Biden 'shall respond' to US base attack

Plus Mayorkas faces impeachment and China has a big liquidation sale [View this email in your browser]( [Brand Logo]( Biden's choice, a rare impeachment and a Chinese liquidation sale   Good morning, Being president is easy when the decisions are cost-free. But most easy problems never make it to the Oval Office. President Joe Biden faces some difficult choices in the Middle East after Iranian-backed militias killed three U.S. troops in Jordan. The Iraqi militias who carried out the drone strike and other Iranian proxies, like the Houthis in Yemen, insist they are eager to battle the U.S. Do you give them what they want? Do you go bigger? Is there a way to avoid turning this into a regional conflagration? This is the president's job. Since we will all live with the result, maybe we should hope for wisdom. Peter Weber The Week Digital     Today's INTERNATIONAL story [Attack on US base in Jordan: How should Biden respond?]( What happened? Three U.S. troops were killed and at least 34 injured Sunday in an overnight drone strike on a U.S. base in northeast Jordan. President Joe Biden blamed "radical Iran-backed militant groups" in nearby Iraq and Syria; an Iraq-based group unofficially claimed responsibility. Who said what? "We shall respond," Biden said. He vowed in a written statement to "hold all those responsible to account at a time and in a manner [of] our choosing." "Hit Iran now. Hit them hard," urged Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.). "Target Tehran," Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) tweeted. Tucker Carlson called the hawkish Republican senators "f--king lunatics." The commentary Biden has "tolerated" enough "Iranian proxy" attacks on U.S. forces since the Gaza war started in October, and clearly "targeting the responsible militia is insufficient," The Wall Street Journal said in an editorial. It's time to punish "the real orchestrator of these attacks." Biden should consider hitting Iranian assets and "Quds Force personnel in Yemen, Iraq, Syria or Lebanon," Max Boot argued in The Washington Post. But Iran has been sponsoring anti-U.S. terrorism since 1979, and every U.S. president — including Donald Trump — has "been cognizant that getting embroiled in a major conflict with Iran is in no one's interests." What next? While Biden's team calibrates its response, military leaders will work to determine why U.S. air defenses failed to intercept the drone.     Today's POLITICS story [House GOP moves to impeach Mayorkas]( What happened?House Republicans on Sunday released two articles of impeachment against Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, accusing him of "high crimes and misdemeanors" for an alleged "willful and systemic refusal to comply" with immigration laws. Only one Cabinet secretary has ever been impeached, in 1876. Who said what? "Mayorkas has repeatedly refused” to do his job and enforce the laws Congress has passed, said House Homeland Security Committee chair Mark Green (R-Tenn.). These are "political and policy disagreements," not "impeachable offenses," former Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff wrote in The Wall Street Journal. House Republicans are using impeachment as "a diversion" while "ducking difficult policy work and hard-fought compromise" to fix "our broken immigration laws." Committee Republicans "don't want to fix the problem; they want to campaign on it," the Homeland Security Department said. What next? The House committee could approve the impeachment articles on Tuesday, and House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), facing mounting pressure from restive hard-line conservatives, promised to hold a vote "as soon as possible." If the House impeaches Mayorkas, the Senate is unlikely to convict.     Today's BUSINESS Story [Court orders China's Evergrande to liquidate]( What happened? Hong Kong's high court on Monday ordered the liquidation of China Evergrande Group, the world's most indebted property developer, with more than $300 billion in liabilities. Evergrande defaulted on its debt in 2021, roiling China's real estate sector and the world's No.2 economy. Who said what? After years of failed restructuring efforts, it's time "for the court to say enough is enough," Judge Linda Chan said Monday. The commentary To protect its economy, China "opted for what analysts called a 'controlled demolition'" of Evergrande, The Washington Post said. As the company "continued to limp on," China's priority has been completing "hundreds of unfinished apartment complexes" and "placating tens of thousands of angry homeowners who paid upfront." Investors will now be watching whether Beijing respects the Hong Kong ruling and allows creditors to dismantle Evergrande. What next? Liquidators will "chase assets" that are still worth something and not blocked by Beijing, restructuring legal expert Dan Anderson told The New York Times. Whether "creditor rights are being respected" will have "long term implications for investment into China."     