It’s Tuesday — Happy New Year 🍾 Or as X user @christaylor_nyc aptly put it: “Happy Circling Back Day to all who celebrate.” Though I must admit, today still feels like a holiday. President Biden is still in St. Croix, Vice President Harris is in Los Angeles and Congress is still out of town. But here’s what we’re covering today:
Welcome to 2024! The Iowa caucuses and New Hampshire primary are coming up, Congress faces two major funding deadlines and the legal drama with former President Trump could come to a head. Basically, this should be an incredibly busy and important month in politics.
Anderson Cooper and Andy Cohen were allowed to drink again during CNN’s New Year’s Eve broadcast. The clips are hilarious.
The Washington Post has interesting reporting on how Trump successfully reignited his campaign after a botched campaign announcement in 2022.
I’m Cate Martel with a quick recap of the morning and what’s coming up. Send tips, commentary, feedback and cookie recipes to cmartel@digital-stage.thehill.com. Did someone forward this newsletter to you? Sign up here. |
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Interesting read — Trump’s nine lives:
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It’s election year! The Iowa caucuses are less than two weeks away, which marks the true beginning of primary voting season. Former President Trump is dominating the early-state polls, and despite his looming legal headaches, he appears poised to remain Republicans’ favorite for president in November. Here’s the latest polling average The Washington Post’s Isaac Arnsdorf, Josh Dawsey and Marianne LeVine have fascinating reporting and analysis on “how Trump reignited his base and took control of the Republican primary.” The gist: “From a moment of vulnerability after the midterms, the former president turned his criminal indictments into a rallying cry and benefited from a disciplined campaign, stalled opposition and Biden’s weakness.”
Remember Trump’s flopped 2024 announcement?: “Many lawmakers were uninterested in attending his kickoff event or endorsing him, Trump advisers said. Major donors were considering spending millions against him. Some of his longtime allies were flirting with supporting other potential candidates.” How the Trump campaign turned that around |
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➤ THE NO. 2 HOUSE REPUBLICAN JUST ENDORSED TRUMP |
House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) endorsed Trump’s presidential bid.
“I am proud to endorse Donald Trump for president in 2024, and I look forward to working with President Trump and a Republican House and Senate to fight for those families who are struggling under the weight of Biden’s failed policies,” Scalise writes (The Hill). Read his full endorsement on X |
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➤ CAMPAIGN TRAIL TIDBITS: |
What’s keeping Trump up at night: The New York Times’s Maggie Haberman says that the former president is worried the Supreme Court will rule against him in the Colorado and Maine cases that removed him from the ballot.
How many Americans think Biden lost?: 36 percent of Americans say they believe President Biden was not legitimately elected president of the United States in 2020, according to a new Washington Post/University of Maryland (Post-UMD) survey.
Trump’s loyalty is increasing: Roughly half of Americans think Trump is responsible for the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot, down from 60 percent in December 2021, according to the same poll. Democrats are worried about a bloodbath in North Carolina: Republicans secured a new electoral map, all but guaranteeing a red wave in the state in November. |
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Do we quietly stew? Or do we pull a Nick Kyrgios?: |
House Republicans are furious about the embarrassing chaos that a handful of their colleagues orchestrated last year — including the drawn-out Speaker battles and public spats among Republicans — and are stewing over the lack of repercussions for those fire starters, reports The Hill’s Emily Brooks. The worry — those Republicans are emboldened to cause chaos: The internal GOP drama in 2023 rewarded volume over substance. And those members are even more energized after successfully ousting former Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) — who left Congress at the end of 2023 — and freezing the House for weeks.
Why there haven’t been any consequences: Republicans are trying to move forward from the embarrassing saga. That means there haven’t been any repercussions for those House lawmakers. Read more: ‘House Republicans stew over members who caused upheaval’ |
Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) is leading a group of roughly 60 Republican lawmakers to Eagle Pass, Texas, on Wednesday as part of the push for increased border security measures.
Timing: This trip with House Republicans’ preparations to bring impeachment proceedings against Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.
Where the Mayorkas impeachment effort stands, via The Hill’s Emily Brooks and Rebecca Beitsch |
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➤ MEANWHILE IN THE SENATE:
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Questions have been swirling over Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell’s (R-Ky.) future after his health troubles and political challenges in 2023. (The Hill) |
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Season 10 of ‘Trump’s World’ may be a juicy one for nosy folks:
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“The fate of former President Trump’s business empire, which rocketed him to fame, will be decided in the new year, following more than two months of testimony from 40 witnesses in his sprawling New York civil fraud trial.”
But hasn’t Trump already been found liable for fraud?: Yes, Judge Arthur Engoron already found Trump and his co-defendants guilty of fraud. But the trial will determine claims of conspiracy, insurance fraud and falsified business records.
The Hill’s Ella Lee has a helpful read on what we learned from the trial. The gist: |
2024 presidential politics seeped into the trial. Trump reached a boiling point with the judge and accused him of election interference. Trump’s former lawyer Michael Cohen testified that Trump’s team inflated his assets at his request. -
The former president’s adult children distanced themselves from their father’s financial statements. Deutsche Bank executives testified that they found no fraud when they did their due diligence. That is a pretty strong defense.
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💡 Why the timing of this trial matters: The Iowa caucuses and New Hampshire primary are happening later this month. Trump has a significant lead in both states, and these pending legal cases are very poorly timed for the nominating contests. |
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➤ PREDICTION FROM A FORMER WHITE HOUSE ETHICS LAWYER:
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“Former White House ethics lawyer Jim Schultz, who served under the Trump administration, predicted Monday that former President Trump will ‘swiftly’ lose his claim for immunity as he faces multiple federal indictments.” His reasoning. |
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🍽️ Celebrate: Today is National Buffet Day and National Cream Puff Day!
🐈 The funniest clip I’ve seen in a while: During CNN’s New Year’s Eve broadcast, musician John Mayer called in from a cat bar in Tokyo. CNN’s Anderson Cooper found this concept so funny that he couldn’t hold it together. Keep in mind that Cooper and Bravo’s Andy Cohen were able to drink again this year after last year’s alcohol ban. His cackle has me laughing out loud. Watch the clip
More highlights: |
☄️ When to see cool things in the sky: Here’s a list of comets, meteor showers and eclipses that will be visible this year. (Stacker)
🚢 Welcome to the public domain, Mickey!: An early version of Mickey Mouse from the 1928 film “Steamboat Willie” entered the public domain on Jan. 1. Why?: Copyright can only be held for 95 years in the U.S. (CNN) | |
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The House and Senate are out. President Biden is in St. Croix, and Vice President Harris is in Los Angeles. (all times Eastern) |
9:55 p.m.: Biden and first lady Jill Biden return to the White House from St. Croix.
Monday, Jan. 8: The Senate returns. 🗓️ Monday’s agenda
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🛬 ‘Plane Explodes in Flames While Landing at Airport in Tokyo’: The New York Times
🏥 ‘My Second Trip to Gaza Was as a Hostage. I Will Never Return.’: Read the guest essay from Ruti Munder, who spent 50 days as a hostage after the Oct. 7 Hamas attack, in The New York Times. 💻 ‘Millions of Americans could lose internet aid months before the 2024 election’: Politico 🤖 ‘Where Will AI Take Us in 2024?’: The Atlantic
🏥 ‘Israel withdraws some forces, shifts gears in Gaza’: The Hill
🥵 ‘2023 was Earth’s warmest on record. Will this year be even hotter?’: The Washington Post |
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Because you made it this far, here are dogs who are incredibly skilled at posing in holiday apparel. |
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