A six-page document obtained by Axios details the State Department's plans for returning to pre-coronavirus levels of international engagement, with sections on "Where Are We Today?" and "Where Are We Heading?"
Driving the news: Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will travel next week to Israel, as Axios' Barak Ravid scooped earlier this week. As the Washington Post notes, the State Department more broadly has been developing a plan to return thousands of employees to work.
Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee on Friday accused Attorney General Bill Barr of doing President Trump's "political bidding" by interfering in ongoing criminal cases, and called on the Justice Department's inspector general to investigate.
Louisiana's presidential primary was again delayed until July 11 — the second time the state rescheduled the contest. Voters in the state can request an absentee ballot if they're at a higher risk for COVID-19, have tested positive or been advised by a doctor to self-quarantine.
The big picture: Since Sen. Bernie Sanders dropped out of the 2020 race, former Vice President Joe Biden has been established as the presumptive Democratic nominee, and President Trump has already gathered enough delegates to clinch the Republican nomination. Most of the remaining 18 presidential primaries have been postponed from their original dates and more than 20 states have stay-at-home orders in place.
Vice President Mike Pence's press secretary Katie Miller has tested positive for the coronavirus, President Trump said Friday. The news comes a day after Trump's valet did the same.
Why it matters: This shows that, despite regular testing and measures to protect Trump and Pence, White House officials can still be — and are being — exposed to the virus.
DES MOINES — A second member of Vice President Pence’s staff tested positive for the coronavirus Friday, a day after a valet to President Trump did the same.
Why it matters: At a time when Trump is encouraging a brisk approach to reopening the economy, the results are a reminder that the virus remains widespread.
Between a new postmaster general and a corporate ad blitz aimed at rebutting President Trump’s comments that U.S. Postal Service should raise prices, USPS couldn’t stay out of the news this week. Dan digs in with The Washington Post's Lisa Rein.
Video apparently showing Vice President Pence delivering empty boxes of personal protective equipment to a Virginia nursing home on Thursday that later went viral was edited by "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" to remove important context.
President Trump called a cellphone video that appears to show the Feb. 23 shooting of Ahmaud Arbery in Georgia "very disturbing" during a Friday phone-in to "Fox & Friends."
Catch up quick: A white father and son were arrested Thursday on charges of murder and aggravated assault for the killing after the video sparked national outrage. Arbery, a 25-year-old black man, was shot while out for his daily jog, according to his mother. The alleged suspects pursued Arbery, telling police they suspected he had committed a burglary.
The Treasury Department is signaling that it plans to offer more time for renewable power developers to qualify for tax credits as projects are disrupted by the coronavirus pandemic.
Why it matters: The industry is facing supply chain problems and other woes, leading to concern that a suite of projects will miss looming deadlines for incentives that are important for project finance.
The oil industry's painful retrenchment amid the collapse in demand and prices is bleeding into Beltway political battles over pandemic response — and probably into the 2020 election.
Driving the news: Sen. Elizabeth Warren is bashing the brewing Trump administration plan to help distressed U.S. producers, warning against financial aid she says would sap resources better spent elsewhere.
President Trump told "Fox & Friends" during a Friday phone-in that "the jury's still out" on FBI Director Chris Wray and the bureau's handling of its investigation of former national security adviser Michael Flynn.
What he's saying: "Look the jury's still out with regard to that, but it would have been a lot easier if he came out rather than skirting and going through, you know, 19 different ways except through the FBI, so let's see."
Sens. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Ed Markey (D-Mass.) will propose a bill Friday that would give most Americans a monthly $2,000 payment until the coronavirus pandemic ends, Politico reports.
Why it matters: The proposal — coming from some of the biggest Democratic names in the Senate — is one of the most expensive put forward so far in Congress, which is taking its time before moving forward with its next stimulus package.
A complete breakdown in communication and coordinationwithin the Trump administration has undermined the distribution of a promising treatment, according to senior officials with direct knowledge of the discussions.
Why it matters: The drug, remdesivir, hasn't made it to some of the high-priority hospitals where it's most needed, and administration officials have responded by shifting blame and avoiding responsibility, sources said.
Early numbers show how significantly the coronavirus is devastating states' revenue streams — and could force choices between raising taxes or gutting services and laying off public employees.
Why it matters: Even as some states move toward reopening, the economic ramifications of having shut down will haunt them far into the future.
