House Republicans formally authorized their impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden. In a rare and emotional public statement, Hunter Biden defied a House subpoena. Eleven years have passed since the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School. | |  |
Now, here's Thursday's news. |
House Republicans authorize Joe Biden impeachment investigation |
House Republicans formally authorized their impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden on Wednesday, taking their most significant step toward impeaching the president. The House voted along party lines by a vote of 221-212 to green-light the inquiry. |
Republicans have alleged Biden financially benefited from his family's foreign business dealings, though they haven't publicly released evidence backing up the claims. |
| • | The White House says it has cooperated fully with the investigation and provided plenty of evidence disputing House Republicans' allegations. | | • | House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., and GOP investigators leading the inquiry say it's simply an investigation, and House Republicans have not predetermined whether to draft articles of impeachment against the president. | | • | But House Democrats have questioned the purpose of the investigation, given that Republicans have yet to turn up evidence directly tying Biden to his family's business dealings. | | • | Biden, in a rare statement about the effort, questioned the priorities of House Republicans. "Instead of doing anything to help make Americans' lives better, they are focused on attacking me with lies," he said. | | House Republicans speak to reporters after the House voted to formally authorize the impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden, at the U.S. Capitol on December 13, 2023. Drew Angerer/Getty Images |
Hunter Biden hits out at Republicans in rare public comments |
Hunter Biden, President Joe Biden's son, spoke candidly on Capitol Hill Wednesday, criticizing the Republicans who have placed him at the center of their impeachment push. The House Oversight Committee last month announced they would subpoena the president's son as part of the GOP-led impeachment inquiry into the president over alleged connections to his family's overseas business dealings. Hunter Biden said he would testify − but only in a public hearing. He reiterated this stance Wednesday, defying Republicans' subpoena for a closed-door deposition. Read more | Hunter Biden talks to reporters outside the U.S. Capitol on Dec. 13, 2023 in Washington, D.C. Hunter Biden defied a subpoena from Congress to testify behind closed doors ahead of a House vote on an impeachment inquiry against his father. Drew Angerer, Getty Images |
11 years since Sandy Hook |
Thursday marks 11 years since 20 first-graders and six educators were killed at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut. One month after the shooting, the loved ones of several victims united to launch Sandy Hook Promise, championing gun violence prevention. However, the toll the gun violence epidemic has taken on American youth remains distressingly persistent. Gun violence is the leading cause of death for children, with 2023 seeing more than 300 incidents of gun violence on school grounds and a record number of mass shootings. Read more | In this Dec. 14, 2013, file photo, a makeshift memorial with crosses for the victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting massacre stands outside a home in Newtown, Conn., on the one-year anniversary of the shootings. Robert F. Bukaty, AP |
Fed holds rates steady as inflation eases, forecasts 3 cuts in 2024 |
The Federal Reserve left its key short-term interest rate unchanged again Wednesday, hinted that rate hikes are likely over and forecast three cuts next year amid falling inflation and a cooling economy. The decision leaves the Fed's benchmark short-term rate at a 22-year high of 5.25% to 5.5%. The central bank has now held its key rate steady for three straight meetings since July. That provides another reprieve for consumers who have faced higher borrowing costs for credit cards, adjustable-rate mortgages and other loans. Read more |
A growing COVID-19 variant has taken off this holiday season |
Scientists are narrowing in on the fastest-growing COVID-19 variant, learning more about the strain that has coincided with a rise in cases as Americans head into the holidays. The JN.1 variant now accounts for more than one-fifth of all cases, based on estimates Friday from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This uptick suggests that JN.1 could be more transmissible and better at slipping past people's immune systems, the CDC said. Hospitalizations and deaths, indicators for COVID-19 spread, also remain elevated. Read more |
Photo of the day: Oprah Winfrey stuns in new National Gallery painting |
Can you think of any other cultural institution who's accomplished as much as Oprah Winfrey, from "The Oprah Winfrey Show" to Oprah's Book Club to her hundreds of millions donated to charities? So it makes sense that her portrait unveiling ceremony at the Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery would similarly captivate the room. Read more | People take photos of Oprah Winfrey, next to her newly installed portrait by artist Shawn Michael Warren, Wednesday, Dec. 13, 2023, during a portrait unveiling ceremony at the Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery in Washington. Jacquelyn Martin, AP |
Associated Press contributed reporting. | | All of the headlines, none of the chaos. | Learn daily with The Excerpt,
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