Mosheh Oinounou

▶️Journalist ▶️ ▶️ Reporting news @mosheh @instagram + Mo News Podcast ▶️ ▶️Former @CBS @Bloomberg @FoxNews

[Mosheh Oinounou @Mosheh]

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani is the leading contender for TIME’s 2026 Person of the Year, according to traders on prediction market Kalshi.

Mamdani, 34, a democratic socialist who became New York City’s first Muslim mayor in January, had a 25% chance of receiving the honor as of Wednesday afternoon. TIME typically announces its selection in mid-December.

Other leading contenders include Democrats who won or are competing in closely watched midterm races: Michigan Senator-elect Abdul El-Sayed (19%), Texas Senator-elect James Talarico (18%), Kansas Senator-elect Adam Hamilton (17%) and Mississippi Democratic Senate nominee Scott Colom (15%), who is slightly leading in the race that’s too close to call as of Wednesday for the seat.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Pope Leo XIV are also among the contenders.

TIME has named a Person of the Year annually since 1927, when aviator Charles Lindbergh became the first recipient after completing the first solo nonstop transatlantic flight. The distinction recognizes the person or group that had “the greatest influence, for better or worse, on the events of the year.”

The honor isn’t always awarded to an individual. Previous selections include “The Protester” in 2011, recognizing global protest movements, and “The Silence Breakers” in 2017, highlighting the #MeToo movement. Last year, TIME selected “The Architects of AI,” including OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang and Elon Musk.

Note: Kalshi is a sponsor of Mo News.

[Mosheh Oinounou @Mosheh]

The U.S. is at risk of losing its measles elimination status, which it attained in 2000.

To officially lose elimination status, a committee of the Pan American Health Organization, part of the World Health Organization, must determine that the country has had uninterrupted transmission of measles for more than 12 months. The committee is expected to make its conclusions by next Tuesday.

There have been nearly 5,200 cases this year, according to the CDC, the highest level since 1991 and a big jump from the nearly 2,300 cases in 2025. Eight people have died from measles this year.

The measles resurgence started with an outbreak in Texas in January 2025, followed by significant outbreaks in Utah and Arizona. Last week alone, Pennsylvania, New York and Wisconsin each reported a death linked to measles.

Some critics consider the possibility of losing elimination status a referendum on Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has long questioned the safety of vaccines.

Canada and several European and Asian nations had eliminated measles only for it to return.

Sources: @washingtonpost @nytimes

[Mosheh Oinounou @Mosheh]

Democrat Scott Colom is projected to win Mississippi’s closely contested U.S. Senate race, defeating Republican incumbent Cindy Hyde-Smith, according to CNN.

Colom’s projected victory would make him Mississippi’s first Democratic U.S. senator elected since 1982 and its first Black U.S. senator since Reconstruction. President Trump carried Mississippi by roughly 20 points in 2024.

Colom, a district attorney, faced Hyde-Smith, who has served in the Senate since 2018. The race remained undecided for more than a week as election officials counted thousands of outstanding mail-in and affidavit ballots.

With all ballots in on Wednesday, Colom led Hyde-Smith by 4,585 votes, or 0.5 percentage points, according to unofficial results from the Associated Press.

It’s the 8th Republican-held Senate seat Democrats flipped this midterm cycle, following wins in Iowa, Kansas, Maine, North Carolina, Ohio, South Carolina and Texas.

The Alaska Senate race between Republican incumbent Dan Sullivan and Democrat Mary Peltola remains uncalled as of Wednesday.

[Mosheh Oinounou @Mosheh]

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was reprimanded by a military guard at Arlington National Cemetery on Veterans Day, after members of his group were heard talking and laughing near the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier after taking a photo.

“All visitors will maintain an atmosphere of silence and respect at all times,” the guard shouted loudly to the group Hegseth was with, which included his wife and senior aides.

Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell defended Hegseth, saying the soldier “correctly and respectfully reminded everyone to maintain decorum.”

Parnell’s statement also said, “The Secretary and the entire Department have always honored—and will always honor—the sacrifices our military men and women have made to keep America safe.”

