Daily Skimm: Trump, Poland, and Artemis

Missed Me?

The Story

Guess who’s back, back again.

Former President Trump?

Correct. Last night, he officially put his hat in the ring to run again in 2024. The news comes a week after the midterm elections, where the Republican Party is now only one seat away from taking the House. But Trump-backed candidates and fellow election deniers lost key battleground races, failing to turn out the promised ‘red wave.’ And exit polls showed low favorability not just for President Biden — but Trump too. Enter: some in the GOP urging Trump to please not run again.

Sounds like he’s not listening…

Yup. Trump cited the economy, the border, and the threat of nuclear war as reasons to bring him back into office. But he also doubled down on denying election results. He ranted about former German Chancellor Angela Merkel. And encouraged Georgians to vote for Herschel Walker in next month’s Senate runoff. The announcement last night in Mar-a-Lago, Florida, comes as Trump faces several investigations, including an FBI probe into his alleged misuse of classified materials and a congressional investigation into his role in the Jan 6, 2021 insurrection. Running for president may not protect him from these investigations, but it could complicate things.

How are people reacting?

President Biden posted a video saying "Trump failed America." GOP leaders Mitch McConnell (KY) and Kevin McCarthy (CA) have been quiet since the announcement. So has early 2024 contender Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL). Ivanka Trump says she's sitting out of this round. But supporters, like Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), said Trump will be "hard to beat" if he "continues this tone and delivers this message."

theSkimm

The former president has been hinting at a 2024 run for months. But despite last week’s midterms results, it’s unclear whether the former president still has a hold on the Republican Party or if it's ready to move on.

And Also...This

What’s got people on edge…

A missile strike. Yesterday, two people were killed in Poland after a reported Russian missile crossed into the eastern part of the country near the border with Ukraine. The strike happened around the same time Russia launched air attacks across Ukraine. And appears to be punishment for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's recovery of Kherson just days ago. The Kremlin’s denying the accusations. And President Biden is saying it is “unlikely” that the missile was fired from Russia. But if investigations confirm the missiles were Russian — and that the strike was deliberate — it could mark a significant escalation in the war. That’s because Poland is a NATO member, and an attack against one ally is considered an attack against all allies. The 30-member alliance and G7 leaders are holding an emergency meeting on the strike today.

What's got courts stepping in…

Title 42. Yesterday, a federal judge blocked the Trump-era border rule. Reminder: The pandemic-era order, which was first enacted by the Trump admin, essentially turned away asylum seekers at the border, with the goal of stopping the spread of COVID-19. Some Dems (including Biden) previously criticized the policy. And the Biden admin has even tried fighting it in court. But the administration seems to have shifted its stance after expanding it last month. Now, a judge said the gov’s use of policy — that's turned back about 2 million attempts since it was enacted — is “arbitrary and capricious.” The Justice Dept. asked for the order to take effect by Dec 21, to give officials time to prepare.

...Oh and speaking of courts stepping in: yesterday, a Georgia Superior Court judge overturned the state's six-week abortion ban, calling it “unequivocally unconstitutional.” The state attorney general's office has appealed the decision. Meanwhile, Supreme Courts in South Carolina and Kentucky are hearing arguments on state abortion bans. And in Ohio and Arizona, courts there also blocked state abortion bans.

What you may juana put back down...

The weed. Yesterday, a study found that lung damage was more common in weed smokers than not only non-smokers...but tobacco smokers. Between 2005 to 2020, researchers compared chest scans of over 145 marijuana smokers, non-smokers, and tobacco-only smokers. 75% of marijuana smokers had emphysema, compared to 67% of tobacco-only smokers and 5% of non-smokers. While not deadly, emphysema leads to shortness of breath, coughs, and wheezing. Experts say the added harm to the lungs could be caused by how people smoke it. Think: cigarette smokers exhale the smoke faster than marijuana smokers do, exposing them to more toxins. But it’s worth noting: no one has been documented dying as a direct result of marijuana. Cigarette smoking, however, remains the single leading cause of preventable death in the US, killing an estimated 400,000 Americans each year.

Who’s an alien superstar…

Beyoncé. Yesterday, she earned the most Grammy nominations of the year. Now, with a career total of 88 noms, she’s tied for the most Grammy nominations ever. The competition? Her husband, Jay-Z. Other notable contenders for the 65th Grammy Awards: Kendrick Lamar, Adele, and Brandi Carlile. Meanwhile, Bad Bunny has a chance at winning Album of the Year, a first for a Spanish-language album. Tune in to CBS on Feb 5 to watch it all go down.

What finally got off the ground...

Artemis.

What some apparently think France’s Olympic mascots look like…

A clitoris. Hopefully, the male athletes can find it.

While Nipsey Hussle’s life story’s becoming a docuseries…

“Princess Diaries 3” is reportedly happening.