The Portland Police Bureau announced Thursday that its entire Rapid Response Team left their voluntary positions on squad Wednesday after a fellow officer was indicted on an assault charge for allegedly using "excessive" and "unlawful" force during a protest last August.
Driving the news: Tuesday's indictment of officer Corey Budworth is the first time a Portland police officer has faced prosecution for striking or firing at someone during a protest, according to The Oregonian.
Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Michael Regan has reinstated one of two key advisory boards, both of which he dismantled in March as a commitment to "scientific integrity," AP reports.
Why it matters: These panels help provide scientific guidance to the agency that can inform its rule-making on air quality standards and other environmental policies.
The Supreme Court will give conservatives a lot of what they want — but not quite everything.
Driving the news: It voted 9-0 to carve out religious objections to same-sex marriage, saying foster-care agencies have a First Amendment right to turn away same-sex couples. But it also voted 7-2 to preserve the Affordable Care Act, saying Republican attorneys general did not have the legal standing to bring their lawsuit.
"Great nations don't ignore their most painful moments," President Biden said before signing legislation Thursday that establishes Juneteenth as a federal holiday, just two days before the occasion.
Why it matters: The holiday, which will be known as Juneteenth National Independence Day, is now the 11th annual federal holiday and the first one established since the creation of Martin Luther King Jr. Day in 1983.
The St. Louis couple who pointed guns at Black Lives Matter protesters from their lawn of the St. Louis mansion last July, pled guilty Thursday to one count of fourth-degree assault as part of a plea deal, reports local NBC affiliate KSDK.
Why it matters: Mark McCloskey launched his bid for Missouri's Senate seat last month. Thursday's plea deal will not interfere with his campaign.
The 14th Amendment's Equal Protection Clause prevents West Virginia and Arkansas from carrying out laws that exclude transgender girls from women's sports and ban gender-affirming care, respectively, the Justice Department argued Thursday in two statements of interest for separate lawsuits.
Why it matters: They are the Justice Department's first direct statements on the record number of bills targeting trans youth. The statements come after the White House repeatedly deferred to the DOJ on whether it will take action against the predominately Republican-backed legislation.
The U.S. Census Bureau's weekly Household Pulse Survey, which has collected information on household experiences throughout the pandemic, will request respondents' sexual orientation and gender identity for the first time, the agency announced Thursday.
Why it matters: State and federal data have historically excluded LGBTQ experiences, hiding the disparities that harm the community. The pandemic has only worsened those disparities, experts say, making inclusive data collection key to understanding LGBTQ Americans' needs.
The Supreme Court ruled in favor of Nestlé USA and Cargill in a lawsuit that accused the corporations of helping perpetuate child slave labor in the Ivory Coast, Reuters reports.
Why it matters: The ruling is yet another example of courts imposing "strict limits on lawsuits brought in federal court based on human rights abuses abroad," notes the New York Times.
COVID-19, and the government’s response to it, created a perfect storm for unemployment fraud — which Axios reported could have accounted for half of all the payments made throughout the pandemic.
Why it matters: The government has not officially audited the issue. But there are good reasons to believe that the number is enormous.
The U.S. governmentis clear that unemployment fraud is a huge problem, and has budgeted $2 billion to try to fix it.
Where it stands: The Department of Labor inspector general reported last month that 20 states did not perform what was required of them in terms of detecting improper payments, and 44 states did not do what was recommended (but not required).
President Biden called Thursday's decision by the Supreme Court to throw out a Republican challenge to the Affordable Care Act a "major victory for all Americans benefitting from this groundbreaking and life-changing law."
Why it matters: The Supreme Court on Thursday ruled 7-2 to toss the lawsuit and allows former President Obama's signature achievement to remain intact.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) signed a bill into law Wednesday allowing people to carry a concealed handgun without a permit, per CNBC.
Why it matters: The new law will replace what Texas has presently, which allows residents 21 or older to carry a handgun only after completing training and passing a criminal background check to obtain a license to carry, per the Austin American-Statesman.
The law is effective on September 1. It will join Texas with at least 20 other states that have similar provisions, per the Austin American-Statesman.It's part of a package that Abbott touts as making Texas a "Second Amendment sanctuary," per CNBC.
Activists in Albuquerque this week commemorated the 50th anniversary of one of the first modern Mexican American rebellions against police over discrimination and harassment.
Why it matters: The "Albuquerque uprising" is part of the forgotten history of protests against police mistreatment of Latinos in the 1960s and 1970s. Since the murder of George Floyd, Latino advocates have tried to draw attention to that history and the often-overlooked police violence against Hispanics today.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) announced Thursday that he opposes the compromise on Democrats' sweeping voting rights bill proposed by Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.).
Why it matters: Voting legislation requires 60 votes to pass in the Senate. Without Republican support, it is unlikely to pass. Manchin is the sole Democratic senator who has not signed on to the For the People Act, insisting that it's too partisan.
An international court is examining whether the Honduran government was complicit in the killing of Vicky Hernández, a 26-year-old trans woman fatally shot on the night of the country's 2009 coup d'état.
Why it matters: Legal advocates say the case could set a legal precedent across Latin America, which has the world's highest concentration of trans murders, according to activists.
Three astronauts entered China's new space station for the first time after riding into space on the Shenzhou-12 spacecraft launched from the edge of the Gobi Desert on Thursday, according to AP.
Why it matters: Astronauts Nie Haisheng, Liu Boming and Tang Hongbo are set to occupy the station for a three-month mission, marking the country's longest crewed space mission ever and the first in almost five years.
The House voted 268-161 on Thursday to repeal the 2002 Authorization for the Use of Military Force (AUMF) in Iraq, almost two decades after the resolution was first passed by Congress.
