Haitian officials said Thursday that four suspects in the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse were killed in a gunfight and six more were arrested, at least one of whom is a U.S. citizen.
The state of play: The government is describing the assailants as foreign “mercenaries” but has filled in only fragments of the picture in terms of how and why Wednesday morning’s attack was carried out.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki said the Biden administration "stands ready" to support Haiti in the wake of the assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse.
Why it matters: The assassination threatens to plunge the already tumultuous political landscape of the country into further disarray.
Lawyer Michael Avenatti, who gained notoriety for his representation of porn star Stormy Daniels in her suit against Donald Trump, was sentenced to 30 months in prison on Thursday for trying to extort Nike out of more than $20 million.
Toyota has announced it will cease donations to Republicans who objected to the certification of President Biden's electoral college victory.
Driving the news: The company revealed its decision, first reported by the Detroit News, in a statement on Thursday, saying it understood that its PAC's donations to those objectors, which far outpaced those of any other company, "troubled some stakeholders."
A Virginia school district is appealing a ruling that reinstated a suspended teacher who said he would refuse to use the current names and pronouns of transgender students, NBC News reports.
The big picture: 20th Circuit Judge James E. Plowman Jr. previously found that the Loudoun County Public Schools system had taken "an unconstitutional action" in suspending teacher Byron "Tanner" Cross for stating his opposition to the pronoun policy at the school.
The Alliance Defending Freedom, whose attorneys are representing Cross, said "there is no reason" for the state Supreme Court to take the appeal, per NBC News.
Cross, a phsyical education teacher, was suspended after saying at a school board meeting in late May that he would never “affirm that a biological boy can be a girl, and vice versa," citing his Christian faith.
What they're saying: “The school district wants to force Tanner to endorse its ideals and shut down any opposing views," said ADF senior attorney Tyson Langhofer, per NBC News.
"That violates the Constitution and laws of Virginia, and so did the school’s move to place Tanner on leave,” he added.
A school district spokesperson said on Thursday they're appealing the court's decision to the Virginia Supreme Court but said he could not comment further on pending litigation, per NBC News.
The United States' military mission in Afghanistan will conclude on Aug. 31, President Biden announced Thursday during an update on the withdrawal process.
Why it matters: The U.S. has almost completed its military withdrawal from Afghanistan, though the departure has coincided with large territorial gains by the Taliban and a sharp increase in violence.
Vice President Kamala Harris announced Thursday that the Democratic National Committee will invest an additional $25 million to expand its voter access initiatives ahead of the 2022 midterm elections.
Why it matters: Harris has been tasked by Biden to lead efforts to protect voting rights, as dozens of GOP-led states consider new voting restrictions.
The U.S. will not have a "Mission Accomplished" moment for the war in Afghanistan, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said during a briefing Thursday, adding that the conflict "has not been won militarily."
Why it matters: President Biden is expected to speak Thursday about his decision to pull U.S. troops out of America's longest-running war and the steps the U.S. will take to support the country during the ongoing Taliban insurgency.
The pandemic disproportionately hit people of color in the U.S., and among them, younger Latinos were those most likely to die from the coronavirus.
Why it matters: Mexican Americans, Puerto Ricans and Central Americans combined are the nation's largest minority group, and the lopsided effects of the virus highlight persistent disparities in health care and income in thosegrowing communities.
The Republican National Committee and National Republican Senatorial Committee on Thursday announced plans to intervene in the Justice Department's lawsuit against Georgia over its voting restrictions.
Driving the news: RNC chair Ronna McDaniel and NRSC chair Senator Rick Scott (R-Fla.) seek to fight the lawsuit because they say "the security of the ballot is more important than Democrat power grabs," per McDaniel.
The White House is sending increasingly strong signals it will push for a zero-carbon power mandate in the energy and social safety net package Democrats hope to pass using filibuster-proof budget reconciliation rules.
Driving the news: President Biden, in a speech Wednesday, called for the policy that would require emissions-free electricity to provide a significantly growing share of power company sales.
America's public schools are ready for a return to classrooms this fall, but virtual learning still isn't going away.
What's happening: Whether to accommodate some families or cover for teacher shortages, many schools are holding onto remote classes for the fall. But much more than remote work, remote learning has been littered with problems and inequities.
Legal experts and First Amendment scholars say former President Donald Trump's class-action lawsuits announced Wednesday against Facebook, Twitter, Google, and their CEOs are unlikely to go far.
The big picture: That, according to some of these experts, suggests Trump's chief aim is to fire up his supporters and fundraise off of their anger over what they see as censorship by Big Tech.
A conservative group is targeting Major League Baseball and Ticketmaster with a seven-figure advertising campaign ahead of next week’s All-Star Game, accusing them of practicing “woke capitalism.”
Why it matters: By taking direct aim at MLB — and other private entities — Consumers' Research is putting corporate America on notice that it will try to talk directly to their customers with the express goal of hurting their bottom line.
Culture wars,Big Tech and economic populism — including inflation, gas prices, immigration and jobs to China. For a preview of many of the themes that'll drive American politics in next year's midterms and even beyond, watch J.D. Vance, the "Hillbilly Elegy" author who's running for U.S. Senate in Ohio.
Why he matters: Vance, 36, last week joined a crowded GOP primary field to succeed retiring Sen. Rob Portman. If Vance won the primary (no sure thing), he'd be the favorite to win the seat — and instantly would be talked about as a presidential possibility.
The California State Capitol in Sacramento has reimposed a mask mandate after nine staff tested positive for COVID-19 — including four people who'd been fully vaccinated against the virus, the San Francisco Chronicle reported Wednesday.
What's happening: State lawmakers and staff members must wear face coverings "at all times in the Capitol, the Legislative Office Building and district offices," whether they've been vaccinated against the coronavirus or not, per the New York Times.
A Pennsylvania man was arrested Wednesday on charges for the assault of an AP photographer and police officers during the U.S. Capitol riot, the Department of Justice announced.
Driving the news: Alan William Byerly, 54, is accused of being part of a group that pulled the photographer backward down some stairs, according to an FBI indictment. He and three others allegedly "pushed, shoved and dragged" the photographer. Byerly is also alleged to have grabbed his "face and neck."
The global toll of confirmed deaths from COVID-19 surpassed 4 million on Wednesday, Johns Hopkins University data shows.
Why it matters: World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus noted at a news conference in Geneva on Wednesday the "shocking inequity" in vaccine rollouts, with richer countries hoarding does as he warned the world "is at a perilous point" of the pandemic.
Fort Lauderdale officials have accepted a proposal from Elon Musk's The Boring Company to build a tunnel between the Florida city's downtown area and the beach.
Driving the news: Mayor Dean Trantalis (D) said in a statement announcing the agreement Tuesday night that the venture would be "a truly innovative way to reduce traffic congestion."
