“A day before the suspected Chinese spy balloon entered US airspace over Alaska, the Defense Intelligence Agency quietly sent an internal report that a foreign object was headed towards US territory,” CNN reports.
“The report – also known as a ‘tipper’ – was disseminated through classified channels accessible across the US government. But it wasn’t flagged as an urgent warning and top defense and intelligence officials who saw it weren’t immediately alarmed by it.”
“Nicaragua released 222 political prisoners early Thursday in a deal negotiated with Washington, marking one of the biggest prisoner releases ever involving the United States,” the New York Times reports.
“The Nicaraguan government sought nothing in return, but agreed to release the prisoners as a way to signal a desire to restart relations with the United States.”
“The global bird flu outbreak is worsening, highlighting the challenge farmers and officials face in reining in the deadly virus,” Bloomberg reports.
“Farms across Europe and North America have suffered severe outbreaks, and cases are also picking up in South America — including in Bolivia, which borders major chicken producer Brazil. Egg-laying hens have been among the hardest hit, boosting prices of the grocery staple and further squeezing consumers.”
“Nuclear-armed North Korea showcased its missile production muscle during a nighttime parade, state media reported on Thursday, displaying more intercontinental ballistic missiles than ever before and hinting at a new solid-fuel weapon,” Nikkei Asia reports.
“North Korea held the widely anticipated nighttime military parade in Pyongyang on Wednesday to mark the 75th anniversary of the founding of its army… Leader Kim Jong Un attended with his daughter, who is seen as playing a possible future leadership role in the hereditary dictatorship.”
Top House Republicans, including Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), defended their members for heckling President Biden and calling him a “liar” during Tuesday night’s State of the Union address, ABC News reports.
Said McCarthy on Fox News: “Well, the president was trying to goad the members, and the members are passionate about it — but the one thing that the president was saying was something that he knew was not true.”
New York Times: “The repeated outbursts that interrupted the State of the Union address encapsulated the ethos of the new Republican majority, which styles itself after former President Donald Trump.”
“The Chinese balloon that crossed the U.S. was outfitted with antennas likely capable of collecting communications, a senior State Department official said Thursday, adding that the Biden administration is preparing to take action against China’s surveillance program,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
“Providing details the U.S. has gathered since tracking and shooting down the balloon, the official said the balloon was also equipped with large solar panels capable of powering an array of intelligence-collection sensors. The manufacturer of the balloon has a direct relationship with the Chinese military.”
Rep. John Duarte (R-CA) paid a hefty fine for plowing federally protected streams and wetlands on his farm but now sits on the House subcommittee with jurisdiction over water resources, the HuffPost reports.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said that Russia-U.S. relations are in a state of “unprecedented crisis” without any sign of improvement, the AP reports.
Said Ryabkov: “I don’t see any prospect for a productive political and diplomatic process. We have a very deep and unprecedented crisis in Russia-U.S. relations. The Biden administration has driven them into a deadlock.”
“Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) is on the cusp of making a final decision on a 2024 presidential run,” The Hill reports.
“Several Republicans familiar with the deliberations say that DeSantis is almost certain to seek the GOP’s presidential nomination. His advisers have begun reaching out to and interviewing potential hires for a campaign and are gaming out the best time to announce his intentions.”
“Iran appears to be modifying the attack drones it’s providing to Russia so that the explosive warheads can inflict maximum damage on infrastructure targets inside Ukraine,” CNN reports.
“Iran has given Russia hundreds of drones to use in its war in Ukraine, many of which have targeted Ukraine’s power grid and energy facilities to devastating effect. The drone attacks, as well as barrages by Russian missiles, have left Ukrainian civilians across the country without heat, electricity or running water during the freezing winter months.”
“The Supreme Court has failed to reach consensus on an ethics code of conduct specific to the nine justices despite internal discussion dating back at least four years,” the Washington Post reports.
Democratic political consultant James Carville described Republican lawmakers who heckled President Biden during his State of the Union speech as “white trash,” the HuffPost reports.
Said Carville: “I tell people I have the equivalent of a PhD in white trashology, and we saw real white trash on display.”
He added: “The level of white trashdom in the Republican Party is staggering. I mean, for somebody that has observed it for a long time like I have, I’ve never seen it manifest itself on a level that it’s manifesting itself.”
“The House will vote as soon as today on a resolution to condemn China’s use of a spy balloon in American airspace, but the measure introduced by House Foreign Affairs committee Michael McCaul (R-TX) is completely nonbinding and won’t have any legislative effect,” Politico reports.
“McCaul touted the resolution as bipartisan on Wednesday, but no Democrats are listed among the original cosponsors. The measure will be taken up ‘under suspension of the rules,’ which means it needs a two-thirds majority to be adopted, a signal that McCaul is confident about broad bipartisan support for the proposal.”
“Rep. George Santos’ (R-NY) work for a company that allegedly orchestrated a Ponzi scheme attracted scrutiny from federal regulators, according to a witness who has fielded questions from investigators,” CBS News reports.
“Santos has said he wasn’t aware of any wrongdoing at Harbor City, where he began working in 2020. He was not named in the SEC’s complaint against the firm, but a childhood friend said federal investigators called her after she spoke publicly about witnessing Santos’ investment pitch.”
“I know everyone thinks Republicans aren’t funny. But if you get a bunch of us together, we can be a real riot.”
— Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC), quoted by Politico, telling jokes during the Washington Press Club Foundation’s annual congressional dinner.
“Joe Biden wants to keep roughing up his opponents over Social Security and Medicare,” Semafor reports.
“The president earned a memorable shower of boos from Republican lawmakers during this week’s State of the Union, after he accused them of using the debt ceiling as leverage to wrangle cuts from the programs. On Thursday, he’s headed to Tampa, Fla. for a speech the White House says will double down on the issue.”
Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT) “has turned over hundreds and hundreds of private emails, text messages and diary entries to reporter McCay Coppins for a book coming in October — including real-time communications among many of the most powerful figures in American politics,” Axios reports.
“This volume of disclosure is unheard of for a major sitting officeholder — a trove historians dream of but rarely get. The emails and journal pages span Romney’s 2012 campaign as the Republican presidential nominee.”
“For nearly two years, Romney secretly met with Coppins, a staff writer for The Atlantic and fellow member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints — the Mormons.”
Washington Post: “Many Republican leaders, disappointed with the results of the November midterms, have bemoaned their party’s nomination of fiery candidates who played to the GOP base but in the end attracted little support beyond it. Some within the party fear a similar effect in the 2024 presidential primary if their candidates are overly focused on appeasing the anger and emotions of Republican loyalists…”
“It is not the first time a Democratic president has used an outspoken, newly powerful group of House Republicans as a foil. Both Bill Clinton and Obama saw their party lose the House two years after they took office, as Biden now has. Both then ran against the GOP-led House as part of their reelection effort.”
Taegan Goddard is the founder of Political Wire, one of the earliest and most influential political web sites. He also runs Political Job Hunt, Electoral Vote Map and the Political Dictionary.
Goddard spent more than a decade as managing director and chief operating officer of a prominent investment firm in New York City. Previously, he was a policy adviser to a U.S. Senator and Governor.
Goddard is also co-author of You Won - Now What? (Scribner, 1998), a political management book hailed by prominent journalists and politicians from both parties. In addition, Goddard's essays on politics and public policy have appeared in dozens of newspapers across the country.
Goddard earned degrees from Vassar College and Harvard University. He lives in New York with his wife and three sons.
Goddard is the owner of Goddard Media LLC.
