National

Sneak Peek

Axios Sneak Peek

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen is ruling out a potential proposal from House Republicans that calls for triaging payments after the exhaustion of "extraordinary measures" to avoid default on the federal debt.

The big picture: The U.S. has reached its $31.4 trillion debt ceiling, the Treasury Department announced on Thursday, with no obvious deal in sight.

Yellen said Friday that any failure to pay a government bill would constitute a debt default, insisting that her department doesn’t have the “systems” to prioritize debt payments.

The draft GOP proposal, reported by The Washington Post, would buy time on the debt limit.

But the debt prioritization it leans on would essentially be picking winners and losers on who gets paid, pitting Social Security recipients against, say, U.S. military personnel.  

The proposal has been savaged by White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain.

Driving the news: In a brief press exchange at the Presidential Palace in Dakar, Senegal, Yellen gave both historical and technical arguments for why Congress needs to raise the debt limit.

“A failure on the part of the United States to meet any obligation, whether it's the debt holders, members of our military, or to Social Security recipients, is effectively a default,” she said. 

“I will also say that Treasury systems have all been built to pay our bills, to pay all of our bills when they are due and on time and not to prioritize one form of spending over another.”

Go deeper: Yellen slams Russia and China in Africa speech

Yellen rejects GOP gambit on debt ceiling

Debt ceiling

Joe Biden

President Biden has made the COVID-19 crisis and a post-Trump return to national unity and traditional democratic ideals his top priorities. From vaccinations to stimulus to schools, Biden is seeking bipartisan compromise while showing a willingness to use executive authority and bare Democratic majorities in the U.S. House and Senate to implement his policies. Republican leaders are navigating deep party divisions over if and how to move beyond former President Trump.

Politics & Policy

The U.S. will designate the Wagner Group, a private Russian mercenary company currently deployed in Ukraine, as a "significant transnational criminal organization" and will announce additional sanctions against the group, the White House said on Friday. 

Why it matters: The U.S. believes Wagner has about 50,000 personnel deployed to aid Russia in its invasion of Ukraine. Last month, the White House said the group recently received weapon supplies in the form of infantry rockets and missiles from North Korea.

White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby on Friday detailed the North Korean weapon shipment to the group, releasing photos of Russian railcars traveling from Russia to North Korea and back in November. 

The U.S. does not believe the North Korean shipment will significantly alter the dynamics of the battlefield, but it fears Pyongyang will send additional shipments in the future, Kirby said. 

North Korean officials denied the arms shipment, which would violate UN  Security Council resolutions. Russian businessman Yevgeny Prigozhin, Wagner's owner and a close ally of President Vladimir Putin, also denied the group received the shipments, per Reuters. 

What they're saying: "These actions recognize the transcontinental threat that Wagner poses, including through its ongoing pattern of serious criminal activity," Kirby said during a White House press briefing Friday, ahead of the Treasury Department's formal announcement next week. 

"With these actions, and there will be more to come, our message to any company considering providing support to Wagner is simply this: Wagner is a criminal organization that is committing widespread atrocities and human rights abuses, and we will work relentlessly to identify, disrupt, expose and target those that are assisting Wagner," Kirby added.

Wagner has been subject to U.S. sanctions since 2017.

Between the lines: The U.S. believes that Putin's increasing reliance on Wagner has created friction between the mercenary group and the Russian military and Russian ministries, Kirby told reporters. 

"We're seeing indications, including in intelligence, that tensions between Wagner and the Russian Ministry of Defense are increasing. Wagner is becoming a rival power center to the Russian military and other Russian ministries," Kirby said.

"Publicly, Prigozhin and his fighters have criticized Russian generals and defense officials for their performance on the battlefield. Prigozhin is trying to advance his own interest in Ukraine, and Wagner is making military decisions based largely, largely, on what they will generate for Prigozhin in terms of positive publicity."

The big picture: Kirby said the U.S. assesses that Wagner's presence in Ukraine includes 10,000 formally contracted fighters and 40,000 convicts who were recruited from Russian prisons.

The group's fighters have recently been involved in some of the bloodiest battles in eastern Ukraine, including in Soledar and Bakhmut. 

Last week, Wagner claimed its fighters had taken control of Soledar. The Russian Defense Ministry later said its forces took control of the salt-mining town.

Ukrainian officials denied both claims, saying fighting over the town was ongoing.

Go deeper: U.S. to send Ukraine $2.5 billion arms shipment

U.S. to designate Russia's Wagner Group as a transnational criminal organization

It comes in part in response to North Korean weapon shipments to the mercenary group, the White House said.

People looking at a drones on display inside the Wagner Group's headquarters in St. Petersburg, Russia, in November 2022.

Drones on display inside the Wagner Group's headquarters in St. Petersburg, Russia, in November. Photo: Olga Maltseva/AFP via Getty Images 

Russian invasion of Ukraine

Russia

Ukraine

China is becoming the most formidable rival America has faced, and the risk of confrontation with Russia, North Korea or Iran still looms. Authoritarians are rising, the chaotic Afghanistan exit revealed the limits of U.S. power, and the pandemic, climate change and other critical challenges continue to pose grave threats.

World

It was a busy week for layoffs in corporate America. Tech giants Microsoft and Alphabet both announced they would fire tens of thousands of workers (about 5% of each company's global workforce).

Meanwhile, online furniture retailer Wayfair said today it would shed 10% of its workforce (roughly 1,750 employees). 

Between the lines: On the one hand, layoff announcements (including by Goldman Sachs) seem to signal trouble ahead for the labor market. On the other hand, key indicators point to a job market that's chugging along.

For one, the unemployment rate is at a historically low 3.5% as of December — suggesting a still-tight labor market.

There are also very few people filing for unemployment on a weekly basis (just 190,000 last week), with no notable uptick. That may have something to do with generous severance packages. Alphabet, for one, will pay at least 16 weeks of severance, plus six months of health benefits, in the U.S.

Yes, but: There is evidence that the labor market is cooling, beyond the ongoing layoff announcements across tech and e-commerce firms that have seen demand come back to earth. Federal Reserve vice chair Lael Brainard pointed to some of this evidence in a speech delivered Thursday.

Perhaps the most telling sign is that the growth of monthly payrolls has slowed. During the first quarter of 2022, the economy added an average of 540,000 jobs each month. Last quarter, that slowed to a (still-strong) 250,000 jobs added on average per month. 

Temporary-help firms have been eliminating positions since last summer, which Brainard described as a "leading indicator." 

Finally, average weekly hours are falling: "This margin is among the easiest to adjust by firms facing declining demand, especially those who may be reluctant to undertake layoffs following the challenges encountered in restoring employment following the pandemic-induced layoffs," Brainard said. 

A tale of two job markets

Layoffs signal trouble ahead, yet other key indicators show an economy that's chugging along.

Jobs

After a record economic expansion, the coronavirus pandemic sent the U.S. economy into a recession as unemployment soared to staggering heights. The country now faces urgent questions about how much stimulus is needed for reeling consumers and businesses, and what a recovery might look like.

Economy & Business

Salt Lake City

Sundance announced a surprise final addition to its 2023 film slate on Thursday.

Details: The documentary "Justice," directed by Doug Liman, centers around the #MeToo accusations brought against U.S. Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh in 2018 and the FBI investigation that followed. It premieres Friday at 8:30pm at the Park Avenue Theatre in Park City.

The film will feature "never-before-seen" details and interviews from people involved with sexual harassment allegations against Kavanaugh, according to a news release.

It's Liman's first documentary feature. He has directed major films like “The Bourne Identity” and “Mr. & Mrs. Smith.”

Catch up quick: In 2018, then-President Donald Trump nominated Kavanaugh to serve on the Supreme Court. 

Following the nomination, Christine Blasey Ford, a professor at Palo Alto University, came forward and testified in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee that Kavanaugh had sexually assaulted her during a party when they were both in high school in 1982.

After Ford's allegations, two more women accused him of sexual assault or misconduct during the 1980s, the New York Times reported.

Kavanaugh denied the claims before being confirmed by the Senate.

What they’re saying: “Thanks to this fantastic investigative team and the brave souls who trusted us with their stories, 'Justice' picks up where the FBI investigation into Brett Kavanaugh fell woefully short,” Liman said in a statement.

“The film examines our judicial process and the institutions behind it, highlighting bureaucratic missteps and political power grabs that continue to have an outsized impact on our nation today.”

"It's a very powerful documentary that we felt was important to add. We saw it practically [Wednesday]," Kim Yutani, the festival's director of programming, said during a news conference. "It’s a film that ... challenges existing narratives. I think it asks tough questions, and I think it also provokes conversation."

