Kari Paul here, logging off for the weekend! Here is a summary of the key events of the last few hours:
In a court filing on Friday, the Trump administration said it does not want the Supreme Court to hear its appeal of the Affordable Care Act any time soon, to give lower courts time to make rulings on it.
Bernie Sanders is leading the latest polls in Iowa, with 20% of the vote. Warren follows close behind at 17%.
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez defended her decision on Friday not to pay dues to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC).
Two parents who were separated from their children as a result of zero-tolerance immigration policies have filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration alleging child abuse over family separations.
Lawsuit against Trump administration alleges child abuse over family separations
Two parents whose children were separated from them as a result of the Trump administration’s “zero tolerance” border policies are suing the federal government for $12m, claiming the children were subject to abuse and neglect while in federal custody.
“The United States government tore these families apart pursuant to a cruel and unconstitutional policy: The government intended to inflict terror and harm on these small children and their fathers, as a means of deterring others from seeking to enter the United States”, said the lawsuit, which was filed Friday in U.S. District Court of Arizona.
The families bringing the lawsuit said they were fleeing violence in Guatemala when they were detained in 2018 after crossing into the US border from Mexico. From the Hill:
According to the lawsuit, the fathers were separated from their children for more than two months, and the federal government gave little, if any, information regarding the location and safety of the children.
The families “suffered, and continue to suffer, physical, mental, and emotional harm,” the lawsuit states. More than a year after they were reunited, the lawsuit says the children exhibit symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder.
One of the plaintiffs, who is referred to in the lawsuit by the pseudonym Abel, described his ordeal in a statement released by the Southern Poverty Law Center.
“We came looking for safety, and instead, we were caged like animals. [My son] was taken from me and I had no idea what was happening to him. When I learned that he was abused by other boys, I was sick with grief. No one deserves this cruelty,” Abel said.
Hollywood stars including activist and actor Jane Fonda and Joaquin Phoenix gathered at the U.S. Capitol building in Washington on Friday to demand action on climate change alongside other protesters.
“The climate crisis makes our nation and all nations less secure,” said Fonda.
She referenced fires in Australia, which have ravaged tens of thousands of square miles of bushland and caused at least 27 deaths.
The action Friday is part of Fonda’s ongoing climate crisis protest series in DC, which is in its 14th week and have been attended by everyone from Ted Danson to Iain Armitage.
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez defended her decision on Friday not to pay dues to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC), saying she donates “quite a bit” to fellow democrats in other ways.
“DCCC made clear that they will blacklist any org that helps progressive candidates like me”, the New York representative wrote on Twitter. “I can choose not to fund that kind of exclusion”.
Fox News reported Ocasio-Cortez was withholding $250,000 in dues from the DCCC. The group reported it raised $14.4m in Decemberto elect Democratic candidates.
The number of Canadian passengers killed in the Ukrainian Airlines crash in Iran has been revised from 63 to 57, the Canada foreign minister announced on Friday.
The plane crashed shortly after takeoff from Tehran on Wednesday, killing 176 people total. Security officials believe it was shot down by an Iranian anti-aircraft missile on accident.
Bernie Sanders leads in Iowa, according to new polls
Bernie Sanders is now in the lead candidate in Iowa as the Feb. 3 caucus vote there quickly approaches.
New numbers out on Friday from Selzer & Co. showed the Vermont senator in the lead for the first time in the state, surging up five points to 20%.
Meanwhile, 17% of likely Democratic caucus voters cited Senator Elizabeth Warren as their first choice, 16% cited Pete Buttigieg, and 15% chose Joe Biden.
“There’s no denying that this is a good poll for Bernie Sanders”, pollster J. Ann Selzer, president of Selzer & Co., which conducted the poll said according to the Des Moines Register. “He leads, but it’s not an uncontested lead. He’s got a firmer grip on his supporters than the rest of his compatriots.”
In a court filing on Friday, the Trump administration said it does not want the Supreme Court to hear its appeal of the Affordable Care Act any time soon.
That’s because the key issue at the heart of the case - how much of the law should remain in effect - is still being litigated, CNN reports.
“As the case comes to this Court, no lower-court ruling exists on severability or the appropriate remedy. Far from being urgently needed, this Court’s review thus would be premature,” the filing stated.
The Supreme Court generally does not hear cases unless they have made their way through lower courts first, but if a majority votes it can be expedited.
