WILLIAM BRANGHAM: Good evening.

I'm William Brangham.

Geoff Bennett and Amna Nawaz are away.

On the "News Hour" tonight: The January 6 and classified documents cases against president-elect Trump are dropped, as he transitions back into the White House and as he builds up a team to carry out his agenda.

Then, we examine what was and was not accomplished at the latest global climate conference, as world temperatures continue to rise.

And Venezuela's opposition leader speaks out about President Nicolas Maduro's crackdown ahead of his inauguration to a third term.

MARIA CORINA MACHADO, Venezuela Opposition Leader: We will never, never surrender.

All Venezuelans won't give up.

Venezuela will be a free country, a prosperous country.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: Welcome to the "News Hour."

The two federal felony criminal cases against president-elect Donald Trump are being dropped.

Special counsel Jack Smith filed motions today to end the case, charging Trump with illegally holding classified documents and the other for his efforts to unlawfully overturn the 2020 presidential election.

Smith defended the evidence in both cases and the decision to prosecute, but said today's expected move hinged on a longstanding Justice Department policy that a sitting president cannot face criminal prosecution.

Smith left open the possibility the cases could be reopened when Trump leaves office.

Trump lauded today's move, writing, the cases were -- quote -- "empty and lawless."

Meanwhile the president-elect continues to round out his Cabinet, including some key economic appointments.

He's chosen billionaire hedge fund manager Scott Bessent for Treasury secretary.

And, for Commerce, he's chosen Howard Lutnick, the CEO of financial services firm Cantor Fitzgerald and a big backer of tariffs.

For more on what these choices mean for Trump's agenda, we are joined again by David Wessel.

He's the director of the Hutchins Center on Fiscal and Monetary Policy at the Brookings Institution.

David, so nice to see you again.

DAVID WESSEL, Brookings Institution: Good to be with you, William.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: Let's talk a little bit -- a bit more about Scott Bessent.

The markets and investors seem to be very excited about his pick.

Why is that?

DAVID WESSEL: Yes, you could actually hear the sigh of relief from the markets that the president chose somebody like Scott Bessent, a hedge fund manager who actually could easily have been a Treasury secretary in a more conventional Republican administration, somebody who seems to be a calm set of hands in a very, very fiery Cabinet, if you don't mind the metaphor.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: No, no, your metaphors always work for us.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: What is it about him then?

If he could fit into a Bush administration or a would-be Romney kind of administration, what is it that he brings that Trump seems to like?

DAVID WESSEL: Well, I think Donald Trump understands that he needs to have the financial markets on his side.

He may not care about the models that we have at the Brookings Institution, but he cares about the stock and bond markets.

And Scott Bessent has -- he seems to have a pretty clear message.

He's got this 333 plan, 3 percent growth, which is a little faster than we have had, but certainly could happen, 3 percent of GDP budget deficit, which would be heroic, half the current level of the deficit, and a three million increase in the barrel - - number of barrels of oil that we produce.

So he's got kind of a shtick, and I think people feel comfortable with him.

But I wonder whether he will actually have as much influence with the president as the markets seem to be hoping.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: The contrast to that would be Howard Lutnick at Commerce, who seems to be a little bit on the opposite side of things than his Treasury pick.

DAVID WESSEL: Right.

Right.

So Howard Lutnick is a really interesting guy.

His firm almost got wiped out in 9/11.

He's very volatile.

He's very outspoken.

He would have been a pick that I think would have made people nervous.

And, as you point out, he's a big proponent of tariffs.

Scott Bessent is -- he's starting to mouth that tariffs are OK, but he talks about them as a negotiating tool, a lever.

We're not going to do anything radical, in a hurry and stuff like that.

So I begin to think it's a bit of a team of rivals.

The Wall Street Journal explained or described... WILLIAM BRANGHAM: This is like Lincoln's famous, sort of fractious Cabinet... DAVID WESSEL: Exactly.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: ... that served to be a strength to have opposing viewpoints going at it.

DAVID WESSEL: Exactly.

The Wall Street Journal explained the competition between Scott Bessent Howard Lutnick to be Treasury secretary as a knife fight.

So that's quite a way to start an administration with these two economic policymakers who clearly don't trust each other.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: On that issue of tariffs, which is Trump's off-stated belief that he will -- argument that he will put tariffs on China and other nations if they don't conform to his economic policies, how likely is it that he will do that and where -- which of those men will come out on top in that argument?

DAVID WESSEL: Well, we don't really know.

I mean, the question is, who will he listen to?

And predicting that with Donald Trump is always hard.

But worrying about the trade deficit and proposing tariffs has been something that Donald Trump has said for much of his political career or even before he was a politician.

So I suspect they will do something on tariffs.

It would be embarrassing if they didn't.

But the question is, will he do some little move and then we will see what the other side does or will he do something dramatic?

One thing that's really important is, the president has a lot of authority on tariffs, things he can do without the consent of Congress.

So that means the only break on him will be Scott Bessent and the markets.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: To this team of rivals, we also -- they're not in the Cabinet, but we have also got Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, who are coming in with the pledge to chop, chop, chop.

DAVID WESSEL: Right.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: How do you see that playing out?

DAVID WESSEL: I think this is going to be incredibly good theater.

We will see what they actually do.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: Theater -- good theater, but maybe not good economics?

DAVID WESSEL: Well, we -- certainly, we have a big budget deficit problem, but it's really hard to fix.

If you say we want to cut taxes, we don't want to touch Social Security or Medicare.

So that leaves a big chunk of the budget on the side.

I am sure that Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy will propose some spending cuts.

