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National

President Biden is facing calls from congressional hawks to escalate attacks on Iran-linked targets, including within Iran itself, in response to the deaths of three U.S. service members in a drone attack in Jordan.

Why it matters: Heeding those calls would risk significantly expanding and drawing the U.S. further into an already growing regional conflict that has sprung up as a result of the Israel-Hamas war.

Driving the news: "Last night, three U.S. service members were killed —and many wounded — during an unmanned aerial drone attack on our forces stationed in northeast Jordan near the Syria border," Biden said in a statement on Sunday morning.

Biden said the U.S. is "still gathering the facts of this attack," but "we know it was carried out by radical Iran-backed militant groups operating in Syria and Iraq."

According to U.S. central command, 25 service members were wounded in the attack.

What they're saying: Senate Minority Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) called for "serious, crippling costs" to Iran, "not only on front-line terrorist proxies, but on their Iranian sponsors who wear American blood as a badge of honor."

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), said in a statement the attacks the U.S. has carried out on Iranian proxies outside Iran "will not deter Iranian aggression," calling to "strike targets of significance inside Iran."

"The only answer to these attacks must be devastating military retaliation against Iran's terrorist forces, both in Iran and across the Middle East," said Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.). "Anything less will confirm Joe Biden as a coward unworthy of being commander-in-chief."

Sen. John Cornyn, in a post on the social media site X, said: "Target Tehran,” later specifying that he wants the U.S. to strike Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. and its Quds Force branch.

The backdrop: The U.S. has been conducting strikes against Iranian-backed militias in Yemen and Iraq in response to attacks on U.S. forces over American support for Israel.

Biden has faced rebukes from more dovish lawmakers on the ideological flanks of both parties for not seeking prior congressional authorization for the strikes, but hawks have also criticized them as insufficient.

McConnell, in a Senate floor speech on Thursday, accused Biden of playing "whack-a-mole against warehouses and launch sites," adding, "Until Iran feels that its own interests and its own IRGC officers across the region are threatened, attacks on U.S. forces will continue."

What we're hearing: "The head of the snake is Iran," Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.), a senior member of the House Armed Services Committee and former Air Force brigadier general, told Axios. 

Bacon noted that the administration "keeps conducting strikes on the proxy forces that are armed and often directed by Iran," but "Iran could care a less if we attack the proxy forces." 

"We should find smart Iranian targets that are low risk of our aircraft getting shot down and teach Iran a lesson," he said.

The big picture: Biden would likely face an outcry from many members of his own party if he retaliated to the degree some Republicans are advocating for.

Lawmakers across the political spectrum, and progressives in particular, have been increasingly critical of the administration's broad interpretation of executive war powers in recent weeks.

conducting strikes against Iranian-backed militias

GOP hawks press Biden to target Iran directly over soldiers' deaths

"Iran could care a less if we attack the proxy forces," said one House Republican.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell. Photo: Julia Nikhinson/Bloomberg via Getty Images.

Congress

Politics & Policy

Meet The Press 

GOP presidential candidate Nikki Haley on Sunday blasted the Republican National Committee for pressuring her to exit the race.

Why it matters: The former UN ambassador, who has remained behind former President Trump in polling, has faced growing calls to drop out, especially after failing to win the New Hampshire primary. 

What she's saying: Haley said the RNC has "clearly not" been an honest broker in the Republican primary while speaking to NBC's "Meet the Press" anchor Kristen Welker.  

"If you're gonna go and basically tell the American people that you're gonna go and decide who the nominee is after only two states have voted, I mean — 48 states out there — this is a democracy," Haley said. 

"The American people want to have their say in who is gonna be their nominee. We need to give them that," the former South Carolina governor added. 

Catch up quick: Haley's ire stems from a draft resolution that would have named Trump the 2024 Republican nominee at a time when she remains in the race. 

The resolution was largely symbolic, as the former president still would need the required 1,215 delegates as required by RNC rules to officially get the nomination. 

An RNC spokesperson told CNN that Chair Ronna McDaniel had no involvement in the resolution, but confirmed that the Resolution Committee would consider the proposal for a vote at the party's winter meeting. That event is scheduled for this week in Las Vegas.

Maryland RNC member David Bossie — who wrote the resolution —withdrew it on Thursday after considerable backlash. Even Trump weighed in via Truth Social saying "for the sake of PARTY UNITY, that they should NOT go forward with this plan." 

Instead, Trump said he "should do it the 'Old Fashioned' way, and finish the process off AT THE BALLOT BOX."

