Driving the news: Biden on Saturday said the systemic killing and deportation of Armenians by Ottoman Turkish forces in the early 20th century constituted an act of genocide, angering Turkey who rejected the declaration.
Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador is scheduled to hold a virtual meeting with Vice President Kamala Harris on May 7 to discuss the surge of migration at the countries' shared border, Mexican Foreign Relations Secretary Marcelo Ebrard tweeted Saturday.
The big picture: The scheduled meeting comes as the Biden administration takes a multi-pronged approach to the increased number of migrants coming to the southern border, Axios' Stef Kight reports.
At least six police killings took place in the 24 hours after a verdict was reached in the murder trial of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, AP reports.
Why it matters: As many nationwide breathed a collective sigh of relief after a jury on Tuesday found Chauvin guilty in the murder of George Floyd, some of the six deaths prompted renewed calls for justice and an end to police violence.
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan praised President Biden on Saturday for formally recognizing the mass killing of Armenians by Ottoman Turkish forces in 1915 as an act of genocide, saying the move "reaffirms the supremacy of human rights," according to AP.
Why it matters: The unprecedented designation — which has been largely avoided by previous administrations over fears of straining relations with Turkey — and Pashinyan's response come on Armenian Remembrance Day.
Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte (R) has signed legislation that forbids state and local law enforcement from enforcing federal bans on guns, ammunition and magazines.
Ghislaine Maxwell, a close associate of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, on Friday pleaded not guilty to new sex-trafficking charges in a Manhattan federal court, The Washington Post reports.
The big picture: It was her first court appearance since she was arrested last summer on allegations that she facilitated the sexual abuse of young girls by Epstein. Maxwell spoke briefly, responding affirmatively when the judge asked her if she knew about the sex trafficking charges.
The National Park Service on Friday unveiled 16 additions to its National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom Program.
Why it matters: The program preserves sites connected to the network of havens across the U.S. that offered shelter and aid primarily to enslaved African Americans on their journey to free states and Canada and promotes educational or research programs pertaining to the Underground Railroad.
President Biden on Saturday formally recognized the mass killing of Armenians by Ottoman Turkish forces as an act of genocide.
Why it matters: The unprecedented designation, which comes on Armenian Remembrance Day, will likely infuriate Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who has previously warned a genocide declaration would harm U.S.-Turkey relations.
President Biden signed into law a bill that names sesame the ninth major food allergen and increases research to address growth in deadly allergies.
Why it matters: The number of life-threatening childhood food allergies has increased 4% annually since 1997, and hospital emergency room visits for food allergy-induced anaphylaxis have tripled in the last decade, according to research from Northwestern University, McKinsey & Company, Global Strategy Group and Food Allergy Research and Education.
Why it matters: Activists are asking that Latinos not be forgotten in discussion of reforms to policing that have been prompted by cases like George Floyd’s.
Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey (R) on Friday signed a law passed by the Republican-held state legislature banning transgender youth from participating in school sports teams inconsistent with their sex assigned at birth, according to AP.
