Colorado GOP appeals insurrection ban / New Gaza humanitarian coordinator / U.S. unveils $250M aid package for Ukraine

Plus: U.S. temporarily lifts ban on Apple Watch imports

Inside Daily Brief For December 28, 2023

Here are today's top stories: Colorado's GOP appealed a state supreme court ruling barring Donald Trump from appearing on the 2024 ballot. The U.N. appointed a new humanitarian and reconstruction coordinator for Gaza and approved more aid for the territory. The Biden administration announced $250M in military aid for Ukraine as a $110B aid package remains stuck in Congress. Thanks for reading! Gregory p/Gregory_Bridgman

1 The Colorado Republican Party asked the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn a ruling that disqualifies Donald Trump from appearing on the state's 2024 ballot. The Colorado Supreme Court last week ruled that Trump is ineligible to appear on the ballot because of a constitutional ban on insurrectionists holding public office. More: The 4-3 ruling says Trump is ineligible as a candidate because of his involvement in the riot at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. The Justices partly upheld a decision by a district judge who ruled last month that Trump "acted to incite political violence" that day. The ruling was paused until Jan. 4. to give Trump time to file an appeal with the U.S. Supreme Court (SCOTUS). Trump has not filed an appeal but is expected to do so soon. The appeal filed by the Colorado GOP on Wednesday will extend the pause until SCOTUS decides whether to take up the appeal and, if so, it will remain paused until the court issues a ruling. The appeal argues that: Colorado's Supreme Court violated the Constitution's First Amendment, which permits political parties to choose candidates. The ruling incorrectly expanded the constitution's "insurrectionist ban" to include presidents. Only Congress, rather than courts or state officials, has the power to enforce such a ban. The deadline for election officials in Colorado to finalize the list of candidates on the GOP ballot is Jan. 5. Zoom Out: Trump currently leads all other Republican primary candidates by a wide margin. The Michigan Supreme Court on Wednesday rejected an effort to disqualify Trump from the state's primary ballot.

2 What the numbers say: Public perceptions of the ongoing investigations into former U.S. President Donald Trump are largely split along party lines, according to an NPR poll published in March. Democrats generally view the investigations as fair, most Republicans believe they are a "witch hunt," and independents are split down the middle.  When the poll was conducted, Trump was under investigation for mishandling classified documents, election interference, his involvement in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, and paying hush money to adult film star Stormy Daniels. Trump currently faces four criminal cases, including one federal and one state case in Georgia related to his alleged efforts to subvert the 2020 presidential election. Trump is the top GOP primary contender, leading both Nikki Haley and Ron DeSantis by around 50 percentage points, according to some recent polls. Notably, almost one-third of Republicans surveyed in December this year do not trust that votes will be correctly counted during the GOP presidential primaries.

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3 The U.N. appointed the Netherlands' former finance minister, Sigrid Kaag, as its humanitarian and reconstruction coordinator for Gaza. The announcement on Tuesday came after the Security Council passed a resolution on Friday to increase humanitarian support in the war-torn territory. More: Kaag will be responsible for facilitating, coordinating, and verifying humanitarian aid shipments and creating a "mechanism" to accelerate aid deliveries into Gaza. Kaag previously served as the Netherlands' first female minister for trade and development and in 2018 became the country's first female finance minister. Kaag most recently served as deputy prime minister but chose to leave her position due to "hate, intimidation, and threats." Kaag speaks Arabic and previously worked for the U.N. in Sudan and the Middle East. Israel initially stopped deliveries of food water, medicine, and fuel into Gaza following Hamas' Oct. 7 attack but then permitted limited deliveries of humanitarian aid via Egypt following U.S. pressure. Israel's government re-opened the Kerem Shalom crossing into Gaza earlier this month, but truck traffic stopped following an Israeli strike on the Palestinian side of the crossing on Thursday. Zoom Out: Friday's U.N. resolution called for "expanded humanitarian access" to Gaza but stopped short of calling for a ceasefire due to concerns about a U.S. veto. Gaza faces a food crisis and 576,000 people currently face catastrophic or starvation levels of hunger, according to a report by 23 U.N. and nongovernmental organizations.

4 GOOD NEWS: A lost dog was rescued in the U.K. after going missing seven years ago. The 12-year-old animal was found roaming near Crawley Down, a village in West Sussex, England. More: A stray black dog was spotted on a road near the village in November, according to a local pet rescue nonprofit. Volunteers caught the dog and discovered from a microchip that her name was Rose and that she had gone missing in 2017. Rose, a Patterdale terrier, was in good condition, in part because locals had been feeding her. She is being cared for at an animal rescue center because her former owners said they could not take her back. Zoom Out: Between 11%-16% of dogs in the U.S. pet population go missing at least once over a five-year period, according to the ASPCA.

5 The Biden administration on Wednesday announced a $250M military aid package for Ukraine. Washington may not be able to provide more military support for Ukraine until lawmakers pass funding legislation that remains stuck in Congress. More: The package includes air defense munitions, anti-armor munitions, and medical equipment taken from Petagon stockpiles through the Presidential Drawdown Authority. The Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, which funds future weapons contracts, has reportedly exhausted its resources and the Pentagon said it lacks funding to replace the weapons taken from its stockpiles. The Defense Department comptroller told Congress that the U.S. will deplete its last replenishment funds by the end of the year. The Biden administration seeks to pass a $110B aid package that includes $61.4B for Ukraine, as well as funds to replenish the Pentagon's reserves. The bill also includes $14B to support Israel, $14B for U.S. border security, and additional funds for the Asia-Pacific region. Zoom Out: Senate Republicans blocked the bill earlier this month in a bid to secure policy changes on the U.S.-Mexico border. Support for giving more aid to Ukraine's military is beginning to wane in the U.S. and Europe as its war with Russia grinds on with no end in sight.

6 Apple will continue selling its latest smartwatch models in the U.S. after a federal appeals court blocked a sales and import ban. The interim stay allows Apple to continue selling the devices while it seeks to overturn a ruling by the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC).  More: A U.S. judge ruled in January that the blood oxygen sensor in some of Apple's watches violated the intellectual property of medical device maker Masimo. The ITC banned Apple from importing and selling watches that use the technology and the ruling came into effect on Dec. 25, after the White House chose not to veto the ban. Apple appealed the ITC ruling and requested an emergency stay from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. Apple also altered its smartwatch software to mitigate legal issues and submitted the new design to the U.S. customs agency. The agency is scheduled to decide on Jan. 12 whether to approve the changes. The appellate court in Washington temporarily allowed Apple to continue selling its watches and told the ITC to address Apple's request for a longer stay by Jan. 10. The company said it will resume online sales of its Apple Watch Series 9 and Ultra 2 models today. Masimo on Tuesday opposed Apple's request for an interim stay and plans to intervene in the appeals case.  Zoom Out: Apple sold 53 million smartwatches in 2022.

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Gregory Bridgman Writer / Editor Gregory Bridgman is a politics and e-commerce researcher with a Ph.D. from the University of Cambridge. He also holds a Master of Science from University College London and a Bachelor's degree from the University of Cape Town.  Feel free to follow him on Twitter or drop him an email at gregory@inside.com. This newsletter was edited by Eduardo Garcia

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