January 17, 2024 - Daily Digest

I'm back from my wedding!

I am officially back from my wedding! First, thank you all for your support, it means the world to me.

Here is a quick sneak peak of the wedding ceremony (more to come soon)

Now that I am back, here is all of the news you missed from the past day. If you want to support my content and want access to even more content, then consider becoming a paid monthly subscriber at the link below:

1) Chances Of War Rise Between Israel And Lebanon

Israel’s military chief is sounding the alarm bells today as the tensions between Israel and Hezbollah in Southern Lebanon are rising fast and the threat of war between the two is at its highest point to date. Recently, Israeli hospitals in Northern Israel were told by officials to prepare to accept a large amount of patients in the event a mass casualty event were to occur. Then, the Israeli military began pulling out some forces from the Gaza strip, likely to redeploy them in the North if war were to break out. Earlier today, Israel’s military chief stated: "I don't know when the war in the north is, I can tell you that the likelihood of it happening in the coming months is much higher than it was in the past." Meanwhile, at the same time, the Houthi rebels in Yemen are continuing to launch attacks on commercial ships in the Red Sea. These attacks have forced the United States to retaliate and now re-designate the group as a terrorist group. Remember, the Houthi rebels are backed by Iran and are not the legitimate government of Yemen. More to come here.

2) New Polling Shows Americans Fleeing From Trump If He Is Convicted

New polling from Reuters/Ipsos demonstrates that Donald Trump's chances of winning in November drop dramatically if he is convicted, and are even worse if he is serving time in prison.

The poll, which currently has President Biden leading Donald Trump by 2 points in a hypothetical head-to-head matchup, surveyed 3,815 registered voters, asking them whether they would vote for Trump in the event of a criminal conviction. The results could not be worse for Trump.

Only 20% of those polled said they would vote for Trump if he was convicted, with 58% stating they would not. 20% of those polled were unsure. Among Democrats, 91% of those polled would not vote for Trump if convicted, while 28% of Republicans would abandon the former President along with 55% of independents. Tellingly, only 43% of Republicans affirmatively stated that they would vote for Trump if convicted. 

When asked whether they would vote for Trump if he were serving time in prison, these numbers look even worse for the former president. Only 18% of respondents stated they would vote for Trump, with 61% stating they would not. Importantly, among Republicans, only 38% of those polled would affirmatively vote for him, while 35% would not.

Polling like this makes clear that in the event of a conviction or if Trump is set to serve prison time, the 2024 election could be a landslide of epic proportions if Trump chooses to remain on the ballot.

3) Maine Judge Defers Decision on Trump Ballot Removal To The U.S. Supreme Court

A Maine judge has declined to remove Donald Trump from the state's presidential primary ballot, deferring any decision on the issue to the United States Supreme Court.

Previously, Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows issued a ruling that removed Trump from the state's primary ballot. This ruling was later appealed by Trump's team. Today's ruling does not make a decision on the merits of the issue and instead defers a final ruling until after the United States Supreme Court decides the issue.

Today's ruling was unsurprising given the pending case in front of the United States Supreme Court. Previously, the Colorado Supreme Court decided to remove Trump from the state's primary ballot, while other states like Michigan and Minnesota declined.

Following the ruling in Colorado, Trump's team, along with the state Republican Party, appealed to the United States Supreme Court which granted review on the issue earlier this month. Specifically, the Supreme Court will decide whether the 14th Amendment's insurrection clause applies to a presidential candidate, and if so, whether the proper venue for adjudication is the courts or in Congress. 

Following the Colorado ruling, Maine's Secretary of State used the ruling as a basis to remove Trump from the state's presidential ballot. That decision has now been put on pause until after the Supreme Court issues its decision. This is consistent with prior scenarios as the Supreme Court's decision will be binding on all lower courts.

The Maine Court noted that within 30 days of the Supreme Court's decision, Maine's Secretary of State would be required to amend its ruling in accordance with the Supreme Court's decision.

4) Mike Johnson In Trouble? Marjorie Taylor Greene Threatens Motion To Vacate Over Ukraine Aid

Georgia Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) announced that she would bring a motion to vacate to remove Speaker Mike Johnson from his post if he were to pass any additional funding for Ukraine.

Speaker Johnson has been under significant pressure from far-right members of his own party in recent weeks after he cut a potential deal with Democrats in the Senate to keep the federal government open, while also publicly signaling that he would be open to providing additional aid to Ukraine. This shift in tone is notable as Johnson, prior to becoming Speaker, was one of the most ardent opponents to supporting Ukraine. 

Greene's comments come at an uncertain time for Speaker Johnson. Many in the far-right House Freedom Caucus have publicly and privately shared their concerns about his leadership, even voting down a simple rule resolution in protest last week.

In 2023, House Republicans elected Kevin McCarthy after 15 votes, later ousting him after just eight months in office. During that same year, the House passed only 27 pieces of legislation, the smallest number in recent memory. Although we are in a new year, it looks like the same dysfunction is brewing, with Speaker Johnson's ouster possibly coming soon.

5) Trump's Motion To Compel More Discovery In Georgia Has Been Denied

Georgia Judge Scott McAfee has denied Donald Trump and Jeffrey Clark's motion to compel discovery from Fulton County Prosecutors after finding that the evidence sought does not exist.

Previously, Trump and Clark argued that the Fulton County District Attorney's Office had evidence from the Select Committee investigating the January 6th insurrection. In their motions, the defendants pointed to communications between Chairman Bernie Thompson and District Attorney Willis. Despite previously being told that such evidence likely did not exist, Trump moved forward seeking to obtain so-called documents from the Select Committee.

Today's ruling found that the documents requested do not exist, and therefore, the court denied the request as moot. There were additional requests presented by Trump's team as well, but those were adequately addressed between Trump's attorneys and the District Attorney's Office.

Read the short order below: