Trump’s potential Supreme Court impact and racist text messages about picking cotton: Morning Rundown

Republicans are looking ahead at the possibility of Donald Trump appointing more Supreme Court justices. Three people were charged in connection with the death of Liam Payne. And dozens of Black people have said they received racist text messages about picking cotton.  

Here’s what to know today.

Trump has the potential to shape the majority of the Supreme Court

With Donald Trump set to return to the White House and a new Senate majority, Republicans are gearing up to reshape the judiciary during Trump’s second term. That includes potentially installing several more Supreme Court justices. 

Conservatives are watching to see if two conservative stalwarts will retire: 74-year-old Justice Samuel Alito, who has served since 2006, and 76-year-old Justice Clarence Thomas, who has served since 1991. Among Democrats, anxieties are running high about whether 70-year-old Justice Sonia Sotomayor, a progressive and a lifelong diabetic, will hang on for another four years. 

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Trump appointed three justices — Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett — during his first term. If two vacancies arise during his second term, Trump would be the first president since Franklin D. Roosevelt to have appointed a majority of justices to the court.

The President-elect hasn’t yet issued a public list of potential Supreme Court nominees, like he did while campaigning in 2016, but some experts believe he could look to the dozens of appeals court judges he appointed in his first term. 

Trump will also build on the record 234 federal judges he appointed in his first term. With a Senate majority, Republicans will have the power to confirm judges and justices with simple majorities, even if they don’t keep control of the House. 

Read the full story here.

More election coverage: 

• ➡️ Trump won Nevada, NBC News projected last night, capturing a state that he lost in 2016 and 2020.
• ➡️ Trump said there’s “no price tag” on his mass deportation plan and that his administration would have no choice but to carry them out. 
• ➡️ Trump named Susie Wiles, his campaign manager and one of the most respected operatives in Republican politics, as his White House Chief of Staff. 
• ➡️ As Trump fills out the rest of his Cabinet, sources involved in the transition process said he’s expected to place a premium on selections outside of government service, as opposed to sitting lawmakers.
• ➡️ Trump’s victory injects a new competition in the race to replace Mitch McConnell as Senate Republican leader. Here are the three senators vying for the top spot.
• ➡️ A process is already underway to figure out who will lead the Republican Party into 2028. But one thing is already certain: Trump’s influence won’t fade. “He will relish his role as kingmaker and everyone sucking up to him,” a longtime GOP operative said.
• ➡️ There are several things to point to in explaining Trump’s victory, NBC News chief political analyst Chuck Todd writes, “but there’s one other moment that’s worth singling out, one that totally misled the Democratic Party … about the public’s appetite for Trump or even Trumpism: the 2022 midterms.” Read the full analysis.
• ➡️ Trump won over young male voters — and young women, too — thanks, in part, to advice from his 18-year-old son.
• ➡️ North Carolina may have voted for Trump but Democrats in the state won nearly every other statewide race.
• ➡️ What is “4B”? Why Trump’s win has sparked interest in a movement that calls on women to refrain from dating, sex with men and more. 

Black people report receiving racist text messages about picking cotton

Federal and local authorities across the U.S. have said they are aware of text messages that dozens of Black people have received telling them they’ve been “selected” to “pick cotton at the nearest plantation.” The messages came hours after the polarized presidential election came to a close earlier this week. The Federal Communications Commission said it is “looking into” the messages, while the FBI said it was in contact with the Justice Department.

Monèt Miller, a 29-year-old publicist from Atlanta, said she was shocked to receive a message, which said, in part, “Our Executive Slaves will come get you in a Brown Van, be prepared to be searched down once you’ve enter the plantation.” Miller said some of her friends also received the same text.

Black social media users across the country reported similar text messages. Many of the recipients are college students, though people as young as high school students and some beyond college have also received them.

Here’s what else is known.

3 charged in connection with Liam Payne’s death

Three people were arrested and charged in connection with the death of Liam Payne, the former member of One Direction who fell from a balcony of a Buenos Aires hotel on Oct. 16. Argentina’s public prosecutor said two people — including a hotel employee accused of giving the singer cocaine during his stay — were charged with two acts of supplying narcotics. Another person who was with Payne daily was charged with abandoning a person following death.

In their investigation, prosecutors analyzed more than 800 hours of security video from the hotel and from public roads, as well as the contents of Payne’s cellphone. A toxicology report showed Payne had alcohol, cocaine and a prescription antidepressant drug in his system, and forensic doctors who performed the autopsy said that his injuries were consistent with a fall from a third-floor height. In the hours before his death, Payne was reportedly exhibiting destructive behavior.  

Read All About It 

• The 67th Grammy Awards nominees will be announced today, and female artists from Taylor Swift and Beyoncé, to Sabrina Carpenter and Chappell Roan are poised for recognition.
• Drought in the Northeast is fueling wildfires in New Jersey, Connecticut and Massachusetts. And in Southern California, the Mountain Fire has burned more than 20,000 acres and destroyed over 130 homes.
• The FDA has proposed ending the use of an ingredient found in cold and allergy medicines such as NyQuil and Benadryl. 
• Prince William said the past year has been “dreadful” after his wife, Princess Kate, and his father, King Charles III, were both diagnosed with cancer.
• A New York judge blasted Rudy Giuliani’s “farcical” explanation of why Rudy Giuliani hasn’t turned over his assets in the $146 million defamation judgment against him.

Staff Pick: A four-month quest to prove humanity is good

This is the story of Yifei Xu, who came to the U.S. from Shanghai to ride his bicycle across the country and prove what he believes to be a universal truth: “I want to show that human nature is good!” He seems to have accomplished just that. For four months, Xu relied on the kindness of strangers for his meals and met plenty of generous people along the way.

Reading this story and watching the video that accompanied it was a breath of fresh air — and a reminder that a little bit of kindness goes a long way. — Elizabeth Robinson, newsletter editor

NBC Select: Online Shopping, Simplified

Should you floss before or after you brush your teeth? Dentists weighed in on the right way to do oral care. Plus, here are the best toothpastes for plaque removal, whitening and more.

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