Daily Briefing: I’ll be home for Christmas (if the weather allows)

• Gaetz tried to stop the release: Gaetz sued the Committee Monday morning to try blocking the release of its findings from a multi-year investigation into allegations he had sex with a 17-year-old. The detailed report, however, was released later that day.
• What the report says: The Committee found the Florida Republican held drug-fueled sex parties with women who received payments from him or an intermediary, including one who was underage.
• Gaetz’s response: Gaetz has maintained his innocence, attacked the credibility of the Ethics Committee, and on Monday published a series of posts on X with snippets of witness testimony that he said refuted the committee’s findings.

👁 Read the House Ethics Committee’s full report.

Could a generic Ozempic ease shortages and prices?

In a move that could eventually make weight loss drugs cheaper and easier to access, the Food and Drug Administration Monday approved a second generic in the category of medications known as GLP-1s. These are not considered as effective as the brand-name weekly injections sold for diabetes and weight loss as Ozempic and Wegovy by Novo Nordisk and Mounjaro and Zepbound by Eli Lilly — but experts say having more options could trigger brand-name drugs to lower prices. Read more

Today’s talkers

 ‘Astroturfing’ and when fans feel manipulated

Over the weekend, Blake Lively accused her “It Ends With Us” co-star and director Justin Baldoni of sexual harassment and a retaliatory smear campaign to cover it. Lively’s lawyers claim Baldoni tried to “destroy” her career and privately conceal abuse of his own. It’s part of a practice called “astroturfing,” the complaint alleges, and it’s left fans and news readers alike questioning who is pulling the strings when it comes to their opinions of Hollywood. But it’s not the first time the internet has sided collectively against a certain star.