The E.U. is planning to allow fully vaccinated Americans to visit and travel within its borders this summer, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen told the New York Times Sunday.
Why it matters: Von der Leyen didn't specify when the rules will officially be relaxed, but the prospect of opening up tourism to Americans displays a buoyed confidence in the both the American and E.U. vaccination campaigns.
The city of Fresno, California has reached its second multi-million dollar settlement related to fatal police shootings in less than a month, ABC News reports.
The big picture: Saturday's $4.9 million settlement goes to the family of Isiah Murrietta-Golding, an unarmed 16-year-old who was shot in the back of the head by a police officer in 2017, per The Fresno Bee.
President Biden has found a key tool for selling the most progressive parts of his agenda during his first 100 days: make them all about jobs.
Why it matters: Long considered a centrist Democrat, Biden has had to court and cater to his party's progressive wing to maintain support in a narrowly divided Congress. Talking jobs also has the benefit of resonating with the moderates and conservatives he needs in 2022 and beyond.
President Biden is leaning toward nominating Mark Gitenstein to be his ambassador to the European Union and Julie Smith as his envoy to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, people familiar with the matter tell Axios.
Driving the news: Some Biden advisers want to have the EU and NATO ambassadors announced ahead of Biden’s first foreign trip as president, when he heads to the United Kingdom for the G-7 and then Brussels for a NATO summit in June.
President Biden has repeatedly telegraphed tough decisions with earlier announcements designed to cushion the blow.
Driving the news: On Friday, the White House announced a generic call with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan of Turkey. Less than 24 hours later, the president issued a statement labeling a World War I Armenian massacre "genocide," angering the Turks.
Joe Biden promised as president-elect to get 100 million coronavirus vaccine shots in American arms during his first 100 days in office; since taking office, he's more than doubled that goal — and more than a quarter of Americans are now fully vaccinated.
By the numbers: Not quite 1% were vaccinated when Biden took office, although the Trump administration managed to reach an important milestone of 1 million doses administered in a day.
About 46% of Republicans believe the jury reached the wrong verdict in the murder trial of Derek Chauvin, a CBS poll out Sunday indicates.
Why it matters: The poll highlights the stark political divide governing opinions on the verdict. Roughly 90% of Democrats agreed with it, while only about 54% of Republicans did.
Senate Budget Committee Chair Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and 16 Democratic senators sent President Biden a letter on Sunday calling for his American Families Plan to significantly expand Medicare.
Why it matters: The plan, expected to be announced ahead of Biden's address to Congress on Wednesday, is one of several massive proposals brought by the administration to ease mass economic pain caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
Vice President Kamala Harris outlined the Biden administration's multi-pronged approach to stem the border crisis during an interview with CNN on Sunday.
Driving the news: The vice president noted that most people don't want to leave their homes and many who are fleeing dangerous circumstances or seeking to satisfy the "bare necessities" of life.
The American military has begun its withdrawal from Afghanistan, Gen. Austin Miller, the head of the U.S.-led coalition there, said at a press conference Sunday, per the New York Times.
Why it matters: Miller's statement comes about two weeks after President Joe Biden formally announced that the U.S. would execute a complete withdrawal from Afghanistan and effectively "end America’s longest war."
A Moscow court is expected to ban opposition leader Alexei Navalny's political and anti-corruption networks on Monday, effectively labeling them as extremist organizations, the Washington Post reports.
Why it matters: Often described as "the man Putin fears most," Navalny has been a thorn in President Vladimir Putin's side for years. If all goes to plan, Monday's ruling at closed-door court hearing will be "he most sweeping attempt to crush the Kremlin's greatest political threat," per the Post.
A poll and series of focus groupshas honed a one-two punch for a doable immigration deal: Give Democratic lawmakers a real path to citizenship for Dreamers, and give Republicans tight border security that's more realistic than a wall.
Why it matters: The formula — by Frank Luntz, who rose to fame as a Republican pollster but in recent years has taken a more bipartisan approach to policy — would make real progress on one of the nation's biggest tragedies that Capitol Hill has failed to confront.
Just over half of Americans approve of the job President Biden is doing as he approaches the 100th day of his term, NBC News and ABC News/Washington Post polls out Sunday indicate.
What he's saying: “They want to burn, they want to bash, they want to intimidate, they want to assault,” Wheeler said in a Friday video statement, referring to violent protestors. "Our community needs to resume their lives. People need to go back to work. Employers need to be able to reopen."
Outrage over the police killing of George Floyd 11 months ago has ushered in a historic pace for removals of Confederate symbols from public spaces.
The big picture: At least 167 Confederate symbols around the U.S. have been removed or renamed since Floyd’s death last May, Southern Poverty Law Center data shows.
Bars, department stores and theaters across Japan closed for 17 days Sunday, after Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga declared a state of emergency for Tokyo and three other prefectures in an attempt to curb surging COVID-19 cases.
Why it matters: In less than three months, Tokyo is due to host the summer Olympics — which have already been delayed by a year due to the pandemic. This is the third state of emergency declared in Japan since the pandemic began.
Louisiana state Sen. Troy Carter (D) defeated his colleague, state Sen. Karen Carter Peterson (D), in a special election Saturday for Louisiana's 2nd Congressional District seat, a majority-Black district that includes most of New Orleans and extends into Baton Rouge, according to AP.
Why it matters: Carter, who is known for being willing to work across party lines, secured several high-profile endorsements before the race, including the No. 3 Democrat in the House of Representatives, Rep. Jim Clyburn (S.C.).
Maryland officials announced they'll review cases of deaths in police custody overseen by retired state chief medical examiner David Fowler, who testified in Derek Chauvin's trial that George Floyd's cause of death was "undetermined."
Why it matters: As Chauvin was convicted last Tuesday on murder and manslaughter charges in Floyd's death, D.C.'s former chief medical examiner Roger Mitchell wrote a letter signed by over 450 other doctors calling for a review into in-custody deaths during Fowler's tenure.
Virginia state police are investigating reports that an unarmed Black man was shot by a sheriff's deputy who mistook his cordless house phone for a gun. The deputy had earlier given him a ride home, authorities said.
Driving the news: Spotsylvania County Sheriff's Office released video late Friday of the shooting of Isaiah Brown, 32, who's in critical condition in a hospital with 10 bullet wounds following the shooting early Wednesday.