What I'm not so sure about is that Congress will go along with them.

In the past, the history of these commissions is, people who have been outside government, so you could cut this, you could cut that, you could cut this, and then when it gets to the Appropriations Committee and Congress, it's sort of like, well, maybe not this.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: They say, we know who's really the boss.

DAVID WESSEL: Right, exactly.

So I think it's going to be quite contentious.

And I think the issue that Scott Bessent has is, he's the chief bond salesman for the world's largest debtor.

So, if Congress and President Trump do things that explode the deficit beyond current projections, he's going to have a hard time managing that without seeing a big increase in interest rates, which, of course, will filter through the economy, raise mortgage rates, and could slow the economy down.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: David Wessel, always great to have your counsel.

Thank you so much.

DAVID WESSEL: You're welcome.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: Turning now to another side of Trump's Cabinet, for the Office of Management and Budget, the president-elect has chosen Russell Vought.

Vought previously led that office for part of Trump's first term.

He is also a co-author of Project 2025, the controversial Heritage Foundation blueprint for a second Trump term.

Laura Barron-Lopez joins us now to break down what this pick may signal.

Hi, Laura.

LAURA BARRON-LOPEZ: Hi.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: Why is this vote nomination significant?

LAURA BARRON-LOPEZ: Russell Vought wrote a chapter for Project 2025 that was all about expanding and transforming the executive office of the presidency.

And Vought has made clear through his writings and public statements that he believes President Trump has far more authority to exert his presidential powers and make changes unlike any we have really seen in modern history, William.

And Vought has said that his plans for the president are that he believes the president has the power to slash spending programs without Congress.

He also believes that the president can use the military during civil unrest, and that the president should assert more control over the Justice Department, as well as supporting -- Russell Vought supports stripping federal workers of their protections.

And that last one, William, which would potentially replace tens of thousands of federal workers with political appointees is something that Vought is probably going to be tackling almost immediately if he is confirmed to this position at the Office of Management and Budget.

And Vought is also expected to work closely with Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy in those positions that you just mentioned in terms of government efficiency and slashing agencies across the board.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: Yes, those are some very striking possible steps for a president to take.

What else has Vought said vis-a-vis his desire to change the scope of presidential power?

LAURA BARRON-LOPEZ: Well, Vought believes that, in his role as the head of the Office of Management and Budget, he can go to battle with the agencies to exert this power alongside the president.

And he recently shared his goals for Trump's second administration when he appeared on Tucker Carlson's show.

RUSSELL VOUGHT, Former Director, Office of Management and Budget: We have to solve the woke in the weaponized bureaucracy and have the president take control of the executive branch.

So my belief for anyone who wants to listen is that you have to -- the president has to move executively as fast and as aggressively as possible with a radical constitutional perspective to be able to dismantle that bureaucracy in their power centers.

LAURA BARRON-LOPEZ: And when it comes to controlling the Justice Department, William, Vought has said that there is no law dictating that there are independent agencies, essentially saying that the norms of independent agencies like the Justice Department is simply just that, a norm that was established in the Watergate era.

And Vought has said that the whole idea of the Justice Department being independent, as well as some of the other agencies being independent, should be -- quote -- "thrown out."

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: All along during the campaign trail, when Trump was asked about Project 2025, and what do you think about this, and what do you think, he kept saying, I don't know anything about it, it's not me, that's not my campaign.

But he is now tapping other people from that Heritage Foundation project.

Who else is he tapping?

LAURA BARRON-LOPEZ: You're right, William.

The president-elect just tried to say repeatedly he didn't even know the people who wrote it.

But he clearly does, because there are at least six people so far that he has a name to be in his administration who authored chapters or contributed in some way to Project 2025.

That includes Russ Vought.

It also includes Tom Homan, who will be his border czar within the White House, John Ratcliffe to lead the CIA, as well as Brendan Carr, who wrote a chapter for Project 2025.

Trump has named him to lead the Federal Communications Commission.

And some of those people have to be confirmed by the Senate.

Others don't, like Tom Homan.

He does not have to be confirmed at all.

And he, as well as his Vought, has recently made clear a lot of his plans, saying on FOX just this weekend that he believes that Trump should cut federal funding to states that say they are not going to cooperate with their mass deportation plan.

He said that he can guarantee that Trump will do that.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: Laura Barron-Lopez, as always, thank you so much.

LAURA BARRON-LOPEZ: Thank you.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: We start the day's other news with events in the Middle East.

Israel's ambassador to Washington says a potential cease-fire deal between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon is close and can happen within days.

Officials say Prime Minister Netanyahu's security cabinet will meet tomorrow to discuss the proposed deal.

Israel has ramped up its attacks on Lebanon in recent days, launching airstrikes on the suburbs of Beirut.

A Lebanese politician said that escalation is actually a sign that a deal could be close.

ELIAS ABU SA'AB, Deputy Speaker, Parliament of Lebanon (through translator): In the past hours, we have seen an increase in the frequency of Israeli attacks.

It has become known that the Israeli enemy always begins to escalate when it gets closer to a serious negotiation with serious files in its hands.

It escalates to put pressure on the other side to make concessions.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: This comes after Hezbollah launched one of its largest attacks on Israel yesterday, firing some 250 rockets and missiles.

Hezbollah began such strikes the day after Hamas raided Israel in October of last year.

That conflict escalated into an all-out war this September, when Israel began large-scale strikes on Lebanon and launched a ground invasion into the country.

The prospect of a cease-fire deal was also top of mind today as foreign ministers from the Group of Seven nations gathered outside Rome.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken joined his G7 counterparts as they expressed cautious optimism about the cease-fire process.

