Axios

Facebook is resuming contributions through its political action committee, but not for any lawmakers who voted against certifying the 2020 U.S. election, according to an internal company letter obtained by Axios.

Why it matters: Facebook was one several major companies that froze political spending after the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection.

Local authorities have identified the nine victims of Wednesday's mass shooting at a transit station in San Jose, California.

The big picture: Many of the victims were longtime employees of the Valley Transportation Authority. "Their jobs included bus and light rail operators, mechanics, linemen and assistant superintendent," reports AP.

The Washington state attorney general on Thursday charged two Tacoma police officers with murder and one with manslaughter in the death of Manuel Ellis, a Black man who died after repeatedly telling law enforcement he couldn't breathe while being restrained last year.

Why it matters: It's the first time the state's attorney general's office has filed criminal charges against officers for the unlawful use of deadly force.

The Chicago Police Department this week announced a new policy barring officers from engaging in foot-chases with people suspected of minor offenses or low-level misdemeanors.

Why it matters: The revised policy comes in the wake of foot pursuits that resulted in the fatal officer-involved shootings of 13-year-old Adam Toledo and 22-year-old Anthony Alvarez.

While Idaho Gov. Brad Little (R) was out of state at a conference, Lt. Gov. Janice McGeachin (R) issued an executive order Thursday banning mask mandates in school and public buildings, AP reports.

Why it matters: Little never issued a statewide mask mandate, but there have been some in counties, cities and schools. McGeachin announced last week she was running for governor, challenging Little who has only served one term, and her order could appeal to far-right voters in the state.

New York City mayoral candidate Andrew Yang called a New York Daily News cartoon of him a "racialized caricature" in a CNN interview on Thursday, adding it could cause further harm to the Asian American community.

Why it matters: The cartoon drew immediate backlash after being published on Monday. Critics say it plays on dangerous anti-Asian stereotypes amid a yearlong spike in racism-fueled violence against Asian Americans that has led to several deaths.

The ACLU on Thursday urged Immigration and Customs Enforcement to vaccinate detained immigrants, saying the agency has failed to create a coordinated response to rampant infections.

The big picture: Immigration attorneys told the Washington Post in early March that ICE had no clear plan to vaccinate the thousands of immigrants in its custody.

The Senate voted 68-30 on Thursday to advance a sweeping China-focused global competition bill, clearing a major procedural hurdle after concerns over potential Republican opposition.

Why it matters: The bill, which faces additional debate before a vote is held on final passage, is seen as a litmus test for whether Republicans could work with Democrats on any legislation in the deeply divided Senate. The vote was held open for hours after Republicans negotiated more time to vote on amendments.

Puerto Ricans have chosen the six people who will try to sway Congress during its debates on the island’s status.

Why it matters: Two competing measures that aim to resolve Puerto Rico’s status are before Congress, putting the territory as close as it has ever been to settling a question that has persisted for more than a century.

At least 88 politicians have been killed in Mexico and more than 100 report they’ve been threatened or kidnapped in the run-up to next week’s midterm elections.

Why it matters: This Mexican election cycle is already the second-bloodiest ever. In 2018, about 140 people involved in politics were murdered.

Female law enforcement officers in Harris County, Texas, say they were sexually harassed and traumatized when trying to do their jobs, after supervisors in the Police Constable First Precinct created a "booze-fueled playground for sexual exploitation.”

Details: A civil rights lawsuit accuses high-level officers of recruiting young Latina cops to take part in undercover vice stings they were untrained for, under the guise of combatting human trafficking.

The Santa Clara County coroner's office late Wednesday identified a ninth victim from the shooting at a transit station in San Jose, California, AP reports.

The latest: The coroner's officer confirmed the death of Alex Ward Fritch, 49, who was in critical condition but died after being hospitalized. The other victims were identified earlier: Paul Delacruz Megia, 42; Adrian Balleza, 29; Jose Dejesus Hernandez, 35; Timothy Romo, 49; Abdolvahab Alaghmandan, 63; Lars Lane, 63; Taptejdeep Singh, 36; and Michael Joseph Rudometkin, 40.

An Axios-Ipsos poll on race relations one year after George Floyd's murder shows that COVID-19, gun violence and racial discrimination are the top concerns among Hispanics in the U.S.

Why it matters: The poll suggested that after a year of the pandemic and social justice demonstrations, Hispanics are less optimistic than white Americans but less pessimistic than their Black neighbors.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Thursday denounced new election laws passed by Hong Kong's legislature that will limit the public's involvement in elections and adds more pro-Beijing lawmakers to the legislature.

Why it matters: It's the latest step by the authoritarian Chinese government to crack down on democratic institutions in Hong Kong, violating their international commitments and deepening the rift in U.S.-China relations.

Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) said Thursday he is not willing to abolish the legislative filibuster if Republicans block the creation of a bipartisan commission to investigate the deadly Jan. 6 Capitol riot, which they are set to do within hours.