Sundance adds Brett Kavanaugh documentary to 2023 slate

Filmmakers say it includes "never-before-seen" details of the allegations against Kavanaugh.

A still from “Justice.” Photo: Courtesy of Sundance Institute

Movies

News

Things to Do

At their winter gathering on Capitol Hill this week, the nation's mayors delivered a bipartisan message to Congress and President Biden: Help stop the flow of migrants and asylum seekers into our cities — and give us the funds to take humane care of those who arrive.

Why it matters: As much as they care about issues such as climate change, mental health, COVID-19 relief funds, gun control, and the opioid crisis, immigration bubbled to the top of the agenda at the U.S. Conference of Mayors meeting.

"Unchecked immigration placed a tremendous burden on our cities," said Francis X. Suarez, mayor of Miami and president of the nonpartisan group of mayors.

"We've been very vocal and transparent about how this crisis has impacted American cities and in our call on the federal government to help not just deal with the crisis, but solve the crisis," said Suarez. (Suarez is a registered Republican, though the office of Miami mayor is a nonpartisan position.)  

The meeting drew 270 mayors from cities of 30,000 people or more — including 70 newcomers and an unusually high number of women among them. 

Catch up fast: Record numbers of migrants and asylum seekers arriving at the U.S.-Mexico border have created humanitarian crises, logistical headaches, and a political nightmare for President Biden from nearly the start of his presidency, Axios' Stef Kight reports. 

Republican governors like Texas' Greg Abbott and Florida's Ron DeSantis have bused thousands of migrants to liberal cities like New York, Washington, D.C., and Chicago to challenge Biden's border policies, prompting the Democratic mayors of those cities to ask for federal help. 

In early January, Biden released a new policy in an effort to curb illegal border crossings. 

In a nod to the gravity of the issue, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken was dispatched to the conference for the first time and held a closed-door session with mayors on immigration and other issues.

The following day, the mayor of San Diego, Todd Gloria (D), held a closed-door session on "Responding to the Influx of Migrants to Our Cities." 

"What we truly need beyond the dollars from the federal government is comprehensive immigration reform," Gloria said at a press conference before that session began.

"What we have is an antiquated system, and Congress surely sees that."

Suarez said that "as mayors, we have to fill the potholes of America," adding: "One of our potholes is our ongoing lack of action on immigration."

Zoom out: New York City Mayor Eric Adams (D) captured the mood of the conference in demanding a "national call to action on three of the most serious issues facing us as a nation: gun violence, the fentanyl epidemic, and asylum seeker crisis."

"These are issues that need a 50-state strategy," said Adams, who in October declared a state of emergency over the busing of migrants to the Big Apple.

He recently visited El Paso to see the border crisis firsthand: "What I saw was not a state problem or city problem — it is a national problem driven by global forces impacting regular people."

His six-point migration plan included naming a "dedicated point person" in the administration, expediting the right-to-work for asylum seekers, and a "decompression strategy at the border that establishes a plan for each migrant's arrival."

Between the lines: The nation's mayors skew heavily Democratic, so they're taking pains not to offend the Biden administration. 

“Mayors have never had better partners than the Biden administration,” Columbus, Ohio's Democratic Mayor Andrew J. Ginther said at the meeting.

Mayors call for help with migrants and asylum seekers

"Unchecked immigration placed a tremendous burden on our cities," the mayor of Miami said.

NYC Mayor Eric Adams speaks at the U.S. Conference of Mayors' winter meeting.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams outlined an agenda for immigration reform at the U.S. Conference of Mayors winter meeting in Washington, D.C. Photo: Nathan Posner/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

Mayors

Realtors across the country foresee an increasingly buyer-friendly housing market in 2023, a major shift from the frenetic and expensive pandemic-era housing boom. 

Driving the news: The housing market has slowed — thanks to mortgage rates hovering around 6%. 

Axios polled more than 75 experts across Axios Local cities to find out what's in store for 2023 and found that sellers everywhere will have to put in more work to close the deal as buyers aren't willing to overbid on less-than-perfect homes.

"Buyers have and should continue to have a choice of properties to purchase along with some wiggle room, which could include sellers paying buyer closing costs, price decreases and property repairs," Sheryl Bowden, vice president of Phoenix Realtors, said. 

In Charlotte, the market is moving with interest rates, Jeff Clay, owner of JClay Realty said. 

And unless those rates come down drastically, “we are likely in for a market with low overall activity, low supply and demand that will probably stay a bit muted,” Clay said.

In San Francisco, Eileen Bermingham with Corcoran Icon Properties predicts "fewer instances of overbidding and multiple offers.

"Buyers will be split into two camps: ones waiting for prices to fall, or those jumping on good opportunities," she said.

In the Lone Star State, drastic home price falls are unexpected, according to Adam Perdue, an economist with the Texas Real Estate Research Center at Texas A&M University.

"Over the next few years, we definitely are going to see a flattening in the rate of price increases on a year-over-year basis," Perdue said. 

Other cities, like Miami, might see continued appreciation in 2023.

"South Florida real estate is unique from other U.S. markets in that we continue to see high in-migration domestically and internationally," Fernando Arencibia Jr., CEO of Arenci Properties Realty, said.

If mortgage rates do increase later this year, the number of inbound movers and cash buyers should be enough to shield South Florida from falling home prices.

The bottom line: While mortgage rates make borrowing more expensive, buying conditions will be easier and price growth will moderate in 2023. 

Sign up for Axios Local, now publishing daily newsletters in 26 cities, with three more coming later this year.

Realtors predict the end of a frantic market in 2023

Sellers everywhere will have to put in more work to close the deal.

Illustration of the year 2022, with a keyhole for a zero, which zooms in so you can see through the keyhole to the year 2023.

Real estate

As anti-abortion activists gather in Washington, D.C., on Friday to celebrate the overturning of Roe v. Wade — a singular cause that united abortion opponents for decades — some factions are split on the movement's next steps. 

The big picture: While mainstream anti-abortion messaging still revolves around sanctioning doctors or clinics, a small but growing group of self-described abortion abolitionists are taking steps to single out and punish those seeking to end a pregnancy.

Major anti-abortion groups like Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, the National Right to Life Committee and the March for Life organization — which is organizing Friday's anti-abortion rally — have urged state lawmakers crafting anti-abortion bills to consider abortion patients as "victims" immune from prosecution.

But Abolish Human Abortion, one of the most high-profile abortion abolitionist groups, states that abortion "is an act of murder and should never be considered an acceptable solution for any difficult circumstance."

Between the lines: There are currently no laws in effect that allow a pregnant patient to be prosecuted. In fact, many state laws stipulate that only providers can be punished, through fines, jail time or loss of a medical license. 

But as state legislatures start to convene their 2023 sessions, some lawmakers are embracing the idea that those who get an abortion when it is illegal should be punished or penalized.

In Oklahoma, state Sen. Warren Hamilton (R) introduced a bill that would modify the state's abortion ban, specifically getting rid of the law's clause that guarantees that pregnant people cannot be prosecuted.

If the bill is enacted, "it will allow for those accessing an abortion to potentially be prosecuted for that abortion," said Tamya Cox-Touré, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Oklahoma.

In Missouri, state lawmakers are currently considering a bill that would define a fetus as a person and could allow prosecution of patients — unless a patient argues they have been "coerced" into getting an abortion.

A bill was introduced in Louisiana last year that would have allowed prosecutors to charge a person with homicide for getting an abortion. 

The sponsor wound up pulling it from consideration after state lawmakers amended it to remove the language that would have enabled the prosecution, among other changes. 

What they're saying: "Women should always be held harmless," said Marilyn Musgrave, vice president of government affairs at SBA Pro-Life America, which regularly works with lawmakers to draft abortion bills.

"The focus for prosecution" should be on those that provide abortions, not the patients, said Kristi Hamrick, chief media and policy strategist for Students for Life of America.

Moving to punish those who seek abortions where the procedure is illegal could also prove to be politically unpopular. 

While most Americans remain in the middle of the debate — believing that abortion should be legal in some cases and illegal in others — the midterm elections brought wins for abortion rights even in red states. 

But the debate over individual liability has intensified as more people access abortion pills through telehealth and mail. 

Last week, the Alabama attorney general's office suggested to 1819 News that pregnant people who take abortion pills could be charged under a state chemical endangerment law that's been used to punish patients for consuming drugs during pregnancy.

Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall later walked back the comments, saying only those who provide abortion pills should be punished. 

Yes, but: There is a history of prosecuting people for getting an abortion, often under state laws that are not abortion-related, Elizabeth Nash, lead state policy analyst for the Guttmacher Institute, told Axios last year. However, many of these charges have not held up in court.

