January 30, 2024 - Daily Digest

A significant response from President Biden is looming

Today is January 30, 2024, and here are the critical stories that you may have missed from today. If you enjoy this content and want access to more, exclusive content or to support my work, then consider becoming a monthly subscriber below:

1) Biden Prepares For Significant Response In Middle East

President Biden is gearing up for one of the most important moments of his presidency. He has announced that he will be moving forward with a significant response in the Middle East after Iranian-backed militias attacked a United States base in Jordan leading to the death of three Americans and the injuries of several dozen other service members. The response, as reported, is expected to be a significant number of strikes on Iranian-backed targets in the Middle East and is expected to last several days. President Biden is not expected to target mainland Iran, however, as the President does not want a larger war in the Middle East. More to come here soon.

2) House Republicans Press Forward With Impeachment Of Mayorkas

House Republicans are moving forward with a controversial impeachment of Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas over his handling of the United States/Mexico border. Republicans have long blamed Mayorkas for the struggles the United States has had with migrants crossing the southern border. Later today, the House Homeland Security Committee is expected to mark up a resolution asserting that Secretary Mayorkas committed high crimes and misdemeanors over his handling of the southern border. If impeached, Mayorkas would be the first Cabinet Secretary to be impeached in over 100 years. 

The likely impeachment comes at a precarious time for House Republicans. In 2023, House Republicans had one of the most turmoil filled years for a sitting Congress. Due to their internal dysfunction, House Republicans barely elected a Speaker of the House in January, taking 15 votes to get it done. Then, the caucus ousted former Speaker Kevin McCarthy and elected Louisiana Republican Mike Johnson as Speaker after several weeks of internal conflict. As a result, House Republicans had one of the least successful years in history, passing only 27 pieces of legislation in all of 2023. 

Now, Republicans are going to be faced with a vote over impeaching Mayorkas instead of passing meaningful immigration reform to solve the issues along the southern border. To impeach Mayorkas, Republicans will not be able to lose much support in the House as they currently have a two-seat majority with a litany of recent retirements from their caucus. The impeachment will almost certainly fail in the United States Senate, where a 2/3rds majority will be needed following a trial. 

In addition, the crisis Republicans currently blame on Mayorkas has been around for several years, spanning back to the early 2000s. Every President has dealt with immigration-related issues, yet no President, Republican or Democrat, has successfully passed meaningful immigration reform meant to fix the problems at the souther border. 

Recently, however, President Biden had endorsed an immigration bill that would give him the power to shutdown the southern border and solve the pending crisis. This is a bipartisan deal. However, Republicans are now turning their backs on the deal, in favor of impeaching Mayorkas, at the direction of their self-proclaimed leader, former President Donald Trump. 

3) Department Of Justice Investigating Cori Bush: Report

One day after the Department of Justice served a subpoena to the House of Representatives, Jake Sherman at Punchbowl News has reported that the Justice Department has launched a criminal investigation into Missouri Democratic Congresswoman Cori Bush over misuse of federal security funds. Yesterday, the Justice Department served a subpoena as part of its investigation. The exact details of the investigation remain unknown thus far, but it appears as though the Justice Department's investigation is moving at a swift pace now that the House of Representatives has been subpoenaed.

4) Retired Conservative Judge Urges Supreme Court To Remove Trump Off Ballot

J. Michael Luttig, a former judge on the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals, filed an amicus brief with the United States Supreme Court last night arguing that the Court should remove Donald Trump from the presidential ballot for violating the 14th Amendment's insurrection clause. Judge Luttig was previously appointed by George H.W. Bush to the 4th Circuit and served for fifteen years. 

His amicus brief was filed in the appeal involving the Colorado Supreme Court's prior decision to remove Trump from the state's primary ballot. Following that decision other states, like Maine, followed suit and sought to remove Trump from the ballot, while some states, like Minnesota and Michigan, have thus far declined to remove him.

The amicus brief, which is a brief from a "friend of the court," is meant to provide the Justices with alternative, third-party viewpoints on issues before them from parties who may be interested in a case's resolution. Judge Luttig's brief, in pertinent part made the argument that Trump should be removed from the ballot because he: “incited, and therefore engaged in, an armed insurrection against the Constitution’s express and foundational mandates that require the peaceful transfer of executive power to a newly-elected President. In doing so, Mr. Trump disqualified himself under Section 3.”

The United States Supreme Court will receive a significant number of amicus briefs while deciding whether to remove Trump from the ballot, including many in support of his bid to remain on the ballot. This one, however, may hold additional weight given the historical context the arguments are presented in. Oral argument is currently scheduled for February 8th and we expect a decision to be issued by the end of June.