Heritage of Pride, the organizer of the New York City Pride parade, announced Saturday that it will ban police groups from participating in the annual Pride march through at least 2025.
The state of play: The organization said it is also taking steps to reduce the New York Police Department's presence at its events. NYC Pride will "transition to providing increased community-based security and first responders," the group said.
President Biden spoke to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Saturday and raised concerns about civilian casualties in Gaza and the bombing of the building that housed AP and other media offices, according to Israeli officials.
The big picture: At least 140 Palestinians, including dozens of children, have been killed in Gaza since fighting between Israel and Hamas began Monday, according to Palestinian health officials. Nine people, including two children, have been killed by Hamas rockets in Israel.
The Associated Press and Al Jazeera on Saturday condemned the Israeli airstrike that destroyed a high-rise building in Gaza that housed their and other media offices.
What they're saying: The White House, meanwhile, said it had "communicated directly to the Israelis that ensuring the safety and security of journalists and independent media is a paramount responsibility," according to press secretary Jen Psaki.
The U.S. for the first time attended a summit on Saturday with tech giants and world leaders as part of an international effort to stop extremist violence from proliferating online while also protecting freedom of speech, AP reports.
Why it matters: The effort was created by New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and French President Emmanuel Macron in the aftermath of the 2019 Christchurch, New Zealand, shootings and deadly attacks in France that were streamed or shared on social media platforms.
The U.S. budget deficit hit a record $1.9 trillion in the first seven months of this fiscal year, according to the Treasury Department's monthly budget report.
Why it matters: It's roughly a 30% increase from the same time period in the last fiscal year and is largely due to the passage of massive relief bills to combat the economic fallout of the coronavirus pandemic.
The U.S.' sharply declining rate of population growth threatens to put an expiration date on a country built around a vision of endless reinvention.
The big picture: Fewer people means fewer workers to support an aging population, fewer innovators with new ideas, less economic growth — and more of one thing: political fights over a shrinking pie.
Some Republican governors have found themselves at odds with their own party over a record number of bills targeting transgender children.
Why it matters: Social conservatives see a winning issue in bills to restrict trans students' participation in sports and access to health care, but the sudden push has met resistance even from some staunch conservatives.
Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas issued an advisory Friday warning of threats posed by domestic terrorists and other violent extremists, including those who look to exploit America's reopening.
President Biden on Friday revoked a Trump-era executive order that barred the entry of immigrants deemed a "financial burden" on the U.S. health care system.
Why it matters: It's one of several policies under the previous administration that targeted immigrants. Biden has sought to undo his predecessor's actions on the issue since taking office, but has been met with criticism and challenges in recent months.
Flashback: Former President Trump cited "dangerous anti-American extremism" as a motivation behind the sculpture garden, which he said would be "America’s answer to this reckless attempt to erase our heroes, values and entire way of life."
Neera Tanden, who withdrew her nomination to lead the Office of Management and Budget after several senators voiced opposition, has taken a new role as White House senior adviser, Axios confirmed Friday.
The big picture: Tanden pulled her name from consideration for the Cabinet-level position in March following bipartisan criticism of her past combative tweets.
Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt, a Republican, signed legislation this week that extends early voting in the state by a day and changes the timeline for voters to request absentee ballots to ensure they are received in time to be counted, the Oklahoman reports.
The United States must encourage an immediate cease-fire in the Middle East and adopt an "evenhanded approach" that recognizes Palestinians and Israelis have a right to "live in peace and security," Sen. Bernie Sanders (D-Vt.) wrote in a New York Times opinion on Friday.
Driving the news: Violence escalated this week after Israelis intensified efforts to evict Palestinians from their homes in Jerusalem. Hamas fired rockets and Israel massed troops, leaving more than 125 Palestinians and seven people in Israel dead.
Joel Greenberg, a former associate of Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.), has agreed to cooperate with federal investigators and admitted to a variety of federal charges including sex trafficking a minor, the New York Times reported Friday citing court papers.
Why it matters: Investigators believe Greenberg introduced women to Gaetz for paid sex and are looking into the Florida congressman's alleged sexual relationship with a 17-year-old girl. Greenberg could be a key witness as federal prosecutors decide whether to charge Gaetz.
The White House on Friday said that Republicans' idea to impose user fees for infrastructure spending would "violate" President Biden's promise not to raise taxes on Americans making less than $400,000 annually.
What they're saying: "The president's pledge and his commitment, his line in the sand, his red line, whatever you want to call it, is that he will not raise taxes for people making less than $400,000 a year," White House press secretary Jen Psaki said. "User fees that have been proposed out there would violate that."
Columbus, Ohio, on Friday reached a $10 million settlement with the family of Andre Hill, an unarmed Black man who was fatally shot by police as he walked out of a garage while holding a cellphone.
What they're saying: "We understand that because of this former officer's actions, the Hill family will never be whole," City Attorney Zach Klein said in a statement. "No amount of money will ever bring Andre Hill back to his family, but we believe this is an important and necessary step in the right direction."
