Welcome to the Bulletin,

• Border wall: New sections of the border wall being built in California have an anti-climbing feature, according to reports. The top of the barrier is being erected along the ocean between San Diego and Tijuana, Mexico.
• Bird Flu in China: The World Health Organization said Tuesday that it had assessed the risk of human-to-human transmission of a newly reported bird flu case in China as "low" following the detection of a person infected with combined H3N2 and H10N5 strains of avian influenza.
• Houston water warning: Residents in Houston with private wells near a wastewater treatment site have been urged to only use distilled or boiled water after a "structural failure."
• Sandwich recall: A ready-made sandwich product produced by MG Foods is being voluntarily recalled over fears it may contain the bacterium that can cause listeria.
• In the ongoing war in Ukraine, Russia has suffered the greatest artillery losses in a single day since the start of the Ukraine war, with 66 systems destroyed, along with over 1000 personnel and nearly 80 vehicles, Ukraine's military said in an update on Wednesday.

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TL;DR: "Let's send the message to our friends running the Congress these days, stumbling around for Trump to start running the country," Tom Suozzi said in his victory speech.

Former U.S. Representative Tom Suozzi won back his House seat in New York's 3rd Congressional District on Tuesday, defeating Republican Mazi Pilip. AP called the race shortly after 10 p.m., with Suozzi receiving 58.7 percent of the vote and Pilip at 41.3 percent. The two were running to fill the vacancy left by expelled Representative George Santos.

Why it matters: Democrats flipped a GOP seat in New York's 3rd District, overcoming Republican immigration criticisms and leveraging the local migrant crisis. Political consultant Jay Townsend told Newsweek that Suozzi's moderate stance, political skill, and early voting strategy, contrasted with Pilip's political inexperience, played critical roles in the victory, highlighting immigration as a central issue.

Read more in-depth coverage:

George Santos Mocks GOP For Setting '$10m On Fire' After Losing His Seat

Donald Trump Rages at Republicans Losing George Santos Seat—'Foolish Woman'

What happens now? Political expert Mona Kleinberg told Newsweek that Tuesday's election should be read cautiously since special elections typically have lower voter turnout. But she predicted that Democrats and Republicans would continue campaigning on the race's issues in November. "This means that Democrats will likely continue to be on the defensive when it comes to immigration and on the offensive when it comes to abortion. Of course, the reverse is true for Republicans," she said.

Deeper reading: New York Democrat Flips Seat in Blow to Republicans

TL;DR: "Instead of staging political stunts like this, Republicans with genuine concerns about the border should want Congress to deliver more border resources and stronger border security," Preside Joe Biden said.

MAGA Republicans have urged the U.S. Senate to remove Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas after the House voted on Tuesday to impeach him. In a historic rebuke, the House impeached Mayorkas in a 214-213 vote amid Republican outrage over the Biden administration's handling of the U.S.-Mexico border.

Why it matters: Mayorkas is the first U.S. Cabinet secretary charged in nearly 150 years. Republicans have been ramping up criticism over the Biden administration's immigration policies as November's presidential election approaches. Democrats have described the impeachment of Mayorkas as an unwarranted and partisan effort to score political points. President Joe Biden blasted the impeachment as a "blatant act of unconstitutional partisanship that has targeted an honorable public servant to play petty political games."

Read more in-depth coverage:

Republicans Impeach Alejandro Mayorkas on Second Attempt

Alejandro Mayorkas Impeachment 'Ridiculous, Republican Strategist Says

Video of Mike Johnson Celebrating Alejandro Mayorkas Impeachment Goes Viral

What happens now? Although Mayorkas will face an impeachment trial in the Senate, it is nearly sure that he will not be convicted, as Democrats and a two-thirds majority vote control the chamber is required to convict. Biden said his administration intends to "continue pursuing real solutions to the challenges Americans face," while "House Republicans have to decide whether to join us to solve the problem or keep playing politics with the border."

Deeper reading: MAGA Throws Down Gauntlet to Senate: 'Remove Mayorkas'

TL;DR: "Garland's lack of fairness in this case, and the ensuing political fallout, renders a second term of service highly unlikely," Professor Anthony V. Alfieri of the University of Miami at Florida told Newsweek.

Attorney General Merrick Garland finds himself at the heart of controversy amid mounting criticism over his appointment of Robert Hur as special counsel to investigate President Biden's handling of the documents.

