It’s Monday. Well, we didn’t get any snow around Washington, D.C., but I still treated it as a cozy, snowed-in weekend. “Find Your Beach” — or “Find Your Snow Hill” — as Corona would say. Here’s what’s happening today: -
The FAA temporarily grounded some Boeing planes after a door blew off midflight on an Alaska Airlines flight Thankfully, no one was hurt, but the images of the gaping hole at 16,000 feet are absolutely terrifying. Oh, and an iPhone that flew out of the plane was found unharmed. Keep reading for a photo of that rescued iPhone.
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Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) announced a top-line government spending deal over the weekend. This is a great step, but lawmakers are not out of the woods yet.
- “Oppenheimer” and “Succession” had a great night last night at the Golden Globe Awards. Comedian Jo Koy didn’t get the best reviews as host.
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The Iowa caucuses are happening a week from today! 🤯
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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Well, well, look who it is. Back in his old stomping grounds:
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Former President Trump will be in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday, to attend his immunity hearing over whether he can be prosecuted for his efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election.
Trump posted on Truth Social: “Of course I was entitled, as President of the United States and Commander in Chief, to Immunity. I wasn’t campaigning, the Election was long over. I was looking for voter fraud, and finding it, which is my obligation to do, and otherwise running running our Country.” Read Trump’s full post
Helpful primer on the importance of tomorrow’s hearing
^ All I can think of when hearing that Trump is coming back to Washington, D.C., tomorrow is TikToker Paige Gallagher’s impressions of the popular girl in high school returning after graduation. Here’s one of my favorites / And one more that I love
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Lloyd Austin isn’t getting fired: |
The Pentagon revealed on Friday that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin had been hospitalized since Monday over complications from a surgery. Well, the White House wasn’t informed about Austin’s hospitalization for three days (!), raising questions about transparency.
Questions had been swirling over whether President Biden would fire Austin, but the White House confirmed to The Hill’s Alex Gangitano on Monday that Biden is *not* considering firing Austin. | |
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Nope nope nope nope nope: |
An Alaska Airlines flight made an emergency landing on Friday after a piece of the plane blew out, leaving a gaping hole in the side of the commercial aircraft.
Was anyone hurt?: Surprisingly no. “No one was seated in 26A and 26B, where that door plug is,” the NTSB chair said. (NBC News) How incredibly lucky. What kind of plane?: A Boeing 737 Max 9 — The Federal Aviation Administration ordered some of those planes to be grounded for inspection.
Photo of the hole in the side of the plane — this is *wild.* Trending video of the flight: Here’s TikTok video of the flight right after the door flew off and oxygen masks lowered. That must have been so unbelievably terrifying. Watch Passenger Emma Vu described her experience in a CNN interview: Watch
A boy’s shirt was reportedly ripped off his body: And another passenger said a few passengers’ AirPods flew out of the ears. (CNN)
Helpful explainer on the ‘plug’ door and why it could give clues in the investigation: From AP
What happened to the door?: It was found in an Oregon teacher’s backyard.
Handing Apple and the iPhone case maker an ad campaign on a silver platter: The National Transportation Safety Board said two cellphones that dropped from the plane have been recovered. One of the phones, an iPhone, survived the fall and was found in Airplane mode with half battery and a baggage claim receipt opened. It’s giving me real Nokia vibes.
