Trump shocks with attorney general pick

In today's newsletter: Donald Trump's head-turning pick for attorney general takes some federal officials by surprise. An indictment reveals how local officials in Mississippi's largest city got caught up in an FBI bribery investigation. And menu prices at restaurants are finally leveling off.

Here's what to know today.

Justice Department officials and Republican senators baffled at Trump's attorney general pick

President-elect Donald Trump's announcement of Rep. Matt Gaetz as his pick for attorney general sent shockwaves through Washington, D.C., among Justice Department officials and senators who will vote early next year on whether to confirm the Florida congressman.

If Gaetz is confirmed to the nation’s top law enforcement position, he would oversee departments including the FBI and Justice Department, both of which Trump has relentlessly attacked for years. Gaetz, a Trump loyalist known for being a rabble-rouser in Congress, has a law degree and briefly practiced law in Florida before entering politics, but has never worked as a prosecutor.

Gaetz was also the subject of a federal investigation into allegations of sex trafficking of a 17-year-old girl, allegations that Gaetz has long denied. The probe ultimately did not yield criminal charges.

Gaetz offered his resignation from the House after the pick was confirmed, Speaker Mike Johnson said, but his departure has not yet gone into effect because it has not been announced on the House floor. There will eventually be a special election in Florida to fill Gaetz’s seat.

Reaction to Trump's pick was swift. One Justice Department official called the selection "truly stunning," while another labeled it "insane."

"I'm struggling to find words. And look, he is uniquely qualified," a third DOJ employee quipped. "How many other prospective attorneys general had previous experience as the subject of a criminal investigation?" Read more about the reaction among current and former Justice Department officials.

Some Senate Republicans foresee a difficult confirmation process. Sen. Lisa Murkowski said Gaetz's selection "was not on my bingo card."

"I don't think it's a serious nomination for the attorney general. That's Lisa Murkowski's view," she said.

Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa said Gaetz has "got his work cut out for him." Senate Democrats expressed shock as well, with Sen. Chris Coons saying he was "speechless" and Sen. John Fetterman calling the selection "God-tier level trolling." Read more about senators' reactions.

More coverage:

➡️ Republicans will maintain control of the House of Representatives by the thinnest of margins, handing Trump and his party all the levers of power in Washington. In closed-door meetings, House Speaker Mike Johnson was nominated for the role for his first full term, and Republican senators selected Sen. John Thune to be their next leader.

➡️ A small and "chaotic" Republican House majority poses challenges in the new Trump era.

➡️ Trump thanked President Joe Biden for a smooth transition of power during their White House meeting.

➡️ Tulsi Gabbard is Trump’s pick to be the director of national intelligence. Gabbard, a former House Democrat who became a high-profile Trump supporter, has been at odds with the U.S. intelligence community in the past.

➡️ Trump’s pick for defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, has a history of eyebrow-raising commentary, including that he believes women shouldn’t serve in combat.

➡️ In choosing Gaetz, Gabbard, Hegseth and others to serve in his next administration, Trump shows that he'll be relying on people he largely knows and likes this time around.

➡️ House Democrats plan to file a resolution that would reaffirm the 22nd Amendment, which sets term limits for the president.

➡️ A distrust of leadership and anger over a lack of transparency about finances shrouds Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign.

➡️ The narrow Pennsylvania Senate race between Republican Dave McCormick and Democratic Sen. Bob Casey is headed to a recount.

X sees its biggest exodus yet under Elon Musk

On Election Day, X got the most traffic it has all year. But on the next day, 115,414 accounts were deactivated, the most since Elon Musk took ownership of the social media platform, according to research from Similarweb, which tracks social media analytics. Meanwhile, daily traffic to competitors Bluesky and Threads have jumped since the beginning of October.

High-profile brands and users including The Guardian and Don Lemon said they would stop posting, as Musk becomes more involved with Trump's transition to the White House.

Reporters Kat Tenbarge and Kevin Collier spoke to six people who have joined or committed to using Threads and Bluesky in place of X after the election because of Musk. They cite growing issues on X, including bots, partisan ads and harassment, which they all said reached a tipping point when Trump won the election. For one user who quit X, a stark shift in what she saw on election night versus the next day was her "final straw."

How an FBI bribery operation unfolded in Mississippi's largest city

When out-of-state developers approached local leaders in Jackson, Mississippi, about a hotel deal, they offered cash and a few lavish perks in exchange for the deal.

It turns out the deal was fake. And the "developers" were actually FBI agents carrying out a sting that lasted roughly eight months and included trips on private jets, meetings on yachts, shopping sprees and loads of cash.

Now, three city and county officials have been named in a federal indictment on conspiracy and bribery charges. All have pleaded not guilty. A fourth person resigned in August and pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bribery.

The allegations in the federal indictment paint a picture of the people entrusted to public office receiving more than $100,000 in "bribe payments" while 26% of Jackson residents live in poverty. The scandal is only the latest in a series of challenges the city has faced in recent years. Read the full story here.

Menu prices are finally leveling off

Multiple restaurant surveys said so, and this week, the consumer-price index confirmed it: Dining out is getting cheaper. While the Federal Reserve deserves credit for its efforts to tame inflation, consumers can take some, too. Their cutbacks on spending forced a reckoning among restaurants, with fast-food brands like McDonald’s leaning into value menus and full-service chains like Red Lobster embarking on ambitious makeovers. The question still looming over many in the food industry, however, is how two big variables will factor into food prices. Here's a hint: They both start with the letter T.

— J.J. McCorvey, business and economy reporter

With holiday travel looming, NBC Select's editors share their picks for the best bags:

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