Why it matters: Hur's report sparked bipartisan criticism, with Republicans questioning Biden's memory and Democrats decrying perceived political attacks within the findings. Garland has been under pressure for the perceived unfairness of the report and his silence in its aftermath. Professor Anthony V. Alfieri, a law professor at the University of Miami in Florida, said the report did not follow proper fairness procedures. There has been intense criticism of Garland for the public release of the report and signs that he might not survive the controversy.

Read more in-depth coverage:

Merrick Garland Under Fire From His Former Harvard Law Professor

Joe Biden Aide Blames Republicans for 'Pressurized' Special Counsel Report

Special Counsel Stuck 'Shiv' Into Joe Biden: Ex-Obama Official

What happens now? Biden's age and mental competence have already faced criticism during his reelection campaign, and the release of Hur's report seemed to heighten concerns about the president being fit enough for another term. Former federal prosecutor Neama Rahmani told Newsweek that Garland may be forced to resign. "If Biden is reelected, it will be interesting to see if Garland serves a second term or whether he resigns, voluntarily or not," he said.

Deeper reading: Merrick Garland's Future Looks Bleak

TL;DR: “North Korea is ramping up tensions because at this point it doesn’t see any downside to it,” Ramon Pacheco Pardo, a professor of international relations at King’s College London told Newsweek.

The North Korea of 2024 is more belligerent, provocative, and focused on its military than ever before. Pyongyang has put itself on a war footing, upping its defense production and forging ahead with ballistic missile tests that are deeply alarming to South Korea, Japan, and the U.S.

Why it matters: Pyongyang has stepped closer to Russia since it invaded Ukraine in February of 2022. King's College London professor Ramon Pacheco Pardo told Newsweek that Kim feels emboldened by this transformed relationship with Moscow and the protection his regime receives from Beijing. Last month, North Korea said it test-fired a new type of strategic cruise missile, although state media insisted it had "nothing to do with the regional situation."

Read more in-depth coverage:

Kim's North Korea Reveals New Rocket Launcher Technology

China Has a Putin-Kim Problem

Russian State TV Pushes North Korea as Vacation Destination

What happens now? North Korea faces big unknowns that could upset the strong trajectory it has set out on and pave the way for a future in which the nation does not exist as we now know it. Experts broadly agree there are a handful of events that could trigger its demise, including war, the unexpected death of Kim, or a popular uprising that may gain momentum if backed by the country’s security institutions.

Deeper reading: The End of North Korea

TL;DR: "Fed policymakers will likely put this inflation report [in] the 'not so good' column as they continue to exercise caution in assessing when to start easing policy," Chief economist Gregory Daco told Newsweek.

Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics indicates that inflation accelerated slower in January compared to the previous month but still exceeded economists' expectations of 2.9%. The Consumer Price Index (CPI) inflation rose by 3.1% in January, compared to the prior 3.4%, suggesting that the Federal Reserve may delay lowering borrowing costs.

Why it matters: Mortgage rates, which rose since March 2022, peaked at their highest levels since the turn of the century before recently declining to the mid-6% range. Persistent high inflation poses a barrier to further decreases. While some investors anticipated a Federal Reserve reduction in the funds rate from its current range of 5.25 to 5.5% in March, policymakers indicated an immediate rate cut in January was unlikely.

Read more in-depth coverage:

Housing Market Update: Here's What Economists Say About Home Affordability

Housing Market Hits a Troubling Milestone

Jobless Claims Fall, But Americans Still Can't Afford Homes

What happens now? Chief economist Ryan Sweet suggests the Fed may wait until May before considering any policy changes. Additionally, Chief Economist Gregory Daco suggests the Fed may begin cutting rates in June, with the potential for 100 basis points of rate cuts by the end of the year.

Deeper reading: Here's When the Housing Market Will Be More Affordable

ONE DEEPER READ:

Today, as I write, I've been asked to bring a car seat to the hospital for a newborn that is being released from our local hospital.

Her Haitian mother arrived in Brownsville, Texas in early labor after a harrowing experience involving a long wait in the river for someone from the Border Patrol to cut the concertina wire.

There were many people in the group from Haiti and Venezuela. They had decided to cross this way after experiencing the trauma of threats, kidnappings, and extortion from cartel members.

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