The '24 Seven
The top seven stories shaping the race for the White House - 2/15/24
Hello, and welcome to The ‘24 Seven - a daily roundup of the top seven stories shaping the race for the 2024 White House. If you see something I missed or have suggestions, drop me a note - 24sight@substack.com.
So, space nukes …
Cheers,
Tom
1 Russian space nukes
Russia appears to be developing a nuclear weapon which could be launched from space, per multiple reports citing intelligence sources and others.
Cooler heads, veterans of the House Intelligence Committee, counsel not to read too much into this as an immediate threat (the U.S. does have nukes of it own after all.) But this is an important reminder that Russia withdrew from the historic New START nuclear de-escalation and arms securing measure a year ago.
This comes amid a broader debate about the United States’ role on the global stage, with traditional national security hawks among Democrats and Republicans pushing to keep the U.S. (and NATO) as the centerpiece of global stability and a growing push from hard right populists, led by likely Republican nominee Donald Trump, to withdraw from the world stage.
2 Kansas City shooting
One person was killed and 22 more injured at the parade celebrating Kansas City’s Super Bowl victory Wednesday. Here’s what you get when you google “shootings” today:
Shootings and gun violence writlarge remain, sadly, a persistent issue.
3 Split on the left
The Huffington Post reports that Bernie Sanders has broken with the progressive group built from his 2016 campaign, Our Revolution, over their opposition to President Joe Biden in the Michigan Democratic primary over his support for Israel in the Israel-Hamas War.
It’s the latest example of a critical fracture in the Democratic coalition over the handling of the war in Israel.
4 In court
Georgia prosecutor Fani Willis testified Thursday in the criminal racketeering case against Trump and his allies for their efforts to overturn the 2020 election results. Trump and his team are seeking to have Willis and her team removed from the case for her affair with special prosecutor on the case Nathan Wade. If successful it could easily derail the Georgia case against Trump and his allies.
Meanwhile in New York a judge ruled that the porn star hush money fraud case against Trump would continue — despite Trump’s argument that he shouldn’t be tried because he’s a political candidate — with jury selection set for March 25.
5 Another top House retirement
The chair of the House Homeland Security Committee told Axios news he will retire at the end of his term. It’s the latest in a string of high-profile retirements in the House which could decide whether Democrats or Republicans control the chamber in 2025.
6 It’s debatable
Fox News is hosting former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley for a town hall February 18, six days before the South Carolina primary. Fox is also hosting Trump for a town hall two days later in South Carolina.
Of note that the likely Republican nominee is en route to clinch the nomination without having debated any of his opponents.
And a good reminder here of why Haley has every incentive to stay in the race, via the Monmouth Poll:
7 This is the way
Highly recommend this podcast from Harvard’s Nieman Lab with intel and insights from founders of The Defector, 404, Aftermath and Today in Tabs. Long/short - our reporting continues, stripped down without the weight of hedge funds, VC investors et al.
The clear exclamation point: The New York Times is hiring a full-time media reporter to cover the burgeoning industry of newsletters, news sites and podcasts fueled by massive media layoffs.
… see similar posts.