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White House Defends Hegseth, Bitcoin Prices Drop & Travel / Giving Tuesday - Tuesday, December 2, 2025
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Today is Tuesday, December 2nd. We'll tell you about the meeting President Trump held with top officials in the face of growing questions about his military buildup and one controversial decision in particular. Also, where the third winter storm in just one week is hitting in the US this time. Plus, new rules coming for anyone without a real id, a bad day for bitcoin, raising fears of another crypto winter. And what to know about travel discounts and the need for giving on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving. Those stories and even more news to know coming up. Welcome. Welcome to the Newsworthy. All the day's news in around 10 minutes. Fast, fair, fun and on the go. I'm Erica. Mandy, thanks so much for being here. You ready? Let's do this. The White House has now confirmed that a US Navy admiral ordered a controversial follow up strike on a suspected drug boat in the Caribbean. And it says Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth authorized and observed that strike as it happened as part of what the administration calls an operation to protect Americans from drug traffickers. Legal experts are raising alarms, though they say survivors from the first strike did not appear to pose an imminent threat to US Forces, meaning the second strike may not have been legal even under the Trump administration's own expanded justification for these operations. Some critics have gone further, calling the second strike a potential war crime or unlawful killing. The admiral is expected to give a classified briefing to members of Congress later this week. And some lawmakers are now calling for Defense Secretary Hegseth to testify under oath and for the administration to release video of the strike. Meanwhile, President Trump met with top national security officials at the White House yesterday to talk about next steps for Venezuela. As of this morning, there have been no new public announcements about what comes next. As we've told you, the US has stepped up pressure on Venezuela by building up military assets and striking suspected drug boats in the Caribbean. The Trump administration says all of this is aimed at drug cartels, some of which it claims are being run by Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro. Maduro spoke to supporters yesterday saying the US Is testing his country, but that Venezuelans are ready to defend it. This could be a high stakes week for diplomacy over a plan to end Russia's war in Ukraine. Today, President Trump's special envoy, Steve Witkoff, is scheduled to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Witkoff's role was scrutinized last week when Bloomberg News reported he coached Putin's foreign affairs adviser. A transcript of a call shows Witkoff suggested how Russia's leaders should pitch to Trump, saying how he should praise and congratulate the American president, among other things. Well, President Trump defended Wyckoff, saying those suggestions were just standard negotiating procedure. Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is turning to Europe for support. He met with France's President Emmanuel Macron yesterday while also touching base with American diplomats. Zelenskyy said the peace plan the Trump administration has proposed looks better now that it's been revised, but it's not done at this point. Ukraine's priorities in peace talks are security guarantees and control of its territories, both of which are coming up in Europe, and Zelenskyy will continue to talk with other European partners this week. President Trump's former personal lawyer is now disqualified from serving as the top federal prosecutor in New Jersey. Alina Haba was appointed to the post on an interim basis back in March. That interim designation is only supposed to last for 120 days before someone permanent takes the job. While the Senate never confirmed Haba and district trial court judges never appointed her, instead the Justice Department appointed her as a special attorney allowed to do anything US Attorneys are authorized to do. So some New Jersey lawyers challenged her authority as U.S. attorney. Then yesterday, in a unanimous decision, a federal appeals court ruled against the unusual steps the DOJ took to to put Haba in her position. Now, it's not clear what this means for cases moving through New Jersey courts. Already, some criminal cases have been slowed and some grand jury proceedings have been halted, while Haba's status has been challenged. This decision could end up impacting other cases, too, since several of President Trump's other appointments have also been challenged in court. Remember, just last week there was a similar ruling. In that one, a federal judge found the top federal Virginia prosecutor was not lawfully appointed, and because of that, charges were dropped against a couple of President Trump's perceived enemies like former FBI Director James Comey. Now, some reports say they expect the cases of both U.S. attorneys to reach the U.S. supreme Court. The third winter storm in a week is dropping snow and ice on parts of the central US and today it's expected to bring the first widespread snow of the season to the Northeast and New England. Winter weather alerts now stretch for more than 1500 miles. Roads are considered dangerous and many schools are closed today across New Hampshire, Vermont, Pennsylvania and Massachusetts, where up to a foot of snow could fall. But major cities like Boston, New York City and Philadelphia will likely miss out on most of the snow. And in the Deep south, it's mostly cold rain. Even when the storms calm down, dangerously cold record breaking temperatures are possible tomorrow east of the Rockies. We're talking close to 30 degrees below normal for this time of year, especially in the Dakotas and parts of the Midwest, and the brutal cold is expected to last all week. Real ID rules went into effect months ago, but there are still plenty of Americans who have not upgraded from standard driver's licenses and other ID cards. And soon it will actually make a big difference at the airport, the TSA announced yesterday. Travelers without a real ID or accepted alternative like a passport will have to follow another process to get through security. That will include uploading documents on a TSA web portal, and those passengers will have to pay $45 to do it. The fee apparently covers the technology and administrative costs to verify IDs, and even after paying, it's possible TSA still won't be able to verify a person's identity, in which case they could be denied access to their flight. So TSA is really hoping more people get a real ID. It says 94% of passengers already have. The rule change is set to take effect February 1st. More news coming up in just a moment, but first a quick break to tell you about our sponsor. You know what's easier than fixing a problem? Not having the problem in the first place. Your liver is one of those organs you might not think about until you have to. So supporting it daily is one of the small things that can make a big difference in how you feel. Overall Dose for your liver is a clinically backed liver health supplement. And thankfully this is not just another capsule or powder. It's a great tasting liquid supplement