Axios

Nora Dannehy, a senior prosecutor who worked with Connecticut U.S. Attorney John Durham on his investigation into U.S. intelligence agencies that examined allegations of Russian interference in the 2016 election, abruptly resigned from the Justice Department on Friday, the Hartford Courant first reported, citing unidentified colleagues.

Why it matters: Dannehy's departure may complicate the final stretch of the investigation amid mounting pressure from President Trump and his allies for published results before the November elections.

House Homeland Security Committee Chair Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) on Friday subpoenaed Chad Wolf, citing the DHS acting secretary's refusal to appear at a hearing next week on global threats.

Driving the news: A DHS official said it would be "inappropriate" for Wolf to appear at the Sept. 17 hearing due to his then-pending nomination for secretary of homeland security, per a letter to the panel earlier this week. The agency offered acting deputy secretary Ken Cuccinelli to be present instead.

Kevin Van Ausdal, the Democratic nominee for Georgia's 14th Congressional District, dropped out of the race via Twitter on Friday, leaving state Democrats without a candidate to challenge the Republican nominee, Marjorie Taylor Greene.

Why it matters: Van Ausdal's abrupt departure gives Greene an easier path to a seat in the House. She has repeatedly made offensive remarks about Black people, Jews and Muslims in Facebook videos and has publicly supported the QAnon movement and other far-right conspiracy theories.

There are 35 Senate seats up for election in 2020 — including a special election in Arizona — many of which are expected to be brutally competitive as Democrats vie for control of the Senate.

Quick take: The Senate is currently made up of 53 Republicans, 45 Democrats and 2 independents who caucus with the Democrats. Dems must win 3 or 4 GOP-held seats to take control of the Senate — 3 if the new vice president is a Democrat and 4 if not.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) signed a law on Friday that will allow some inmates who volunteer as firefighters to have their records expunged, making it easier for them to become professional firefighters after being released from prison.

Why it matters: Inmate firefighters play a pivotal role in battling blazes across the state, but once released, they are required to disclose their convictions when applying for jobs, making it harder to get hired.

The U.S. commemorated the 19th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on Friday with ceremonies across the country, including at the World Trade Center Memorial Plaza, the Pentagon and the Flight 93 National Memorial near Shanksville, Pennsylvania.

Why it matters: Looming over the memorials is the coronavirus pandemic, which has forced a variety of communities to cancel or alter their 9/11 ceremonies, according to AP.

The House and Senate Intelligence Committees are investigating the Department of Homeland Security based on a former senior officials' whistleblower complaint that he was told to stop giving assessments on threats of Russian interference in the U.S. because it "made the president look bad," lawmakers announced Friday.

Why it matters: The National Counterintelligence and Security Center has concluded that Russia is seeking to undermine Joe Biden's campaign and the Democratic Party, while supporting President Trump's candidacy.

The 11th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled on Friday that Florida can order ex-felons to pay court fines and fees before they can register to vote.

Why it matters: The decision comes less than eight weeks before the November elections, potentially jeopardizing voter registration for hundreds of thousands of Floridians.

A retired judge appointed to review the Justice Department's motion to drop charges against former national security adviser Michael Flynn said on Friday that calling the agency's actions "irregular," which he did in June, "would be a study in understatement."

Why it matters: Trump's allies have viewed Attorney General Bill Barr's move to withdraw charges against Flynn as the first major step in exposing the Russia investigation as a political hit job. Democrats fear Barr is weaponizing the Justice Department ahead of the election.

One of the pandemic's few silver linings came in late March, when elected officials put aside partisan differences to quickly pass a massive, across-the-board economic stimulus. Six months later, we're back to the old normal — even though many remain desperate for assistance.

Driving the news: The Senate on Thursday rejected a so-called "skinny bill" championed by Republicans. It would have included a second round of Paycheck Protection Program loans for small businesses, school funding, and virus-related liability protections for businesses.

The Senate's top Democrat, Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, is throwing his weight behind an economic message that ties climate to goals around racial justice, income inequality, labor rights and a lot more.

Why it matters: The broad resolution — which includes calls for investments in low-carbon energy and infrastructure — previews Democrats' political posture if they regain the majority and have a chance to legislate.

All Facebook employees will be able to take extra paid time off to help staff polls on Election Day and participate in any trainings ahead of time, company executives tell Axios.

Why it matters: The effort comes amid poll worker shortages, with many older people who would typically do the job planning to stay home because of COVID-19.

Ernest Hemingway — one of the greatest American writers, and among the first to live and work at the treacherous nexus of art and celebrity — is the subject of a three-part, six-hour documentary series directed by award-winning filmmakers Ken Burns and Lynn Novick, coming to prime time on PBS, April 5 to 7.

What they're saying: PBS says in a release that the filmmakers "were granted unusually open access to the treasure trove of Hemingway’s manuscripts, correspondence, scrapbooks and photographs housed at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library in Boston":

• "[T]he series features an all-star cast of actors bringing Hemingway (voiced by Jeff Daniels), his friends and family vividly to life. Through letters to and from his four wives — voiced by Meryl Streep, Keri Russell, Mary Louise Parker and Patricia Clarkson — the film reveals Hemingway at his most romantic and his most vulnerable, grappling at times with insecurity, anxiety and existential loneliness."

See a trailer.

This fascinating photo — included in black and white in Bob Woodward's forthcoming "Rage" — shows the author in the Oval Office during a 1-hour, 14-minute interview on Dec. 19 — the first of Woodward's 18 Trump interviews.

What they're saying: "Trump tries to show off and impress Woodward — giving a tour of the Oval Office, discussing his preference for long neckties, and showing Woodward the hideaway office, which he smirked and called the 'Monica Room,'" CNN's Jamie Gangel reports.

• "Trump even asked the White House photographer to take a picture of him and Woodward in the Oval Office."

Despite pressure from the left, Joe Biden is making it clear that if he wins, he won't just pull up stakes from Afghanistan and the region.

Driving the news: Biden made news on Thursday when he told Stars and Stripes that he supports a sustained U.S. military footprint of up to 1,500-2,000 on the ground — primarily for special operations against ISIS and other terror threats — in the war that began after the 9/11 terrorist attacks 19 years ago.

Cook Political Report on Thursday shifted its prediction for Florida's 2020 presidential election results from "leans Democratic" to "toss up."

Why it matters: Biden's lead in the Electoral College has narrowed in Trump's favor from where it stood this summer, per Cook, with Biden ahead of Trump 279-187. The respected prognosticator forecast the potential for a "Democratic tsunami" on Election Day in July. Nevada also moved from likely Democrat to leaning Democrat, per Cook.

Joe Biden plans to attend the 9/11 Memorial and Museum’s 19th anniversary commemoration ceremony in New York City on Friday morning, his campaign said in a press release.

Driving the news: He and President Trump will honor the anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks at the Flight 93 National Memorial in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, later on Friday. Their paths are not expected to cross, Axios' Margaret Talev reports.