Worth noting: Several top Republicans, including House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) and House GOP Conference Chair Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) called on Haley to drop out of the race on Jan. 23 after Trump won New Hampshire. 

Last week, McDaniel also called on Republicans to "unite around our eventual nominee, which is going to be Donald Trump." 

On Sunday, Haley said she thinks "Americans want to be able to make this decision themselves. I don't think this is the place of the RNC to do it." 

"As long as I keep growing per state, I am in this race. I have every intention of going to Super Tuesday, through Super Tuesday. We're going to keep on going and see where this gets us," she said. 

Super Tuesday is set for March 5. South Carolina and Nevada will cast primary votes in February. 

Go deeper: Trump allies target Nikki Haley in extreme pressure campaign

Trump allies target Nikki Haley in extreme pressure campaign

Haley says RNC "clearly not" honest broker in Republican primary

Haley said she thinks "Americans want to be able to make this decision themselves. I don't think this is the place of the RNC to do it."

Nikki Haley

Elections 2024

Nevada's Republican delegates are all but locked up for former President Trump, even though the contest isn't for another week and a half.

Why it matters: Trump allies in Nevada's Republican Party gave him a runway to sweep the state's 26 delegates when they proceeded with the caucuses despite a state-sanctioned primary taking place two days earlier.

"This was clearly a move to basically set up where Trump really had no competition," Mike Noble, an independent pollster who specializes in the Southwest region, told Axios. 

Driving the news: Former UN ambassador Nikki Haley is participating in the Feb. 6 state-run primary, which will not award any delegates. 

A 2021 Nevada law said a state-run primary must take place if more than one candidate files for president.

The state GOP proceeded with holding its caucuses, which are scheduled for Feb. 8, and said candidates can't participate in both contests.

"The best way to describe it is the fix is in for the Don in Nevada," Noble said.

Zoom in: Caucuses often reward candidates with a strong voter base, said Daniel Lee, a political science professor at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

"Caucus voters are going to be your more enthusiastic, fervent supporters of the candidate ... precisely the type of supporters that Trump has," Lee said.

Trump dominated the 2016 Nevada Republican caucuses, beating second-place Sen. Marco Rubio by 22 percentage points.

"It gives each candidate the opportunity to perform. It's about getting their people out," Nevada GOP chairman Michael McDonald, a fake elector in 2020, said last year.

Zoom out: Trump advisers have been working behind the scenes with party activists to revise delegate selection rules in the former president's favor. 

In California, which has the most delegates of any state, a new rule allows a candidate to win all of the state's 169 delegates if they receive a majority of the primary. 

Delegates in California previously had been awarded in proportion to results in congressional districts. 

Other states like Idaho, Louisiana and Michigan have made changes to their selection rules. 

The bottom line: "Trump will get the delegates and Haley won't get any credit for a quote unquote, 'win' in the primaries," Noble said.

"The fix is in": Why Trump is expected to sweep Nevada's delegates

Former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley is participating in the Feb. 6 state-run primary.

Illustration of the state of Nevada forming a profile of Donald Trump's face.

Donald Trump

The House GOP's top tax writer doesn't just face blowback over the surprise deal he unveiled this month: Now the background chatter suggests Rep. Jason Smith (R-Mo.) could lose his gavel.

Why it matters: Senior Republican sources said Rep. Vern Buchanan (R-Fla.) — who narrowly lost a heated three-way race for the position in 2023 — has been urged to challenge House Ways and Means chairman for the top job.

Removing a sitting chairman before the end of their three-term limit would be unusual.

The last sitting chair to be demoted before their time was in 2005.

Zoom in: Multiple GOP lawmakers fumed about how negotiations on the bipartisan tax deal were handled.

GOP critics said key members weren't consulted on negotiations. Some members learned of the deal on social media, a senior committee source told Axios.

"I don't know who the f*** he's dealing with," one lawmaker told Axios. "How does Jason Smith announce the deal before the speaker knows about it?"

"Jason negotiated with the Senate and the Dems. For some reason Republicans weren't included in his negotiation," the lawmaker said.

Behind the scenes: Axios spoke with members who had a range of issues with the deal. Top complaints included:

The lack of a change to the state and local tax (SALT) deduction cap.

Others cited the Wall Street Journal editorial board's criticisms of the language on bolstering the child tax credit.

What they're saying: Frustrated members argued that the panel has shifted away from its bipartisan and inclusive nature.

"[T]here was a lot more member involvement and a lot of subcommittee hearings, a lot of things of that nature, which we just don't seem to have now," one lawmaker said.

