morning!🙋🏼♀️ Nicole Farato I’m back here behind the wheel of the Daily Briefing. I can’t wait for Spotify Wrapped in 2025.
Let’s take a quick look at Wednesday’s news.
Costco wants Trump to pay
Wholesale and retail giant Costco has sued the federal government to guarantee a “full refund” of import duties if the Supreme Court rules against President Donald Trump’s sweeping tariffs. The lawsuit, filed Nov. 28 and reviewed by USA TODAY, asks the court to find that President Trump’s use of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act to impose tariffs was illegal.
- Meanwhile, inflation could spike again thanks to President Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill.”
Republicans narrowly win in Tennessee
On Tuesday, veteran Republican candidate Matt Van Epps defeated Democratic state Rep. Aftin Behn in the race to replace Republican Rep. Mark Greene, who left for a private company job earlier this year.
However, it was a close call. In last year’s presidential election, Van Epps won by a single-digit margin in a district that Trump won by 22 points.
- Should Republicans be concerned? The race suggested that Republicans might not be able to hope to win in red districts.
- Van Epps thanks Trump. The president launched an aggressive attack in the final weeks of the campaign to prevent Democrats from flipping the district.
More news you need to know right now
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Inside a NASCAR driver’s decisions
Denny Hamlin, a NASCAR driver and co-owner of 23XI Racing with Michael Jordan, returned to the witness stand on the second day of the NASCAR antitrust trial on Tuesday. Mr. Hamlin posed questions from his own attorney that go to the heart of the federal case. “Was it a difficult decision not to sign a charter contract this year?”
Is it okay to shovel snow?
With several inches of snow falling across the United States this week, many of us will be gathering up our snowplows (or blowers) to tackle the strenuous task of clearing snow. Shoveling snow may seem like a mundane chore to some, but for people who don’t exercise regularly or have heart conditions, it can be dangerous and even deadly. Here’s how to stay safe when scraping the sidewalk.
today’s speaker
Lane Kiffin’s former QB joins the chat
The two sides settled down in a press conference earlier this week after Lane Kiffin left Mississippi State for LSU, one of the most dramatic athletic teams in the nation, in one of the most dramatic exits in recent college football memory. But before Kiffin was introduced as LSU football’s new coach, he apparently sent a message to former QB Trinidad Chambliss.
Photo of the day: Meeting in Moscow
Russian President Vladimir Putin met with Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner in Moscow on Tuesday to discuss possible ways to end the war in Ukraine.
Nicole Fallert is a newsletter writer for USA TODAY. Sign up for emails here. Want to send a note to Nicole? Email NFallert@usatoday.com.
