House authorizes impeachment inquiry as Biden decries ‘baseless political stunt’ | First Thing

House Republicans rally behind inquiry despite failure to find evidence, while Democrats stand united in opposition. Plus, UN agency says conditions in Gaza now hell on earth'

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Good morning.

The House voted on Wednesday to formally authorize the impeachment inquiry into Joe Biden, even as Republicans have failed to produce evidence showing that the president financially benefited from his family's business dealings.

What does the vote mean? The impeachment inquiry will give Republicans more power to enforce subpoenas and defend their investigation in court, extending the inquiry well into 2024 - as Biden fights for re-election.

How did the president respond? Instead of doing their job on the urgent work that needs to be done, they are choosing to waste time on this baseless political stunt that even Republicans in Congress admit is not supported by facts," Biden said.

What is the context? So far Republicans have failed to produce evidence showing the president financially benefited from his family's business dealings. Some House Democrats see it as a farce perpetrated by those across the aisle to avenge the two impeachments against former president Donald Trump.

How many have been displaced? Israel's air and ground war, in response to the attack by Hamas on 7 October, has pushed nearly 85% of Gaza's population from their homes.

What did the UN Palestinian refugee agency say? The UNRWA head, Philippe Lazzarini, said people in the Palestinian territory were facing the darkest chapter of their history since 1948, and it has been a painful history".

How many people have been killed? The health ministry in Gaza said deaths in the two-month war had topped 18,000, including civilians and Hamas fighters.