President Biden will meet with financial regulators on Monday.
Driving the news: "The meeting will cover regulatory priorities including climate-related financial risk and agency actions to promote financial inclusion and to responsibly increase access to credit," said press secretary Jen Psaki, according to a press pool report.
The truck driver who drove through a large crowd protesting George Floyd's death last year will have his criminal charges dropped if he is law-abiding for the next year, AP reports.
Catch up quick: Authorities had closed off the highway area as a precaution, but video footage showed Bogdan Vechirko honking and driving his tanker rig through the protest, which numbered in the hundreds.
The Biden administration has temporarily paused a military aid package to Ukraine that included lethal weapons, according to Politico.
The big picture: The aid package — which would be worth up to $100 million — was created in response to aggressive Russian troop movements along Ukraine's border this spring, per Politico.
The Biden administration is pulling out hundreds of troops, aircraft and anti-missile batteries from the Middle East, the Wall Street Journal exclusively reported on Friday.
Why it matters: The decision reflects the administration's intent to reduce its footprint in the Middle East and instead bolster armed services against China and Russia.
Pakistan will "absolutely not" allow the CIA to use bases on its soil for cross-border counterterrorism missions after American forces withdraw from Afghanistan, Prime Minister Imran Khan tells "Axios on HBO" in a wide-ranging interview airing Sunday at 6pm ET.
Why it matters: The quality of counterterrorism and intelligence capabilities in Afghanistan is a critical question facing the Biden administration as U.S. forces move closer to total withdrawal by Sept. 11.
The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops overwhelmingly voted, 168-55, to draft a document that they hope will prevent President Biden and other Catholic politicians from receiving Communion if they advocate for abortion rights, the Associated Press reports.
Why it matters: Biden is the United States' second Catholic president and the country's most religiously observant leader since Jimmy Carter, per the New York Times. Enforcing the rule to deny Communion would be up to individual bishops.
With Father's Day on Sunday, a Texas lawmaker is renewing calls for guaranteed paid parental leave, per CBS News.
The big picture: Democratic Rep. Colin Allred, a former NFL linebacker and father of two, is a firm advocate for guaranteed paid parental leave, which is currently offered for new dads at just 9% of companies nationwide, per CBS.
Juneteenth's establishment as a federal holiday should serve as a launching point for Congress to create a commission on reparations for African Americans, Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas) said at an Axios event on Friday.
President Biden is nominating former New Mexico Rep. Xochitl Torres Small to be under secretary of rural development at the Department of Agriculture.
Why it matters: By finding a spot for Torres Small, a young Latina leader who lost her congressional seat after one term, Biden is seeking to ensure that the Democratic Party has a deep – and diverse – bench for the future.
At least five children of President Biden's top aides got jobs in the administration, per The Washington Post.
Why it matters: Ethics and diversity experts say Biden has not deviated far enough away from the practices of President Trump, who they say engaged in nepotism and cronyism, per the Post.
Ahead of Juneteenth, now a federal holiday, Axios Re:Cap examines how America's economy remains marred by the legacies of slavery and racial discrimination.
Listen: We're joined by McKinsey & Co.’s Shelley Stewart III and Michael Chui to discuss a new report that digs into the economic inequities between Black and white Americans, including massive wage and wealth gaps, and what can be done to address them.
Two branches of government haven't acted in concert this speedily in at least 10 years.
Driving the news: The Senate passed a Juneteenth national holiday on Tuesday, the House followed Wednesday, President Biden signed it Thursday, and Friday is an official federal holiday (although the Postal Service will operate, saying there wasn't time to shut down).
The Supreme Court saved the health care system from imploding Thursday by dismissing a Republican challenge to the Affordable Care Act. But it also saved the GOP itself from another round of intraparty chaos.
Why it matters: Most GOP lawmakers privately admit (and some will even say publicly) they don't want to deal with health care again. The issue generally isn't a good one for them with voters — as they learned the hard way after they failed to repeal the ACA in 2017.
Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell faces a long, hot summer audition for a second term, with senators watching and weighing his response to potential signs of inflation.
Why it matters: The financial system's chief is one of the most powerful in the world. President Biden hasn’t given any public indication whether he’ll renominate Powell, but Democrats close to the administration say there's a chance he'll make an announcement by Labor Day — well before Powell’s term ends next February.