Hegseth was attending a wreath-laying ceremony alongside President Trump, Vice President JD Vance, and first lady Melania Trump. During his remarks, Trump praised Hegseth, who had faced an impeachment effort in the House the previous day that Republicans voted to block.

[Mosheh Oinounou @Mosheh]

Christina Applegate recently learned she had been misdiagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) for five years. Now she’s exploring whether complications from her breast implants could be causing her to “hurt all over.”

One study found that 20% of people referred to MS centers were misdiagnosed with the disease. One complication is that there is no single diagnostic test for MS.

Dr. Michelle Fabian, a neurologist and MS specialist at Mt. Sinai Hospital in New York, told Mo News that MS is diagnosed through a combination of a patient’s medical history and potentially invasive testing.

The same is true for other autoimmune diseases like lupus, or those that mimic autoimmune responses like Lyme disease. On average, it takes 4.5 years and four physicians to receive a diagnosis, according to the Autoimmune Association. Nearly 80% of people living with an autoimmune disease are women.

Women are also more likely to be told their symptoms are “psychological” or due to stress, which can lead to delayed diagnoses and further complications. For example, endometriosis – a condition afflicting the outside of the uterus – takes an average of 4 to 12 years to diagnose. And women having heart attacks are more likely than men to experience symptoms like nausea and fatigue, which can be overlooked.

Dr. Fabian called this both a research and a care problem: “One thing I’ve learned as a doctor is you actually advocate best in research for things you understand the most… I know personally, it was after I had children that I became very interested in pregnancy and MS.”

Dr. Fabian said she’s hopeful now that women make up the majority (55%) of medical school students – as opposed to just 30% in 1980.

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[Mosheh Oinounou @Mosheh]

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has moved from his Washington-area home to a military base following threats against his life from Iran, according to new @nytimes reporting.

U.S. intelligence officials reportedly determined that Iranian plots targeting American diplomats and officials had reached a more advanced stage in recent weeks. Bessent has led the Trump administration’s campaign to squeeze Iran’s economy through tougher sanctions and trade restrictions since August, making him a potential target.

“After The Wall Street Journal published an article featuring an online photo that allowed the location of the secretary’s Georgetown home to be geo-located, security concerns began to increase which have now forced the secretary to relocate to a military base for his safety,” an unnamed @CBSNews source said.

Iran has long been behind assassination plots against U.S. officials. Federal prosecutors charged an alleged Iranian operative in 2024 with plotting to kill President Trump, reportedly in retaliation for the 2020 U.S. drone strike that killed Iranian Gen. Qasem Soleimani. Former Trump officials, including former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley, and former national security adviser John Bolton, have also faced reported Iranian threats.

Bessent is the latest senior administration official to relocate for security reasons. At least half a dozen Trump officials moved to military bases or other protected housing last year, including Stephen Miller and then-Attorney General Pam Bondi. Those moves were largely tied to domestic threats.

A Treasury spokesperson said Bessent “will not be deterred by the Iranian regime’s threats.”

[Mosheh Oinounou @Mosheh]

Veteran homelessness in the U.S. has declined by more than 50% over the past 15 years, according to an @axios analysis of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) data.

Veteran homelessness rates have decreased in 43 states and Washington, D.C. between 2011 and the most recent HUD count in 2025, with the most significant drops being in New York (-78%), North Dakota (-77%), and Louisiana (-75%).

Meanwhile, parts of the Pacific Northwest and Northeast saw increases in veteran homelessness over the same period. California is the state with the highest number of homeless veterans, with more than 8,600 homeless veterans.

There were about 32,500 homeless veterans in the country in 2025, the fewest number of Veterans counted by HUD since it began documenting data in 2009.

That number is expected to continue to drop, with an expected count of fewer than 30,000 homeless veterans this year, according to an analysis by the nonprofit Community Solutions.

The nonprofit suggests that the decline is in part due to increased programs and resources available to veterans provided by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, as well as both state-level and local veteran programs and nonprofits. For example, HUD’s Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing program. Earlier this year, it got a boost of $33 million to provide more than 2,500 new housing vouchers.