In 2022, prior to the Dobbs decision, a Texas woman was charged with murder for allegedly causing "the death of an individual by self-induced abortion." The charges were ultimately dropped, with a Texas district attorney that while the issue was "clearly contentious ... it is not a criminal matter" under state law.

Purvi Patel was sentenced to 20 years in prison in Indiana in 2015 for "feticide" and "child neglect." Her conviction was overturned a year later. While prosecutors alleged that Patel had induced her abortion with pills ordered overseas, there was no sign of the pills in toxicology reports.

Abortion rights advocates say the debate over prosecuting individuals reveals the anti-abortion movement's actual goal, which is to ultimately punish those who seek abortions.

"I think they're just biding their time," said Jennifer Dalven, director of the Reproductive Freedom Project at the ACLU, in a press call. 

The post-Roe fight dividing anti-abortion activists

While major anti-abortion groups oppose prosecuting patients, some state lawmakers are thinking otherwise.

Illustration of hands holding jail bars made of medical wristbands.

Abortion

Axios Explains: Abortion

The U.S. faces a range of health care flashpoints — unaffordable drugs, opioids, vaping — as we debate whether to adopt universal care. For now, the Affordable Care Act is the law of the land, but Republicans want to issue it a final death blow.

Health

Clashes erupted in Lima between Peru's police and protesters on Thursday, as thousands took to the streets in the capital and across the country to call for President Dina Boluarte's resignation.

Details: A historic building caught fire in the capital as riot police fired tear gas and demonstrators, many from the predominantly Indigenous south, threw stones during the latest demonstration unrest, which was originally sparked by the ousting of Peru's detained former President Pedro Castillo.

The cause of the fire in Lima's historic center, near San Martín Plaza, was not immediately known.

State of play: The deaths of over 50 people during six weeks of demonstrations have fueled further anger and resulted in growing calls for Boluarte's removal from office. On Thursday, protesters in Lima were chanting "Dina, murderer, the people repudiate you," the Guardian reports.

Boluarte called for "dialogue" on Thursday after the latest flashpoint in the worst political violence in over 20 years left at least one person dead and 30 others wounded, according to CNN.

Context: A judge in Peru in December ordered Castillo to remain in detention for 18 months after authorities requested time to build their rebellion case against the former president, whom lawmakers ousted from office following his failed attempt to dissolve Congress.

Between the lines: The protests underscore the massive divide in the country between the urban elite that mostly live in Lima and Peruvians that live in impoverished rural areas, AP notes.

Historic building ablaze in Peru's capital during deadly protest clashes

Thousands of protesters marched on Lima demanding President Dina Boluarte's resignation after six weeks of deadly

Firefighters extinguishing fire at a building where a fire broke out at the roof during the clashes between protestors and demonstrator in f Lima, Peru on January 19, 2023. 

Firefighters extinguishing flames at a building that caught fire during clashes between police and protesters in the historical center of Lima, Peru, on Thursday night. Photo: Klebher Vasquez/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

Peru

The death toll in the Buffalo blizzard has risen to 47 after Erie County officials confirmed on Thursday that three more people had lost their lives during the destructive winter storm.

Driving the news: Erie County executive Mark Poloncarz tweeted that they died after cardiac events that were witnessed by others, but emergency responders were unable to reach them in time due to the historic blizzard.

A screenshot of the Eerie County CEO's tweet confirming three more deaths in last month's historic Buffalo blizzard, after emergency responders couldn't reach the patients.

Photo: Erie County executive Mark Poloncarz/ Twitter

What we're watching: The storm death toll could still rise as the medical examiner was awaiting toxicology results in order to confirm the causes of three deaths, per Poloncarz.

The big picture: Buffalo bore the brunt of what New York Gov. Kathy Hochul described as "the most devastating storm" in the city's history, as it froze several substations and created hazardous conditions during the busy holiday travel period.

In addition to the 46 people who died in Erie County, one person was found dead in the Niagara County town of Lockport of suspected carbon monoxide poisoning.

Between the lines: What made this extreme weather event so dangerous for Buffalo, a city that's used to heavy snow, were the days of extremely strong winds, frigid temperatures and heavy snow, per Axios' Andrew Freedman.

Some residents questioned Erie County officials storm preparation plans after officials issued a travel advisory to go into effect at 7am on Dec. 23 ET, but the travel ban didn't go into effect until 9.30am the next morning — as the blizzard was already under way.