A newly unearthed video obtained by CNN shows Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), then a private citizen, taunting Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) outside of her office in Feb. 2019.
Why it matters: In the since-deleted footage, Greene is accompanied by associates, including a man who later became part of the pro-Trump mob that stormed Capitol Hill on Jan. 6, according to CNN.
House negotiators have reached an agreement on the parameters of a 9/11-style commission to investigate the "facts and circumstances" surrounding the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, the House Homeland Security Committee announced Friday.
Why it matters: The formation of a bipartisan Jan. 6 commission had been delayed for months, after some Republicans insisted that the scope of the investigation be expanded to include violence by far-left protesters last summer.
Every Democratic member of Congress said they have received a coronavirus vaccine, while House Republicans are lagging behind in getting vaccinated, according to CNN.
Why it matters: After the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced that vaccinated people no longer have to wear masks during certain indoor and outdoor activities on Thursday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said face masks would still be required in the House until all members and floor staff are vaccinated.
House Republicans voted 134-46 in a secret ballot Friday to appoint Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) as the chair of the GOP conference, replacing Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.).
Why it matters: Stefanik's appointment underscores how important loyalty to former President Trump remains to the Republican Party.
Big Tech companies, led by Google, filed an amicus brief in federal court Fridaymorning in support of the spouses of certain H-1B high-skilled visa holders, whose ability to work in the U.S is being threatened in court.
What they're saying: In the brief, tech giants like Microsoft, Apple, Adobe and Amazon argue that removing the ability of more than 90,000 H-4 visa holders to work, "would result in these talented individuals being barred from the workplace" and "would be utterly destructive for the families impacted."
Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) said in an appearance on Fox News late Thursday that the network has "a particular obligation" to tell the American public that the 2020 presidential election was not stolen.
The big picture: Cheney's words came a day after House Republicans removed her from her leadership position in the GOP conference following her continued criticism of former President Trump's election lies.
Delaware State University announced this week that it will cancel more than $730,000 in student debt for recent graduates who struggled financially during the pandemic.
The big picture: DSU — an historically Black university — used stimulus funds it received from President Biden's American Rescue Plan. The Education Department updated guidance in March allowing institutions to use that money for different needs, including cancelling some student debt, Forbes reports.
Last fall, Missouri voters approved expanding Medicaid coverage in their state. But Republican Gov. Mike Parson said Thursday the expansion is dead in the water after the state's General Assembly refused to fund it.
State of play: The move to block expansion — estimated to potentially extend coverage to 275,000 additional Missourians — is the latest reminder of how entrenched opposition to the ACA remains in deep-red states.
President Biden's promise to cut the price of Americans' internet bills has provoked a fierce lobbying campaign by cable and telecom companies to prove that the cost of broadband has already dropped.
Why it matters: Internet providers are desperate to fend off any move to regulate the prices they charge, while the government is increasingly viewing connectivity as an essential service.
Most police agencies in recent federally court-ordered reform agreements saw violent crime rates skyrocket immediately, according to an Axios examination of departments under consent decrees since 2012.
Why it matters: The increases in violent crime rates — in one case by 61% — suggest that there can be unintended consequences, at least in the short term, to the policing changes many Americans have demanded in the year since George Floyd's death.
The big picture: Israel began massing troops on its border with Gaza on Thursday, launching attacks from the air and ground as Hamas continued to fire rockets into Israel.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) told Fox News that he plans to pardon "any Floridian" who faces "outstanding infractions" for violating COVID-19 guidance like mask mandates and social distancing.
The Dallas-Fort Worth area is being targeted for the largest collective earmark request in the country, according to a detailed breakdown of overall requests released by the House Appropriations Committee.
Why it matters: House appropriators are trying to balance bipartisan momentum for infrastructure investment with "pork-barrel" spending's checkered political history. The data dump is an effort to provide transparency for what are now termed "community project funding" requests.
Some Senate Democrats are open to paying for a compromise infrastructure package by imposing user fees, including increasing the gas tax and raising money from electric car drivers through a vehicle-miles-traveled charge.
Why it matters: By inching toward the Republican position on pay-fors, some Democrats are bucking President Biden's push to offset his proposed $2.3 trillion plan by focusing only on raising taxes on corporations and the wealthy.
A leading progressive legal advocacy group is spinning off from the sprawling dark money network that seeded it, the group tells Axios.
Why it matters: Demand Justice's decision to separate from the Sixteen Thirty Fund, a "fiscal sponsor" for scores of largely left-wing organizations, will provide the public with its first detailed look behind the curtain of the influential progressive nonprofit.
Thousands of migrant children have been released by the Biden administration to caretakers in the U.S. as part of the government's program for unaccompanied minors — but there's little-to-no visibility about what's happened to them.
Flashback: During the Trump administration, there was outrage when a top official told Congress his agency was unable to verify the locations of about 1,500 kids released to sponsors. Today, the agency in charge won't answer questions about its efforts to keep track of these vulnerable children.
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