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- 🇺🇸 An Official Inquiry
🇺🇸 An Official Inquiry
Plus, owl or ornament?
Good morning, and happy Friday. Last year, Isaac Winfield opened a food bank in his garden shed to help the poor during COVID-19 lockdowns. Now 12 years old, Isaac is preparing to open a “gift bank” for moms and dads who can’t afford presents for their children, in addition to a fifth shed-born foodbank.
Plus, a Kentucky family's Christmas tree was inside their home for four days before it was discovered to be home to a young owl.
Also, here are some election-year investment gems you won’t want to miss. This link is a one-click sign-up to make it easy to grab your copy today.
TRENDING
Left: The growing global support for a Gaza ceasefire, explained, Li Zhou, Vox
Left: A Running List of Politicians Talking About Making Divorce Harder, Katie Herchenroeder, Mother Jones
Left: The Strongest Anti-Trump Argument Has Evaporated, Rich Lowry, Politico
Right: Prosecutor accused of limiting questions on Biden during Hunter probe speaks to closed-door House panel, Brooke Singman, FOX News
Right: Defense Bill Pushes Back vs. NewsGuard, Woke Monitors, Mark Swanson, Newsmax
Right: The Lies Are Catching Up With Biden, Miranda Devine, New York Post
QUICK CLICKS
Defense Policy Bill, Putin’s Vow, Taliban Imprisoning Women
US: Congress passes $886 billion defense policy bill, Biden to sign into law (Reuters)
US: 13-year-old charged after allegedly planning a mass shooting at an Ohio synagogue, according to court docs (CNN)
US: Supreme Court leaves Illinois semiautomatic gun ban in place (NPR)
World: EU leaders approve Ukraine accession talks, bypassing Orbán (POLITICO)
World: In a 4-hour press conference, a confident Putin vows the Ukraine war will go on (NPR)
World: Biden sends top adviser to Israel as pressure builds along Egyptian border in Gaza (FOX News)
World: Four suspected members of Hamas arrested in Europe over alleged terrorism plot (CNN)
World: Taliban imprisoning women for their own "protection from gender-based-violence," U.N. report says (CBS News)
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CONGRESS
An Official Inquiry
On Wednesday night, The House of Representatives voted to approve a formal impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden. In September, Kevin McCarthy directed three House committees to start an impeachment inquiry against Biden. Wednesday's vote elevated the inquiry and gave investigators increased subpoena authority.
Reporting from the Left: See full vote tally: US House advances Biden impeachment inquiry (CNN)
Reporting from the Right: House votes to authorize Biden impeachment inquiry (FOX News)
From The Flag: Republican lawmakers allege that while serving as Vice President, Biden used his position to enrich himself and his family through influence peddling schemes overseas involving his son, Hunter Biden. Here’s how both sides are covering the development.
LEFT-LEANING SENTIMENT
A Waste of Time
House Republicans have been incapable of addressing the issues that matter to Americans, but they have managed to do this.
“Republicans plan to fritter away what advantages they could claim by letting their freak flag fly.”
“Despite plenty of House Republicans being vulnerable in 2024, the entire House GOP voted to move ahead with a Biden impeachment inquiry despite any real evidence of wrongdoing.”
House Republicans can’t govern, but they try, try again to impeach Biden, Jackie Calmes, Los Angeles Times: “House Republicans plan to flee the Capitol this week for the holidays after almost 12 months in power. And flee they should: If they had any shame, they would be feeling plenty of it after the year they’ve had. They’ve done nothing when it comes to the two issues that helped them win a slim majority in the 2022 midterm elections: crime and inflation. … And what have they chosen for a final act, the capstone on what is shaping up as one of the least productive Congresses in memory? Perhaps something to better the lives of their constituents? … Heavens, no. The Republicans voted to begin an impeachment inquiry aimed at President Biden, with the requisite “high Crimes and Misdemeanors” still to be determined. Trying to fill in the blanks will give them plenty to do in 2024, never mind the actual business of governing. House members come and go, but the Biden impeachment effort is brought to you by much the same gang that already made punchlines of a string of so-called Democratic scandals — think Benghazi, Solyndra, Fast and Furious.”
