House to Vote on Hegseth Impeachment; SCOTUS Greenlights Border Wall

The House is preparing to vote this week on a resolution to impeach Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, a move that sets up a potential clash between the two chambers. Rep. Thomas Massie, a Republican from Kentucky, reintroduced articles of impeachment accusing Hegseth of high crimes and misdemeanors. The resolution lists eight specific charges. These include three counts for illegally waging war against Iran and one count for ignoring laws designed to minimize civilian casualties. Two other charges relate to overseeing extrajudicial killings of alleged drug boats in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific. The final charge alleges Hegseth captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro without congressional authorization. Hegseth has dismissed the articles as a sham.

Only a few Republicans need to support the measure in the House for it to pass, according to NPR reporter Sam Gringlas. A successful House vote would send the case to the Senate for a trial. Removing Hegseth from the Pentagon requires 67 senators, a high bar that will be difficult to reach even after Democrats take control. Massie told reporters he believes the threshold is achievable. He argued that opposition to the war in the home states of fellow Republicans could convince them to support the vote. Massie said some members of Congress now believe the administration must be held accountable for violating congressional war powers.

House Republicans are also scheduled to hold a closed door meeting today to select a minority leader for the next Congress. The decision is currently between current House Majority Leader Steve Scalise of Louisiana and Jim Jordan of Ohio. Jordan is a co founder of the far right House Freedom Caucus. This internal maneuvering happens as President Trump acknowledges that the war with Iran harmed his party in the midterms. Weeks before the election, the president said he would hold off on strikes in Iran. During his campaign, he hinted at potential actions to end the conflict. Now, Trump says there is no need for further strikes if talks are ongoing.

NPR’s Deepa Shivaram noted that Trump might resume military action if he does not get the deal he wants. The president has shown a pattern of shifting rhetoric since the war began. He has insisted the war was necessary and that he would do it again. Shivaram said Trump is now focusing on shaping his legacy in his final two years in office. He is attempting to frame the unpopular war as a success by claiming Iran’s nuclear stock is eliminated. Trump aims to establish himself as a dealmaker and peacemaker in the remainder of his term.

The U.S. Supreme Court gave the Trump administration permission to proceed with plans to build hundreds of miles of border barriers in west Texas. The court made this decision despite ongoing court hearings. The plan has faced bipartisan backlash because it involves Big Bend National Park. A five page decision stated that the federal judge who issued an injunction against the construction lacked the authority to intervene. The park is known for its canyons and desert landscape.

In a separate development, Nvidia stock slipped by 4.25 percent after CEO Jensen Huang admitted to an extramarital affair. The woman involved is an executive at MegaSpeed, a Singapore based company that Nvidia has collaborated with. U.S. intelligence suspects the woman of spying for China. The controversy centers on whether MegaSpeed was helping Chinese firms bypass chip export controls. The New York Times reports that the U.S. Commerce Department is investigating MegaSpeed. NPR has not independently verified these claims. AMD, Nvidia’s main competitor, saw its shares jump more than 13 percent.