The Biden administration reopened a temporary facility for unaccompanied migrant children in Carrizo Springs, Texas, on Monday, the Washington Post reports.
Why it matters: Officials say the camp is necessary because of an uptick in migrant children crossing the U.S.-Mexico border. Meanwhile, the coronavirus pandemic has reduced the federal government's capacity to house children before they can be reunited with sponsors.
The Department of Education told states on Monday that they must resume standardized testing of students this spring after it was suspended a year ago because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Why it matters: The decision to resume testing means schools will have to find a way to tests to tens of millions of students, many of whom are still learning remotely, according to Chalkbeat.
Seven police officers suspended last year after putting a mesh hood on Daniel Prude until he lost consciousness will not face criminal charges following a grand jury vote, New York Attorney General Letitia James announced Tuesday.
The big picture: Police Chief La'Ron Singletary was fired following Prude's death in Rochester, New York, which sparked dozens of nightly protests last September in the wake of a national reckoning in response to the deaths of Black men and women during police encounters.
The Senate on Tuesdayvoted 92-7to confirm former Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack as secretary of the Department of Agriculture.
The big picture: Vilsack, a longtime supporter of President Biden, is returning to the department he led for eight years under the Obama administration. He served as governor of Iowa from 1999 to 2007.
BuzzFeed News on Tuesday filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Capitol Police for records related to the Jan. 6 insurrection.
Why it matters: TheCapitol Police is an extension of the legislative branch and therefore not subject to Freedom of Information Act requests. USCP has been largely uncommunicative with the media since the insurrection.
The mother of Ahmaud Arbery, the 25-year-old Black man shot and killed one year ago in Georgia, filed a civil lawsuit Tuesday accusing the men indicted in her son's death — and the involved police officers — of conspiring to kill Arbery and violating his civil rights.
The big picture: Arbery's death is one of the many that drove nationwide Black Lives Matter protests last summer, alongside demonstrations over George Floyd's killing. Feb. 23 is the anniversary of Arbery's death.
California residents in affluent communities are taking up COVID-19 vaccination appointments meant for underserved communities of color, according to a report by the Los Angeles Times.
Why it matters: Although Gov. Gavin Newsom has frequently stressed the importance of establishing equity in the state’s vaccine rollout, affluent white and Asian-American Californians are still receiving the vaccine at higher rates than Black and Latino residents in underserved areas, per the Times.
The Senate voted 78-20 on Tuesday to confirm Linda Thomas-Greenfield as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.
The big picture: Thomas-Greenfield has promised to restore the U.S. role as a defender of human rights and will look to repair multilateral relationships that fractured under former President Trump. She will play a key role in the administration's China strategy — her "highest priority," she has said.
Former Capitol Police Chief Steven Sund and former House Sergeant at Arms Paul Irving clashed at a Senate oversight hearing on Tuesday over alleged delays to approve National Guard help for the Capitol riots on Jan. 6.
Why it matters: Sund says he asked for National Guard assistance at 1:09pm, but that Irving did not approve the assistance until 2:10pm. Irving says he has no recollection of receiving the request for approval until after 2pm. Lawmakers are looking for answers over that hour of lost time.
A rise in assaults against Asian Americans last year seems primarily tied to the coronavirus pandemic. Some Asian Americans also worry that heightened tensions between the U.S. and China and growing fears of China's espionage activities stateside could make them more vulnerable to racist attacks.
Driving the news: There were more than 2,800 incidents of verbal and physical assaults directed at Asian Americans in 2020, according to Stop AAPI Hate, an organization founded early last year to track hate crimes against people of Asian American Pacific Islander heritage, Axios' Shawna Chen reports.
The now-former officials responsible for Capitol security on Jan. 6 testified Tuesday that they did not receive an FBI threat report warning that extremists were planning to travel to Washington to commit violence and "war."
Why it matters: The testimony by former U.S. Capitol Police Chief Steven Sund, former House Sergeant at Arms Paul Irving, and former Senate Sergeant at Arms Michael Stenger came during the first in a series of congressional oversight hearings that will examine the security and law enforcement failures that led to the Jan. 6 insurrection.
Sens. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) and Mitt Romney (R-Utah) on Tuesday unveiled the details of their proposal to raise the minimum wage to $10 an hour by 2025.
Why it matters: The Republican proposal comes as Congressional Democrats are pushing for a bill, backed by President Joe Biden and included in the broader $1.9 trillion stimulus package, that would increase the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2025.
Former Sen. David Perdue (R-Ga.) announced Tuesday that he will not enter the race for U.S. Senate in Georgia in 2022.
