The suspect accused of killing 22 people and injuring two dozen others at a Walmart in El Paso, Texas, last August has been charged with 90 counts under federal hate crime and firearms laws, AP reports, citing an indictment unsealed on Thursday.
Why it matters: Investigators found that 21-year-old Patrick Crusius, who confessed but entered a not guilty plea on a state capital murder charge last October, posted a manifesto aimed at scaring Hispanics into leaving the United States. The hate crime charges carry a possible death penalty.
The House Republican Steering Committee has named Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) as new ranking member of the House Judiciary Chairman, as Rep. Doug Collins (R-Ga.) steps down from the position to challenge Sen. Kelly Loeffler (R-Ga.) for her Georgia Senate seat, according to two sources familiar with the situation.
Why it matters: Jordan is among President Trump's closest allies in Congress, serving as a member of his impeachment defense team during his recent Senate trial. Rep. Mark Meadows (R-N.C.), another loyal Trump ally, is likely to take over Jordan's position as ranking member of the House Oversight Committee.
Republican Sens. Chuck Grassley (Iowa) and Ron Johnson (Wis.) announced a review on Wednesday of "potential conflicts of interest posed by the business activities of Hunter Biden and his associates during the Obama administration."
Why it matters: The announcement came roughly one hour after the Senate voted to acquit President Trump on both articles of impeachment. Trump's request for Ukraine to investigate Hunter and Joe Biden over unsubstantiated corruption claims is ultimately what sparked his impeachment.
Former South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg responded to an Iowa caucusgoer who tried to change her vote upon learning he is gay, stating in an appearance on ABC's "The View" Thursday: "I'm running to be her president too."
Former tech executive and 2020 presidential hopeful Andrew Yang laid off "dozens of campaign staffers this week" after performing poorly in the Iowa caucuses, Politico reports.
The big picture: The full results of the caucus have not yet been released and Democratic National Committee chair Tom Perez called for Iowa Democrats to "immediately begin a recanvass" on Thursday. Yet even with a recanvass, Yang is unlikely to beat top 2020 candidates or see significantly different results.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials have been tasked since January with fingerprinting teens in child migrant shelters who entered the country without their parents, BuzzFeed News reported and Axios confirmed.
Why it matters: ICE says the data collection is for the children's protection, but it also comes as immigration agencies have ramped up their collection of migrant biometric data.
Democratic National Committee chair Tom Perez called for the Iowa Democratic Party (IDP) to "immediately begin a recanvass" on Thursday in light of software malfunctions and other issues that have caused a delay in the results from Monday's caucuses.
What they're saying: "Enough is enough," Perez tweeted. "In light of the problems that have emerged in the implementation of the delegate selection plan and in order to assure public confidence in the results, I am calling on the Iowa Democratic Party to immediately begin a recanvass."
President Trump let loose Thursday at a White House event to mark his impeachment acquittal, saying it was not a speech or a news conference but "a celebration."
The big picture: The 62-minute event was pure unchained Trump — a midday TV drama featuring his closest allies from the White House and Capitol Hill — that saw the president go scorched earth in a setting more akin to one of his campaign rallies than a traditional East Room gathering.
“Fox & Friends” host Brian Kilmeade said House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's statements about President Trump's acquittal and her disapproval of his State of the Union address qualified as “emotionally losing it.”
The big picture: Since Trump's State of the Union, Pelosi accused him of using Congress as a "backdrop for a reality show." After the speech on Tuesday, the House speaker was also seen ripping a copy of the president's transcript for the evening.
While on "The View" Thursday, former Mayor Pete Buttigieg fired back at Joe Biden for his remarks that it would be a risk for the Democratic Party to nominate Buttigieg, given his limited experience as a small-town mayor.
"Well if that argument is about electability and the ability to win, we just had the first election of the 2020 process. I think that's my answer."
President Trump has been acquitted of abuse of power and obstruction of justice by the U.S. Senate, but House Democrats may not be done with investigating aid to Ukraine. Dan digs in with Axios political reporter Alayna Treene.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi laid into President Trump for his State of the Union address during her weekly press conference on Thursday, accusing him of using Congress as a "backdrop for a reality show" and calling out his "appalling" comments about pre-existing conditions.
Why it matters: The tension between Trump and Pelosi continues to grow in the wake of the president's address Tuesday, which culminated in the speaker ripping up a copy of the speech on national television.
President Trump used his speech at the National Prayer Breakfast on Thursday to take a swipe at House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) over their roles in his impeachment.
"I don't like people who use their faith as justification for doing what they know is wrong. Nor do I like people who say 'I pray for you' when they know that that's not so. So many people have been hurt and we can't let that go on."
The Senate Intelligence Committee on Thursday released the third volume of its report on foreign interference in the 2016 election, which covered the U.S. government's response to Russia's hacking of Democratic emails and social media manipulation efforts.
