News Wrap: Federal judge clashes with DOJ over D.C. golf course

Geoff Bennett:

Also, today a federal judge clashed with Justice Department lawyers in the latest legal standoff over the fate of a Washington, D.C., golf course. The judge is demanding details on who's responsible for the recent cutting down of hundreds of trees at the East Potomac Golf Links.

The government has argued that they were removed as part of routine maintenance. But President Trump told reporters today that he's aiming to, as he put it, build a better golf course after posting on social media that the site would be closed for a 15-month renovation.

During today's hearing, the judge said -- quote -- "There is no universe in which all of this coincidentally happened all at the same time."

The U.S. Supreme Court says it will review a Reconstruction era ban on home distilleries. The justices will decide whether Congress had the authority to ban the practice back in the 1860s in an effort to prevent distillers from avoiding taxes. The High Court will also revisit the issue of race and school admissions in a case involving Asian American parents and selective middle schools in Maryland.

It comes three years after the justices restricted affirmative action in higher education. And the court rejected a bid by alleged 9/11 Mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed to revive a plea deal the government later withdrew. He and two accomplices are expected to stand for a military trial in the year 2028.

Israeli authorities say they have arrested at least 10 people in connection with recent settler attacks in the occupied West Bank, including on European diplomats and Washington Post photojournalist Heidi Levine. Police released video today showing at least one suspect being arrested in a predawn operation. Authorities have not identified the suspects, but Israel's army radio reports that all are Israeli citizens.

Meantime, Israeli settlers continued to move through Palestinian-owned olive groves today as local residents accuse Israeli forces of standing by, rather than intervening to protect them during the annual harvest.

Mohammed Abu Rabee, Resident of Deir Abu Mash'al, West Bank (through translator): I do not believe the army. These people are one nation in two sides of one coin. They are the same. The settlers attack us when the Israeli army is here.

Geoff Bennett:

U.S. and European officials have condemned the violence.

Meantime, President Donald Trump has endorsed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's reelection bid, calling him a great warrior. Mr. Trump's support comes just over a week ahead of Israel's first elections since the October 7 Hamas-led attacks.

In Yemen, authorities say Houthi forces fired ballistic missiles at a military camp today, killing at least 53 soldiers and injuring 200 more. Video published on social media shows the aftermath of the attack. It was one of the deadliest strikes since a resurgence in fighting between the Iran-backed group and government forces this summer.

It comes a day after Houthi health officials say an airstrike by Saudi-led forces killed at least nine people in rebel-held territory in Yemen's north. The Saudi government has not commented on that incident.

On Wall Street today, stocks ended mixed to start the week. The Dow Jones industrial average slipped around 35 points. The Nasdaq rallied more than 1 percent following last week's losses. The S&P 500 also ended higher on the day.

And journalist Noah Adams, who hosted NPR's "All Things Considered" for nearly two decades, has died.

Noah Adams, NPR News:

This is special coverage from NPR News.

Geoff Bennett:

To millions of radio listeners, Noah Adams was a steady, reassuring voice, guiding Americans through historic moments, from the fall of the Berlin Wall to the September 11 attacks. But Adams also had a gift for telling quieter, more personal stories, capturing the lives and experiences of everyday Americans.

He wrote five books exploring subjects from the Wright Brothers to his own experience learning how to play the piano in his 50s. His wife says Adams died at their home in Ohio on Friday. Noah Adams was 84 years old.