Singer Mandy Moore will join Pete Buttigieg at an Ames, Iowa town hall event on January 13, the campaign announced on Friday.
Moore is perhaps best known for her 1999 hit Candy and is reigniting her career in recent months after coming forward with sexual harassment allegations against her ex husband Ryan Adams, whom she said prevented her from recording music.
The pop star said in November she backs Buttigieg, saying “he is overwhelmingly qualified” and “brilliant”.
“He’s my boy”, she said of the former South Bend mayor.
Buttigieg is making a number of appearances in the state ahead of the caucuses there on Feb. 3.
It’s been a steady news day in Washington dominated by the “two Is” – impeachment and Iran. But there was plenty else to follow, even some Megxit news.
Pelosi announced she would hold a vote to send the articles of impeachment to the Senate next week after nearly a month-long standoff between the chambers over next steps.
The White House announced a fresh wave of sanctions against Iran, targeting key sectors – construction, manufacturing, textiles and mining – and eight top officials. The administration says the sanctions will “cut off billions of support to the Iranian regime.”
Author and spiritual guru Marianne Williamson ended her campaign for president, conceding that she did not have enough support to win the Democratic nomination.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo backed Trump’s assertion that the US was justified in killing Suleimani because of an “imminent threat” to American embassies and interests.
Republican senator Susan Collins says she is quietly working with colleagues to pave the way for witnesses in the chamber’s impeachment trial, which could begin as early as next week.
Trump is reportedly considering expanding his controversial travel ban to include additional countries, the Associated Press reports.
Steve King is on the floor of the House talking about how white nationalism isn’t real and the Democrats are funded by George Soros pic.twitter.com/b7P3zGCHUD
Texas governor Greg Abbott, a staunch ally of the president, said the state will no participate in the federal refugee resettlement program citing security concerns.
Texas is the first state to reject refugees under the president’s new executive order requiring written consent before refugees are resettled in the state.
In a letter to Pompeo released on Friday, Abbott wrote that Texas “has been left by Congress to deal with disproportionate migration issues resulting from a broken federal immigration system.”
The state has long led the nation in refugee resettlement, a fact Abbott cites in the letter.
Texas, he wrote, has done “more than its share.”
Texas congressman Joaquin Castro, a Democrat, called the move “disgraceful” and accused Abbot of “bigotry and xenophobia”.
This is a disgraceful move by Texas Governor Greg Abbott. He has completely submitted to bigotry and xenophobia. https://t.co/gbmtHWksId
Trump on #Megxit: 'I just have such respect for the Queen'
Trump apparently covered a prolific number of topics in his sit down interview with Ingraham, which is due to air tonight. Among them, he was asked to weigh in on the “rouge royals” – namely, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle – whose decision to step away from House Windsor stunned Buckingham Palace and divided the country, nay, the world.
In the interview, Trump appears torn. But his thoughts are with the Queen.
“I think it’s sad. I do. She’s a great woman. She’s never made a mistake, if you look. She’s had, like, a flawless time,” he said. “I just have such respect for the Queen. I don’t think this should be happening to her.”
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Report: US unsuccessfully targeted second Iranian military official
The New York Times is reporting that the US failed an attempt to strike a top Iranian military official on the same day it killed Suleimani.
Citing American officials, the Times writes:
The unsuccessful airstrike in Yemen was aimed at Abdul Reza Shahlai, an official with Iran’s Quds Force, a potent paramilitary organization. He was known as a key financier for Iran’s proxy wars.
President Trump approved the strike against Mr. Shahlai at the same time as he authorized the strike against General Suleimani, although it is unclear if the American attack in Yemen occurred at precisely the same time.
The report is yet another indication that the public’s understanding of a military strike that brought the US to the edge of war with Iran is far from complete. The administration is facing mounting questions about its justification for carrying out the drone strike, which triggered a retaliatory attack from Iran earlier this week.
It is unclear which countries the White House is considering because the names are blacked out in a document outlining the proposal, the AP reports, citing four adminstration officials involved in the deliberations.
The ban, which restricts travel from five majority-Muslim nations, is one of Trump’s most controversial immigration policies. Its introduction caused chaos at US airports and sparked nationwide protests during his first days as president. The suggested changes are not finalized.
The ban has gone through various iterations amid rounds of contentious legal battles. In June 2018, the Supreme Court upheld a pared-down version of the ban by a 5-4 vote that ruled the proclamation was “squarely within the scope of Presidential authority.”
