WASHINGTON — Former vice president Mike Pence received a subpoena from the special counsel overseeing inquiries into Donald Trump’s efforts to subvert the 2020 election and the former president’s retention of classified documents. In addition, the FBI has searched Pence’s home for classified files.
It was not immediately clear what special counsel Jack Smith is seeking from Pence, but the demand likely marks a major escalation in the inquiry since Smith was appointed to manage the inquiries in November by Attorney General Merrick Garland.
Here’s what else is happening in politics:
- Biden to meet with the president of Brazil. The meeting comes about a month after a riot in Brazil that mirrored the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection.
- McConnell shuns Rick Scott ‘sunset’ plan: Mitch McConnell said any proposal to sunset Social Security and Medicare belongs Sen. Rick Scott – not the GOP.
- Trump is back online: The former president’s Facebook account has been restored after he was kicked off the social media site in the aftermath of the Jan. 6 attacks.
‘High altitude object’ shot down over Alaska, White House says
White House spokesman John Kirby said Friday that the Department of Defense shot down a “high altitude object” that was in Alaska’s airspace in the last 24 hours.
Kirby said the object was flying at an altitude of 40,000 feet and “posed a reasonable threat to the safety of civilian flight.” As an abundance of caution and at the recommendation of the Pentagon, President Joe Biden ordered the military to down the object, Kirby said.
The news of a second object comes just days after the U.S. shot down a spy balloon from China that the State Department said carried devices to intercept sensitive communications.
– Rebecca Morin
Surveillance balloon:Chinese spy balloon sought secret US communications signals, State Department says
FBI searches former VP Mike Pence’s home for classified files
The FBI on Friday searched former Vice President Mike Pence’s home in Indiana for classified documents, following the discovery last month of a small number of records with classified markings, according to a person familiar with the matter.
Carmel, Indiana, police said the FBI arrived at Pence’s home in the area Friday morning. Police said they were providing traffic control and not assisting in the search. The FBI did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
A handful of classified documents were found Jan. 16 at Pence’s home and placed in a secure safe until the FBI retrieved them, a Pence representative told the National Archives in a letter. Classified documents have also been found in President Joe Biden’s and former President Donald Trump’s possessions.
– Kevin Johnson, Bart Jansen
Biden won’t do Super Bowl interview as White House blames Fox
President Joe Biden won’t take part in a Sunday interview ahead of the Super Bowl, breaking a tradition for presidents as the White House blamed Fox for cancelling.
“The President was looking forward to an interview with Fox Soul to discuss the Super Bowl, the State of the Union, and critical issues impacting the everyday lives of Black Americans,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement. “We’ve been informed that Fox Corp has asked for the interview to be cancelled.”
Fox, as the networking airing the Super Bowl, was in line for the Super Bowl interview. Fox Soul is a streaming service owned by Fox that targets Black viewers. Fox News, long the preferred network for conservatives, routinely draws criticism from the White House.
Biden took part in Super Bowl interviews during his first years in office, first with CBS and last year with NBC. A spokesman for Fox did not respond to a request for comment.
– Joey Garrison
White House changing communications directors
Ben LaBolt, who handled White House communications for the confirmation of Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, will take over the job as White House communications director at the end of the month, President Joe Biden announced Friday.
LaBolt, who currently leads a communications and marketing agency, will be the first openly gay White House communications director, according to the administration.
He is replacing Kate Bedingfield, who was Biden’s deputy campaign manager in 2020 before becoming his White House communications director.
It’s the latest staff change among top administration officials as Biden’s first time has passed the half-way mark and he prepares for an expected re-election bid.
—Maureen Groppe
‘Sick puppy’: what are the namesRepublicans have called George Santos?
Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y., has been plagued by intense backlash since admitting to lies about his personal life and credentials, and is beset by multiple investigations at the state and federal level about his campaign finances, a House Ethics complaint and calls from members in both parties to resign.
From “a joke” to a “sick puppy,” many of Santos’ Republican colleagues have been sharp tongued in rebuking the freshman congressman.
–Candy Woodall, Rachel Looker
Suspect arrested in assault of Minnesota congresswoman
A suspect has been arrested for assaulting Minnesota Democratic Rep. Angie Craig, police said late Thursday.
Police said they arrested 26-year-old Kendrick Hamlin for the Thursday morning attack, which occurred in an elevator in Craig’s apartment building. Craig suffered bruising, but is “otherwise physically okay,” her chief of staff, Nick Coe, said Thursday.
–Ella Lee
McConnell distances GOP from Scott on Social Security, Medicare sunset plan
Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell said any proposal to suSocial Security and Medicare belongs Sen. Rick Scott – not the GOP.
“Unfortunately, that was the Scott plan, that’s not a Republican plan,” McConnell said on a Kentucky radio program.
McConnell’s comments about Scott, a GOP rival, come as the White House continues to spotlight how Republicans heckled — and apparently committed not to touch entitlement programs — during President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address.
“Speaker (Kevin) McCarthy said Social Security and Medicare are not to be touched and I’ve said the same,” McConnell told radio host Terry Meiners on Thursday.
