Good Morning DC,
The Bitcoin ETF made historic headlines briefly until it was revealed that someone had hacked the SEC account on X.
Everything appears to be fair game for hackers, underscoring the vulnerability of even significant news.
Let’s get you caught up with the news of the day.
THE WHITE HOUSE
President Biden will have lunch today with VP Kamala Harris.
2024 ELECTION
Town hall with Ron DeSantis on Fox News turned into a chaos last night when climate change activists took over. DeSantis remained pretty composed and referred to the activist as “guests.”
Tonight, at 9PM, DeSantis and Haley will go head-to-head in the last Republican debate on CNN.
ON THE HILL
This morning, the House Homeland and Security Committee will start the impeachment of Mayorkas. The Department of Homeland Security characterized the proceedings as a “baseless political attack”
The Judiciary and Oversight committees are set to hold Hunter Biden in contempt, a misdemeanor criminal offense, for ignoring the congressional subpoena. The vote on the resolution will take place next week.
The whole drama started when Hunter Biden refused to testify in closed-door meeting and instead offered to participate in a public hearing instead.
“Republicans do not want an open process where Americans can see their tactics, expose their baseless inquiry, or hear what I have to say,” Hunter Biden stated on the Hill to reporters. “What are they afraid of? I am here.”
Jim Jordan expressed dissatisfaction with Hunter’s attitude, stating that he does not appreciate Hunter dictating the terms and conditions of his testimony to Congress.
“Hunter Biden’s willful refusal to comply with our subpoenas constitutes contempt of Congress and warrants referral to the appropriate United States attorney’s office for prosecution,” stated Jordan and James Comer on Monday.
Gallery owner Georges Bergès informed the House Oversight Committee on Tuesday that Hunter Biden is aware of the identities of individuals who “purchased roughly 70% of the value of his art.”
House Committee on Oversight and Accountability Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) issued the statement regarding the committee’s transcribed interview with Georges Bergès, Hunter Biden’s art gallerist.
“The Biden White House appears to have deceived the American people about facilitating an ethics agreement governing the sale of Hunter Biden’s art. Hunter Biden’s gallerist never had any communication with the White House about such an agreement to make sure there was any sort of ethics compliance at all, and he provided information to the committee revealing how Hunter Biden’s amateur art career is an ethics nightmare.
The vast majority of Hunter Biden’s art has been purchased by Democrat donors, one of whom was appointed by President Biden to a prestigious commission after she purchased Hunter Biden’s art for tens of thousands of dollars shortly after Joe Biden’s inauguration.
The White House has a lot of explaining to do about misleading the American people.”
Rep. James Comer
GLOBAL AFFAIRS
DPRK-Russia cooperation is raising concerns within the international community.
National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan held a phone conversation with Chang Ho-jin, his new counterpart at the Republic of Korea’s National Security Office. They concurred that the transfer and utilization of these weapons pose significant security implications for Europe, the Korean Peninsula, and the Indo-Pacific region.
In the Red Sea, British and American forces intercepted over 20 missiles launched by Houthi rebels in Yemen.
A state of emergency has been declared by Peru along its northern border with Ecuador due to a surge in violence, including an incident where masked individuals forcibly entered a television station during a live broadcast.
Secretary of State Blinken expressed concern, stating that the “daily toll on civilians in Gaza is too high.” The UN estimates that one in four people in the region are facing starvation.
THE BALKAN VOICE NEWSLETTER
We are excited to introduce The Balkan Voice, our essential newsletter covering US-Western Balkans relations.
The Balkan Voice provides an insider’s perspective on US policy toward the Western Balkans, featuring weekly coverage, State Department briefings, exclusive interviews, and more.
And that’s a wrap for this Wednesday January 10, 2024. Good Morning DC will be back tomorrow to provide you with a front-row seat to the ever-evolving landscape of American politics under President Joe Biden.
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