The issue of Ukraine also looms large at the meeting.

It's the last of its kind before a new U.S. administration takes office in January.

Meanwhile, on the ground today in Ukraine: OLHA TARASYK, Ukrainian Center For Administrative Services (through translator): People were injured by shrapnel.

I escaped as I left the office.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: Russian rockets injured more than 30 people in a wave of strikes on two of Ukraine's largest cities, Kharkiv and Odesa.

Incoming U.S. President Donald Trump has questioned America's commitment to Ukraine.

There is further evidence today that a woman's own home is now the most dangerous place for her to be.

That's according to a sobering United Nations report on global femicide, which is the gender-related killing of women and girls.

The organization said 85,000 such killings occurred last year.

Of those, around 60 percent, or 140 per day, were at the hands of someone close to the victim.

In Europe and the Americas, most women and girls were killed by intimate partners.

Elsewhere, close relatives were the primary perpetrators.

These findings come as women around the world held demonstrations this weekend and into today to mark the U.N.'s 25th annual Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women.

Officials in Egypt say at least 17 people are missing after a tourist boat sank in rough waters in the Red Sea.

The vessel, named Sea Story, left the town of Marsa Alam for a five-day trip yesterday; 31 tourists of different nationalities were on board, along with 14 crew members.

Rescue teams managed to bring dozens of survivors back to shore today with some needing medical treatment.

It's not immediately clear what caused the yacht to sink, but authorities had warned against maritime activity due to rough seas.

Here in the U.S., service workers at Charlotte Douglas International Airport went on strike today ahead of what is expected to be the busiest holiday travel season record.

(CHANTING) WILLIAM BRANGHAM: The workers, who clean planes, remove trash and escort passengers in wheelchairs, are protesting what they call unlivable wages.

Their union spokesperson said the strike is expected to last for 24 hours.

Airport officials say they're working to make sure terminal operations are not impacted.

And on Wall Street today, stocks ended higher as investors reacted to president-elect Trump's pick of Scott Bessent for Treasury secretary.

The Dow Jones industrial average jumped more than 400 points to notch a new all-time high.

The Nasdaq added about 50 points on the day.

The S&P 500 also ended in positive territory.

And author Barbara Taylor Bradford has died.

The British journalist turned bestselling novelist made her mark while in her 40s with the novel "A Woman of Substance" about a servant girl who rises to become a business tycoon.

That arc partly mirrored Bradford's own self-made success.

She was born to a working-class family and went on to write more than 40 books that touched on themes of love, power and money.

She sold some 90 million copies worldwide and amassed a $200 million fortune.

Bradford was even featured on a postage stamp.

Barbara Taylor Bradford died yesterday at her home in New York.

She was 91 years old.

Still to come on the "News Hour": Donald Trump's success among young men illustrates the influence of the online so-called manosphere; Tamara Keith and Amy Walter break down the latest political news; and President Biden grants his final pardons to turkeys at the White House.

At the U.N. climate talks in Baku, Azerbaijan, negotiators at the very last moment struck a deal.

Wealthy nations have pledged $300 billion a year by 2035 to help developing countries deal with the impacts of climate change and to help their transition to cleaner energy.

While that pledge is stepped up from previous pledges, it is nowhere near the estimated $1 trillion a year that many experts and analysts say is needed.

While some have called this deal woefully inadequate, the COP 29 president, Mukhtar Babayev, defended its accomplishments.

MUKHTAR BABAYEV, President, COP 29: This was the hardest task the multilateral climate process has ever attempted.

We had many difficult conversations.

We never stopped pulling you together.

We pushed you to reach for the highest possible ambition.

With this breakthrough, the Baku finance goal will turn billions into trillions over the next decade.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: So for more on this summit, we are joined again by Manish Bapna.

He's the president and CEO of the NRDC, the Natural Resources Defense Council.

Manish, so nice to have you back.

What is your initial takeaway from this summit?

MANISH BAPNA, President and CEO, Natural Resources Defense Council: Well it is a down payment.

What we saw from this deal, which was largely about finance, is that it represented what was possible in a geopolitically complicated world today, not necessarily what ultimately will be needed.

So the 300 billion that you spoke about is going to help developing countries make the shift to clean energy.

It's going to help them adapt to extreme weather that we're seeing happening today.

But most independent experts say we need $1.3 trillion.

So a lot of the hard work that still is left is, how do we move from the $300 billion to the $1.3 trillion over the coming years?

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: Because it is in that chasm that all the outrage exists coming out of Baku.

I mean, as you know, these nations argue, we did nothing to cause this problem, and yet we are suffering the worst impacts, the famines, the droughts, the things that are made worse by climate change.

And they're saying we have to foot the bill for this and this comes nowhere near what we are owed for this.

I want to play one little bit of sound.

This is the climate negotiator, one of them, from Panama.

Here's what he had to say.

JUAN CARLOS MONTERREY GOMEZ, Climate Envoy, Panama: They throw text at us at the last minute, shove it down our throat, and then for the sake of multilateralism we always have to accept it and take it.

Otherwise.

The climate mechanisms will go into a horrible down-spiral.

And no one needs that.

This is the only space that we have to negotiate and to work towards our common goals.

We accepted the text because we could not leave Baku without a text, but we're not satisfied whatsoever.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: Not satisfied at all.

Well, what do you make of that concern?

MANISH BAPNA: I hear that point of view.

I really empathize with that point of view.

When you look at the United States, the E.U., Russia and China, they represent roughly 60 percent of global emissions.

