House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) told CNN Thursday that members will still be required to wear masks on the House floor, despite new CDC guidance allowing fully vaccinated people to remove their masks indoors.
What she's saying: “No,” Pelosi told CNN when asked if the rule would change. "Are they all vaccinated?”
An independent federal investigative agency said Thursday that Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Marcia Fudge violated the Hatch Act in March when the former Ohio congresswoman weighed in on the state's 2022 Senate election.
Why it matters: It appears to be the first Hatch Act violation under the Biden administration, per Politico. The Hatch Act prohibits federal employees from engaging in partisan political activity.
An active-duty Marine was arrested in Virginia on Thursday after being charged with a number of federal crimes in connection to the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, per a Department of Justice press release.
Why it matters: Major Christopher Warnagiris is the first known active-duty member of military to be charged for his involvement in the insurrection, reports Politico.
The White House emailed staff on Thursday saying those who are fully vaccinated against the coronavirus are no longer required to wear face masks on the premises.
Why it matters: The move follows new COVID-19 guidelines from the CDC which allow fully vaccinated people to participate in indoor and outdoor activities without masks or physically distancing.
Voters can now easily evaluate whether their districts are being drawn to favor one party — or freeze out an entire community — thanks to mathematical tools powered by crowdsourced data and public software.
The CDC announced in new guidance Thursday that anyone who is fully vaccinated can participate in indoor and outdoor activities without wearing a mask or physically distancing, regardless of crowd size.
What they're saying: "If you are fully vaccinated, you are protected, and you can start doing the things that you stopped doing because of the pandemic," CDC director Rochelle Walensky will say at a White House press briefing.
President Biden on Thursday warned gas companies to not price gouge amid major shortages following the Colonial Pipeline cyberattack.
The big picture: Biden added that the FBI does not believe the Russian government is behind the attack, but they do know that those responsible "are living in Russia."
A Colombian-born special education teacher in a Nevada elementary school has been named the 2021 National Teacher of the Year.
Why it matters: Juliana Urtubey is the first Hispanic person to earn the honor since 2005. Her selection comes as the U.S. Latino student population grows and the national focus turns to reopening schools after the coronavirus outbreak.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Thursday said that the House ethics committee should investigate the "verbal assault" and "abuse" from Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) toward Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.).
Driving the news: "You don't care about the American people," Greene shouted at Ocasio-Cortez as they exited the House chamber, according to two Washington Post reporters who witnessed the encounter. "Why do you support terrorists and antifa?"
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) on Thursday tore into Republican members of Congress who downplayed the deadly Jan. 6 Capitol riot during a House hearing on Wednesday, telling reporters: "I don't know [of] a normal day around here when people are threatening to hang the vice president."
Why it matters: House lawmakers are currently in negotiations over forming a bipartisan Jan. 6 commission to examine the attack and the events that led up to it.
The trial for three former Minneapolis police officers charged by state prosecutors with aiding and abetting the murder of George Floyd has been moved to March 7, 2022, Minneapolis NBC affiliate KARE11 reports.
Why it matters: Hennepin County Judge Peter Cahill said he wanted to move the date from Aug. 23 to accommodate a new federal case against the officers and Derek Chauvin, who has already been convicted on state charges for Floyd's murder, per AP.
Restoration of the Colonial Pipeline, the huge East Coast gasoline artery, is the beginning of the end of a crisis that prompted a White House logistical and political scramble.
Catch up fast: Late Wednesday afternoon, Colonial began a restart of the 5,500-mile line that shut down nearly a week ago after a ransomware attack.
Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, on Thursday will call for a full reopening of U.S. schools in the next academic year, according to the New York Times.
Why it matters: Teachers' unions have been a primary barrier to reopening schools this academic year, and around half of public schools are not offering in-person learning five days per week because of the coronavirus pandemic.
New body camera footage obtained by CNN shows the moment a DC police officer was brutally attacked by Trump supporters during the Capitol Hill insurrection.
Driving the news: The release of video comes a day after Republican members of Congress sought to downplay the Jan. 6 events, with some lawmakers calling the rioters "peaceful patriots" and comparing them to tourists.
Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) told NBC's "Today" that GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy's January visit to Mar-a-Lago to see former President Trump after the Capitol riots was "really stunning."
