Republicans split over Trump’s Cabinet picks; Lebanon’s ancient heritage in the rubble: Weekend Rundown

Trump transition team compiling list of U.S. military officers for possible courts-martial

The Trump transition team is compiling a list of senior current and former U.S. military officers who were directly involved in the withdrawal from Afghanistan and exploring whether they could be court-martialed, according to a U.S. official and a person familiar with the plan.

Officials working on the transition are considering creating a commission to investigate the 2021 withdrawal from Afghanistan, including gathering information about who was directly involved in the decision-making for the military, how it was carried out, and whether the military leaders could be eligible for charges as serious as treason, they said.

“They’re taking it very seriously,” the person with knowledge of the plan said. The Trump transition team did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

It is not clear, though, what would legally justify “treason” charges since the military officers were following the orders of President Joe Biden to withdraw all U.S. forces from Afghanistan.

Growing scrutiny around Trump Cabinet picks

More than half of Senate Republicans, including some in senior leadership positions, privately say they don’t see a path for former Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., to be confirmed as attorney general, according to multiple people who spoke to NBC News on condition of anonymity.

Gaetz has frequently been embroiled in controversy in the House of Representatives and was previously investigated by the Justice Department in a case involving the alleged sex trafficking of a 17-year-old girl, though the now-former congressman has always denied the allegations and has never been criminally charged.

Pete Hegseth, Trump’s pick for defense secretary, is also facing scrutiny after police confirmed he was investigated in 2017 over “an alleged sexual assault” at a California hotel that was hosting an event for Republican women, though he was not arrested and no charges were filed.

Hegseth’s attorney, Timothy Parlatore, told NBC News on Sunday that he paid the woman an undisclosed amount after she accused him “as part of a civil confidential settlement agreement.”

Parlatore denied that the encounter was sexual assault and said that Hegseth maintains his innocence.

Lebanon’s ancient heritage faces Israeli airstrikes

Roman amphitheaters, crusaders’ citadels and centuries-old souks in Lebanon are among the heritage sites facing destruction or significant damage as Israel’s war with Hezbollah continues.

The war in Lebanon has killed more than 3,200 people and displaced more than a million others, according to Lebanese officials. The conflict has also taken a toll on the nation’s unique heritage at the crossroads of ancient Phoenician, Egyptian, Greek, Persian and Roman civilizations.

The historic village of Mhaibib, home to an ancient shrine, and the town of Nabatiyeh, which had a centuries-old souk, have already been completely destroyed, according to social media reviewed by NBC News and interviews with former residents. Airstrikes have also hit close to the celebrated Roman ruins of Baalbek, a United Nations World Heritage Site, leading Lebanese lawmakers to appeal for international intervention.

The Israel Defense Forces’ latest attacks on northern Gaza’s besieged city of Beit Lahiya killed “about 100” people, Mahmoud Basal, a spokesperson for Gaza’s Civil Defense, told NBC News on Sunday.

Meet the Press

Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., defended Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as a good choice to lead the Department of Health and Human Services on “Meet the Press,” echoing his vaccine skepticism.

“I have said that there’s some positives to vaccinations. I’ve also questioned the vaccines multiple times, and I think they should be questioned,” Mullin told moderator Kristen Welker before baselessly linking vaccines to autism, something that Kennedy has repeatedly done for years, even though there is no evidence that vaccines cause the condition.

Mullin also indicated that he would support Trump pursuing confirmation of some of his picks via recess appointments, but only as a last resort.

“If that’s what we have to do to get the confirmation through, then absolutely, let’s do it,” he said. “But I would say that would be the last option.”

You can watch the full interview here.

Politics in brief

• Energy pick: Oil and gas industry executive Chris Wright, a staunch defender of fossil fuel use who rejects the term “climate crisis,” has been named as Trump’s pick to lead the Department of Energy.
• Prosecution fears: Multiple current and former senior Justice Department and FBI officials have begun reaching out to lawyers in anticipation of being criminally investigated by the Trump administration.
• Blue-collar voters go red: Steve Kornacki explains the key voter shifts that led to Trump’s battleground-state sweep, with the president-elect harnessing historically broad nonwhite voter support while turning out his white, blue-collar base.
• Diploma divide: The election showed voters are increasingly split by education level and angry about the economy even as college costs ease.
• Dems eye 2028: As the dust settles on their election defeat, Democrats are already looking to governors and lawmakers who have carved out unique brands to take the stage in the next election.

AI makes getting a job easier, but also harder

Artificial Intelligence is reshaping the job application process, simplifying some aspects but complicating others.

Applicants can now use AI to spice up their resumes and cover letters, receive live interview scripts and launch chatbots to submit thousands of applications almost instantly. But some recruiters worry it is raising questions around applicant credibility and the integrity of the hiring process.

However, recruiters aren’t blind to the pros of AI — like making the application and screening process more efficient. Longtime recruiter Mike Peditto recommends AI as a good “starting spot,” but suggests that applicants always review generated responses since “AI misses things, too.”

Climate change is fueling a rise in dengue fever

It has been an exceptionally bad year for dengue fever: Nearly 12 million cases were recorded in the Americas through October, close to triple last year’s total of 4.6 million.

Nearly a fifth of the existing dengue burden is due to rising temperatures, according to research presented at the annual meeting of the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, and by 2050, climate change could be responsible for a further 60% rise.

In case you missed it

• Biden authorized Ukraine to use U.S.-provided long–range weapons inside Russia for limited strikes, a significant shift in policy in the region, according to two U.S. officials.
• The National Weather Service warned that dry weather conditions, relative humidity and winds “will contribute to an elevated risk of fire spread and ignition” Sunday in parts of New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and Massachusetts.
• Federal prosecutors have accused Sean “Diddy” Combs of breaking jail rules to “corruptly influence witness testimony” and taint the potential jury pool in his case, according to a court document filed Friday.
• Three more people have been arrested and charged with hate crimes over a targeted attack on a man who was allegedly kicked, spit on and called derogatory names because of his sexual orientation, police in Maryland said.
• A powerful typhoon hit the Philippines Sunday, wrecking houses, causing tidal surges and forcing hundreds of thousands to flee.
• A 44-year-old Florida woman accused of using her mother’s identity to apply for hurricane aid told a Bradenton city employee that she looked so much younger because of botox, the police department said.
• Attorneys for Elon Musk’s X Corp. have filed a notice of appearance in the bankruptcy case of conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, after satirical news site The Onion bought his Infowars platform at auction.
• The U.S. has reported its first case of a more aggressive strain of mpox in an individual in California who had recently traveled from eastern Africa.
• A rare oarfish, believed to portend a coming disaster, has washed up on a beach in Encinitas last week for the second time this year. Since 1901, only 21 oarfish have been recorded on California’s shores.
• Béla Károlyi, one of the United States’ most eminent gymnastics coaches alongside wife Márta, has died at age 82.