You look at the 10 most vulnerable countries in the world on climate, less than 1 percent of emissions.

So this is environmental injustice on a global scale.

When COVID took place, the rich world was able to mobilize $20 trillion overnight.

So developing countries are asking, why not?

Why can't we get more money?

And the arguments for why the rich world should give the money are compelling, strong economic reasons, security reasons, and justice reasons.

Clean energy is a $2 trillion market this year.

We are moving from the dirty energy of the past to the clean energy of the future.

Important to make that commitment.

If we don't, we're going to see increasing climate impacts, increasing conflict, increasing displacement.

It's an investment in our security.

And, as I said, from a global justice standpoint, those that are bearing the brunt of the costs did the least to contribute to the problem.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: So those are the arguments for greater contributions to funds like this.

What is the argument that the Western nations, the E.U., the Americas of the world, put forward to say why this is too much money to spend or inappropriate money to spend?

MANISH BAPNA: Well, part of the argument is that it's a lot and it represents a tripling of the commitment that was made back in 2009 by Secretary Hillary Clinton when she was secretary of state, when it was $100 billion for 2020.

So part of it is, how you move from $100 billion to $300 billion is not easy.

It requires both governments, rich governments, rich country governments to give money to the developing world.

But it also means mobilizing international institutions like the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank.

It is also further complicated by the geopolitical moment we're in, where conflicts all around the world are taking resources and a recognition that, here in the United States, the Trump administration, future Trump administration is unlikely to provide support.

So other countries are going to have to step up even more in the short run.

And so that is what is making this particular moment complicated to get to a higher number.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: Some people have argued that this whole, the way COP is run, which is -- has every single nation involved, close to 200 nations, everyone has to agree on every line and every sentence of every agreement, and that that becomes an unwieldy morass that never gets substantive things done.

Do you share that concern?

MANISH BAPNA: Part of that critique is absolutely true.

I mean, at one level, it is incredible that the international community, 190 countries, can get behind a single document about how to shift from fossil to clean energy.

But that level of unanimity that is required means any single country can derail process.

And we see that happening year after year.

So I do believe we need to see about some more fundamental reform in the process around international climate negotiations, so that we can actually get global agreements that are commensurate with the challenge.

The problem we're facing at the moment is not direction to travel.

I think there's an increasing recognition that clean energy, that tackling climate is part of the future.

The problem we're facing is pace, speed.

How do we move faster?

And that is where we can't let individual countries get in the way of what the vast majority of countries want to do.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: Manish Bapna of the NRDC, always great to see you.

Thank you.

MANISH BAPNA: Delighted to be here.

Thank you.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: This year, compared to the 2020 election, president-elect Trump made gains across almost every single demographic group.

But one of the most notable shifts was among young men, who moved roughly 15 points to the right.

Laura Barron-Lopez examines how Mr. Trump was able to court young men online by reaching out to them in spaces well beyond mainstream media outlets.

LAURA BARRON-LOPEZ: On the night it became clear president-elect Donald Trump won the presidency again, he was joined on stage by members of his family and several high-profile supporters.

DANA WHITE, President, Ultimate Fighting Championship: This is karma, ladies and gentlemen.

He deserves this.

They deserve it as a family.

(CHEERING) LAURA BARRON-LOPEZ: Including the CEO of Ultimate Fighting Championship, Dana White, who paid tribute to a group of men he believed helped sway the election.

DANA WHITE: I want to thank the Nelk Boys, Adin Ross, Theo Von, Bussin' With the Boys, and last but not least the mighty and powerful Joe Rogan.

LAURA BARRON-LOPEZ: While those names may sound unfamiliar to some, they are all part of a growing online ecosystem that's been dubbed the manosphere, a term loosely defined as male-centered content published on platforms like TikTok, YouTube, and the popular livestreaming site for gamers Twitch.

DONALD TRUMP, Former President of the United States (R) and Current U.S. President-Elect: It is so crooked.

LAURA BARRON-LOPEZ: During his campaign, candidate Trump saw massive untapped potential to reach young male voters by appearing on podcasts like "The Joe Rogan Experience."

DONALD TRUMP: Kamala goes on "60 Minutes," gave an answer that a child wouldn't give.

It was so bad.

LAURA BARRON-LOPEZ: His three-hour-long interview has been viewed more than 50 million times on YouTube, providing several viral moments that could then be shared in clips across all of social media.

DONALD TRUMP: You want to start?

You go ahead.

THEO VON, Comedian: Are we rolling?

LAURA BARRON-LOPEZ: A strategy that Trump used repeatedly on the campaign trail.

DONALD TRUMP: And is that a good feeling?

THEO VON: No.

On comedian Theo Von's podcast, he discussed drug addiction.

DONALD TRUMP: With cocaine, more than anything else you can think of.

THEO VON: Cocaine will turn you into a damn owl, homey.

LAURA BARRON-LOPEZ: He danced with livestreamer Adin Ross.

DONALD TRUMP: You want a drink?

LAURA BARRON-LOPEZ: And joked around with online pranksters the Nelk Boys on his private jet.

MAN: Well, Mr. President, people surely love it.

LAURA BARRON-LOPEZ: For these online content creators, the focus often isn't politics, says Internet and culture writer Joshua Citarella.

JOSHUA CITARELLA, Host, Doomscroll Podcast: These are just general men's interests, sports, comedy, things like this, looking at pictures of attractive women.

But if you dig a bit deeper into some of these communities, there are critiques about modernity, women's liberation, women joining the work force.