Why it matters: Manchin — a crucial moderate swing vote — has blasted GOP leadership over the Jan. 6 commission and said "there is no excuse for any Republican to vote against" the bill. But his view has still not changed on eliminating or altering the filibuster, even if it prevents his party from passing key legislation.

A group of Senate Republicans on Thursday released the framework for their latest counterproposal to President Biden's infrastructure plan, raising their offer from $568 billion to $928 billion.

The latest: White House press secretary Jen Psaki acknowledged "several constructive additions" to the Republican offer, but said the administration remains "concerned that their plan still provides no substantial new funds for critical job-creating needs."

Russia Thursday blocked at least two European planes from landing in Moscow because they planned to avoid Belarusian airspace after Belarus diverted a Lithuania-bound flight to detain a government dissident on Monday, U.S. News reports.

Why it matters: The move comes after the EU told European airlines not to fly over Belarus, and appears to seek to undermine the bloc's response to the country's strongman leader Aleksandr Lukashenko, an ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The Senate voted via unanimous consent on Thursday to confirm Christine Wormuth as Army secretary. She is the former director of the RAND Corp.’s International Security and Defense Center.

Why it matters: Wormuth is the first woman in the role. She served as under secretary of defense for policy at the end of Obama's administration, and was previously senior policy director on the National Security Council.

A new directive will require pipeline operators to report confirmed and potential cybersecurity incidents to the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, the Department of Homeland Security announced Thursday.

Why it matters: It's the first set of new regulations for the pipeline industry since the Colonial hack, which hampered part of the East Coast's fuel supply. The new rules will help "to better identify, protect against, and respond to threats to critical companies in the pipeline sector," DHS said in a statement.

Former Sen. Claire McCaskill is under consideration for a plum ambassadorship in western Europe — another sign President Biden will tap party allies over big dollar donors when he starts to name his political ambassadors as soon as next week.

Why it matters: Biden will have political antennae across the globe.

Some Senate Republicans might agree to add to the national debt to pay for a scaled-back infrastructure plan, senators and aides told Axios — one more grasp at a deal with President Biden before Democrats pack up and go it alone.

Why it matters: Skipping over the thorny question of how to offset up to $1 trillion in new projects could actually be politically and philosophically easier for GOP lawmakers than agreeing on tax increases.

Amy Cooper, a white woman who called 911 to falsely accuse a Black bird watcher of threatening her life in Central Park, has filed a lawsuit against her former employer for firing her.

Driving the news: Cooper alleges in the lawsuit against Franklin Templeton that the company didn't conduct an investigation before firing her after video of the incident went viral last May, and she claims she's a victim of racial discrimination.

The Biden administration on Wednesday defended in the U.S. District Court for Alaska a massive ConocoPhillips oil and gas project approved during the Trump-era, per the New York Times.

Why it matters: President Biden has pledged to move away from fossil fuels. But the project has the backing of officials including Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) — who's viewed as a potential ally for Biden in his attempts to push through policies in an evenly divided Senate, NYT notes.

Comedian Jon Stewart joined House lawmakers on Capitol Hill Wednesday to support legislation that would help veterans exposed to toxic substances access Veterans Affairs benefits.

Why it matters: House Veterans' Affairs Committee Chair Mark Takano (D-Calif.) said during a briefing the legislation could provide health care to some 3.5 million veterans who became ill after being exposed to toxic burn pits during this century's wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Former President Obama said Wednesday that "institutional constraints" stopped him from speaking out against the killings of Black Americans when he was in office.

Driving the news: The former president made the comments during the My Brother's Keeper Leadership Forum, which discussed activism since the May 2020, murder of George Floyd.

The White House has a simple message for Trump appointees venting to the media about losing their jobs since President Biden took office: get over it.

Why it matters: The White House has been methodically clearing house, a practice former President Trump followed when he was elected — most prominently at the State Department. The aim is to install staff more in sync with an administration starkly different than its predecessor.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) is forcing Republicans into a corner as he tries to pass his China-focused global competition bill.

Why it matters: It's important by itself but also seen by the left as a test for whether Democrats can work with the GOP on anything. If it fails to gain support, it would likely endanger future bipartisan efforts — including infrastructure talks — for the remainder of the 117th Congress.

The number of people attempting to cross the U.S.-Mexico border from countries beyond Mexico and Central America's Northern Triangle — including residents of Haiti, Cuba, Romania and India — has spiked during recent months.

Why it matters: On top of natural disaster and economic crises in home countries, the growing backlog of asylum cases in the U.S. — which often allows migrants to live and work in the country as their case plays out in court — is being conveyed to friends and relatives. It can prompt them to catch flights to Central America.

Facebook posts claiming that COVID-19 was "man-made" will no longer be removed, the social media giant announced Wednesday.

Why it matters: The lifting of the ban reflects a reinvigorated debate on the origins of the pandemic in recent days, following a Wall Street Journal report that three researchers at the Wuhan Institute of Virology were hospitalized in November 2019 after falling ill.