Republican lawmakers piled pressure on Joe Biden to target Iran directly after an attack on an American base in Jordan by Iranian-backed militias killed three American soldiers on Sunday. Lindsey Graham, a Republican senator, called for America to “hit Iran now”. Lloyd Austin, the defence secretary, promised to take “all necessary actions” to defend American troops in the Middle East. The deaths reportedly came after America’s army confused an enemy bomb for a surveillance drone returning to base.
Nineteen Democrats pressed the Biden administration for information about recent arms transfers to Israel, highlighting the party’s growing divide over the president’s handling of the war in Gaza. In a letter, the lawmakers noted the administration’s “highly unusual” use of emergency authority to get around Congress, and sought information about any conditions it attached to reduce civilian casualties.
A Republican-led House committee will consider impeachment proceedings against Alejandro Mayorkas, the secretary of homeland security, on Tuesday. The committee unveiled articles of impeachment on Sunday which accused Mr Mayorkas of failing to uphold immigration laws. An impeachment vote by the whole chamber will probably happen in the week of February 5th.
An Internal Revenue Service contractor who leaked Donald Trump’s tax returns was sentenced to five years in prison. In October Charles Littlejohn pleaded guilty to unauthorised disclosure of tax filings. These included returns belonging to Mr Trump (which Mr Littlejohn leaked to the New York Times in 2019) and to thousands of wealthy Americans (which he leaked to ProPublica in 2020).
Wisconsin’s supreme court ordered the state’s elections board to respond to a complaint from Dean Phillips, who is challenging Mr Biden for the Democratic nomination. Mr Phillips claims he was unlawfully excluded from Wisconsin’s Democratic primary ballot. He argues that he meets a standard outlined in the state’s election law: that the media has recognised him as a serious candidate.
Mr Trump made his pitch to Nevada’s Latino voters at a campaign rally in Las Vegas. He alleged that America’s porous border is most harmful to “our very cherished Hispanic community”. Latinos, still overwhelmingly Democratic, have drifted towards the Republican Party. Their votes will prove crucial in the swing states of Nevada and Arizona come November.
Polling suggests that just 27% of Americans approve of Mr Biden’s handling of immigration. More than twice as many say they trust Mr Trump on the matter. Illegal immigration across America’s southern border has become a huge liability for the president in the run up to November’s election. The Economist’s data team created ten charts showing how the border crisis developed over several administrations.
Daily quiz
Hawaii and Alaska were the last states to be admitted in 1959, bringing the total to 50. Which was the 48th state to be admitted?
Every weekday we’ll quiz you on one question about American politics.
The weekly winner, chosen at random, will be announced here on Fridays.
Email your answers to [email protected].
Figure of the day
281, the number of acres held by Chinese owners in Iowa—an area smaller than the state fairgrounds in Des Moines. Read our story about American lawmakers’ obsession with mythical Chinese land grabs.
HEARD ON X
—Tucker Carlson, right-wing media personality, responding to Republican calls for direct strikes on Iran
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