LAURA BARRON-LOPEZ: Citarella has been researching and tracking how online spaces, including the so-called manosphere, can shape young people's political beliefs.

How young are young men, boys when they start interacting with this kind of content?

JOSHUA CITARELLA: By age 13, 14, 15, they are definitely familiar with it through memes and clips on videos.

And following that, if you maintain relationships with these people, you see how their world view evolves over that time.

Those implicit ideas that they encountered years ago can later manifest and turn into something that is a real political commitment, in which they may decide to vote a certain way.

So those early ideas do turn out to be very impactful years later.

ALEX COOPER, Host, "Call Her Daddy": What is actually happening to abortion access right now in this country?

LAURA BARRON-LOPEZ: While Vice President Harris did repeatedly reach out to voters online, including sitting down with popular podcasters, she faced criticism for not speaking with Joe Rogan, the nation's most popular one.

EVAN GIBEAU, College Student: Talking on a more personal level with somebody like Rogan would have boded well for her.

LAURA BARRON-LOPEZ: Twenty-two-year-old Evan Gibeau is a longtime Joe Rogan listener and a Trump voter.

He says Trump's interview with Rogan allowed young men to see a different side of the president-elect.

DONALD TRUMP: I'd give an answer, which was a very good answer.

I always talk about I like to give long -- the weave.

I like to.

JOE ROGAN, Host, "The Joe Rogan Experience": Yes, you like to weave things in.

EVAN GIBEAU: And we got to hear a lot of stories that Trump wouldn't typically say on the road.

He uses a lot of rhetoric in his rallies that you really didn't get on the podcast.

And I think it was a refreshing view of Trump.

LAURA BARRON-LOPEZ: Reaching young men who often listen to podcasts and get their news from social media was a deliberate effort by the Trump campaign, says GOP digital strategist Eric Wilson.

ERIC WILSON, GOP digital strategist: They had a theory that if you watch cable news, whatever end of the political spectrum you're on, you already had your mind made up about the candidates and who you were going to vote for.

They went out to these platforms where people might not be as engaged in news and current events to tell them about the election, tell them about the candidate.

LAURA BARRON-LOPEZ: A recent study from the Pew Research Center found that about four in 10 voters under 30 regularly get their news from content creators.

JEREMIAH JOHNSON, Center for New Liberalism: The Republican Party and the Trump campaign put in the effort in this space.

They put in the effort, and, frankly, the Democrats did not.

LAURA BARRON-LOPEZ: Jeremiah Johnson is the co-founder of the Center for New Liberalism, an organization that advocates for center-left politics.

He says while Harris' team dominated the campaign trail in traditional ways, including fund-raising and door-knocking, they made a critical mistake in not doing more online appeals to young men.

MAN: Is this your mug shot?

DONALD TRUMP: Yes, can you believe it?

MAN: You're a gangster.

DONALD TRUMP: This is what we're reduced to.

JEREMIAH JOHNSON: Especially in the podcast that young men were watching, Trump was everywhere.

And these are friendly spaces for people to kind of have relaxed conversations.

And more than just Donald Trump, he was also sending J.D.

Vance to do these same podcasts.

He was sending Elon Musk and many of his other kind of campaign representatives and ultimately resulted in a national shift to the right politically.

LAURA BARRON-LOPEZ: During these interviews, president-elect Trump was rarely, if ever, fact-checked and influencers themselves at time repeated misinformation.

Their format allowed Trump to speak at length and unfiltered.

IOANA LITERAT, Columbia University: He didn't just use these platforms, but he used them well and he understood their cultural dynamics.

LAURA BARRON-LOPEZ: Ioana Literat is an Internet researcher at Columbia University and co-author of "Not Your Parents' Politics."

She says misinformation spreads easily on these platforms.

DONALD TRUMP: The transgender operations, where they're allowed to take your child when he goes to school and turn him into a male, to a female without parental consent.

IOANA LITERAT: So if you listen to his speeches or his interviews that he's done with his different podcasters and streamers, they're very incendiary, inflammatory.

They can be easily packaged into bite-sized content that then can spread, sometimes can even be taken out of context.

LAURA BARRON-LOPEZ: Including, she says, content that reinforces negative stereotypes about women.

IOANA LITERAT: So these misogynistic messages that Trump himself often uses, that these streamers use, his podcasters use, his gamers use, they're really not only received, but reinforced online, and through clicks, through likes, through shares, through comments.

LAURA BARRON-LOPEZ: But for some young men, like Evan Gibeau, these spaces represent something else entirely.

EVAN GIBEAU: I think a lot of young conservatives are having to really suppress the amount that they talk, especially in public forum spaces, like on a college campus, because they're not really socially accepted.

LAURA BARRON-LOPEZ: That sentiment is what Jeremiah Johnson says Democrats urgently need to address.

JEREMIAH JOHNSON: I think what Democrats have learned in this 2024 election is it's very, very hard to win an election with just your base.

Democrats need to focus on expanding the tent, on welcoming more people into the tent, on not shaming and scolding people until they leave the tent.

LAURA BARRON-LOPEZ: But Joshua Citarella says many young men are still persuadable, and Democrats could even win back those who voted for Trump.

JOSHUA CITARELLA: I have seen people change in their beliefs.

The most important thing is participation in this media landscape and having a message that speaks to their experience of the world.

DONALD TRUMP: What's a good one?

MAN: The "YMCA," man, that's the... DONALD TRUMP: Yes, "YMCA" is the best.

MAN: That's the best one.

LAURA BARRON-LOPEZ: Still, Democrats have catching up to do in an emerging space that's already shown its power to turn out voters.

For the "PBS News Hour," I'm Laura Barron-Lopez.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: As the major federal felony cases against him get dropped, president-elect Trump is rapidly filling up his Cabinet.

For that and for more, we turn to our Politics Monday duo.

That is Amy Walter of The Cook Political Report With Amy Walter and Tamara Keith of NPR.

So nice to see you both in your fabulous color coordination or not coordination.

(CROSSTALK) AMY WALTER, The Cook Political Report: We did not coordinate it at all, but it works.

TAMARA KEITH, National Public Radio: Yes.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: Tam, I want to start with you.

This news today that -- we knew that this was going to happen, but that the felony charges against Donald Trump have gone away, that -- this die was obviously cast on the night of the election, but there was all of this considerable evidence, will now never be heard by any jury.

What do you make of all that.

TAMARA KEITH: This is a validation of the legal plan that Trump's team had.

They were running out the clock.

They had been running out the clock since before charges were even filed.

And, in essence, this -- although Vice President Harris and others didn't really talk about this as being part of the campaign, it really was part of the campaign.

He was the nominee in large part because Republicans consolidated behind him after the search of Mar-a-Lago.

That really closed off a path for some of the competition.

So this is integral to this election.

And this is -- elections have consequences and this is what -- this is the result.

AMY WALTER: You know, what's also really fascinating to think over the course of these four years, there were so many different inflection points where the outcome of this could have looked different.

There was, of course, the February 2021 impeachment, had more Republicans voted to impeach.

That's a decision on January 6.

You obviously have the Justice Department that there were a lot of delays in getting this... WILLIAM BRANGHAM: A lot of delays.

AMY WALTER: A lot of delays in getting this investigation started.

Maybe had it started sooner, we wouldn't be talking about it in 2024.

And then, of course, you have the immunity decision by the Supreme Court, along with Trump's ability to really draw things out.

So, at every step of the way, we could have had a different outcome.

And, obviously, we knew going into this election that the outcome essentially of this case would be determined by whatever happened on election night.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: I'm curious, do either of you think that Harris' decision not to focus on this more could have made a difference?

Or is that just, they assume that this is baked in, that people know that Donald Trump in January 6, that he's responsible for that?

TAMARA KEITH: Yes, it's not just that she didn't talk about the legal cases.

When her supporters would start chanting, "Lock him up," which they did regularly during the campaign, she would cut them off.

And she would say, no, that's for the courts to decide.

I think that that was an acknowledgement of the political toxicity of these cases, that the cases actually engaged and riled up Trump voters, and that her base wasn't necessarily voting on that alone.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: Right.

TAMARA KEITH: Yes.

AMY WALTER: I mean, it was -- it's also amazing when you talk to the Trump campaign, the inflection point that was those indictments, right?

TAMARA KEITH: Yes.

AMY WALTER: I mean, they will argue, we already had momentum going into the primaries.

But those first indictments helped to shore up his base.

And that base has never left him.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: Right.

AMY WALTER: And that's also, again, one of the many decision points along the way.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: I want to turn back to Laura's piece that she just did about this -- quote, unquote -- "manosphere" and just the incredibly effective way that Trump reached out to these young men online, the way he did it, and their incredible reception to the way Trump was making his pitch to them.

How do you see that dynamic?

TAMARA KEITH: There was a large part of the electorate this cycle who were actively avoiding political news.

They did not want to think about politics.

They were not seeking it out.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: They weren't watching Politics Monday?

TAMARA KEITH: They were not watching Politics Monday.

They -- yes, unless we accidentally came through their TikTok feed somehow.

(LAUGHTER) TAMARA KEITH: But -- so people were actively avoiding politics.

Both campaigns were trying to crack the code on how do you reach people who don't want to be reached?

What Trump figured out is, you go on these bro podcasts that are not political podcasts.

They are podcasts about other things.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: Right.

TAMARA KEITH: And then the politics just sort of seeps in.

It finds people in their natural environment where they're avoiding politics and it introduces politics at a time when they are open to suggestion.

And all along, we were talking about how this was sort of a risky strategy, because young men are not regular voters.

They're not regular voters.

Well, he got them engaged.

He found them on their podcasts and in the TikTok feeds, and he got them engaged enough to vote for him.

It's not clear that they voted downballot necessarily.

AMY WALTER: You know, I have been talking to a lot of folks who study this both before, during and then after this election.

And it is -- this Gen Z gender divide is really quite fascinating, and it goes much beyond our politics.

I mean, there definitely was a gender divide on Election Day, the kind of which we had never seen before in a place like Pennsylvania.

Among the youngest cohort of voters, the gender gap was 62 points.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: Yes.

AMY WALTER: Just to put that in context, the overall gender gap was like 25 or 26 points in that state.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: That's incredible.

AMY WALTER: What we see -- what we're seeing right now is that more and more of these young men are using these sites, whether it's TikTok or the podcasts or YouTube as a way to build community.

This is a generation of young men who feel very disconnected, who feel very lost, who feel left behind.

And these are the places that they go to find that community.

What I noticed as well is, it's not just that Trump went to those places, but the organic way in which conversations that started off about sports or video games would also then lead into the host themselves talking about, oh, hey, did you see Trump go into McDonald's?

Did you see Trump was at the fight?

(CROSSTALK) WILLIAM BRANGHAM: The UFC fight.

AMY WALTER: The UFC thing.

And so he became part of it, even though - - so we know this.

The best candidates are able to meet voters where they are, and that's what he was able to do.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: Do you think, Tam, it's a fair criticism that's been made against Harris that she didn't more actively do that didn't, go on "Joe Rogan," say?