This Impeachment Will Do More to Reelect Biden Than Anything Biden Could Do Himself, Michael Tomasky, The New Republic: “Every Senate Democrat will vote against conviction; that will seal the deal right there. And it seems likely that a not-insignificant number of Senate Republicans will decide that their fates are not so tightly entwined with Trump’s that they can’t vote their actual conscience and get away with it. At the end of the day, this will fail. … And yet, they will proceed. Why? For two reasons. The first has to do with those district meetings. This madness about Biden having done something corrupt is all they hear. As far as these constituents are concerned, to oppose the impeachment of Biden is the moral equivalent of voting to grant Charles Manson parole. … But the second, and by far the main, reason has to do with Trump. He’s the one pushing this, and they just cower before their Orange Jesus. In addition, they know very well what a morally filthy reprobate Trump is. … That they possess this knowledge is precisely why they have to dirty up Biden. They have to confuse the country’s swing voters into not being sure which candidate is the more corrupt.”
One more opinion piece from the Left: House Republicans Dive Headfirst Into Impeachment Inquiry—Elections Be Damned! Riley Rogerson, Daily Beast
RIGHT-LEANING SENTIMENT
An Investigation Could Find Evidence
While there is no conclusive evidence, the intention is to gather more information through a formal inquiry.
“The House investigation into the Biden influence-peddling business is about uncovering as many facts as possible for the sake of public accountability”
“Refusing a lawful subpoena isn’t a persuasive argument against investigation.”
Biden officially a target of House impeachment inquiry after vote, Reese Gorman, Washington Examiner: “A focus of the investigation is an allegation raised in an FBI tip sheet that said Joe and Hunter Biden took bribes from Burisma, a Ukrainian energy company for which Hunter Biden was a board member, in exchange for then-Vice President Biden pressuring the Ukrainian government to fire a prosecutor. However, those leading the inquiry, Reps. James Comer (R-KY), Jim Jordan (R-OH), and Jason Smith (R-MO), have been unable to produce conclusive evidence to prove existing allegations but hope that by authorizing an impeachment inquiry, they can gather information to prove or dismiss those allegations. … They now believe that by having the full House authorize the inquiry, they will now have more legal power to enforce the subpoenas and requests for information. … The vote comes just hours after Hunter Biden showed up at the Capitol to read a statement to the media, defying a congressional subpoena to sit for a closed-door deposition.”
On Impeaching Biden, The Editors, National Review: “This is a political victory for House Speaker Mike Johnson. Prior to yesterday, Republicans didn’t have the votes for an inquiry and had relied on the Nancy Pelosi precedent of simply deeming an inquiry open. This was embarrassing since they had so strenuously objected to Pelosi’s tactic back during the Trump administration. Now, thanks to the unanimous support of their members, they have done it the right way. Is it a good idea to go down this route? Republicans make much of the fact that they will be in a stronger position to enforce their subpoenas now that they are conducting an inquiry. … At the end of the day, the House investigation into the Biden influence-peddling business is about uncovering as many facts as possible for the sake of public accountability and, in sheer political terms, convincing the public the president was part of an inherently corrupt scheme to profit off his influence and prominence (since this seems pretty clearly to be true). Republicans have already made much progress in this project.”
One more opinion piece from the Right: The Bidens Invite an Impeachment Inquiry Vote, James Freeman, The Wall Street Journal
FLAG THIS
Nearly Half Support an Inquiry
Before the House voted on the inquiry, a national poll by NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist found 49% of U.S. adults said they would support the House of Representatives officially launching an impeachment inquiry into Biden compared to 48% who would not (Fox News).
Do you believe there is enough substance to launch a formal impeachment inquiry into President Biden? |
POWERED BY WEALTH CREATION INVESTING
Dear Investors: In the lead-up to the pivotal 2024 election year, we're excited to present our comprehensive report, "Election Year Investment Gems: Stock Poised To Takeoff In 2024," brimming with insights and opportunities you won't want to miss.
Inside, you'll find:
Top stock picks poised for substantial gains.
Deep dives into election-year market dynamics.
Expert strategies to guide your success.
Secure your copy now by clicking this link.
(**By clicking the link you are subscribing to The Investor Newsletter Daily Newsletter and may receive up to 2 additional free bonus subscriptions. Unsubscribing is easy. Full disclosures found here.)
WATERCOOLER
APA Changes Course, Brave Kids, Monkeys and Wolves
On This Day in 1973: At a time when society often still views gay people as deviants, the American Psychiatric Association reversed a century-old decision, issuing a resolution stating that homosexuality is neither a mental illness nor a sickness. To underline the point, the association removed homosexuality from its influential reference tool, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.
PSYCHE: How to support kids to be brave
Today I learned some monkeys in Ethiopia have managed to "domesticate" wild wolves by helping them hunt small rodents. The wolves now coexist with monkeys without attacking them, instead going for smaller, harder-to-catch prey!
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