THE GANG THAT COULDN’T VOTE STRAIGHT: House Republicans voted 214-213 last night to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas on charges of “high crimes and misdemeanors” for willfully refusing to enforce border laws. It’s the first impeachment of a cabinet secretary in 150 years.

  The Republicans have no chance of convicting Mayorkas in the Senate where it will require a two-thirds vote to remove him from office. So the impeachment is a political show.

  Disappointed with his own party, Colorado Republican Rep. Ken Buck said, “You can try to put lipstick on this pig, it is still a pig.”

  This comes just days after the Republicans killed a Senate bill that contained much of what they have previously demanded to control immigration at the southern border.

IT’S POLITICAL: Democrat Tom Suozzi yesterday won the Long Island, NY House seat vacated by the ejected fabulist Republican George Santos, narrowing the thin Republican majority by one vote. Suozzi has previously held a seat in Congress and is a well-known Long Island politician.

  Before he was even able to speak to his cheering supporters — or get sworn in to cast a vote — Suozzi was interrupted by pro-Palestinian protesters shouting, “You support genocide!” and “Cease fire now!”

  Suozzi defeated Mazi Pilip, a Jewish woman born in Ethiopia who served in the Israeli army, became a naturalized US citizen, and ran much of her campaign on the immigration issue. She ran harsh advertisements accusing Suozzi of being soft on illegal immigration.

  Suozzi said in his victory speech, “There are divisions in our country where people can’t even talk to each other. All they do is yell and scream at each other. And that’s not the answer.”

DUMB AND UN-AMERICAN: President Biden came out swinging against Donald Trump for encouraging Russia to attack NATO allies that don’t pay their dues, calling the comments “dumb,” “dangerous,” and “un-American.” 

  In a televised statement, Biden called for House passage of a $95 billion spending package the Senate passed yesterday that would bolster the defense of Ukraine against the Russian invasion.  

  “Can you imagine?” Biden asked before reporters at the White House. “A former president of the United States saying that? The whole world heard it. And the worst thing is he means it. No other president in our history has ever bowed down to a Russian dictator. Let me say this as clearly as I can — I never will.” 

ECON 101: The rate of inflation was 3.1 percent in the 12-month period through January, down from 3.4 percent in December but still proving to be stubborn. Stocks took a nosedive on the news because this means it will be longer before the Federal Reserve cuts interest rates.

  Economists, who are almost always wrong on these things, had expected a rate of 2.9 percent in this report. But remember, inflation was 9 percent in the middle of 2022.

AUTO DRIVE: A Tesla employee who loved the self-driving mode in his car and was killed in a 2022 accident is believed to have been the first fatality in a Tesla operating in automatic mode, The Washington Post reports. Hans von Ohain had joined Tesla in 2022 as a recruiter for engineers.

  Von Ohain and his friend Erik Rossiter were returning from a golf outing outside Denver when von Ohain’s Tesla Model 3 in self driving mode went off the road, crashed into a tree, and burst into flames.

  Rossiter, who survived the crash, said the drive had been uncomfortable with von Ohain frequently having to grab the wheel to keep his Tesla on the road. 

  Both had been drinking and von Ohain’s body was found to have a blood alcohol level three times the legal limit.  

  The Post said Tesla “did not respond to multiple requests for comment.” Tesla has released Full Self-Driving to about 400,000 customers, acknowledging that the software is in “beta” mode — meaning it’s still in development. They insist that more automation technology in cars will reduce traffic deaths. 

THE FAMILY FEUD: Robert F. Kennedy Jr. apologized to his family for the Super Bowl ad that was made to sound and look like the 1960 presidential campaign of his uncle, President John F. Kennedy, with the song “Kennedy for Me.” 

  “I’m so sorry if the Super Bowl advertisement caused anyone in my family pain,” Kennedy said in a post on Twitter/X. He said the $7 million ad was created and aired by the American Values Super PAC without any involvement or approval from his campaign. 

  He signed off with “I love you all. God bless you.” Kennedy’s family thinks their anti-vaccine and conspiracy mongering relative is crazy.

THE OBIT PAGE: Bob Moore, the former owner of a gas station who, with his wife, Charlee, built the wholesome and artisanal grain company Bob’s Red Mill into a $100 million dollar-a-year business, died at home in Milwaukee at 94.

  Founded in Milwaukie in 1978, Bob’s Red Mill grew into a global natural-foods enterprise, selling more than 200 grain products in 70 countries.

  In an interview for an Oregon State University oral history project, Moore said, “I think that people who eat white flour, white rice, de-germinated corn — in other words, grains that have had part of their nutrients taken away — are coming up short.” 

THE SPIN RACK: Police in Wichita, Kansas announced the arrest of a man in the theft and destruction of the statue of baseball great Jackie Robinson in a local park. They said the toppling of the statue was racially motivated and the suspect planned to melt the bronze for scrap. — Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin was discharged from the hospital for a third time and has resumed duties. — Paramount Global is laying off 800 people, which includes CBS News. Some notable correspondents who got the axe are Catherine Herridge and Jeff Pegues.

BELOW THE FOLD: R&B star Beyoncé’ has a new hit, but her song “Texas Hold ‘Em” is playing to the country audience.

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