Why it matters: The 2022 election will play a key role in determining which party controls the Senate after Republicans — including Perdue — lost two Georgia seats to Democrats during last month's dual runoffs.
President Biden's pick for Interior secretary faces a balancing act as she defends limits on oil-and-gas development while responding to concerns that the initiatives — and her own policy views — threaten producing states.
Driving the news: Rep. Deb Haaland (D-N.M.) appears this morning before the Senate energy committee vetting her nomination and faces critical questioning from GOP members.
Hillary Clinton will pen an international political thriller novel with her longtime friend, author Louise Penny.
The big picture: "State of Terror" will be out in October. Simon & Schusterand St. Martin's Press acquired the rights to the book from Robert Barnett and David Gernert, who represent Clinton and Penny, respectively.
The White House is defending against criticism of its proposed budget to reopen schools found in its larger $1.9 trillion COVID-19 stimulus bill, stressing the need for “aggressive action” in points shared exclusively with Axios.
Why it matters: Republicans have been hammering the White House for insisting the proposed funding is necessary to reopen schools, arguing much of the money from the original CARES Act has yet to be spent.
U.S. Air Force B-1B Lancers arrived in Norway from Texas' Dyess Air Force Base on Monday for a training mission in Europe.
Why it matters: It's the first time American bombers have operated out of Norway, per a statement from the U.S. Air Force. Officials told CNN the move sends a "clear message" to Russia about the strategic importance of the Arctic region.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) has pledged to sign into law Tuesday a measure to provide some 5.7 million people with at least $600 in one-off payments as part of a state COVID-19 relief package.
Driving the news: State lawmakers on Monday overwhelmingly voted for the bill, designed to help people on lower incomes through the pandemic.
The absence of a Marine sentry outside the West Wing on Monday raised questions about whether President Biden was keeping the schedule publicly outlined by his aides.
Why it matters: A sure way to tell if the president is inside the Oval Office is if the spit-shined Marine is at the post, opening the door to the West Wing. A pool reporter questioning whether there had been a change in policy received a simpler, circa-2021 response: the Marine was getting a COVID test.
The 117th Congress is the most ethnically and racially diverse Congress yet, but the House Republican ranks remain far more white than that of their Democratic counterparts.
Why it matters: American demographics are rapidly changing, with the nation projected to be majority minority in 2045. Representation has improved in Congress, but only about 28% of House members are Black, Hispanic, Asian or indigenous — even though those groups make up 39% of the total population, according to census data.
Russia's adversaries in central and Eastern Europe are worried President Biden isn't willing to fight hard to stop the Russia-Germany gas pipeline Nord Stream 2 — one of Vladimir Putin's core priorities.
Why it matters: The fight is the first significant test of whether Biden's tough rhetoric against the Russian leader will be matched by action. Russian opponents fear Biden doesn't want to antagonize Angela Merkel and won't inflict serious costs on the Germans.
House Democratic leaders are quietly mounting a campaign for Shalanda Young, a longtime congressional aide, to replace Neera Tanden as nominee for director of the Office of Management and Budget, people familiar with the matter tell Axios.
Why it matters: The nascent campaign for Young, who would be OMB's first Black female leader, reflects a stark reality taking hold in the Democratic Party: Tanden's prospects are rapidly fading.
President Biden's pick for top government scientist will have to refrain from working on COVID vaccine matters until he divests as much as $1 million of stock in a company manufacturing one, the White House tells Axios.
Why it matters: Dr. Eric Lander also won't work on any other issues that could affect his sizable portfolio until he's fully divested, the White House said. That could take months, potentially handicapping a key administration hand at a crucial time.
President Biden urged Americans to "remember those we lost and remember those we left behind" in a candle-lighting ceremony Monday — noting the "grim milestone" of the U.S. surpassing 500,000 COVID-19 deaths.
Details: "As a nation, we can't accept such a cruel fate. We have to resist becoming numb to the sorrow," the president said, calling on the U.S. to fight the coronavirus together.
Canada's House of Commons on Monday voted 266-0 to recognize China's documented campaign of mass internment, forced labor and forced sterilization of Muslim Uyghurs in Xinjiang as a "genocide."
Why it matters: The vote will likely put pressure on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to get tougher on China. Trudeau and most members of his Cabinet abstained from Monday's vote.
Police in Aurora, Colorado, had no legal basis to stop, frisk or use a chokehold on Elijah McClain, a 23-year-old Black man who died in custody in 2019, according to a report by independent investigators released Monday.
Driving the news: The City Council in the Denver suburb ordered the independent review in June amid nationwide protests over the police killing George Floyd and other Black people.