"People are concerned that we're not really doing a good job with legislation, that we're spending more time on oversight with the whole committee," another member said.

Between the lines: With former Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) and top lieutenants no longer influencing committee assignments, some members said the dynamics could be more favorable for a potential challenger.

'I'm sure Vern is hearing this [complaints about the panel] and most would tell you that they don't believe that Jason would have ever been Ways and Means chair if not for McCarthy," the source said.

The intrigue: Lawmakers speculated that Buchanan's recent fundraising efforts for House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) could signal that he's laying the groundwork for a bid against Smith.

Buchanan hosted one of the first fundraisers for Johnson, invited key members to a fundraising event in Aspen, Colorado, and is set to host a fundraiser for Johnson on March 21.

But Smith has also proved to be a fundraising powerhouse, raising more than $1.3 million for the NRCC and giving nearly $600,000 to individual candidates this cycle.

The other side: Smith allies noted the members who pick committee assignments are unlikely to remove a sitting chairman.

"I think that [a bid against him is] unlikely to be successful — I've never seen it happen midterm," one senior GOP lawmaker told Axios.

"Chairman Smith is leading the Ways & Means Committee to get things done and deliver real results for the American people. This legislation is a huge win," said Rep. Carol Miller (R-W.Va.).

Quiet rebellion threatens House GOP chair over surprise tax deal

Now the background chatter suggests he could lose his gavel.

Reps. Vern Buchanan, left, and Jason Smith. Photo: Drew Angerer/Getty Images

Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley said Sunday that she doesn't think former President Trump should be disqualified from the 2024 presidential ballot due to his legal woes. 

Why it matters: Haley's statement comes as polls show some voters feel Trump should be disqualified from the presidential race if convicted of a crime, and as several states pursue efforts to keep him off the ballot.

Additionally, on Friday, a Manhattan jury ordered the former president to pay $83.3 million to writer E. Jean Carroll for defamatory statements against her. 

Last year, a separate jury found Trump liable for sexually abusing Carroll in the 1990s and later defaming her. However, the case played out in civil court and the former president was not found guilty of, or charged with, any crime.

What she's saying: Though Haley said she "absolutely" trusts the jury and thinks "they made their decision based on the evidence," she doesn't "think that should take him off the ballot," per an interview with NBC's "Meet the Press" Sunday. 

"I think the American people will take him off the ballot. I think that's the best way to go forward — is not let him play the victim. Let him play the loser. That's what we want him to do at the end of the day," Haley said.

The former UN ambassador said she doesn't want "a political party deciding who's right and wrong" or "any judges who decide who deserves to be on the ballot and who doesn't." 

Instead, Haley said she wants "the American people to decide it."

When "Meet the Press" moderator Kristen Welker pressed Haley on why she would "give him a pass on this issue, where a jury has found him liable for sexual abuse," the former South Carolina governor insisted she is "not giving him a pass on anything." 

"I do think that these court cases are distracting, not just to the American people, but to him himself, which is keeping him from talking about what really matters. That's exactly why I don't think he should be president," she said.

Worth noting: Haley, who has called Trump "totally unhinged," has repeatedly questioned the 77-year-old's mental fitness. 

After the jury's verdict on Friday, Haley said in a post on X that "Donald Trump wants to be the presumptive Republican nominee and we're talking about $83 million in damages." 

"America can do better than Donald Trump and Joe Biden," she added. 

Go deeper: Trump ordered to pay $83.3 million to E. Jean Carroll in defamation trial

Trump ordered to pay $83.3 million to E. Jean Carroll in defamation trial

Haley: Voters, not courts, should determine if Trump is on 2024 ballot

Haley said she wants "the American people to decide" if Trump is qualified to be on the presidential ballot.

Nikki Haley, a 2024 Republican presidential candidate, speaks at a campaign event in South Carolina on Jan. 24. Photo: Sam Wolfe/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Axios

Sunday's top stories

GOP hawks press Biden to target Iran directly over soldiers' deaths

Haley says RNC "clearly not" honest broker in Republican primary

"The fix is in": Why Trump is expected to sweep Nevada's delegates

Quiet rebellion threatens House GOP chair over surprise tax deal

Haley: Voters, not courts, should determine if Trump is on 2024 ballot

Murphy: Immigration deal rests on whether Republicans listen to Trump

The immigration election: Big issue for Biden, Trump as rematch looms

House Republicans release articles of impeachment against Mayorkas

States rethink reading

Koch group sees "uphill" climb for Haley, focuses on Senate races