On this day January 29, 1892 The Coca-Cola Company is founded in Atlanta by John Pemberton. Originally conceived as a medicinal drink due to the presence of cocaine, the soft drink empire grew over the decades and remains one of the world’s most valuable companies. The brand generated revenue of more than $45 billion in 2023.     TODAY’S newspaperS ['Sealed with a kiss']( Monday's newspapers report the deadly attack by Iranian-backed militants on a U.S. base in Jordan and the Super Bowl matchup set in Sunday's conference championship games. The New York Post dedicates its front page to both stories, leading with Taylor Swift's public display of affection with Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce to celebrate the Chiefs' victory. "Sealed with a kiss," the tabloid says. ► [See the newspaper front pages](     It's not all bad Sean Igbokwe, 14, is at the forefront of a new way to treat cerebral palsy. The London teen, who has stiffness and uncontrolled movements, recently had electrodes implanted in his brain, targeting areas that control body movement. A rechargeable device gives doctors real-time data from Igbokwe's brain, "allowing them to tweak their treatment by sending different signals to the electrodes," BBC News said. Dr. Jean-Pierre Lin, a neurologist involved in the surgery, called the device "hugely exciting."     Under the radar [Cruise ships are floating hotbeds for sexual assault]( Sexual assault has been the highest reported cruise ship crime since 2015, and the numbers are worsening. A new report by the U.S. Department of Transportation found that cruise ship sexual assault reports to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in 2023 increased from 2022. These figures are also likely an undercount of the true number of sexual assaults because, according to the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network, close to two-thirds of cases go unreported. Cruise-ship assault statistics began being published in 2010 when the Department of Transportation passed the Cruise Vessel Security and Safety Act. Several major cruise lines, including Carnival, Royal Caribbean and the Disney Cruise Line, are included in the statistics. Carnival had the highest number of sexual assault reports of the companies. One of the main factors that could be contributing to the assault numbers is access to alcohol on board the ships. "There is a direct correlation between excessive alcohol served on Carnival's 'fun ships' and violence, in general, and sexual violence against women, in particular," said Jim Walker, a maritime attorney. While some sex crime cases have made it to trial, many have been settled out of court. Cruise ship companies "will do anything to keep victims quiet," Ross Klein, a professor at Memorial University of Newfoundland, told Insider. The industry group Cruise Lines International Association told The Washington Post that cruise ships are much safer than land.     Tall tale Rockin' rest rooms … Bathrooms aren't typically the highlight of a convenience store, but at six Hop Shops in Kentucky, the restrooms are the hottest spots in town. Inside the bathrooms are large red buttons, and signs that read "Do Not Push This Button." When you push the button, as you are expected to, colored lights turn on, a disco ball appears and music starts to play. Each bathroom has its own song — in Verona, it's "Stayin' Alive"; in Carrollton, "Dancing Queen."     Later today As policymakers in Washington craft their response to the attack in Jordan, most Americans will continue with their own less-consequential jobs. We are at The Week. In fact, an article this afternoon considers whether Americans are getting a little too invested in their jobs — whether "workism" is the new great American religion. Thanks for reading, Peter     Morning Report was written and edited by Catherine Garcia, Justin Klawans, Harold Maass and Peter Weber, with illustrations by Stephen Kelly and Julia Wytrazek. Image credits, from top: Planet Labs PBC / Handout via Reuters; Jabin Botsford / The Washington Post via Getty Images; Costfoto / NurPhoto via Getty Images; Illustrated / Getty Images   © Future US, Inc • [theweek.com]( [Unsubscribe from this newsletter]( [Privacy Policy]( The Week is published by Future US, Inc. 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