The expanded monthly tax credit payments announced by the White House in May will begin going out Thursday, according to the Treasury Department.
The big picture: The enhanced child tax credit, which is part of President Biden's $1.9 trillion COVID relief package, will provide eligible families with $300 monthly cash payments per child up to age 5 and $250 for children ages 6–17.
Vice President Harris on Monday applauded Texas House Democrats who fled the state in protest of Republicans' proposed voting restrictions.
Why it matters: Texas' partisan tussle represents a broader fight over voting rights taking place in state legislatures across the country, as well as in the federal government.
The U.S. State Department imposed visa restrictions Monday on 100 members of Nicaragua's National Assembly and judicial system, accusing them of being involved in human rights abuses, crackdowns on peaceful protest and in passing laws aimed at suppressing free speech.
Why it matters: The restrictions come amid escalating political tension in the Nicaragua. President Daniel Ortega’s government has detained 26 opposition figures in recent weeks, including several presidential candidates, and has also forced some critics to flee the country.
Interior Secretary Deb Haaland is creating a task force to study the policies and practices of its law enforcement bureaus, she announced in a memo issued last week.
The big picture: A watchdog report out last month found that the U.S. Park Police's widespread failure to coordinate with assisting law enforcement led to "confusion" and the unauthorized use of chemical irritants on Black Lives Matter protesters in Lafayette Square last year.
The Environmental Protection Agency in 2011 approved the use of chemicals in fracking that can break down into toxic substances known as PFAS, despite the agency's own concerns about their toxicity, according to EPA records obtained by Physicians for Social Responsibility and made public in a new report.
Why it matters: The substances, known as "forever chemicals," accumulate inside the human body and have been linked to cancer and birth defects. The fluid that creates these substances was used in fracking for oil and gas in nearly 1,200 wells across six U.S. states, per the report, first detailed in the New York Times.
President Biden said Monday he supports the Cuban people and their "clarion call for freedom and relief," amid massive protests on the island against the government and food and medicine shortages during the pandemic.
What he's saying: "The Cuban people are bravely asserting fundamental and universal rights. Those rights, including the right of peaceful protest and the right to freely determine their own future, must be respected," the president said in a statement.
The death toll from the June 24 collapse of the Surfside, Fla., condominium has climbed to 94, Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava said at a briefing Monday morning.
The big picture: The search and rescue mission transitioned to a recovery mission last Wednesday. Of the victims, at least 83 have been identified and 80 next-of-kin notifications have been made, Levine Cava said.
The Biden administration will ship over 1 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines Monday to Laos, Fiji and Costa Rica, Axios has learned.
Why it matters: This allotment is part of the pledge by President Biden to deliver 80 million doses of the vaccine globally as the U.S. seeks to be a leader in distribution on the world stage.
Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen is planning to meet directly with the heads of multilateral development banks (MDBs) to press for stronger steps on climate change.
Why it matters: Her announcement of the gathering shows how Treasury hopes to help steer more public and private capital toward emissions-cutting and adaptation in developing nations.
Three weeks after naming Lina Khan to FTC chair, President Joe Biden has made her pro-competition philosophy the centerpiece of a sweeping executive order.
Why it matters: Biden is promulgating Khan's vision of anticompetitive behavior across "more than a dozen" different agencies. The order does not have the force of law; instead, it has the force of narrative.
A new study casts doubt on the idea that the historic spike in gun-related homicides last year was caused by a near equally sharp rise in gun purchases.
Why it matters: 2020 saw a sharp reversal in the general decline in homicides, and 2021 hasn't been much better. As gun violence once again becomes a major issue for cities and the federal government alike, there's a desperate need to untangle the causes.
With crime surging around the country, the Biden administration is telling local officials how to use some of the $1.9 trillion in COVID relief funds to bolster their police departments.
Driving the news: That guidance is spelled out in a White House memo obtained by Axios ahead of President Biden's meeting today with law enforcement and elected officials from around the country — including Eric Adams, New York City's Democratic mayoral nominee and former police captain, who's openly critical of his own party.
Wildfires were burning across more than 768,000 acres of land in 12 western U.S. states, and over 500,000 acres in Canada on Sunday amid another searing heat wave.
Driving the news: Many of the wildfires started when a severe heat wave erupted in June and lasted into July, first hitting southwestern British Columbia before migrating eastward.
The Biden administration on Sunday reaffirmed a Trump-era policy rejecting the Chinese government's territorial claims in the South China Sea.
Why it matters: Secretary of State Antony Blinken's firm statement comes ahead of this week's fifth anniversary of an international tribunal's ruling backing the Philippines' government against the Chinese Communist Party's maritime claims in the region.
Driving the news: Christian Emmanuel Sanon, 63, who's worked as a doctor in Florida, is the "third Haitian-born suspect with U.S. ties to be arrested" over the July 7 killing, the New York Times notes.
The English Football Association issued a statement early Monday condemning racist abuse directed at three Black players after England's European Championship final loss to Italy in London.
Driving the news: London's Metropolitan Police said late Sunday it's launching an investigation into "offensive and racist" online posts, which targeted 19-year-old Bukayo Saka, 23-year-old Marcus Rashford and 21-year-old Jadon Sancho.
