So Not a Nail Biter ✡️🌻✡️🌻✡️🌻❤️ ❤️ ❤️ 

Suozzi by a Mile: Yesterday House Republicans held an emergency do over,  finally voting to impeach Homeland Secretary Mayorkas. They were able to pull off the politicized impeachment by a partisan vote of 214 to 213 only because Louisiana Republican Steve Scalise, who had missed last week’s first attempt, returned from his bone marrow transplant leave.  Republicans didn’t even pretend that Mayorkas had committed any high crimes or misdemeanors; he was impeached because at least right now they don’t have the votes to impeach President Biden and they’ve concluded that keeping the border “crisis” front and center in the run up to the 2024 election is the only way they can maintain control of the House. Privy to their own polls, House leadership clearly knew what was coming on Long Island.  Had they waited even one day, their impeachment mulligan would have gone down in flames, because despite the efforts of the ratings seeking media to paint it as a too close to call statistical tie, the special election for the seat vacated by serial liar George Santos was far from a nail biter.  Democrat Tom Suozzi trounced his Republican opponent Mazi Pilip, winning by 8 points, a bigly swing given that volleyball GOAT Santos won by an almost identical margin in 2022. Deploying a strategy that Democrats will try to employ in other swingy districts, the moderate Suozzi boomeranged the migrant “crisis” axe, effectively using Republicans’ failure to support the border compromise negotiated by a bipartisan group in the Senate as a cudgel against Pilip. That combined with her out of sync views on reproductive rights tanked her campaign. To her credit, Pilip who had mostly distanced herself from Trump, did the right thing by conceding her loss once it was clear that she was headed to defeat. Perhaps it was that concession in a district that includes part of his Queens birthplace, that threw Trump over the edge.  Last night he took to Truth Social to slam Pilip as a phony Republican and “foolish woman” who lost because she didn’t endorse him.  He added that if he has anything to do with it, she’ll be replaced by a MAGA candidate of his choice come November.  He probably will get his wish, because assuming his plan pans out, in a few weeks, with his endorsement Eric’s wife Lara is expected to become Vice-Chair of the RNC where she’ll get to influence decisions about candidates as well as more important things, like whose legal expenses should be reimbursed. One more thing on the election front, Democrats had another notable though less covered victory last night. Their candidate won a special election in suburban Bucks County, Pennsylvania meaning that Democrats will retain their slim majority in the important swing state’s House of Representatives.

Legal Morass: Trump’s legal agenda is filled to the brim this week.  Juan Merchan, the judge overseeing NYC DA Alvin Bragg’s “hush money” criminal case is set to rule tomorrow on a series of motions filed by Trump’s lawyers and is also expected to indicate whether the trial will start at the end of March.  Judge Engoron, the judge overseeing the state’s fraud case against Trump and his business, has signaled that he plans to issue his ruling on Friday, that’s the ruling that is likely to impose hundreds of millions 💰 💰 💰 in penalties. Scott McAfee, the judge overseeing Fulton County DA Fani Willis’ election interference/RICO case against Trump and his co-defendants is holding a hearing on Thursday to review allegations that Willis committed disqualifying financial improprieties by allowing Nathan Wade, one of her prosecutors and her sometime paramour, to pick up more than his share of their travel expenses, an accusation that Willis has forcefully denied, providing evidence that they went Dutch when canoodling. Judge McAfee has already said that her decision to hire Wade was kosher, the question is whether or not she should be disqualified for the alleged financial improprieties. Naturally, Trump plans to attend that hearing because embarrassing Willis with details of her personal life will be so much fun. As expected, Trump’s lawyers have appealed the DC Appeals Court ruling, the one that says he is neither a king nor immune from prosecution.  Jack Smith’s team has been given until Monday to respond to the Trump appeal though it’s expected that his team will submit their response sooner. And then there is the purloined documents case where a few closed-door meetings including one attended by Trump himself took place earlier this week. Smith is trying to pressure Judge “loose” Cannon into acting in a professional matter rather than as a Trumpy partisan.      

Fog:  The Senate passed their Ukraine, Israel, Taiwan foreign aid bill by a vote of 70 to 29.  Twenty-two Republicans including Mitch McConnell joined most of the Democrats by voting for the $95 billion aid package which includes $60 billion for Ukraine, $14 billion for Israel and $9 billion in humanitarian aid for Gaza. Democrats Peter Welch of Vermont, Jeff Merkley of Oregon and Independent Bernie Sanders voted against the bill over their opposition to providing more aid to Israel. The bill is now in the hands of the House and Speaker for now/Trump tool Johnson. It will probably fall to Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries and his crowd or at least those members of his caucus not in the Squad to push it forward using all the parliamentary tricks available to them because no one expects Johnson who given Suozzi’s victory can only afford to lose two Republican votes from his shrunken majority to do anything useful.  We’re still hearing that negotiations between Israel and Hamas are making progress. We also keep seeing more evidence of tunnels under schools and UN facilities.  How is it that no one knew about them or the money that went toward their construction?  And one more thing, during his sit down with his puppet Tucker Carlson, Putin continued to rewrite history by pushing the lie that Poland’s “cooperation” with the Nazis caused World War II.  No doubt, Trump will add that to his rationale for kicking NATO to the curb should he retake the White House.  

Happy ❤️ ❤️ ❤️ ❤️ Day