White House Dossier's

Micihelle Obama "terrified" about 2024 election . . . Michelle Obama is terrified of “what could possibly happen” in the 2024 presidential election, she said during an interview published Monday. The former first lady admitted her fears in response to a question from host Jay Shetty during an episode of his podcast. “What is the thing that keeps you up at night now or what is your biggest fear now after having overcome so many?” Shetty asked Obama. “It has less to do with me personally and more to do with the world that we’re in,” she replied.“I am terrified about what could possibly happen because our leaders matter, who we select, who speaks for us, who holds that bully pulpit. It affects us in ways that I think sometimes people take for granted,” she continued. New York Post

What's terrifying is the thought of her running for president as the Democratic nominee, about which there is growing speculation. That she is getting involved here in politics, which she normally eschews, is potentially significant. The talk is that she or someone else replaces Biden at the convention and promises secretly to pardon Hunter, and James, and . . . Joe.

Trump returns to court for immunity showdown . . . Donald Trump’s return to the federal courthouse in Washington, on Tuesday could be his most consequential court date so far — a bid to derail special counsel Jack Smith’s criminal case against him for attempting to subvert the 2020 election, before the case goes to trial. A three-judge panel of the DC Circuit Court of Appeals, which includes two Biden appointees and a George H.W. Bush appointee, is scheduled to hear argument on a threshold question: Does Trump have “presidential immunity” from the charges Smith has leveled against him for his bid to overturn Joe Biden’s 2020 victory? Politico

Fani Willis faces being disqualified from Trump case . . . There are calls for Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis to be disqualified from Donald Trump's Georgia election-interference case, following unsubstantiated allegations she has been involved in a romantic relationship with Nathan Wade. He was hired as a special prosecutor for the proceedings. The claim was made by Michael Roman, one of Trump's co-defendants, in a legal motion filed on Monday. Willis is leading the criminal racketeering case against Trump over alleged efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss in the state. Newsweek

Nikki Haley calls for changes to Social Security

Ramaswamy campaign shows signs of unraveling . . . Vivek Ramaswamy won't be on the Illinois GOP primary ballot, some of his campaign staffers have begun looking for work elsewhere, and he hasn't qualified for Wednesday's final televised debate before Iowa's caucuses. Polls in Iowa indicate Ramaswamy is running fourth. Axios

Trump holds 65-point lead over DeSantis in Nevada

Democrats join criticism of Austin over secret hospital visit . . .Top Democrats are voicing concerns and asking tough questions following the news that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin was hospitalized for several days before the White House was informed. Republicans, meanwhile, are stepping up calls for the Pentagon chief to resign or be fired. The chair of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Sen. Jack Reed (D-R.I), said the major failure of disclosure “must never happen again.” Politico

House Republican files impeachment articles against Austin

Pentagon Number 2 didn't know why she was taking over . . . Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks, the effective acting secretary of defense for two days last week, didn’t know that her boss was in intensive care at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Maryland after suffering complications from an undisclosed “elective medical procedure” when she temporarily took command of the world’s most formidable fighting force. Washington Times

International

South Korea bans dog meat business . . . The slaughter and sale of dogs for their meat is to become illegal in South Korea after MPs backed a new law. The legislation, set to come into force by 2027, aims to end the centuries-old practice of humans eating dog meat. Dog meat stew, called "boshintang", is considered a delicacy among some older South Koreans, but the meat has fallen out of favour with diners and is no longer popular with young people. Under the new law the consumption of dog meat itself will not be illegal. BBC

Money

Biden rule would reclassify gig workers as employees . . . Millions of gig workers, janitors, home-care workers, construction workers and truckers could be considered employees rather than independent contractors under a final rule announced Tuesday by the Labor Department. The rule effectively expands the reach of federal labor laws that require employers to extend certain benefits and protections to workers classified as employees. Those include the right to the minimum wage, overtime pay, unemployment insurance and Social Security benefits. Washington Post

Get ready to pay more for that Uber. If there's capitalism that is working, you can count on the Democrats to regulate it.

China becomes world's biggest auto exporter . . . China’s overseas auto sales surged to a record last year, on track to surpass Japan as the world’s biggest car exporter and marking a tectonic shift for the global industry. While China has become acknowledged as a world leader in electric vehicles, traditional gas-powered autos were the main driver of the increase, with demand surging especially in Russia. Wall Street Journal

Culture

MIT president appears to be staying after others fall . . . No sooner had Harvard President Claudine Gay resigned than the pressure shifted to Massachusetts Institute of Technology President Sally Kornbluth, but the cell biologist may be the exception that proves the rule. Ms. Kornbluth is the last woman standing of the three university presidents who gave disastrous testimony at a Dec. 5 House hearing on campus antisemitism. The MIT Corp. has stood behind her despite some flare-ups on campus, including a donor revolt led by Jewish alumni and the abrupt resignation of a highly regarded computer scientist over antisemitism. Washington Times

The latest dirty word in corporate America: ESG . . . Many companies no longer utter these three letters: E-S-G. Following years of simmering investor backlash, political pressure and legal threats over environmental, social and governance efforts, a number of business leaders are now making a conscious effort to avoid the once widely used acronym for such initiatives. Wall Street Journal

Well, that's progress. Now let's get to work on DEI.

Philadelphia cancels William Penn . . . The Biden administration is planning to permanently remove a statue of William Penn from Philadelphia's Welcome Park to provide a "more inclusive experience for visitors," it announced in a press release. The "proposed rehabilitation," which President Joe Biden's National Park Service unveiled Friday, calls to remove the statue and replace it with "an expanded interpretation of the Native American history of Philadelphia." Washington Free Beacon

United finds loose hardware in jet inspections . . . Bolts in need of "additional tightening" have been found during inspections of Boeing 737 Max 9s, United Airlines has said. United Airlines said "installation issues" relating to door plugs would be "remedied" before the aircraft type would return to service. Inspections began after a section of the fuselage fell from an Alaska Airlines 737 Max 9 on Friday. BBC

New York City driver had enough of pro-Palestinian protestors blocking traffic

iPhone survives 16,000 foot drop . . . The iPhone was lying on the ground, in airplane mode, with its battery half full. The screen, fully intact, showed a $70 receipt for two checked bags on Alaska Airlines flight 1282. A social media user by the name Sean Bates found the device while walking down Barnes Road near Highway 217 in Portland, Ore., he posted on X, formerly Twitter, on Sunday. “Survived a 16,000 foot drop,” he tweeted. A handful of objects were sucked out of the plane that was 16,000 feet in the sky. The iPhone found by Bates was most likely one of them, the NTSB told media outlets. It was still in Airplane mode. Washington Post

Word has it that Samsung is working on a new phone that can survive a drop from 17,000 feet.