Former Trump campaign foreign policy adviser Carter Page filed a $75 million lawsuit against the FBI, Justice Department and former FBI Director James Comey, claiming he was the victim of “unlawful spying" during the bureau's Russia investigation.
Why it matters: The lawsuit largely echoes a DOJ inspector general report that found errors in applications to acquire wiretap warrants on Page through the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, or FISA, according to AP.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has temporarily suspended in-person lunches for the GOP caucus, Axios confirmed Saturday.
Driving the news: The move is a precautionary step, according to a Senate leadership aide. The decision comes as the U.S. experiences a surge in coronavirus cases and after several senators tested positive for COVID-19 or self-quarantined due to exposure in recent weeks.
Christopher Krebs, the former director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, tells CBS' "60 Minutes" he is most upset that he "didn't get a chance to say goodbye" to his team after President Trump announced his termination in a tweet earlier this month, according to an excerpt from the upcoming episode.
Driving the news: Trump tweeted Nov. 17 that he had fired Krebs, who had drawn bipartisan praise for his handling of the election and debunking of misinformation.
Wilton Gregory, the archbishop of Washington, D.C., became the first Black American to earn the rank of cardinal on Saturday.
The big picture: His appointment comes during a time in which the country continues to examine the role of race relations, and as the world endures the many-month stretch of the COVID-19 pandemic.
With a federal coronavirus stimulus bill stalled in Congress, some state legislatures are attempting to pass their own relief bills to help small, local business owners, the unemployed and renters as the pandemic rages on.
Why it matters: Lawmakers have been unable to agree on a second stimulus package to date, leaving states to defend their economies against another wave of COVID-19 that is expected to get worse.
The assassination of Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, the architect of Iran’s military nuclear program, is a new height in the maximum pressure campaign led by the Trump administration and the Netanyahu government against Iran.
Why it matters: It exceeds the capture of the Iranian nuclear archives by the Mossad, and the sabotage in the advanced centrifuge facility in Natanz.
Joe Biden is considering retired four-star General Lloyd Austin as his nominee for defense secretary, adding him to a shortlist that includes Jeh Johnson, Tammy Duckworth and Michele Flournoy, two sources with direct knowledge of the decision-making tell Axios.
Why it matters: A nominee for Pentagon chief was noticeably absent when the president-elect rolled out his national security team Tuesday. Flournoy had been widely seen as the likely pick, but Axios is told other factors — race, experience, Biden's comfort level — have come into play.
The Trump administration released an analysis on Friday finding that its proposed rule easing companies’ liability for killing birds would not cause any substantial environmental harm, the Washington Post first reported.
Why it matters: As President Trump moves to lock in various regulatory changes before President-elect Biden is inaugurated, this analysis is a key step toward finalizing rules that allow businesses to avoid fines for accidentally killing migratory birds.
A federal appeals court on Friday unanimously rejected the Trump campaign's emergency appeal seeking to file a new lawsuit against Pennsylvania's election results, writing in a blistering ruling that the campaign's "claims have no merit."
Why it matters: It's another devastating blow to President Trump's sinking efforts to overturn the results of the election. Pennsylvania, which President-elect Joe Biden won by more than 80,000 votes, certified its results last week and is expected to award 20 electoral votes to Biden on Dec. 12.