that's taken in an easy two ounce shot. It honestly tastes like fresh squeezed orange juice. It has zero sugar, zero junk and zero calories. But it's promoting daily liver function so your liver can do its very important job be your body's filter. Did you know your liver performs over 500 functions daily? Yeah it does. And dose did two double blind placebo controlled studies showing its positive impact on liver enzyme levels. Ready to give your liver the support it deserves? Head to DueDaily co Newsworthy or enter the code NEWSWORTHY to get 35% off your first subscription. Your body does so much for you. Let's do something for it that's dosedaily d o s e d a I l y dot co newsworthy for 35% off your first month subscription. Now back to the news. The White House is officially decked out for Christmas. First lady Melania Trump unveiled this year's holiday decorations and the theme which is Home is where the heart is. It's supposed to highlight the American spirit of generosity, patriotism and gratitude. Each room has its own theme, too. For example, the East Rooms is America Our Home. It's meant to celebrate the upcoming 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence being signed. The Green Room's theme is Family Fun, highlighting some of America's favorite games and activities. The Blue Room is dedicated to Gold Star families, complete with stars and ornaments to depict each state. Overall, the decorations include 51 Christmas trees, 75 wreaths, more than 2,000 strands of lights, more than 120 pounds of gingerbread 6 and more than 10,000 blue butterflies, which are meant to honor foster care families. The White House is reopening its doors for public Christmas tours today, as promised, the White House shared the results of President Trump's recent MRI exam. The fact that he got an MRI at all ended up prompting weeks of speculation about the president's health. But now the White House doctor says it was standard practice for someone like Trump, who is 79 years old, meant to spot any issues early and confirm he's healthy. The MRI looked at the president's heart and abdomen, and Trump's doctor says all major organs appeared healthy and functioning with no real concerns. Overall, he called the findings, quote, perfectly normal. Bitcoin prices are in a downward spiral the sell off actually started in October, but yesterday bitcoin tumbled more than 6%, which was its biggest one day drop since March. Prices temporarily dipped below $85,000 and and they're now down more than 30% from early October. Analysts say there's likely a few reasons for the drop, for example, a wider pullback in tech stocks and signs of a possible pause in interest rate cuts. Still, crypto investors have been here before, for example, the so called crypto winter of 2021 and 2022, when digital assets lost as much as 80% of their value before turning around. The thing is, the market is much bigger now, so there are also fears of a similar sell off making a much bigger difference on Wall street this time. Stay tuned. The popular e commerce platform Shopify was hit with an outage yesterday during one of the busiest shopping days of the year. Thousands of small businesses and customers had trouble logging in and accessing the equipment used to process transactions. Last night, Shopify gave an update to say the situation was resolved, but it's still looking into exactly what went wrong. By the way, today is another day for deals. Travel Tuesday is a relatively new addition to sales promotions that include Black Friday and Cyber Monday. But Travel companies like Booking.com and Expedia are embracing it, offering customers discounts mostly on hotel stays. Individual airlines, hotels and cruise lines also have sales going. Consumer advocates say it's good to do your research, compare prices and keep an eye out for fees, blackout dates or other restrictions. But they say once you do all that, there are legitimate savings to be had. It's also Giving Tuesday the the day started more than a decade ago to encourage charitable giving after a big consumer spending boom. And this year, your support could have an even bigger impact than usual. Several nonprofits and industry groups say donations are down so far this year as compared to usual, while in many cases demand is up, so they're trying to make up the difference today. Americans do have a little bit of extra incentive to give today, too, since the tax and spending bill that passed over the summer also included a new charitable deduction. Plus, many charities are highlighting programs that will match or multiply donations today to make the impact go further. But even if you don't have extra money to give, people are encouraged to donate their time or support social causes that are important to them. If you're looking for some ideas of how to give back, just go to Today's Episode Notes We've posted a link on our website that includes all kinds of ways to spread generosity on this Giving Tuesday. Well, that's it for the main news today, so you now it's time for Trivia Tuesday, when we ask a different trivia question every week. But first, this episode is brought to you by Quints. When it comes to holiday gifting, I want to give things people really love. Beautiful, timeless pieces that they'll wear for years. That's why I'm looking to Quints. Quint has something for everyone, from soft Mongolian cashmere sweaters for just $50 that look and feel like designer pieces to Italian wool coats and other outerwear that actually keep you warm and last for seasons. And while every piece is made with premium materials from ethical factories, it's all sold at prices that actually make sense, far below what other luxury brands charge. And I know I'll be turning to Quint for gifts because I've been a recipient of a gift from Quince that I adore. I wear a gorgeous, delicate bracelet from Quince almost every day that my friends gave me. And I love several other items from Quince, including my Go To Carry on luggage and a great wool sweater. So find gifts so good you'll want to keep them with quince. Go to quints.comnewworthy for free shipping on your order and 300165 day returns now available in Canada too. That's Q-U-I-N c-e.comnewworthy to get free shipping and 365 day returns quints.comnewworthy now back to Trivia Tuesday and today's trivia question is why is the White House's Oval Office oval? Listen again next Tuesday for the answer and explanation. As for last week's trivia question, on average, how many questions does the Butterball turkey talk line field from callers during the holiday season? The answer is 100,000. About 10,000 calls usually come in on Thanksgiving Day alone. Some of the most common questions that come into the Butterball turkey talk line include how and when do you thaw a turkey? And how much turkey do you need per person? So one of the Butterball turkey pros shared the answers this year. She says it's best to thaw turkey in your fridge, but keep in mind it will take days. For every full day in the fridge, four pounds of turkey will thaw. When it comes to how much, Butterball suggests one and a half to two pounds of turkey per person so you have enough for leftovers. If you have any other questions, you can always call 1-800-Butchball or contact the turkey experts online. Well, thank you so much for joining us to get caught up on the news today. We'll be back tomorrow with the latest to know. Until then, have a great day.