US
Eighteen Senate Republican rebuked former President Trump this week by voting to clarify that the vice president does not have the power to overturn a presidential election as Trump pressured then-Vice President Mike Pence to do on Jan. 6, 2021. And several other Republicans, who didn’t vote for the spending package, which included the electoral count reforms, such as Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), previously expressed support for changes to the law to make it tougher to object to the Electoral College’s vote. GOP senators ignored Trump’s argument posted on Truth Social, his social media platform, that the 1887 Electoral Count Act should be left the way it is “in case of Fraud.” Read the full story here.
The House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack delivered its final report yesterday. In it the panel details how former President Trump carried out “a multipart plan to overturn the 2020 presidential election,” and recommends steps to ensure nothing like it could happen again. Luke Broadwater and Maggie Haberman report for the New York Times. Read the full report. The panel navigated a “tumultuous” start but produced the most important congressional investigation in generations.
Former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson testified to the Jan. 6 committee that she was advised by her first lawyer to deliberately withhold information from investigators and was offered jobs and financial stability in exchange for her loyalty to Trump. The claims — which, if true, amount to possible witness tampering — were detailed at length by Hutchinson in interview transcripts that the committee released yesterday. Jacqueline Alemany, Isaac Stanley-Becker, Amy Gardner and Carol D. Leonnig report for the Washington Post.
Congress gave final approval yesterday to a bill to expand the U.S. government’s power to prosecute international war crimes suspects in the U.S.. The bill, called the Justice for Victims of War Crimes Act, allows war criminal to be tried in a federal court regardless of the nationality of the victim or the perpetrator, or where the crime was committeed. Experts say the legislation brings the U.S. legal code in line with international law and prevents the United States from being seen as a potential haven for war criminals. Aishvarya Kavi reports for the New York Times.
The Senate Finance Committee has opened an inquiry into links between car manufacturers, including Tesla and General Motors and forced labor in China’s Xinjiang region. In a letter sent yesterday, the committee asked the chief executives of eight auto makers to provide detailed information on their supply chains to help determine any connection to Xinjiang, where the U.S. government has alleged the use of forced labor involving the Uyghur ethnic minority. Yuka Hayashi reports for the Wall Street Journal.
Sam Bankman-Fried, the head of the collapsed cryptocurrency exchange FTX, was released on a $250 mil bond. He was ordered to stay in his parents’ house in California while awaiting trial. BBC News reports.
The Senate passed a $1.7 trillion spending bill, sending it to the House ahead of a midnight deadline tonight to avert a government shutdown. The spending bill includes a bipartisan overhaul of how Congress counts electoral votes for president — a bid to prevent another Jan. 6. The bill also contains more than $15 billion for schools, museums and other projects in lawmakers’ home states. The Hill: These are the last-minute changes the Senate made to the $1.7 trillion omnibus. The Hill: Former President Trump calls spending bill a “disaster” and argues that “every single Republican should vote no.”
An audit of Trump’s taxes revealed that the I.R.S. lacks the resources to go after rich taxpayers.
Bloomberg: What Trump’s tax returns say about his finances and the IRS.
The Hill: How Trump paid $0 in income tax in 2020.
Roll Call: Democrats nominate state Sen. Jennifer McClellan (Va.) to fill the late Rep. Donald McEachin’s (Va.) seat in Virginia.
The Hill: Incoming GOP lawmaker George Santos says he w
George Santos, a Republican from New York, said he would address questions about his background next week.
The Hill: Rep. Jamie Raskin (Md.) wins top Democratic seat on powerful Oversight Committee
Washington Post: Congress wants to overhaul retirement plans. Here’s what might be coming.
The Hill: Schumer breaks Title 42 spending bill logjam with help from Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (I-Ariz.).
The Juilliard School placed a professor on leave after a magazine article said he had sexually harassed students.
Target recalled more than 200,000 weighted children’s blankets after two girls died.
N.Y.U.’s nonprofit hospital pressured doctors to give preferential treatment to donors and their families.
The Washington Post: In rural Georgia, an unlikely rebel against Trumpism.
Politico: A secret report about a CEO’s sexual misconduct was just made public by Congress.
Roll Call: Biden expands immigration tool that doesn’t require Congress.
Science/Climate
COVID-19 has infected over 100.184 million people and has now killed over 1.09 million people in the United States, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. Globally, there have been over 655.453 million confirmed coronavirus cases and over 6.67 million deaths. Sergio Hernandez, Sean O’Key, Amanda Watts, Byron Manley and Henrik Pettersson report for CNN.