Most homeless veterans are men, according to 2024 data. Homeless veterans account for just over 5% of the overall homeless population.

The We Honor Veterans program says veteran homelessness stems from a complex mix of economic hardship, mental health challenges and difficulty transitioning to civilian life. Contributing factors can include untreated PTSD, substance use disorders and struggles to find stable employment.

Sources: @axios, @virginiagov, @military

[Mosheh Oinounou @Mosheh]

More than 6,000 schools across Italy, the U.K., and Ireland received what officials are calling hoax bomb threats Wednesday, forcing evacuations at more than 300 Italian schools. No evacuations were reported in the U.K. or Ireland. No suspicious devices have been found, and no injuries have been reported.

Italian officials say no explosives have been found, but the threats have added to anxiety over hybrid warfare on the continent after similar incidents affecting dozens of flights and several news outlets last week. It remains unclear who is behind the threats or whether they are coordinated, though some European officials suspect Russian or Iranian involvement, which both deny.

The anonymous emails were signed by “The Male State,” a Russian anti-feminist group that also claimed responsibility for last week’s threats against European airlines and broadcasters. The latest threats also targeted Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who said investigators found no evidence of “concrete danger” and suggested the threats were intended to generate fear and alarm.

Over the weekend, Meloni blamed pro-Russian hackers after Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani reported that his personal information had been leaked on the dark web.

Italian intelligence agencies are investigating.

Source: @apnews @nytimes @reuters

[Mosheh Oinounou @Mosheh]

Democratic Rep. Stephen Lynch (MA) is telling the White House to “come at me, bro” after its top lawyer threatened criminal investigations into Democratic lawmakers planning to investigate President Trump.

The warning came in a letter dated Monday and made public Wednesday from White House Counsel Will Scharf to incoming House Oversight Committee Chairman Robert Garcia (D-CA), who warned Trump officials to “lawyer up” on election night.

Scharf accused Democrats of attempting to “abuse the legislative process to intimidate and to interfere with the lawful functioning of government.”

Lynch, a senior member of the House Oversight Committee, accused Republicans of trying to obstruct congressional oversight. The committee, which was formed in 1816 under a different name, is in charge of overseeing how the federal government operates and ensuring accountability - exercising Congress’ constitutional authority to investigate the executive branch.

“The oversight committee is the primary investigative committee in the House of Representatives, and we are going to do our jobs,” Lynch told CNN. “This is pretty basic.”

Garcia also pushed back Wednesday, saying, “It appears Donald Trump has something to hide. Let’s be clear: Congress’ authority comes from Article I of the Constitution, not from the permission of the White House.”

Democrats have vowed aggressive oversight of the Trump administration when they take control of both chambers of Congress in January. Trump and his administration have repeatedly denied wrongdoing.

Voters expressed more concern about government corruption than any other issue, including rising prices, according to a late October CNBC All-America Economic Survey.

Sources: @cnn, @politico, @nypost

[Mosheh Oinounou @Mosheh]

House Republicans rallied behind Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Tuesday, voting 211–204 to block an effort to impeach him over his handling of the Iran war and other controversies in office.

The reintroduced impeachment effort, led by outgoing Republican Rep. Thomas Massie (KY), included eight charges. His resolution on Monday accused Hegseth of abusing his powers by waging war on Iran. Other charges covered the Caribbean boat strikes, the capture of then-Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, U.S. military action in Yemen, and the Pentagon’s scrutiny of Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ) for urging service members to refuse unlawful orders.

Earlier Tuesday, Hegseth defended his actions, saying, “I stand behind every one of these operations. I was proud to execute them, and I would do it again tomorrow.”

The vote marks a show of Republican unity following last week’s sweeping midterm losses, which were fueled in part by voter dissatisfaction with the Iran war.

[Mosheh Oinounou @Mosheh]

Global fossil-fuel emissions are projected to fall 0.4% this year, compared to last year, as the Iran war reduces oil consumption, Global Carbon Project scientists said Tuesday at the COP31 U.N. climate summit in Turkey. Despite the decline, the global economy continues to grow.