Many wanted the travel ban to be implemented earlier and the Washington Post reports there have been ongoing demonstrations over Buffalo's "emergency preparedness processes, budget, and its lack of participation in the county’s planning."

Of note: New York's second-largest city has gone for years without an official emergency manager, whose job it is to create "procedures for responding to natural disasters and other emergencies" and lead and help coordinate the response, according to WashPost.

Vinny Ventresca, the president of Buffalo Professional Firefighters Local 282, said at a Buffalo Common Council meeting Tuesday that the city's fire commissioner, William Renaldo, who was given these responsibilities in lieu of an emergency manager, was away on vacation at the time of the storm, per WBFO.

What they're saying: Local officials defended their actions. Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown told the Washington Post late last month "everything that could have been done in the lead-up to the storm, and during the storm was done."

Renaldo told lawmakers when he appeared before the Common Council's Community Development Committee on Tuesday that the city was well-equipped ahead of the storm and rejected the firefighters' union's claims that equipment was old and worn and had hampered their efforts, according to the Buffalo News.

"On the apparatus and equipment side, we activated all four of our alternative response vehicles in anticipation of a higher-than-normal volume of EMS calls," Renaldo said. 

  A screenshot of the Eerie County CEO’s tweet last month on whether the driving ban should’ve occurred earlier over the storm, saying “I do not know if it would have changed anything.'

Photo: Erie County executive Mark Poloncarz/Twitter

Editor's note: This article has been updated with comment from the Buffalo fire commissioner, the president of the Buffalo Professional Firefighters Local 282 and the city's mayor, along with additional context.

Death toll in Buffalo's historic December blizzard rises to 47

Officials said 7 of the deaths were linked to delayed EMS responses during the destructive storm.

A resident leaves a local corner store in Buffalo, New York, on December 26, 2022 during a historic blizzard.

The scene at one of the few grocery stores open in Buffalo, New York, on Dec. 26 during the historic winter storm. Photo: Joed Viera /AFP via Getty Images

extreme weather

Extreme weather

Ominous forecasts about the impact of climate change serve as the backdrop for the world — led by U.S. lawmakers and companies — to debate big action on the problem, which could upend energy systems and our way of life.

Energy & Environment

A look at the scientific breakthroughs changing the world, explorations in space and in worlds beyond our own and the threats posed to us by our own planet, both out of our control and of our own making.

Science

A federal judge in Florida ordered former President Trump and his attorneys to pay over $937,000 in sanctions on Thursday,

Driving the news: District Court Judge Donald Middlebrooks ruled that they perpetrated a "continuing pattern of misuse of the courts" in order to "dishonestly advance a political narrative" in his lawsuit against Hillary Clinton.

Why it matters: Trump's suit baselessly accused Clinton, her campaign and other Democrats of working to paint a false narrative about Trump's alleged collusion with Russia in order to win the 2016 presidential election.

Middlebrooks dismissed the case last September, however, calling it a "two-hundred-page political manifesto" and ruling that Trump exceeded the legal statute of limitations.

Details: Under Thursday's order, Trump and his lead attorney, Alina Habba of Habba Madaio & Associates, are "jointly and severally liable for $937,989.39."

This is in addition to the $50,000 fine Middlebrooks issued in November.

What they're saying: "This case should never have been brought. Its inadequacy as a legal claim was evident from the start," Middlebrooks, a Clinton appointee, wrote in the blistering 46-page filing.

"No reasonable lawyer would have filed it. Intended for a political purpose, none of the counts of the amended complaint stated a cognizable legal claim."

"A continuing pattern of misuse of the courts by Mr. Trump and his lawyers undermines the rule of law, portrays judges as partisans, and diverts resources from those who have suffered actual legal harm," he said.

"Mr. Trump is a prolific and sophisticated litigant who is repeatedly using the courts to seek revenge on political adversaries," Middlebrooks added, calling his "use of a frivolous lawsuit" the cornerstone in a larger "plan, or at least a playbook."

What we're watching: Trump's legal team previously said it would appeal the ruling after Middlebrooks tossed out the lawsuit. 

Representatives for Trump and Habba did not immediately return requests for comment.

Trump, attorneys sanctioned over $937,000 for allegedly abusing court

Trump and his team misused the court system to "dishonestly advance a political narrative," the federal judge said.

Friday's top stories