Why it matters: If passed by the Senate, the repeal of the AUMF would prevent U.S. presidents from carrying out attacks in Iraq without securing prior approval from Congress. The House also voted to repeal AUMF last year, but the measure was not taken up in the Senate and the Trump administration opposed the move.
Foster-care agencies have a First Amendment right to turn away same-sex couples, and local governments cannot refuse to work with those agencies, the Supreme Court unanimously ruled Thursday.
Why it matters: The court is carving out legal protections for people with a religious objection to same-sex marriage.
America's labor shortage crisis has been exacerbated by immigration restrictions that have reduced the number of both skilled and unskilled workers.
Between the lines: Most of the labor scarcity blame has been aimed at expanded unemployment benefits, hard-to-find child care and low wages. But there is a fourth leg to the stool.
Stacey Abrams said on CNN Thursday that she could "absolutely" support the policy demands that Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) has outlined for a compromise on voting reform, including voter ID.
Why it matters: Abrams — a former candidate for Georgia governor and founder of Fair Fight Action, a group created to fight voter suppression — has been a leading voice on voting rights in the Democratic Party.
Tim and David Gosar, the brothers of Rep. Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.), appeared on CNN Thursday to apologize "on behalf of the actual sane members of our family" for the GOP lawmaker's incendiary claims about Capitol Police and the Jan. 6 riot.
Why it matters: Gosar claimed in a House hearing this week that pro-Trump rioter Ashli Babbitt was "executed" by a Capitol Police officer who was "lying in wait." He is one of 21 Republicans who voted against awarding the Congressional Gold Medal to all law enforcement officers who defended the Capitol during the Jan. 6 riot.
A power failure in Puerto Rico left 337,000 customers across the island without electricity Wednesday, AP reports.
Why it matters: Many of those affected by the recent outage had just recovered from the previous one, which plunged 900,000 people into darkness just last week.
Rep. Andrew Clyde (R-Ga.) on Wednesday refused to shake hands with D.C. police officer Michael Fanone, who suffered a heart attack and traumatic brain injury after he was assaulted while protecting the Capitol during the Jan. 6 riot, Fanone told CNN.
Why it matters: Clyde is among the 21 Republicans who voted against awarding a Congressional Gold Medal to officers who defended the Capitol during the riot.
Michael Wolff's hotly awaited "Landslide: The Final Days of the Trump Presidency" will be published July 27, publisher Henry Holt announced.
Wolff, who interviewed Trump for the new book, wrote the international bestseller "Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House," and the follow-up bestseller, "Siege: Trump Under Fire."
"In 'Landslide,'" the publisher says, "Wolff closes the story of Trump’s four years in office, ... based on Wolff’s extraordinary access to White House aides and to the former President himself, yielding a wealth of new information and insights about what really happened."
After eight days of talkingon the world stage, President Biden got prickly — then blunt, then reflective — in the final minutes before Air Force One lifted off for home.
Why it matters: One wish that aides to generations of presidents have in common is that when their boss walks away from the podium, he'll keep walking. And reporters know that the most revealing comments often come when an interview or press conference is "over": The newsmaker drops the talking points and is more likely to be real.
Hong Kong's Apple Daily said 500 police officers searched the pro-democracy newspaper's offices and arrested five senior executives on Thursday.
Why it matters: The arrests of the paper's chief editor, Ryan Law, along with its chief operating officer, two other editors and the CEO of Next Digital, which operates Apple Daily, were made under China's national security law — which gives the government broad power to limit people's political freedom.
The World Bank has rejected the government of El Salvador's request to help the country implement Bitcoin as legal tender, Reuters first reported late Wednesday.
Why it matters: The international lender's rejection could hamper the government's goal of making the digital currency accepted across the country within three months.
Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte (R) announced Wednesday that he'll donate the first quarter of his salary to One Health Bighorn, a facility that treats people for substance abuse.
The big picture: The multimillionaire has pledged to give his entire salary, about $120,000, to nonprofits. "We face a drug epidemic in our state, and while there's no silver bullet to end it, we can combat it by promoting treatment and recovery for Montanans struggling with addiction," Gianforte said in a statement, per AP.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) announced Wednesday the state budget would provide $250 million as a "down payment" to help fund the construction of a wall at the state's border with Mexico.
Why it matters: Former President Trump pledged to build a wall along the southern border, but only 450 miles of new barriers had been completed by the end of his term, per the Washington Post.
President Biden's summit "reset" was less about trying to make a friend out of Russia than reframing what the U.S. believes can be accomplished by engaging with President Vladimir Putin.
Driving the news: The Geneva meeting yielded no immediate breakthroughs beyond agreements about ambassadors returning to work and plans to launch talks on nuclear security. But in classic Biden fashion — aviators on, jacket off and a one-liner about invading Russia he had to clarify was a joke — the U.S. president used a post-summit news conference to explain his approach.
The Republicans' House campaign arm will begin accepting contributions in cryptocurrency, Axios has learned.
Why it matters: The National Republican Congressional Committee is the first national party committee to solicit crypto donations. That puts it at the forefront of a disruptive financial technology that could test campaign finance rules.
In the 244-year history of the United States, the government has created 10 federal holidays. Juneteenth — to be marked on June 19 — will become No. 11.
Why it matters: It's not clear how all Americans will come to commemorate a day celebrating the formal end of slavery in the U.S., but it will come with all the trappings of the others: a day off for federal employees, and a potential close of businesses.
As hard as it is to get Democrats and Republicans to agree on anything these days, they came together to make Juneteenth a federal holiday because George Floyd's death and withering concern about its cost finally won over critics.
Why it matters: Juneteenth will be the first new holiday since 1983, when Congress finally approved Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday. When President Biden signs it into law, June 19 will formally commemorate the end of slavery in the United States.