The big picture: The committee found that the government was "not well-postured" to counter Russian interference with policy measures and that the Obama administration was constrained by its reluctance to publicize election meddling for fear of appearing political.
Former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch said Thursday that the Trump administration has "undermined our democratic institutions" in a Washington Post op-ed.
Guy Cecil — chairman of Priorities USA, one of the most powerful outside Democratic groups — is out with a post-impeachment memo, "Democrats Must Focus on Kitchen Table Issues," with advice for presidential candidates.
The big picture: Cecil argues if Democrats successfully pick apart President Trump's record on everyday concerns for Americans, like pre-existing conditions, drug prices and Social Security, they can win back the White House in 2020.
Bernie Sanders' 2020 presidential campaign said Thursday that it raised $25 million in January.
Why it matters: It's a huge sum of money given that there is still a crowded field of Democratic candidates. In 2019's fourth quarter, Sanders pulled in $34.5 million — the most of any Democratic presidential hopeful — and he kicked off 2020 with a staggering $18.2 million in cash-on-hand.
The Department of Homeland Security sent New York officials a letter Wednesday stating that New Yorkers could no longer enroll in Global Entry and other Trusted Traveler Programs because of a state law preventing federal immigration officials from accessing vehicle records without a court order.
What they're saying: Acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf told Fox News' "Tucker Carlson Tonight" that the department had sent the letter in response to the state passing the "Green Light Law," which allows people without legal immigration status to obtain driver's licenses in the state.
The Trump administration announced Wednesday more changes designed to make Medicare Advantage more appealing and to lower prescription drug costs for seniors.
Why it matters: Although the proposal mainly tinkers around the edges, it could have a meaningful impact on some seniors' pocketbooks while furthering the administration's commitment to Medicare Advantage, a cash cow for insurers.
President Trump has been acquitted, but now Democrats — and Republicans — are seriously considering returning to battle over Ukraine with new waves of document and witness subpoenas.
What we're hearing: Many House Democrats want to pick up where the White House stonewalled them during impeachment. That could include renewed moves to seek John Bolton's testimony if he doesn't go public soon, while several Senate Republicans are contemplating investigations of Burisma, the Bidens and more.
The New York Times will on Thursday debut the next wave of ads from its "The Truth Is Worth It" brand campaign — including an Oscars ad.
Why it matters: It speaks to a bigger trend of large publishers taking out splashy television ads to promote their brands. The Washington Post ran a Super Bowl ad last year. The Times ran its first Oscars ad in 2017.
Roughly 37.2 million people tuned in to watch President Trump's State of the Union address Tuesday, according to Nielsen — the fewest number of people that have tuned into the yearly address so far during his presidency.
Why it matters: The event happened amid an already chaotic news cycle surrounding the president's impeachment trial and the Iowa causes. Axios has reported that generally, viewers are beginning to tune out of lots of political storylines, due mostly to saturation.
Where it stands: The results show that Pete Buttigieg has earned the highest percentage of delegates thus far — just — at 26.2%, followed by Sen. Bernie Sanders at 26.1%, Sen. Elizabeth Warren at 18.2% and Joe Biden at 15.8%.
After Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) voted to convict President Trump for abuse of power in the impeachment trial Wednesday, Republicans doubled down to rebuke the senator while Democrats rushed to his defense.
What he's saying: "I am aware that there are people in my party and in my state who will strenuously disapprove of my decision, and in some quarters, I will be vehemently denounced," Romney said on the Senate floor Wednesday. "I am sure to hear abuse from the President and his supporters."
Former national security adviser John Bolton "refused" to submit a sworn affidavit "describing what he observed in terms of the president's Ukraine misconduct" to House Democrats after the Senate voted not to hear witnesses in President Trump's impeachment trial, Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) told MSNBC on Wednesday.
Driving the news: Nadler said Wednesday it is "likely" House Democrats will subpoena Bolton and continue investigations into Trump's hold on military aid to Ukraine. Schiff told "The Rachel Maddow Show" that no decision had been made to subpoena Bolton.
Joe Biden reacted at a CNN town hall on Wednesday evening about talk show host Rush Limbaugh receiving a Presidential Medal of Freedom at Tuesday's State of the Union, stating: "I don't think he understands the American code of decency and honor."
Why it matters: Biden received a Medal of Freedom — the highest civilian honor — from President Obama in 2017. Limbaugh accepted the award Tuesday, just one day after he announced he'd been diagnosed with advanced lung cancer and will be seeking treatment.
In a letter provided first to Axios, ACRONYM co-founder Tara McGowan sought to clear up donor questions about Shadow, the company that produced the app in the Iowa caucuses.
Why it matters: It's the first time ACRONYM has spoken out publicly on the incident since the caucus, which was marred by failures tied to the app.