It’s only the third drop this century, after the financial crisis of 2008 and the Covid-19 pandemic. Emissions have historically declined only during times of sharp economic slowdowns or recessions, but the International Monetary Fund still expects the global economy to grow 3.1% this year.

Surging oil prices from disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz have brought oil emissions down nearly 2%, as consumers cut back and turn to alternatives like electric vehicles. Meanwhile, the growing reliance on renewable energy sources like solar and wind power drove more than half of the overall decline.

Most of the world’s largest polluters have followed suit. China, the largest emitter, is on track to decrease emissions by roughly 1% as oil use declines 5%. The U.S., Europe, and Japan are also on track to be down roughly 1%. India is the exception, with emissions up 4.4%, mostly due to coal consumption.

The oil shock has pushed about 60 countries to adopt policies to permanently cut oil use, speeding the shift to renewables. But coal use is also climbing as countries scramble for secure supplies, and scientists warn the drop could reverse if prices fall after the war.

The decline here only covers fossil fuels, though. Total carbon dioxide emissions, including from deforestation and fires, are still up about 1% this year.

Source: @wsj @theguardian @nytimes @abcnews

[Mosheh Oinounou @Mosheh]

Republicans on the House Oversight Committee released a 137-page report Tuesday detailing the findings of their 15-month investigation into Jeffrey Epstein, the late convicted sex offender, and the government’s handling of his crimes.

The report, led by Chairman James Comer (R-KY), faults federal prosecutors and law enforcement for allowing Epstein’s abuse to continue for years. It also criticizes the Justice Department for mishandling the release of Epstein files, including exposing survivors’ identities through inadequate redactions.

Following 19 interviews and depositions, the Republican report concludes that investigators found no evidence implicating President Trump in Epstein’s crimes. Trump himself was not interviewed.

“Epstein operated with impunity, shielded and enabled by powerful connections and a justice system that repeatedly failed his victims,” Comer said in a statement. The report urges the DOJ to interview or re-interview key witnesses, investigate allegations involving Epstein’s associates, and give survivors access to their unredacted records. It also calls for legislation preventing nondisclosure agreements from silencing sexual abuse survivors.

Democrats have criticized the report as incomplete, accusing Comer of failing to question enough witnesses or hold public hearings.

“Oversight Republicans have released a report based on an incomplete investigation and zero public hearings on Jeffrey Epstein,” wrote Rep. Robert Garcia (D-CA) in a statement on Tuesday.

Garcia also accused the DOJ of withholding more than 2.5 million pages of Epstein-related records and failing to fully investigate Ghislaine Maxwell’s prison transfer.

Garcia, who is set to become House Oversight chairman when Democrats take control in January, has vowed to hold public hearings and further investigate the Epstein files.

Sources: @politico, @nbcnews, @washingtonpost, @cnn

[Mosheh Oinounou @Mosheh]

Boys have been falling behind girls in reading proficiency for decades. New analysis of kids books points to something we might be overlooking: the main characters.

An article in @theatlantic looks at the findings from a children’s book reviewer who surveyed 444 books being published in 2026 for kids ages 8 to 12. She found twice as many books with girl protagonists as boy protagonists. In some genres, like realistic fiction and mystery, the gap was closer to 3:1.

Between ages 8 and 12, kids are developing reading habits that can last a lifetime. It’s also when the gender gap in reading is widening.

A Stanford study found girls outperform boys in reading in nearly every American school district. By eighth grade, girls were almost a full grade level ahead.

And while there’s no evidence that fewer boy protagonists are causing lower reading scores, a Scholastic survey found that 45% of boys said they have trouble finding books they like.

Sources: @nytimes, @theatlantic

[Mosheh Oinounou @Mosheh]

House Republicans are turning to one of their most confrontational members to lead them after their sweeping midterm defeat.

Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan, a staunch Trump ally, defeated longtime GOP leader Steve Scalise in a 106–73 secret-ballot vote Tuesday. He’ll lead Republicans next year as they enter one of their smallest House minorities in decades.

Jordan helped found the conservative House Freedom Caucus and built his national profile by aggressively challenging Democrats and defending Trump. His selection suggests Republicans are gearing up for a fight rather than moving toward a more moderate approach after their losses.

He also brings controversy. Former wrestlers at Ohio State, where Jordan was an assistant coach, have accused him of knowing about sexual abuse by team doctor Richard Strauss and failing to intervene. Jordan has repeatedly denied knowing about the abuse.

Jordan is now tasked with keeping a fractured Republican conference together and figuring out how to win back the House in 2028.

[Mosheh Oinounou @Mosheh]

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang is under scrutiny as both the FBI and his own company investigate his affair with a woman suspected of being a Chinese spy. In recent interviews, Huang has praised China’s technological capabilities and encouraged competition between the U.S. and China.

In an interview with CBS News senior business and technology correspondent Jo Ling Kent, Huang pushed back against restrictions on selling U.S. technology to China. He argued that American innovation should benefit the U.S. first, but that American companies should also compete globally and “serve the world.”

Huang is an ally of President Trump, who last December allowed Nvidia to sell certain chips to approved customers in China while maintaining restrictions on its most advanced technology.

“Although we compete against China, they’re not our enemies,” Huang told Bloomberg last month. “We must work with them in every possible way.”

Trump said Monday that the FBI is investigating Huang’s relationship with Alice Huang (no relation), who is suspected of being a Chinese spy. The president defended the Nvidia CEO, saying he believes Huang was unaware of any alleged espionage ties.

Huang acknowledged Sunday that he had been unfaithful to his wife. He will remain CEO while Nvidia’s board conducts an independent investigation. The company says it has no reason to believe corporate or national security secrets were compromised.

Sources: @cbsnews, @bloombergbusiness
Video: @cbsnews, @bloombergbusiness, @yahoofinance

[Mosheh Oinounou @Mosheh]

Democrats won control of the governorship and both legislative chambers in five swing states last week: Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, Arizona, and Nevada. Those victories could give Democrats a path to reshaping how the U.S. elects its president as soon as 2028, potentially awarding the presidency to the winner of the national popular vote rather than the traditional Electoral College contest.

A constitutional amendment would be required to abolish the Electoral College, which is highly unlikely. But the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact offers another route: Participating states agree to award their electoral votes to the national popular vote winner once the compact’s members collectively control at least 270 electoral votes, the number needed to win the presidency.

Currently, 18 states and Washington, D.C., have joined the compact, representing 222 electoral votes. If all five swing states joined, they would add 61 votes, bringing the total to 283 — enough to activate the agreement.

Lawmakers in all five states have previously introduced legislation to join, though passage is far from guaranteed. Nevada’s Democratic governor vetoed the measure in 2019, while Michigan’s Democratic-controlled legislature failed to pass it during the state’s 2023–24 Democratic trifecta.

For the compact to apply to the 2028 election, participating states would need to reach the 270-vote threshold before July 20, 2028.

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, a potential 2028 Democratic presidential contender, said over the weekend that he would work with the newly Democratic-controlled legislature to advance the national popular vote effort.

Under the current system, a candidate can win the most votes nationwide but lose the presidency, like Al Gore (2000) and Hillary Clinton (2016). Supporters argue the compact would give every vote equal weight and encourage candidates to campaign beyond a handful of battleground states.

Opponents argue that the Electoral College protects smaller states’ and minority communities’ influence. Some legal experts also argue the compact needs congressional approval, and any attempt to implement it would likely face legal challenges.

[Mosheh Oinounou @Mosheh]

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth denounced outgoing Rep. Thomas Massie’s (R-KY) push to impeach him during a rare Pentagon briefing Tuesday, calling it “impeachment for success.” House lawmakers are expected to vote on the measure later Monday.

Hegseth maintained that U.S. military operations in Iran, Venezuela and Yemen, along with strikes on suspected drug-smuggling boats, were lawful, ordered by President Trump and reported to Congress. He also denied allegations that the U.S. military targeted civilians, including in a strike on an Iranian school earlier this year.

Massie reintroduced eight articles of impeachment Monday. Three accuse Hegseth of abusing his authority in the war with Iran. Others address Caribbean boat strikes, the capture of then-Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, military operations in Yemen and the Pentagon’s scrutiny of Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ) for urging service members to refuse unlawful orders.

Massie first introduced the articles of impeachment in September, but Republican House leaders sent members on recess early, delaying a vote until after the midterms. Lawmakers returned to Congress following Democrats’ sweeping midterm victories, in which voter frustration over the war with Iran played a significant role.

Republicans retain a narrow House majority until January, meaning the resolution would need some GOP support to pass if all Democrats vote in favor. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) has predicted it will fail.

Even if it passes, Johnson could hold the articles rather than send them to the Senate, pushing it to the 120th Congress, when Democrats will control both chambers. Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi used a similar tactic in 2019 when she delayed Trump’s first impeachment trial by a month to get more concessions from Republicans on how the trial would be held.

Only two Cabinet secretaries have been impeached by the House in U.S. history, and neither was removed from office.

Source: @politico @cbsnews

[Mosheh Oinounou @Mosheh]

President Trump made a surprise call-in to C-SPAN’s Washington Journal (@cspanwj) on Monday, praising the program and discussing his deportation agenda.

“I like to watch the call-ins because it gives me a little of an indication of where we are,” Trump told host Mimi Geerges (@mimigeerges). “We have some great Republicans calling in; I’m not so sure about the Democrats, but the Republicans seem to be.”

A woman could be heard giggling in the background as Geerges introduced Trump, though her identity remains unclear.

Geerges pressed Trump on whether migrants, like farmworkers and waitresses, would face the same aggressive deportation crackdown as those with criminal histories. It’s one of the issues that some Republicans blame for the party’s historic midterm defeat, including backlash among Latino voters, who swung 28 points toward Democrats after shifting toward Trump in 2024.

“We haven’t put the same pressure on waitresses and on farm workers, et cetera,” he said. “Not even close.”

ICE arrests topped a record 50,000 in July and August, but 55% of those arrested had no prior interaction with law enforcement, while another 24% had faced charges but were never convicted, according to data obtained by the Deportation Data Project.

Trump also repeated his unsubstantiated campaign-trail claims that people from mental institutions are “being dumped into our country.”

During the eight-minute call, Trump defended Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth amid impeachment efforts by House lawmakers and discussed a possible timeline for ending the war in Iran.

The unannounced appearance came hours after Trump appeared in the White House briefing room for the first time in 198 days. It was among Trump’s first public appearances since Republicans suffered sweeping defeats in last week’s midterm elections.

Sources: @cspan, @cnbc, @independent

[Mosheh Oinounou @Mosheh]

White House advisers treated President Trump “like a baby in many respects and used him,” while prioritizing campaign donations over the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) agenda, according to Calley Means, a former White House adviser and top aide to Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. who helped build the MAHA movement.

“I think he had severe, poor advice from people,” Means said in a @cbsnews interview that aired on Sunday. “They would block access to and information to him all the time.” Means and his sister, Dr. Casey Means, helped coordinate Kennedy’s 2024 endorsement of Trump.

Means, who resigned last month amid frustration over the MAHA movement’s lack of progress, told @marg_brennan that Trump’s top advisers manipulated the president to advance policies benefiting powerful special interests like the sugar and tobacco industries.

He singled out former chief of staff Susie Wiles and her allies, accusing them of prioritizing industry interests and political fundraising over MAHA initiatives, including by pushing for the approval of fruit-flavored vapes.

Trump’s top political adviser James Blair denied pressuring the HHS to approve fruit-flavored vapes and threatened to sue Means.

Means made similar comments on Joe Rogan’s podcast. Trump announced Friday that Wiles would be replaced as chief of staff by Stephen Miller. Means has praised Miller as someone who “wants to get transformative things done with Bobby Kennedy.”

Video: @facethenation
Sources: @cbsnews, @thehill, @guardian, @politico, @nytimes

[Mosheh Oinounou @Mosheh]

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