“And I think we’re in a more authoritative position to state what the position of the party is than any single senator.”
— Phillip M. Bailey
Spy fears prompt proposed laws aiming to ban Chinese land ownership
Lawmakers in Texas, Florida, Arkansas and in Congress have proposed laws banning citizens of China from buying land, homes and other buildings in the United States.
It’s a move they say will help protect the United States from interference by adversaries like China’s government, which they accuse of spying, theft and risking the American food supply. But critics say the laws – which sometimes also include bans on land purchases by North Koreans, Russians and Iranians – hark back to racist laws from the early 1900s preventing Asian Americans from becoming property owners.
The Chinese surveillance balloon that floated across the U.S. last week before it was shot down Saturday has brought fresh attention to the growing tensions between the U.S. and China.
–Trevor Hughes, Ella Lee
Biden to talk climate change, democracy with Brazilian president
Roughly a month after Brazil faced riots that mirrored the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection, President Joe Biden is slated to meet with Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva Friday at the White House. The two leaders are expected to talk about climate change and protecting democracy.
Biden and Lula leaders will also discuss the Ukraine and Russia war, the G-20, which Brazil is hosting next year, and immigration. There could be tension between the two leaders over the Ukraine-Russia war as Lula has declined to provide weapons to Ukraine and has indicated Ukraine should negotiate more with Russia to end the war.
– Rebecca Morin
Poll: Record level of American adults dissatisfied with abortion laws
Nearly eight months after Roe v. Wade was overturned, Americans are more dissatisfied with abortion policies in the U.S. than at any other point in Gallup’s 23-year-trend.
A record high of 69% of American adults are dissatisfied with abortion laws according to a Gallup poll, while only 26% are satisfied. Of the 69% who are dissatisfied, 46% want less strict laws compared to 15% who want more strict laws.
Half of the women surveyed are dissatisfied with U.S. abortion laws and want less strict laws, an 18-percentage point increase over the past year. Meanwhile, 41% of men were dissatisfied and favored less strict laws, a 13-percentage point increase, over the past year.
The poll was conducted from Jan. 2 through Jan. 22, 2023 and is a reflection of how the public has responded to the Supreme Court’s Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision in June 2022.
– Mabinty Quarshie
Why Biden keeps revisiting the Social Security, Medicare heckling episode
President Joe Biden won’t let Republicans forget about their heckling – and apparent commitment not to touch Medicare or Social Security – during his State of the Union address this week.
“It sounded like they agreed to take these cuts off the table. I sure hope so. I mean it,” Biden said, speaking Thursday at the University of Tampa in Florida.
Republicans booed and jeered Biden during the State of the Union when he accused them of wanting to cut Social Security and Medicare, pointing to a proposal by Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., to sunset all federal programs every five years. The White House believes the moment backed Republicans – who have pushed unspecified spending cuts during debt ceiling talks – into a corner.
“I know that a lot of Republicans’ dream is to cut Social Security and Medicare. Well, let me say this. If that’s your dream, I’m your nightmare,” Biden said.
– Joey Garrison
More:Hunter Biden, White House, House GOP clash over widening investigation of Joe Biden’s son
‘It’s time for him to go’: Democrats introduce resolution to expel Santos
Rep. Robert Garcia, D-Calif., referred a resolution Thursday to the House Ethics Committee to expel Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y., from Congress. The freshman representative called Santos a fraud and a liar.
“It’s time for him to go,” Garcia said. “We have given him plenty of time to resign and he has chosen not to do so.”
Santos told USA TODAY “it’s their prerogative” and maintained his position that he will not resign from office.
“They can do whatever they want. For people who like to talk about silencing voters, they want to silence 142,000 people who voted to send me here,” he said.
– Rachel Looker and Candy Woodall
Republican rebuke:Mitt Romney calls George Santos ‘a sick puppy’ after Biden State of the Union
Trump’s Facebook account is restored
Brace yourselves for Donald Trump’s first new Facebook post.
Meta Platforms Inc. mechanically restored Trump’s Facebook and Instagram accounts Thursday, more than two years after suspending him for improper content in the wake of the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection.
The social media giant announced Jan. 25 that it would lift Trump’s suspension, and threatened more penalties if the ex-president again violates its content policies.
– David Jackson
Iowa added to Haley’s 2024 announcement itinerary
Having already announced events in South Carolina and New Hampshire, soon-to-be presidential candidate Nikki Haley has added another early contest state to her announcement tour: Iowa.
Haley, who formally announces her candidacy Wednesday in Charleston, S.C., will conduct a town hall in Urbandale, Iowa, on Feb. 20, and Marion, Iowa, on Feb. 21, according to her campaign. The 2024 GOP presidential campaign kicks off in the Hawkeye State which holds the first caucus in the nation.
The former United Nations ambassador who is challenging Donald Trump for the GOP nomination in 2024 has two halls in New Hampshire late next week.
– David Jackson
More:Nikki Haley to launch 2024 presidential bid in Charleston on Feb. 15