Why it matters: Now that she has officially been ousted as House GOP conference chair, Cheney plans to lean even harder into her criticism of Trump and those she thinks are continuing to enable him — including McCarthy.
Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) plans to make her purge the beginning of a new movement, with campaign travel, fundraising and speeches to challenge Donald Trump for ideological dominance of the GOP.
Driving the news: Sources in Cheney's camp tell me her message will be the importance of the truth, the need to move past Trump, and a push to articulate conservative policy and substance to combat Democrats.
Hillary Clinton will join a slew of lawmakers and advocates at the progressive AAPI Victory Alliance group's summit on AAPI political power next week.
Why it matters: Amid a yearlong surge in anti-Asian hate, the summitaims to cultivate growing AAPI electoral power and increase visibility of AAPI issues.
This survey is the result of a partnership between Axios and Harris Poll to gauge the reputation of the most visible brands in America, based on 20 years of Harris Poll research. From the Patagonia to SpaceX, here's how this year's class stacks up.
Data: The Harris Poll; Graphic: Axios Visuals
Methodology: The Axios Harris Poll 100 is based on a survey of 42,935 Americans in a nationally representative sample conducted April 8-21, 2021. The two-step process starts fresh each year by surveying the public’s top-of-mind awareness of companies that either excel or falter in society.
These 100 “most visible companies” are then ranked by a second group of Americans across the seven key dimensions of reputation to arrive at the ranking. If a company is not on the list, it did not reach a critical level of visibility to be measured.
The Biden administration approved a temporary waiver of shipping requirements late Wednesday to help Colonial Pipeline transport fuel, as service resumes across the U.S. following last week's ransomware attack that that took it offline.
Why it matters: The century-old Jones Act requires ships to be built in the U.S. and crewed by American workers, but the waiver means foreign companies can transport gasoline and diesel to areas where there are fuel shortages.
Boeing gained approval from the Federal Aviation Administration for a "fix" to an electrical issue that sidelined roughly 100 of its 737 MAX planes worldwide, Reuters first reported Wednesday night.
Why it matters: Wednesday's approval paves the way for a swift return of the flights that were removed from service early last month.
Former White House counsel Don McGahn agreed Wednesday to speak with the House Judiciary Committee about former President Trump's alleged attempts to obstruct the Russia investigation — with certain conditions, per a court filing.
Why it matters: The agreement ends a two-year standoff after McGahn, a key player in former special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation, repeatedly refused to agree to a subpoena for testimony — resulting in the matter being taken to court.
The Federal Election Commission has voted not to investigate allegations that Trump campaign representatives — including Donald Trump Jr. — solicited illegal foreign assistance in 2016, Axios has learned.
The big picture: The commission deadlocked in a 3-3 vote on whether to probe potential campaign finance violations surrounding an infamous meeting with two Russian nationals at Trump Tower during the 2016 campaign.
Top White House officials — including counselor Steve Ricchetti and National Security Council chief of staff Yohannes Abraham — briefed President Biden about the Colonial Pipeline hack at Camp David last weekend, sources familiar with the response tell Axios.
Why it matters: The high-level response, which also included daily calls from national security adviser Jake Sullivan, underscores the administration's heightened concern about fallout from the hack — both from national security and political perspectives.
The gas may be flowing again, but the White House is more worried than it's letting on about the potential fallout of the Colonial Pipeline hack that caused fuel shortages and triggered price increases, Axios has learned.
Behind the scenes: Senior Biden officials are acutely sensitive to the images of lines outside gas stations before Memorial Day — the typical launch to the summer driving season. Republicans also are jumping on the bandwagon, suggesting Joe Biden is a modern-day Jimmy Carter.
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine (R) on Wednesday announced multiple monetary incentives for residents who get vaccinated for COVID-19 as he lifted pandemic health orders statewide.
Why it matters: DeWine noted that 42% of Ohioans have been fully vaccinated. The incentive programs align with a drop in vaccine demand in recent weeks.
President Biden told reporters Wednesday it's his "expectation and hope" that there will soon be an end to fighting between Israel and Hamas, which has killed scores of Palestinians and several Israelis.
What they're saying: Biden, after speaking with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, said that he hoped the conflict would be "closing down sooner than later," despite Israel's government announcing plans to scale up its military offensive.
