President Trump tweeted Monday that Attorney General Bill Barr will resign from his post before Christmas, moments after the Electoral College affirmed President-elect Joe Biden's election victory.
Why it matters: Tensions between Trump and Barr had already been running high, and revelations in the Wall Street Journal that Barr had worked "for months" during the campaign to conceal a federal investigation of Hunter Biden further enraged the president.
A bipartisan group of senators has released the full legislative text for a two-part stimulus plan: a $748 billion package focusing on areas of agreement and a separate $160 billion bill that includes the most controversial provisions — additional funding for state and local government and liability protections.
Why it matters: While many lawmakers see this bill as the most realistic and concrete compromise on coronavirus relief that we've seen in months, House and Senate leadership currently view it as a marker for broader negotiations — not the final vehicle for aid.
People lined up outside polling places across Georgia on Monday for the first day of early voting in the state's two runoff elections that will determine which party controls the U.S. Senate.
The big picture: More than 1.2 million people have already requested mail-in absentee ballots and more than 260,000 have returned them as of Monday, per data compiled by the U.S. Elections Project.
The first doses of Pfizer's long-awaited coronavirus vaccine were distributed in the U.S. on Monday.
The state of play: Vaccines will first go to frontline health care workers followed by older and vulnerable populations. The distribution of Pfizer vaccine marks the beginning of a possible end of the coronavirus pandemic, and may soon be followed by a rollout of vaccines from Moderna and AstraZeneca.
COVID-19 vaccinations have begun in the U.S., with a New York City nurse on Monday becoming the first recipient outside of clinical trial patients. But plenty of Americans remain skeptical, in part due to perceptions of undue political pressures.
Axios Re:Cap digs into the process, politics and science of COVID-19 vaccinations with Margaret Hamburg, who led the FDA between 2009 and 2015.
70,000 migrants were caught crossing the Southwest border of the U.S. last month — a 64% increase compared to last November that came in spite of the pandemic and strict immigration enforcement policies, border officials told reporters Monday.
Driving the news: Acting Customsand Border Protection Commissioner Mark Morgan — a Trump appointee with hardline immigration views — sought to blame the increase in the waning days of the administration on the courts and President-elect Joe Biden's stated immigration platform.
Electronic voting system company Smartmatic said on Monday it is demanding retractions from Fox News, Newsmax, and One America News for making "false and defamatory statements" about the company surrounding the presidential election.
The big picture: The company issued legal notices to the three networks, which have all amplified baseless claims by President Trump and his allies that the election was rigged. Smartmatic CEO Antonio Mugica said the claims are part of "an effort to depress confidence in future elections and potentially counter the will of the voters."
Rhetoric by President Trump and his allies seeking to undermine the integrity of the election is fueling potential violence against public servants, with fears running especially high as the Electoral College meets Monday to further cement Joe Biden's victory.
Driving the news: As Michigan electors meet on Monday to hand Biden his 16 electoral votes, state Senate and House offices will be closed due to “credible threats of violence,” according to Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey (R).
Key congressional committees on Friday announced that they've reached an agreement on how to prevent patients from receiving surprise medical bills.
Between the lines: This doesn't guarantee that the measure will become law, but it's a crucial step forward on an issue that resonates deeply with many Americans.
New virtual and "augmented" reality technology is allowing users to experience 1960s civil rights marches, the agony of segregation for Black Americans, or life in a Japanese American internment camp.
Why it matters: For now, this is largely a tool for educators seeking new ways to teach young Americans about the legacy of slavery and racism. But there's growing commercial potential as more people become comfortable using technology to expand their horizons.
Coronavirus vaccinations for U.S. officials across the country's three branches of government have been given top priority, National Security Council spokespersonJohn Ullyot said in a statement on Sunday.
Why it matters: There are a limited number of COVID vaccines currently in production, and the CDC recommends that the highest-risk groups — health care workers and long-term care facility residents — should be first in line to get vaccinated.
Police are investigating as possible hate crimes the tearing down and burning of a Black Lives Matter banner and sign from two historic Black churches during unrest at pro-Trump protests in Washington, D.C., over the weekend.
Why it matters: Saturday's vandalism at the Asbury United Methodist Church and the Metropolitan African Methodist Episcopal Church are "acts of both racial terror and religious violence," per a statement from Yolanda Pierce, dean of D.C.'s Howard University School of Divinity.
Tomorrow, state electors who'll finally cast their Electoral College votes formalizing Joe Biden's win, will gather in person at state capitols across the U.S., even during a pandemic.
Between the lines: Capitol compounds already provide security. But fear of unrest is heightening precautions. Meanwhile, states including California, Wisconsin, Maryland and New Mexico are live-streaming meetings so the public can watch safely from home.
"Twitter replaced floor debates in 2020," public affairs software firm Quorum writes in a new report, previewed by Axios, showing the 116th Congress as the least productive since the 1970s.
The big picture: Skyrocketing social media engagement and prolific numbers of bills filed that never went anywhere belie what happens when an increasingly divided and uncompromising Congress collides with an election-year pandemic.
While numerous people inside Washington have mentioned the possibility of outgoing Rep. Joseph P. Kennedy III serving as the next director of the Peace Corps, the post isn't under discussion by the Biden transition and he is interested in other ways to serve the country, people familiar with the search tell Axios.
Why it matters: What seemed like a bright political future for Kennedy prematurely dimmed in September when he lost his primary to replace Sen. Edward Markey. Now, the Massachusetts Democrat is considering his next move, prompting talk of the Peace Corps post or U.S. attorney in Boston — neither of which have been discussed with him, the people said.
National security adviser Robert O'Brien is taking his wife on a holiday tour of the romantic Mediterranean and European capitals, including seeking a private tour of the Louvre despite it being closed because of coronavirus restrictions, people familiar with the trip tell Axios.
Why it matters: The White House announced the Paris stop shortly after an inquiry from Axios, but the entirety of the trip — which also includes stops in Tel Aviv, Rome and London — is causing consternation among O'Brien's hosts and questions about the need for his wife to tag along.
Joe Biden is considering Samantha Power to head the United States Agency for International Development, which would place a high-profile figure atop foreign aid and coronavirus relief efforts, people familiar with the matter tell Axios.
Why it matters: Installing Power — a former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations and author of a Pulitzer Prize-winning book about genocide — would signal the Biden administration plans to revitalize foreign assistance and use it as an instrument of soft power and to achieve humanitarian goals.
