Trump Signals Two Final Candidates for Fed Chair, Calls for Presidential Input on Interest Rates 
Judge Orders Return of Seized Evidence in Comey-Related Case, DOJ May Seek New Warrant 
Korea Zinc Plans $6.78 Billion U.S. Smelter Investment With Government Partnership 
U.S. Lifts Sanctions on Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Amid Shift in Brazil Relations 
Syria Arrests Five Suspects After Deadly Attack on U.S. and Syrian Troops in Palmyra 
Thousands Protest in Brazil Against Efforts to Reduce Jair Bolsonaro’s Prison Sentence 
Belarus Frees Opposition Leaders Maria Kalesnikava and Viktar Babaryka in U.S.-Brokered Deal 
U.S. Special Forces Intercept Ship Carrying Military Components Bound for Iran 
Special Prosecutor Alleges Yoon Suk Yeol Sought North Korea Provocation to Justify Martial Law 
Belarus Frees 123 Political Prisoners in U.S.-Brokered Deal Over Sanctions 
International Stabilization Force for Gaza Nears Deployment as U.S.-Led Planning Advances 
Supporters Gather Ahead of Verdict in Jimmy Lai’s Landmark Hong Kong National Security Trial 
Israeli Airstrike in Gaza Targets Senior Hamas Commander Amid Ceasefire Tensions 
U.S. Soldiers Killed in ISIS Attack in Palmyra, Syria During Counterterrorism Mission 
California, 18 States Sue to Block Trump’s $100,000 H-1B Visa Fee 
Global Leaders Condemn Deadly Antisemitic Shooting at Sydney’s Bondi Beach During Hanukkah 
Many are already bracing for an upcoming debate among the evenly divided senate regarding US President Joe Biden’s Supreme Court nomination. While there are no hints as to who would Biden pick for the high court, Vice President Kamala Harris is also reaching out to her old colleagues in the senate for input.
Politico reports that Harris has been speaking with her former colleagues in the senate, reaching out to female senators of both parties to seek their input on Biden’s potential Supreme Court nomination. Harris spoke with Democratic senators Tina Smith, Kirsten Gillibrand, Patty Murray, Tammy Duckworth, and Debbie Stabenow. The vice president also reached out to Republican senators Joni Ernst, Shelley Moore Capito, and Deb Fischer for their input.
During her time in the Senate, Harris gained a formidable reputation for grilling now-former President Donald Trump’s nominees, including Supreme Court Justice then-candidate Brett Kavanaugh as a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee. While Harris’s former GOP colleagues are skeptical of her influence, other senators, like Democratic Senator Cory Booker said that Harris is very passionate about the issue.
This follows Biden’s reaching out to the Democratic senators of the Judiciary Committee Thursday last week, seeking their advice on his potential Supreme Court pick.
Biden is seeking to fulfill another campaign promise by nominating who would become the first Black woman on the Supreme Court. The nominee would succeed Justice Stephen Breyer, who is looking to retire by the court’s summer recess this year, provided that his replacement has already been chosen and confirmed.
Meanwhile, administration officials told CNN that Harris is also set to lead a delegation to the Munich Security Conference, where she will be meeting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky this weekend. This would mark Harris’s first meeting with Zelensky in the midst of warnings that Russia may carry out an invasion of Ukraine.
“The vice president is leading a US delegation to the Munich Security Conference this year, as a resounding signal that engagement with our allies and partners is an absolutely critical part of our overall diplomacy in our approach to this situation,” said a senior administration official Wednesday.