Winter storm…the storm’s fury comes from its broad scope, covering most of the eastern half of the country. Follow the storm’s movement.
The pace of U.S. population growth rose this year but remains near historic lows, according to new Census Bureau data.
The Chinese government is struggling to explain its Covid policy shift.
The New York Times: The “tripledemic” rages on. Respiratory syncytial virus has probably peaked, but the flu is still surging and COVID-19 cases are rising. Scientists are hopeful next winter will be better.
CNN: Tracking hospitalizations this brutal virus season.
Bloomberg: China is likely seeing 1 million COVID-19 cases and 5,000 deaths a day.
UKR/RU
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has returned to Kyiv after visiting the U.S. and Poland. In a brief evening address yesterday, he expressed satisfaction with his landmark visit to Washington, insisting that it had heeded “good results” that “will really help” with Ukraine’s ongoing war effort. Andrew Higgins, Cora Engelbrecht, Andrew E. Kramer and David E. Sanger report for the New York Times. The U.S. has rebuffed requests by Volodymyr Zelensky for battle tanks and fighter jets. Zelensky visited Poland after his trip to the U.S. to cement support from his allies.
The Senate gave final passage to an amendment giving the U.S. government the authority to sell assets seized from Russian oligarchs to pay for rebuilding Ukraine. The amendment is part of a $1.7 tril spending package, which includes more than $44 bil in emergency aid to Ukraine, that is expected to be taken up by the House today. Carly Olson reports for the New York Times.
The White House warned yesterday that North Korea had delivered supplies to the Wagner Group, a Russian paramilitary force with close ties to President Vladimir Putin. Wagner Group founder Yevgeny Prigozhin, and North Korea’s foreign ministry both denied the accusation. National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby, also said that Prigozhin, was spending about $100 million a month deploying Wagner mercenaries in Ukraine. Zolan Kanno-Youngs reports for the New York Times.
After 10 months of calling it a “special military operation,” Russian President Vladimir Putin yesterday called the situation in Ukraine a “war.” “Our goal is not to spin this flywheel of a military conflict, but, on the contrary, to end this war,” Putin said during a televised news conference following a government meeting yesterday. Mary Ilyushina reports for the Washington Post.
A German citizens who worked for the country’s foreign intelligence service was arrested on charges of spying for Russia. According to a news release by the German Prosecutor General, the defendant Carsten L, “is urgently suspected of treason.” Inke Kappeler reports for CNN.
Global
U.N. experts have found evidence to prove that Rwanda has engaged in military operations in the east of the Democratic republic of Congo (DR Congo). The findings from a leaked report back up the assertion by DR Congo President Félix Tshisekedi that Rwanda has been supporting rebel groups in the country. Will Ross reports for BBC News.
A Belgian judge rejected a request by Eva Kaili, the Greek MEP detained in connection with an alleged bribery scandal at the European parliament, to be released on bail. The judge extended Kaili’s pre-trial detention by one month, the federal prosecutor’s office said in a statement yesterday. According to Kaili’s lawyer she is actively co-operating with the investigation into whether E.U. officials accepted bribes from Qatar and Morocco in exchange for influencing E.U. policy. Andy Bounds, Valentina Pop and Eleni Varvitsioti report for the Financial Times.
North Korea launched two short-range ballistic missiles today, according to South Korean officials. The missiles were fired from Pyongyang’s Sunan area at around 4:32 p.m. local time, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement. It added the two missiles were launched into the waters between the Korean Peninsula and Japan. This marks the 36th day that North Korea has fired missiles this year alone, often launching multiple weapons at a time. Yoonjung Seo, Emiko Jozuka and Jessie Yeung reports for CNN.
The Taliban have arrested five women who took part in a protest in the Afghan capital, Kabul, against the ban on women attending universities. Three journalists were also arrested. Protests are also understood to have taken place in the Takhar province. James Gregory and Aalia Farzan report for BBC News.
China sent dozens of aircraft on military drills toward Taiwan on Thursday, with many crossing the median line of the Taiwan Strait into the air defense zone of the self-governing democratic island nation that China claims as part of its territory, The Hill’s Brad Dress reports. China has ramped up its show of force in recent months as it pressures Taiwan to bow to Beijing’s rule, stoking concerns of a possible invasion (Reuters).
sublimemonkey 