TAMARA KEITH: Right.

She didn't go on Joe Rogan.

They were in negotiations.

It didn't work out.

Ultimately, Rogan said that he was offered a one-hour interview.

He wanted three and that he would have to come to Washington and not have it in his studio.

She did go in spaces that are not normal places for politicians to go.

She did go on podcasts.

Her vice presidential nominee also went on podcasts.

Also, if you remember, in the very early stages of her campaign, there was the coconut tree meme and there was brat summer and all of this stuff.

And a lot of that was organic.

But in the end, it sort of faded out.

And also at the same time, the Harris campaign was more cautious.

I mean, Trump went on podcasts that she definitely wouldn't go on just because like you don't know what these guys are going to say.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: Sure.

Sure.

It's incredibly risky.

TAMARA KEITH: Yes.

AMY WALTER: Yes.

And, again, I think it comes back to that authenticity piece.

TAMARA KEITH: Yes.

AMY WALTER: I mean, when you saw her numbers really spike, it was when the coconut memes and all the brat stuff was happening because what younger people were seeing was, oh, this is something I can relate to.

This is something that's interesting.

As soon as she became more of a traditional candidate, as soon as it was about rolling out white papers and putting policy into place, there wasn't that same connection to her among those same younger voters.

And even among younger women, there was a shift to the right in this election.

She still overwhelmingly won those women, but they were not connecting with her in the same way that younger men were connecting with Trump.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: Amy Walter and Tamara Keith, so nice to see you both in your visions of red.

Have a great Thanksgiving.

Thanks for being here.

This weekend, the Venezuelan opposition accused the Nicolas Maduro government of -- quote - - "besieging political critics" who have taken shelter in the Argentinean embassy in the capital, Caracas.

The U.S. called the presence of Venezuelan police outside the embassy a serious violation of international law.

Nick Schifrin speaks to the head of the opposition, but first looks at this summer's disputed election and what has happened since.

NICK SCHIFRIN: Through the window of Argentina's embassy in Caracas, an urgent alert.

The opposition films Venezuelan security forces threatening their political opponents.

That opposition has faced a crackdown, unprecedented mass arrests and been on the run ever since Nicolas Maduro and his government claim victory in a July election that the opposition calls stolen.

Last week, the U.S. recognized opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez as president-elect, as he helps lead the opposition from exile in Spain after Maduro issued a warrant for his arrest.

His political matron, Maria Corina Machado, was banned by Maduro's regime from contesting the election.

And yet she rallied across the country, mobilizing an opposition and providing proof that Gonzalez won twice as many votes as Maduro.

Over 11 years, Maduro's authoritarian rule has led to economic collapse, diplomatic isolation, and the exodus of nearly eight million Venezuelans.

The U.S. continues to call for dialogue between Maduro and the opposition and a transition to democracy.

ANTONY BLINKEN, U.S. Secretary of State: We come here united in the commitment to defend the human rights of the Venezuelan people and committed to bring about an inclusive Venezuelan-led effort to restore the nation's democratic future.

NICK SCHIFRIN: Maria Corina Machado remains in hiding and joins us now from an undisclosed location in Venezuela.

Maria Corina Machado, thanks very much.

Welcome to the "News Hour."

We have seen an unprecedented crackdown on the opposition, on anyone in Venezuela who opposes the government.

Can the opposition survive if the crackdown continues?

MARIA CORINA MACHADO, Venezuela Opposition Leader: Not only the country and the democratic forces will survive, but the regime will have to accept that their time is over.

It's important to understand that, the more violent they get, it's because they are weaker.

They are more desperate.

Maduro is totally isolated, not only in Venezuela, but also internationally.

And the cracks and fractures among the different groups that comprehend this criminal regime are growing by the hour.

NICK SCHIFRIN: The Biden administration vows to continue imposing costs on Maduro.

Critics of the administration, as you know, have called on the administration to impose more sanctions and also revoke the licenses that allow oil companies to work in Venezuela.

Do you want to see the Biden administration take those steps now?

MARIA CORINA MACHADO: We certainly believe all the international community should let know Maduro that all those criminals that are violating human rights, that have committed crimes against humanity will be held accountable.

At the same time, you know that Maduro supports himself on criminal activities, from drug trafficking, gold smuggling, money laundering, and all these resources that they receive, they use them to persecute and repress our population.

So this is a moment where the international community should act.

NICK SCHIFRIN: Up until now, the Biden administration has been concerned that more sanctions would imperil the regional coalition it's tried to build, especially Brazil, Colombia, and Mexico's support for what the U.S. is doing.

But the critics of the administration want the U.S. to go further regardless of what regional players want.

What do you think is more important, increased U.S. pressure or regional unity?

MARIA CORINA MACHADO: I do not think one thing is against the other on the country.

I think that never before Latin American countries and even European are aligned around a democratic transition.

Let's remember we won an election by a landslide.

And Maduro since then has unleashed the worst repression campaign he has done.

So it's a moment that we have to put a stop to this and make Maduro understand that the cost of staying in power, it's going to be higher and harrier every day that goes by.

We cannot wait until January, when the president-elect Edmundo Gonzalez -- and he was recognized by the United States administration, the government - - should be sworn into the presidency.

NICK SCHIFRIN: You say you can't wait until January.

January 10 is when the Venezuelan inauguration is scheduled for.

January 20, of course, is when the U.S. inauguration is scheduled for.