Here’s a photo of the iPhone that survived the 16,000-foot fall — notice the charger that ripped off by the charging port? 😳
^ This reminds me of the Stanley tumbler surviving a car fire last year and was found with still-frozen ice. Stanley replaced both her tumbler and her car (!) for the free publicity. |
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‘Democrats question whether Biden should agree to debate Trump’:
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^ I mean, we had similar questions last summer about whether Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg should duke it out in a cage match. And to both questions I say, let them fight! |
Former President Trump, who has skipped every Republican presidential primary debate so far, has said he is eager to debate President Biden in the general election. But Democratic lawmakers are nervous about that. 💡 Reason No. 1 — age: Biden’s biggest political liability is his age — he would be 82 years old at the next inauguration — and some Democrats worry about his performance against Trump, who is a boisterous debater and isn’t afraid to take low shots. 💡 Reason No. 2 — it legitimizes Trump: “[T]he biggest concern is that putting Trump next to Biden on a stage and giving him equal time before a national audience would have some legitimizing effect on a candidate who regularly makes incendiary remarks and continues to claim that the 2020 election was stolen.” By the way: Three general election debates have been scheduled so far in Texas, Virginia and Utah. Debate schedule |
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President Biden is making a campaign stop in Charleston, S.C. The New York Times’s Peter Baker writes about Biden’s plans to appeal to Black voters during this trip. |
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Ahhh, the Iowa caucuses are only a week away: |
Republican presidential candidates are in the final stretch before the first nominating contest of the 2020 election.
The gist of the race: Former President Trump is way ahead in Iowa. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley are in a close fight for second. Businessman Vivek Ramaswamy and former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie are pretty far behind.
The last potential shake-up: DeSantis and Haley will participate in a CNN debate on Wednesday, the final debate before the caucuses. Trump is skipping it once again, but is participating in a Fox News town hall instead. The Hill’s Niall Stanage has a helpful breakdown of where the race stands — and on each candidate’s goals. |
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Same same, but ~different~: |
Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) and Democratic leaders reached a top-line government spending deal on Sunday for the rest of fiscal 2024.
What to know about the deal: “[The deal] largely modeled after a debt limit deal that [former Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.)] struck with the White House last year that prompted months of rebellion from hardline conservatives — but that Johnson said secured included new offsets.” What now?: Negotiators will haggle over the specifics. Just because a top-line deal was reached doesn’t mean lawmakers are out of the woods yet.
Timing: Part of the federal government’s funding expires on Jan. 19; the rest expires on Feb. 2.
How Speaker Johnson is returning to a pressure cooker as the deadlines near, via The Hill’s Emily Brooks and Al Weaver |
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Hunter Biden made Republicans *big mad*: |
The House Oversight and Accountability Committee released text on Monday to hold Hunter Biden in contempt of Congress after refusing to testify behind closed doors as part of President Biden’s impeachment inquiry.
But if you’ll remember: Hunter Biden showed up outside the U.S. Capitol on the day of the scheduled hearing. He said he would testify, but only if it was public. |
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💝 Celebrate: Today is National English Toffee Day!
🎬 Summing up last night’s Golden Globes in three sentences: Comedian and ceremony host Jo Koy “bombed,” according to The Atlantic’s Shirley Li, falling flat on most jokes. “Oppenheimer” won five big awards, including for best drama. “Barbie” won just two awards — losing best comedy to “Poor Things” — and “Succession and “The Bear” had strong nights in television categories. More highlights / Complete list of winners
👗*Hard click*: The Washington Post’s Erin Blakemore writes that “an antique dress hid coded messages that have finally been unlocked.” The gist: “A 19th-century book helped crack the code in cryptic notes found in a dress bought at a Maine antique mall.” (The Washington Post)
🐻 How to get some fresh air next weekend: National Parks are waving their entrance fees on Martin Luther King Jr. Day. (Washingtonian) |
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The House and Senate are back today. President Biden is in Charleston, S.C., and Dallas today. and Vice President Harris is in Washington, D.C., with no public events. (all times Eastern) |
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12:30 p.m.: Biden speaks at a political event in Charleston. 💻 Livestream
- 5:30 p.m.: The Senate holds a cloture vote on a nomination. 🗓️ Today’s agenda
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7:05 p.m.: Biden attends the memorial for former Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-Texas) in Dallas. Johnson was 89 years old and died on New Year’s Eve.
- 12:25 a.m.: Biden returns to the White House.
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In honor of the snowy weekend for some parts of the country, here’s a goofy golden retriever getting emotional over the snow’s magic.
^ Hat tip to The Hill’s Emily Martin for finding this gem. |
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