President Biden has nominated housing nonprofit executive Julia Gordon to lead the Federal Housing Administration, the White House announced on Thursday.
Why it matters: The pandemic has threatened a surge in homelessness, with underserved communities hit the hardest. Biden ran on the promise to expand access to affordable housing and end "systemic housing discrimination."
Sens. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) and Cory Booker (D-N.J.) and Rep. Karen Bass (D-Calif.) said in a statement Thursday they have "reached an agreement on a framework on the status of police reform negotiations."
The "demonization" of transgender people has been "taken to a new extreme" as part of a "culture war," Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-N.Y.) said at an Axios event Thursday.
Why it matters: In 2021, Republicans in at least 25 states have introduced a record 60-plus bills targeting transgender youth.
A federal judge on Wednesday temporarily blocked the Biden administration from making loan forgiveness payments to minority farmers under the $1.9 trillion stimulus package Congress passed in March, the New York Times reports.
The big picture: The payments are part of a $4 billion program — created to provide debt relief to socially disadvantaged farmers — that was the subject of a recent lawsuit by a white farmer, who says it's discriminatory and a violation of constitutional rights.
President Biden announced Thursday that he had agreed to a roughly $1 trillion infrastructure plan with a bipartisan group of ten senators, declaring: "We have a deal."
Why it matters: The agreement on the size and scope of an infrastructure package is a major achievement for Biden, who has long been a proponent of bipartisanship, but the compromise still faces serious hurdles in the House and Senate.
For an idea of how much influence jurists can have on a company's share price, look no further than Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, whose prognosis has changed radically in the wake of a Supreme Court ruling this week.
The big picture: The Trump administration said that it was committed to removing the housing agencies from their current conservatorship, under which they need to remit all their profits to the government.
Rudy Giuliani has been suspended from practicing law in the state of New York due to his false statements about the 2020 election, according to a court filing.
Driving the news: A New York court ruled that Giuliani made "demonstrably false and misleading statements to courts, lawmakers and the public at large in his capacity as lawyer for former President Donald J. Trump."
Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) announced Thursday that she will create a House select committee to investigate the deadly Jan. 6 Capitol riot.
Why it matters: The creation of a single Democratic-controlled special committee, which will consolidate several House investigations, comes after Senate Republicans blocked a bill that would have established a bipartisan 9/11-style commission.
U.S. Latinos have a higher life expectancy and earn more yearly income when they live in racially mixed neighborhoods compared to areas that are predominantly Black or Latino, an analysis finds.
The Biden administration has issued a 30-day extension to the temporary halt in residential evictions, the CDC announced on Thursday.
Why it matters: The eviction moratorium, implemented to prevent a wave of evictions caused by pandemic-related economic decline, was scheduled to expire on June 30.
Major legislation aimed at reining in the power of tech giants advanced to the House floor Thursday after marathon debate that extended through the night.
The big picture: The House Judiciary Committee approved a package of six bills, blocking most of a blizzard of amendments and beating back a wave of lobbying from the affected companies — Apple, Google, Facebook and Amazon.
The Biden administration on Thursday banned imports of solar materials from a Chinese firm accused of using forced labor in China's Xinjiang region.
Why it matters: It represents an escalation of pressure against China over allegations of forced labor and genocide in a region that produces large amounts of silicon-based materials.
Driving the news: For anyone comforted by President Biden's "America is back" mantra, N.Y. Times columnist Nick Kristof stacks up a sobering array of data to warn that the U.S. is actually weak on many vital fronts.
Hamilton Place Strategies, which was founded by Bush 43 alumni and became one of D.C.'s most innovative public-affairs firms, has sold a majority stake to a private-equity firm in Charlotte, sources tell me.
Why it matters: Hamilton Place shook up the Washington model by pioneering "analytical public affairs" — think The Upshot or FiveThirtyEight for reputation management.
