DOJ officials are concerned Todd Blanche won’t stand up to Trump. The Menendez brothers are set to appear at a hearing related to their potential resentencing today. And a battered champ, a teen prodigy and a missing GOAT: Chess’ biggest event is here. 

Here’s what to know today.

Will Trump’s former defense lawyer protect the Justice Department from Trump? 

Many career attorneys in the Justice Department breathed a sigh of relief last week after Matt Gaetz withdrew as President-elect Donald Trump’s candidate for attorney general. 

Hours later, Trump nominated former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi, a longtime loyalist who backed the former president’s lies about the 2020 election. Justice Department attorneys now hope that Trump’s pick for the critical No. 2 position at the department — Todd Blanche, the president-elect’s defense lawyer — can help protect the department’s career civil servants from Trump. 

Blanche served as Trump’s lead criminal defense lawyer in the Stormy Daniels hush money case brought by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg. Some current and former DOJ officials say Blanche’s close relationship and record of legal work with Trump have raised concerns that Blanche won’t stand up to Trump.

But others were cautiously optimistic, with people close to Blanche saying his past work as a career federal prosecutor in the Southern District of New York gives him an understanding of the department’s tradition of barring presidents and politicians from influencing individual criminal investigations. One Justice Department official said people are feeling better about Blanche because he’s a legitimate lawyer and a former Justice Department official, but “that reflects the low expectations.”

Many current DOJ officials hope that Blanche can help prevent a worst-case scenario: Trump wielding federal law enforcement as a cudgel against his political enemies.

Read more: 

• Republican Sen. Bill Hagerty suggested that Americans don’t care about traditional FBI background checks for Trump’s Cabinet picks.
• How the Trump administration and congressional Republicans may crack down on pro-Palestinian protesters.

Menendez brothers’ bid to be freed: Where does their resentencing effort stand?

Erik and Lyle Menendez’s efforts to reduce their life-without-parole prison terms are in limbo after the Los Angeles District Attorney who reccommended their sentences be reduced was ousted. The brothers have served 35 years for the shotgun murders of their parents, José and Kitty Menendez, at the family’s Beverly Hills home on Aug. 20, 1989.

Last month, DA George Gascón said he supported reducing their sentences to 50 years to life — a reduction that would make them eligible for parole immediately. Incoming district attorney Nathan Hochman, who is set to take office Dec. 2, has said he needs to review the case before he makes a decision. The siblings will appear for a status conference today to determine if a Dec. 11 resentencing hearing should remain on the schedule, a lawyer for the brothers told NBC News.

Chess’ biggest stage is missing the game’s mercurial star

The Chess World Championship kicked off this morning, with teen phenom Gukesh Dommaraju of India taking on reigning champion Ding Liren of China. Millions of dollars are on the line in the sprawling 14-game final, which is taking place over the next two weeks in Singapore. The sport continues to boom in popularity — Chess.com boasts an incredible 190 million users — yet chess reporter Leon Watson writes that change looms for the game’s marquee event, which was once again eschewed by its biggest star, Magnus Carlsen. 

Highlights from NFL Week 11

Saquon Barkley added to his candidacy to be the NFL’s MVP as the Eagles won their seventh consecutive game on NBC’s “Sunday Night Football” by dominating in the run game, yet again. NBC News sports editor Greg Rosenstein breaks down the other highlights from Week 11: 

🦅 Barkley cannot be stopped. The Philadelphia Eagles running back had arguably the best individual performance of any player this season, rushing for 255 and two touchdowns in a 37-20 win against the Rams in Los Angeles. The Eagles improved to 9-2 this year, trailing only the Detroit Lions (10-1) in the NFC, while the Rams dropped to 5-6. It was Philadelphia’s seventh consecutive victory.

🤠 The Dallas Cowboys beat their rival Washington Commanders 34-26 on the road in one of the most bizarre games in years. Trailing 27-20 with 21 seconds remaining, Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels found Terry McLaurin for an 86-yard score that seemingly would allow Washington to tie the game. The only issue? Kicker Austin Seibert’s extra point went wide left and Dallas (4-7) held on to win the matchup. The game featured two kickoff return touchdowns, two missed extra points, a blocked punt and a blocked field goal attempt, the only time that has happened in NFL history. Washington, once a lock for the postseason, has now lost three straight.

⚡The Green Bay Packers (8-3) established themselves as a legitimate playoff contender with a dominant 38-10 win against the San Francisco 49ers. Green Bay quarterback Jordan Love threw two touchdowns while running back Josh Jacobs exploded for 106 yards and three scores on the ground. The 28-point loss is the worst for San Francisco (5-6) since October 2018.

🏈 The Minnesota Vikings withstood a late comeback attempt by the Chicago Bears to improve to 9-2. Minnesota led 27-16 with 1:56 left in regulation but Caleb Williams led a successful touchdown drive and two-point conversion to make it 27-24 with 22 seconds left. Chicago then recovered the onside kick and Cairo Santos hit a 48-yard field goal as time expired to push to overtime. After a defensive stop, the Vikings’ John Parker Romo drilled a 29-yarder to win the game. The entire state of Minnesota took a collective sigh of relief after the game. It was the Bears’ fifth straight loss.

Politics in Brief

New record: The Congressional Black Caucus will boast 62 members for the next session of Congress, contributing toward a record-setting 67 Black members of congress overall.

Congress: Rep.-elect Sarah McBride, the first openly transgender person elected to serve in Congress, called House Republicans’ moves to ban her from using women’s bathrooms in the Capitol an “attempt to misdirect” from other policy priorities.

Economy: Many families have been effectively cutting a second rent check to send their kids to day care, according to new data from the Department of Labor.

Congress to Cameo: Former congressman and AG hopeful Matt Gaetz is selling personalized video messages on the platform Cameo, where he’s been doling out paid holiday wishes, marriage congratulations and career pep talks.

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Read All About It

•  “Wicked” and “Gladiator II” defied box office gravity in a strong start to the holiday season. 
• Sugar Foods is recalling a tortilla chip salad topper sold in 20 states after discovering it is contaminated with a wheat allergen.
• A Dartmouth College sorority and two members of a fraternity were charged in connection with the drowning death of student Won Jang, whose body was found over the summer in a river.

Staff Pick: They rebuilt Notre Dame, now they’re singing inside it

Much like the building and rebuilding of a cathedral, a small army is needed to work together to make beautiful music. This story about a choir started by those who are helping rebuild Paris’ Notre-Dame is an insight into the place the cathedral has in French culture. And the obvious heartfelt dedication and camaraderie of the architects, stonemasons, archaeologists who make up Notre-Dame Compagnons Choir was something I needed right now.

— Brinley Bruton, assistant managing editor for international news

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