Up until now, lead House Manager Adam Schiff has elicited some of the only audible responses to his answers — groans from Republican senators yesterday when Schiff noted Dershowitz was “the only scholar” making the argument that the president’s actions to get re-elected were “in the public interest.” Today he conjured up more reactions on the Senate floor when he answered a question by noting that today, in contrast to what has been going on in the chamber, the Justice Department is arguing in federal court that Congress can use impeachment to enforce subpoenas.
“You can’t make this stuff up,” Schiff said to audible laughter from senators.“While we’ve been debating whether a president can be impeached for essentially bogus claims of privilege for attempting to use the courts to cover up misconduct, the Justice Department, in resisting House subpoenas, is in court today,” he explained, continuing, “So the judge says if the Congress can’t enforce its subpoenas in court then what remedy is there? And the Justice Department lawyers’ response is impeachment. Impeachment!”
“I didn’t think they’d do this on the same day,” Schiff said.
Schiff today has fought back against the expansive view of executive power the president’s defense team has put forward. “What we have seen over the last couple days is a descent into constitutional madness,” Schiff told senators.
Senators remain on the Senate floor asking questions to House Managers and defense lawyers, which are read aloud by the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. Thursday’s round of questioning wraps up the allotted 16 hours of question and answer time, and on Friday, senators will hold the key vote to decide whether to allow the submission of documents and testimony from witnesses. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is working to whip 51 senators in order to avoid that and quickly allow an up or down vote on the two articles of impeachment. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer has said he will try to delay the final vote.
McConnell and Schumer sit, literally, across the aisle in the Senate chamber and, though Schumer has been nodding along and reacting to questions asked, McConnell has largely remained in the exact same seated position for hours of testimony: sitting back from his desk, with his arms crossed across his stomach and his mouth set.
Highlights from the early hours of Thursday’s debate included one of the few interjections from the Chief Justice who refused to read aloud Sen. Rand Paul’s question that reportedly included the name of the alleged whistleblower whose complaint led to the impeachment inquiry. After that, Paul was followed by several reporters to a press conference where he read the question aloud.
Many U.S. consumers say they’ve noticed higher than usual prices for holiday gifts in recent months, according to a a December poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. A contributing factor is the unusually high import taxes the Trump administration put on foreign goods. While the worst-case consumer impact that many economists foresaw from the administration’s trade policies hasn’t materialized, some popular gift items have been affected more than others. Most toys and electronics sold in the U.S. come from China. So do most holiday decorations. Jewelry prices have risen due to the cost of gold.
Serbia’s prosecutor for organized crime has charged a government minister and three others with abuse of position and falsifying of documents related to a luxury real estate project linked to U.S. President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner. The charges came on Monday. The investigation centers on a controversy over a a bombed-out military complex in central Belgrade that was a protected cultural heritage zone but that is facing redevelopment as a luxury compound by a company linked to Kushner. The $500 million proposal to build a high-rise hotel, offices and shops at the site has met fierce opposition from experts at home and abroad. Selakovic and others allegedly illegally lifted the protection status for the site by falsifying documentation.
President Donald Trump has signed an executive order to block states from regulating artificial intelligence. He argues that heavy regulations could stifle the industry, especially given competition from China. Trump says the U.S. needs a unified approach to AI regulation to avoid complications from state-by-state rules. The order directs the administration to draw up a list of problematic regulations for the Attorney General to challenge. States with laws could lose access to broadband funding, according to the text of the order. Some states have already passed AI laws focusing on transparency and limiting data collection.
The New York Times and President Donald Trump are fighting again. The news outlet said Wednesday it won't be deterred by Trump's “false and inflammatory language” from writing about the 79-year-old president's health. The Times has done a handful of stories on that topic recently, including an opinion column that said Trump is “starting to give President Joe Biden vibes.” In a Truth Social post, Trump said it might be treasonous for outlets like the Times to do “FAKE” reports about his health and "we should do something about it.” The Republican president already has a pending lawsuit against the newspaper for its past reports on his finances.
President Donald Trump says he will allow Nvidia to sell its H200 computer chip used in the development of artificial intelligence to “approved customers” in China. Trump said Monday on his social media site that he had informed China’s leader Xi Jinping and “President Xi responded positively!” There had been concerns about allowing advanced computer chips into China as it could help them to compete against the U.S. in building out AI capabilities. But there has also been a desire to develop the AI ecosystem with American companies such as chipmaker Nvidia.
House Republicans in key battleground districts are working to contain the political fallout expected when thousands of their constituents face higher bills for health insurance coverage obtained through the Affordable Care Act. For a critical sliver of the GOP majority, the impending expiration of the enhanced premium tax credits after Dec. 31 could be a major political liability as they potentially face midterm headwinds in a 2026 election critical to President Donald Trump’s agenda. For Democrats, the party’s strategy for capturing the House majority revolves around pinning higher bills for groceries, health insurance and utilities on Republicans.