Susan Page, after N.Y. Times bestsellers on Barbara Bush and Speaker Pelosi, now is tackling celebrity interviewer Barbara Walters for a biography expected in early 2023.
Driving the news: A forthcoming announcement by Simon and Schuster and Javelin notes that Walters was the first woman to host a network morning show ("Today"), and to co-host one of the Big 3 evening shows (ABC).
The City of San Francisco announced Wednesday that it will require all of its roughly 35,000 employees to be vaccinated against COVID-19 — and impose penalties that may include getting fired on workers who refuse.
Why it matters: San Francisco is the first major city in the U.S. to announce plans for a coronavirus vaccine mandate.
A First Nation in Canada said Wednesday "hundreds" of unmarked graves have been discovered at the site of a former residential school in the prairie province of Saskatchewan.
Of note: The Cowessess First Nation said in a statement the number of graves found are "the most significantly substantial to date in Canada" — suggesting it's more than the remains of 215 Indigenous children discovered last month at a former residential school site in Kamloops, British Columbia.
The White House on Wednesday replaced the regulator who oversees mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, hours after a Supreme Court ruling enabled President Biden to oust the Trump appointee.
Why it matters: The removal of libertarian economist Mark Calabria as Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) director gives Biden more control over the fate of Freddie and Fannie, "which play an outsize role in the housing market and are central to many homeowners' ability to afford homes," per the New York Times.
Congressional leaders Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) agreed at a meeting with White House officials Wednesday to address President Biden's goals on job creation and addressing the climate crisis.
Details: They agreed that "Congress must meet Biden's goal of "investing in creating a generation of good paying jobs, addressing the climate crisis, and ensuring American workers and businesses can compete globally, while not raising taxes on anyone who makes under $400,000," per a White House readout.
Rev. Jesse Jackson and Bishop William Barber were among a group of civil rights leaders arrested outside the Senate during a protest calling for the filibuster's abolition on Wednesday.
Driving the news: The demonstration also called on senators to pass a sweeping voting rights bill that was blocked in the Senate on Tuesday, which was co-sponsored by every Democratic senator except for Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.).
Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) said in a statement Wednesday that he is a member of an exclusive Rhode Island sailing club that lacks diversity.
Why it matters: Whitehouse has repeatedly spoken out against systemic racism and come under scrutiny this week for his family's affiliation with elite clubs. This is the second such club accused of lacking diversity that the senator has been linked to in recent days
Some Democrats representing border districts want President Biden to vaccinate migrants crossing into the U.S. — especially if he lifts public health restrictions that have prevented them from claiming asylum on American soil.
Why it matters: Inoculating migrants treads a fine line of protecting the U.S. population while possibly incentivizing more migration with the offer of free COVID-19 vaccines. Republicans are likely to pounce on that.
Why it matters: Part of the administration's plan involves cracking down on gun dealers. The U.S. has witnessed mass shootings on a weekly basis this year, according to Gun Violence Archive data.
By the numbers: Kentucky and Illinois were the top two for most firearm background checks in 2020, both numerically and per capita. Those checks are one of the best metrics for measuring gun buying in the U.S.
A record number of people were blocked from buying guns because of the background check system last year, at more than 300,000, the AP reported.
The number of background checks conducted each month has risen over the years, and March set a new record at nearly 4.7 million.
A super PAC that funneled millions in untraceable cash to Eric Greitens' 2016 Missouri gubernatorial campaign has resurfaced as he mounts a bid for U.S. Senate, records show.
Why it matters: "SEALs for Truth PAC" provides a means to funnel huge financial support to Greitens as he seeks the Republican nomination. And its revival has the potential to renew scrutiny of the dodgy tactics that helped elect him governor.
The White House and a bipartisan group of senators struck a tentative deal on Wednesday for the framework of a roughly $1.2 trillion infrastructure package, Senate aides familiar with the negotiations told Axios.
What's next: The Senate group will brief President Biden at the White House on Thursday, though some details still need to be ironed out, the aides said.