Have you been speaking to the incoming members of the Trump administration, and do you want to take some of the same steps that you did in the first Trump administration, including sanctions and oil licenses that they took back then?

MARIA CORINA MACHADO: I have contact with the current administration.

I have contact with the next administration.

And I hope that at least a strategy putting strength and pressure on Maduro will work this time, because it's a totally different regime, weaker than ever, and our country is united with that, united as position and legitimate leadership, as never before.

NICK SCHIFRIN: You point out that it's a different regime.

The Trump administration tried to support Juan Guaido.

They called Juan Guaido the president-elect.

They tried massive sanctions.

It didn't work.

Why do you think it didn't work and why is today different?

MARIA CORINA MACHADO: Maduro had at that time a lot of support internationally.

Not anymore.

He's got left Russia, Iran, North Korea, Syria, Belarus, not much more.

Maduro at that time had more support from the military that was more united.

Not anymore.

And also he had more resources that he could use to persecute or to threaten or to even buy allies.

Now we have a united opposition, a legitimate leadership, because we went to a primary process, and then to an election that we won by a landslide.

So this is the time to move forward, for the regime to understand that the time is over, and it is in their best interest to sit down and accept the terms of a negotiated transition.

If he doesn't do that before January 10, then he's going to face, Maduro and his cronies, a really tough moment.

And it's going to be worse, in worse in worst terms, the eventual transition.

NICK SCHIFRIN: Finally, you have supported U.S. legislation to block the U.S. federal government from doing business with anyone who has commercial ties with the Maduro regime.

That legislation is sponsored by representative of Florida Mike Waltz, Senator Marco Rubio, respectively, the national security adviser and the secretary of state under the Trump administration.

The attorney general, in response to your support, says that your statements have -- quote - - "constituted the commission of crimes of treason against the country and conspiracy with foreign countries."

Does that increase the threat against you today?

MARIA CORINA MACHADO: Well, I'm accused every single day of a new crime.

I wouldn't have enough lives or years to address all the accusations they have put on me.

I don't know what else they think they can do, but they certainly would not stop us from doing what we should.

We will never, never surrender.

NICK SCHIFRIN: Maria Corina Machado, thank you very much.

MARIA CORINA MACHADO: Thank you, Nick.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: President Biden took to the South Lawn today, using his lame-duck status to spare a flock of fowl from the chopping block this holiday season.

Deema Zein has the report.

DEEMA ZEIN: For the fourth year in a row, President Joe Biden marked the start of the holiday season by carving out some time to make sure two Turkeys won't be on the menu this Thanksgiving.

JOE BIDEN, President of the United States: I hereby pardon Peach and Blossom.

Keep calm and gobble on.

(LAUGHTER) DEEMA ZEIN: The president took a more reflective tone at today's turkey pardon event than in past years.

JOE BIDEN: This event marks the official start of the holiday season here in Washington.

It's also my last time to speak here as your president during this season and give thanks and gratitude.

So, let me say to you, it's been the honor of my life.

I'm forever grateful.

DEEMA ZEIN: Biden used the moment to represent his home state of Delaware, naming the pardon birds after the state flower, a peach blossom.

For more than three decades, turkeys have gobbled up attention at the White House, rather than the dinner table.

But how it got started, well, that debate has ruffled some feathers.

BILL CLINTON, Former President of the United States: President Truman was the first president to pardon a turkey.

DEEMA ZEIN: Actually, Truman was the first president to receive a turkey from the National Turkey Federation, but there's no record of a pardon.

According to the White House Historical Association, Truman said that the birds would come in handy for Christmas dinner.

So, who was the first president to pardon a turkey?

Technically, it was Honest Abe Lincoln, after his young son Tad begged to save the life of a bird originally destined to become Christmas dinner.

Jack the turkey instead became a White House pet.

President John F. Kennedy was the first to spare a Thanksgiving gobbler.

In 1963, despite a sign hanging around the turkey's neck that read, "Good eating, Mr. President," Kennedy sent them back to the farm.

And a year before Richard Nixon received a pardon of his own, his daughter chose to gift his turkey to a local petting zoo.

It was Ronald Reagan who carved out a spot in history as the first to use the word pardon when talking turkey in 1987.

The tradition became formalized two years later by President George H. W. Bush.

GEORGE H.W.

BUSH, Former President of the United States: Let me assure you and this fine tom turkey that he will not end up on anyone's dinner table, not this guy.

DEEMA ZEIN: The event is now an annual White House ritual, and for the past decade, the turkeys have been able to experience a treat as sweet as pie, a stay at the 4-starred Willard Hotel, instead of making it to the dinner table.

And from here, Peach and Blossom will head back to Minnesota.

That's where they will live out their days as agricultural ambassadors for Minnesota's Agricultural Interpretive Center, says John Zimmerman, chairman of the National Turkey Federation, who talked to us with his son, Grant.

JOHN ZIMMERMAN, Chairman, National Turkey Federation: They have a very nice campus and some facilities where they will be able to house these birds in comfort, feed and take care of them, but they will also be available to school trips and then the general population to come visit with the birds and hopefully learn a little bit more about turkey farming and agriculture in general.

DEEMA ZEIN: But before they were pardoned and headed on their next adventure, we got a chance to meet them close and even catch them in an interview.

How do you feel about being the top two out of 40 pardoned?

(TURKEY GOBBLES) DEEMA ZEIN: They were talking turkey to me.

For the "PBS News Hour," I'm Deema Zein.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: Keep on and gobble on.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: That is the "News Hour" for tonight.

I'm William Brangham.

On behalf of the entire "News Hour" team, thank you so much for joining us.