THE SHOW NOTES: The Fani Willis Bomb, Progressives Want More Crime, & GenZ

Welcome! The national champion Michigan Wolverines have 500 jobs dedicated to DEI.

NEW: Haley trims Trump’s lead to single digits in New Hampshire - CNN

QUESTION: What is wrong with Gen Z? - Twitter

PANIC: Howard Stern finally got COVID and is on total lockdown.

WATCH: Everything you need to know about the Boeing Alaska Airlines incident. - Twitter

HEADLINE: Ramaswamy's campaign shows signs of unraveling - Axios

LISTEN: I am turning on the microphone now to talk about Fani Willis, the terribleness of Gen Z, & Michigan’s DEI problem. You can listen live to my show here.

🚨 The Fani Willis Bomb

A bombshell court filing alleges that Fulton Country DA Fani Willis financially benefited from hiring a romantic partner to help prosecute Donald Trump and coordinated with the Biden administration to take out the former president.

Details: Fani Willis hired Nathan Wade to lead the prosecution against Donald Trump in Georgia’s RICO case. Despite the complex nature of RICO cases and Willis’ ability to tap state personnel who are considered RICO specialists, Willis appointed her romantic partner - who was married at the time - to lead the prosecution.

Ouch: Nathan Wade was paid $654K in legal fees since 2022 and took Willis on lavish vacations that were funded by taxpayer dollars.

Collusion: If the previous allegations were not bad enough, Nathan Wade filed for reimbursement for expenses relating to a White House meeting in 2022 where he strategized with members of the Biden administration on how to prosecute their political opponent.

Important: Read my morning piece here.

NYC Crime

Progressives are upset that crime has dipped in New York City as murder rates dropped 12% and shootings dropped 25%. So why are they mad? Because crime rates fell due to police crackdowns.

Details: Mayor Eric Adams won his mayoral race by promising increased policing amidst a COVID-induced crime wave consuming New York City. He accomplished this by implementing NYPD Neighborhood Safety Teams equipped with body cameras to patrol high-crime areas and perform searches when there was probable cause. The result has been 6,500 illegal guns removed from the streets and double-digit percentage drops in year-over-year crime stats.

The Latest Dirty Word in Corporate America: ESG

Many companies no longer utter these three letters: E-S-G.

Following years of simmering investor backlash, political pressure and legal threats over environmental, social and governance efforts, a number of business leaders are now making a conscious effort to avoid the once widely used acronym for such initiatives.

On earnings calls, many chief executives now employ new approaches. Some companies, including Coca-Cola, are rebranding corporate reports and committees, stripping ESG from titles. Advisers are coaching executives on alternative ways to describe their efforts, proposing new terms like “responsible business.” On Wall Street, meanwhile, some firms are closing once-popular ESG funds as interest fades.

Full story at The Wall Street Journal (paywall).

Alejandro Mayorkas

Biden’s Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas admitted to border patrol agents on Monday that 85% of illegal immigrants are released back into the United States. The staggering number is significantly larger than the 70% number floated last week and implies more than 1 million illegal immigrants are released into the US on an annual basis.

The news fueled renewed fervor of House Republicans to make Mayorkas the first Cabinet secretary impeached in nearly 150 years for his dereliction of duties at the border. Watch this clip from our friends at RNC Research.

Peaceful Protestors

Pro-Palestine protesters have defaced a cemetery in LA that is the finally resting place of 85,000 war veterans.

Ahead of Iowa Caucuses, Big 2024 Election Changes Are Baffling Voters

Iowa Republicans on Monday will caucus to choose a presidential candidate, but Democrats will start to vote by mail and wait weeks for results. In New Hampshire the following week, both parties will cast primary ballots, but the Democrats’ votes will be purely symbolic. 

And then in early February, Nevada Republicans can vote in two contests: a caucus without all the GOP candidates, and a primary where results won’t count toward the nomination.

For that confusion, voters can thank allies of President Biden and former President Donald Trump, who have pushed for changes to the calendar to boost their candidates’ nomination prospects and make it harder for challengers. 

Full story at The Wall Street Journal (paywall)

Trending news:

• WATCH: Jim Harbaugh sees his mom and dad for the first time after winning the national championship. - Twitter

• China looms large in Taiwan's presidential election - Axios

• One of the key pieces of Vivek Ramaswamy’s Iowa plan: Free beer - NBC

• A Taiwan presidential candidate gave away laundry pods to remind people to vote. 3 people ate them. - NBC

• Judge Judy endorses Nikki Haley: ‘I truly think she can restore America’ - The Hill

• As his national profile rises, Democratic Ky. Gov. Beshear launches PAC - MSN

• Round 2 Of The Jimmy Kimmel-Aaron Rodgers Beef Has Commenced, With Kimmel Doing a 7 Minute Monologue About It And Rodgers Promising To Discuss On Today's McAfee Show - Barstool

• Ghana’s mystery presidential candidate pulls off his mask - SEMAFOR

• Ecuador Suffers Surge of Violence After Noboa Declares Emergency - Bloomberg (paywall)

• Crime Takes a Dip in New York - WSJ (paywall)

Market snapshot: