Axios

The Virginia Senate on Wednesday voted 21-17 along party lines to pass a bill that would abolish the death penalty.

Why it matters: The bill, which the Virginia House and Gov. Ralph Northam (D) are expected to approve, marks a major policy shift. Virginia leads the country in the number of executions it has carried out, executing roughly 1,400 people over the past four centuries, per the Death Penalty Information Center.

President Biden declared Wednesday that a major disaster exists for the Navajo Nation over COVID-19 and ordered more federal assistance to fight the pandemic at the nation's largest Native American reservation.

Why it matters: The Navajo Nation, like many Indigenous communities across the U.S., faces a housing shortage that has forced multiple family members to share small homes and a lack of running water that create the opportunity for superspreader events.

Nearly 7 in 10 Americans in a Quinnipiac University poll released Wednesday said they support President Biden's $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief plan.

Why it matters: 37% of Republicans polled said they backed Biden's plan — which comes after GOP attempts to negotiate the price tag of the relief bill down to just over $600 billion and lower direct payments to Americans.

House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy declared on Wednesday that he supports keeping Rep. Liz Cheney in her leadership role and opposes stripping Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of her committee seats at this time, sources familiar with his closed-door remarks told Axios.

Why it matters: In keeping Greene, McCarthy risks public condemnation and fuels a Democratic effort to remove her through a House vote. In standing with Cheney, he also risks alienating himself from pro-Trump Republicans who remain a potent part of the Republicans' base.

The first federally organized mass coronavirus vaccination sites are expected to open in Oakland and Los Angeles, California, Gov. Gavin Newsom said Wednesday.

Why it matters: Although cases and hospitalizations are dropping in the state, coronavirus deaths remain steady. The state has reported over 3.3 million COVID-19 cases since the start of the pandemic — the most of any state in the U.S., per Johns Hopkins data.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Wednesday that the Biden administration cannot release visitor logs from the Trump White House because they are under the purview of the National Archives.

Why it matters: The visitor logs could provide significant insight into former President Trump's activity in the White House from 2017 to 2021, especially as he increasingly hosted conspiracy theorists toward the end of his presidency. Trump in 2017 said his White House would not release its presidential visitor logs due to national security concerns.

Rep. Pramila Jayapal said Wednesday that when she feared a $15 minimum wage was about to be cut from President Biden's COVID relief package, she and her staff urged the White House to have progressives’ backs. Biden tweeted within the hour.

Why it matters: Former President Trump was famous for his use of Twitter, particularly to advance his own causes and beliefs, but now Democrats are enjoying a new bully pulpit to blast their narratives and policies to the masses.

Former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley has hired the former political director for the National Republican Senatorial Committee to run her new political action committee in an effort to strengthen her role as a key player for the GOP in the 2022 midterms.

Why it matters: It's no secret that Haley has an eye on running for president in 2024, and pouring a ton of money into key House and Senate races is a great way to win the favor of top Republicans ahead of her anticipated campaign.

Canada's government has added the Proud Boys, a far-right extremist group, to its list of terrorist entities alongside al-Qaeda affiliates and ISIS, Public Safety Minister Bill Blair announced at a press conference Wednesday.

Why it matters: Canada is the first country in the world to designate the Proud Boys as a terrorist organization. U.S. law currently limits terrorist designations to "foreign" entities, but the Department of Homeland Security has warned that violent white supremacy is the "most persistent and lethal threat in the homeland."

Government and private-sector investigators are racing to run forensics and damage assessments on the SolarWinds breach, but they keep turning up new unknowns, even as the strategic motivations and real impact remain obscure.

Why it matters: The more we learn about SolarWinds, the less we seem to know.

The House will vote on Thursday on a resolution to strip Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) of her committee assignments over her promotion of baseless conspiracy theories and violent rhetoric about Democrats.

Why it matters: House GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy had hoped to find an alternative with Greene or Democratic leadership to avoid the drastic step, but a statement from House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) on Wednesday made clear they were unable to reach an agreement.

Suspected Chinese state hackers compromised the Department of Agriculture’s National Finance Center (NFC) last year using a second “software flaw” used on the SolarWinds platform, reports Reuters.

Why it matters: The Chinese-authored breach could represent a potentially catastrophic leak of sensitive personal information of U.S. government officials — information that China’s spy services will be keen to exploit for counterintelligence purposes.

The Justice Department notified Connecticut's federal court on Wednesday that it will drop a discrimination lawsuit against Yale that accused the university of violating federal civil rights law by discriminating against Asian American and white undergraduate applicants.

The big picture: The agency's lawsuit was an extension of the Trump administration's challenges against race-based admissions policies at elite universities. Yale categorically denied the allegations in the DOJ's suit.

The Democrats' lead impeachment manager said Wednesday former President Trump's role in inciting the Capitol siege was the "worst presidential offense in the history of the republic," and the evidence against him is "airtight."

Why it matters: While Democrats say there is a direct cause and effect between Trump addressing a crowd of supporters that later broke into the Capitol on Jan. 6, some Republicans have fallen back on procedural defenses. The impeachment managers hope specific, graphic and voluminous evidence will create public pressure to convict the former president.

The remains of U.S. Capitol Police officer Brian Sicknick were transported in an urn to the building he helped defend during the Jan. 6 D.C. insurrection. A ceremony was held as he lay in honor on Wednesday.

Why it matters: Lying in honor is a final tribute reserved only for private citizens who've provided distinguished service to the U.S. President Biden and first lady Jill Biden joined congressional leaders, police and others in paying tribute to Sicknick at the Capitol Rotunda Tuesday night.

Wilbur Ross, who served as U.S. Commerce Secretary during all of former President Trump's term, has turned his attention to the booming market for blank check companies, or SPACs.

Driving the news: Ross will serve as president, chairman and CEO of a new SPAC that seeks to raise $345 million in an IPO. Among those on its board of directors is Larry Kudlow, Trump's former chief economic adviser who recently joined Fox Business Channel to host a new program.

Russia's legal system made global headlines yesterday, after a Moscow court sentenced opposition leader Alexei Navalny to a multi-year prison term for parole violations.

In a different Moscow court this week, U.S.-born investor Mike Calvey began fighting for his own freedom against very long odds.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) announced Wednesday that he and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) had finalized a power-sharing agreement, breaking a stalemate after weeks of negotiations.

Why it matters: The agreement will allow Senate Democrats to take control of committees, which play a pivotal role in crafting legislation and holding hearings. The Senate will formally pass the organizing resolution later on Wednesday.

Jennifer Granholm, President Biden's nominee for energy secretary, is hinting that the new administration will be supportive of U.S. liquefied natural gas exports — but wants the gas sector to get cleaner too.

Driving the news: Her position is spelled out in newly available answers to written questions from lawmakers on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee.

Marvin Gaye's "What's Going On" turns 50 this year, inspiring events from now through the anniversary of the album's May 1971 release that highlight its enduring influence on social activism — from Black Lives Matter demonstrators in Minnesota to Chicano lowriders in New Mexico to Standing Rock Sioux pipeline protesters.

Why it matters: Themes of three of the album's iconic hits from a half-century ago reflect some of the most significant challenges and divisions to the country today — excessive police force, climate change, and a seemingly endless war in a foreign land.

The House on Tuesday night created a new rule to fine lawmakers up to $10,000 if they refuse to pass through metal detectors in Congress.

Why it matters: The new screening measures were introduced on Capitol Hill following the deadly Jan. 6 insurrection.

A new Pew Research survey provides insight into how Americans anticipate power and influence in Washington, D.C., will shift under President Biden.

By the numbers: Nearly two-thirds of Americans think Black people and women will gain influence under the new president, while half say evangelical Christians — a group wooed and won over by former President Trump — will lose out.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is urging the Biden administration not to go around Republicans to pass the president’s $1.9 trillion stimulus package, a move being pushed by the Democrats’ progressive wing.

Why it matters: The historically conservative group fears that if President Biden submits, it could foil any shot at bipartisanship for future legislation, such as highly anticipated plans for infrastructure and climate change bills.

Rep. Adam Schiff is quietly lobbying Gov. Gavin Newsom and his allies to appoint him California’s next attorney general, according to people familiar with the matter.

Why it matters: If Newsom selects Schiff, chair of the House Intelligence Committee and a confidant of Speaker Nancy Pelosi, House Democrats would lose a powerful party voice in the U.S. House and temporarily give up a seat in their slim 221-211 majority.

The Biden administration on Tuesday called the military seizure of power in Myanmar and detainment of civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi a coup d'etat as pro-democracy groups protested across Asia.

Driving the news: The official designation will open a broader review of U.S. assistance programs to the Southeast Asian country, which was under military rule before becoming a civilian-led democracy in 2011.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) announced in a letter to her Democratic colleagues on Tuesday heightened security measures for congressional members traveling to and from the District of Columbia.

Why it matters: Pelosi said the updated protections come in response to the Jan. 6 pro-Trump siege on the U.S. Capitol, which she characterized as "a traumatic assault targeting Members."