term. He has long denied any wrongdoing and says he is being politically persecuted. Bolsonaro has been barred from running for office until 2030. Carrie Khan, NPR News, Rio de Janeiro. Scientists say it's been a bad year for dolphin strandings on Cape Cod with no clear idea what's causing an unusually large number of beachings.
International Fund for Animal Welfare, which responds to marine mammal strandings, says it has responded to 342 incidents involving dolphins. That's five times the annual average. Scientists say warming waters are changing the availability of the animal's food supply, as well as changes in tides that can sometimes trap the animals. Officials with the Center say the large number of incidents involving dolphins is also stretching the organization's resources.
Crude oil features prices moved higher today, oil up $1.35 a barrel in New York. I'm Jack Spear, NPR News in Washington.