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Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Jack Spear. With today's decision by Matt Gaetz to withdraw his nomination as Attorney General, President-elect Donald Trump has wasted little time in choosing his new nominee.
Trump announcing on his social media platform he's picking another Florian for the post, former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi. Trump saying Bondi will, quote, refocus a Justice Department he says has been weaponized against him and other Republicans. Bondi is a longtime Trump ally and was one of his 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.
Gary Gensler, the chair of the Securities and Exchange Commission, says he'll step down when Donald Trump is inaugurated as president. SMPR's Rafael Nam reports Gensler used his SEC authority to take on the cryptocurrency industry. The news is not surprising. Trump had promised to fire Gary Gensler on day one, even though it's unclear whether he'll have the power to do that. And SEC chairs traditionally resign anyway when a new administration takes over.
Gensler's tenure was marked by big enforcement actions, especially against the cryptocurrency industry, including companies like Coinbase and Binance.
Crypto players poured millions into this year's congressional races, and Trump has promised to make his administration much friendlier to the crypto industry. Rafael Nam, NPR News. More than two weeks after the election, Democratic Senator Bob Casey of Pennsylvania is conceding the race to his Republican opponent, Dave McCormick.
The extraordinarily close contest was the final outstanding Senate race of the 2024 election, decided by less than a quarter of one percent. With the GOP win in Pennsylvania, Republicans will hold 53 seats in the 100-seat chamber.
Russia has launched a new kind of experimental ballistic missile at Ukraine. As NPR's Jeff Bromfield explains, the launch is likely intended to send a nuclear message. Russian President Vladimir Putin said his nation had used a new ballistic missile with a non-nuclear warhead.
Aaron Stein is president of the Foreign Policy Research Institute. He says even though this was a conventional attack, this new missile is clearly designed to carry nuclear weapons. They're showing everybody that they have the tools and the capabilities to carry out nuclear strikes throughout Europe. The launch of the missile comes just days after the U.S. allowed Ukraine to launch American-made missiles deep into Russian territory.
Jeff Brumfield, NPR News. Oil company Phillips 66 has been indicted for allegedly violating the Clean Water Act in California. Texas-based company accused by the Justice Department of discharging hundreds of thousands of gallons of industrial wastewater containing excessive amounts of oil and grease. Phillips 66 faces two charges of negatively violating the Clean Water Act. On Wall Street, the Dow rose more than 460 points. This is NPR.
Students attending the University of Texas system will receive free tuition if their families make less than $100,000 annually. My follow-up is with Member Station KUT has more. The University of Texas System Board of Regents has approved the Promise Plus program. The system is the first in Texas to offer a sweeping financial aid package. The UT system has 14 institutions and enrolls over a quarter of a million students.
making it one of the largest public university systems in the country. James B. Milliken is the UT System Chancellor. He says this is a big step in making universities accessible and affordable. This has a significant impact on Texas families and on the ability of students to be able to attend one of our institutions and get a high-quality education.
According to the UT System, more than half of its students receive some form of financial aid. I'm Maifa Waz in Austin. Penn State University has won a closely watched battle over trademark infringement. The issue was an online retailer's use of the school's vintage logos and images.
Pennsylvania jury awarded the school $280,000 in damages. In a case involving items sold by the company Vintage Brands and Sportswear Inc., the university accused the company of selling counterfeit clothing and accessories. The defendants, for their part, had claimed their website made it clear they were not associated with Penn State. At least a dozen other schools were also suing on similar grounds.
Crude oil futures prices gained ground today as tensions mount between Russia and Ukraine. Oil up $1.35 a barrel, or 2%, to settle at $70.10 a barrel in New York. I'm Jack Spear, NPR News in Washington.
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