Axios

Seventeen scrolls, manuscripts, and community records that were stolen from Jewish communities in Eastern Europe during WWII have been recovered, the Department of Justice announced Thursday.

Why it matters: “The Scrolls and Manuscripts that were illegally confiscated during the Holocaust contain priceless historical information that belongs to the descendants of families that lived and flourished in Jewish communities before the Holocaust," acting U.S. Attorney Jacquelyn Kasulis said in a statement.

Former Maryland police chief Tom Manger has been selected as the new chief of the U.S. Capitol Police (USCP), per a Thursday announcement.

Why it matters: Manger will assume command on Friday, taking a role that became highly visible after the deadly Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol. The insurrection killed a USCP officer, injured several more and led to mental health challenges throughout the force.

The man who captured Ashli Babbitt's death on video during the Jan. 6 Capitol riot pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge Thursday for "parading, demonstrating or picketing in a Capitol building."

Why it matters: Andrew Bennett is at least the 21st person to plead guilty in the Capitol riot investigation thus far, per CBS News.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) signaled Thursday she’s considering adding more Republican members to the select committee to investigate the Jan 6. Capitol attack.

Driving the news: Asked during a news conference whether she would appoint Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.) to the committee, Pelosi replied, “We’ll see.”

The U.S. Senate on Thursday confirmed Shawn Skelly as assistant secretary of defense for readiness by unanimous consent.

Why it matters: Skelly, a retired Navy commander, is the second openly transgender person to be confirmed as a federal official. With Thursday's vote, she becomes the highest-ranking openly trans official at the Department of Defense, per the White House.

Mississippi's attorney general on Thursday urged the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn Roe v. Wade, which set a precedent for the constitutional right to abortion, and uphold a state law that bans the procedure after 15 weeks of pregnancy.

Why it matters: This fall's hearings on the Mississippi ban could have widespread implications for healthcare, and gives the Supreme Court's "newly expanded conservative majority a chance to confront what may be the most divisive issue in American law: whether the Constitution protects the right to end pregnancies," the New York Times writes.

Attorney General Merrick Garland on Thursday pushed the Senate to confirm the head of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives as the agency, which assists federal efforts combatting gun violence, has been without a permanent leader since 2015.

The big picture: Republicans and the National Rifle Association have worked to nix David Chipman's confirmation to lead the ATF, the AP reports.

President Biden on Thursday signed legislation to replenish the Crime Victims Fund, which provides grants for victim services.

Why it matters: Biden noted in remarks prior to the signing that the fund was "depleted" in recent years and the VOCA Fix to Sustain the Crime Victims Fund Act will give it a new source of revenue.

The U.S. has increased its sanctions against Porfirio Lobo Sosa, the Honduran president from 2010 and 2014, with a travel ban against him and his family over allegations that he took bribes from drug traffickers.

Why it matters: Lobo was one of 50 Central American officials included in the Engel List, which named those suspected of criminal activity, including corruption. Further sanctions against others are expected.

Guinea’s sports ministry reversed its decision to withdraw from the Tokyo Olympics Thursday and will send a delegation after all, the AP reports.

Why it matters: The reversal comes just a day after the country announced it had canceled its participation in this year’s Games as a precaution to the recent surge of COVID-19 variants.

New legislation introduced Thursday by Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) would hold online platforms like Facebook or YouTube liable for promoting health-related misinformation.

Why it matters: Washington is bearing down on the role social media companies play in COVID-19 misinformation as U.S. vaccine uptake slows and new cases surge.

The Biden administration on Thursday imposed new sanctions against Cuban officials and entities allegedly responsible for human rights abuses during the government's crackdown on island-wide protests earlier this month.

Why it matters: The sanctions are Biden's first significant policy response to the crackdown by authorities during unrest in Cuba over widespread food and medicine shortages. The announcement came amid calls from Congress and Cuban Americans to increase pressure on the Communist government in support of the protesters.

The State Department on Thursday announced the appointment of Daniel Foote as special envoy to Haiti, as the country deals with the fallout of the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse.

Driving the news: Foote, a career diplomat, will work to "facilitate long-term peace and stability and support efforts to hold free and fair presidential and legislative elections,” said State Department spokesperson Ned Price in a statement.

The House on Thursday voted to expand a visa program that would allow more Afghans who helped the U.S. military quickly immigrate to the United States, the New York Times reports.

Why it matters: Last month, the Biden administration made plans to evacuate many of the Afghans who worked with the U.S. military before completing the troop withdrawal from Afghanistan. These individuals and their families face threats of retaliation from the Taliban because of their service to the U.S. military.

Fox News host Tucker Carlson is facing backlash after attacking a Black Capitol Police officer who said he was called the n-word while defending the Capitol during the deadly Jan. 6 insurrection.

Driving the news: Carlson on his show Wednesday called Capitol Police officer Harry Dunn an "angry left-wing political activist" who "has very little in common with your average cop." 

The White House announced Thursday that it will invest $1.6 billion to support COVID-19 testing and mitigation efforts in vulnerable communities.

Why it matters: COVID-19 cases are up 55% across the U.S., with some “breakthrough” infections occurring among vaccinated people. However, the rising tide of cases, driven largely by the Delta variant, and hospitalizations are mainly a threat to those who aren’t vaccinated.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Thursday that her decision not to allow Reps. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) and Jim Banks (R-Ind.) to serve on the Jan. 6 select committee was not driven by their votes against certifying the 2020 election, but by statements they've made that "make it impossible for them to exercise judgment."

Why it matters: Pelosi's move to reject two of the five appointments offered by House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy has set off intense backlash among Republicans, prompting McCarthy to pull all five off the committee and threaten to pursue his own investigation.

Former Rep. Abby Finkenauer (D) announced Thursday that she'll run in 2022 for the U.S. Senate in Iowa, a seat currently held by seven-term incumbent Sen. Chuck Grassley (R).

Why it matters: Finkenauer is the first major Democrat to announce a Senate run in Iowa, which is expected to be a critical swing state next fall as the party looks to retain or add to its slim majority in the Senate.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is laying out what it wants to see in Democrats' brewing push to mandate escalating amounts of zero-carbon electricity.

Why it matters: The K Street powerhouse is closer to Republicans, but its views could influence some moderate Democrats, so that's important given Democrats' razor-thin Capitol Hill margins.

Former Senate Republican Leader Bob Dole, who celebrates his 98th birthday today, was one of the few older traditional Republicans to endorse former President Trump. But he told USA Today in an interview that there's no question Trump lost the 2020 election, and that he is "Trumped out."

What he's saying: "He lost the election, and I regret that he did, but they did," Dole said. "He had Rudy Giuliani running all over the country, claiming fraud. He never had one bit of fraud in all those lawsuits he filed and statements he made."

A trio of Senate Republicans introduced legislation Wednesday that would lay the groundwork to force Big Tech companies to pay fees to support broadband subsidy programs.

Why it matters: Republicans are increasingly looking to Big Tech to support a struggling subsidy fund that pays for internet access and deployment programs.

President Biden is dispatching senior adviser Anita Dunn to Capitol Hill on Thursday to brief congressional Democrats on selling Biden’s economic agenda.

Why it matters: By sending Dunn, a messaging and polling expert, to brief both chambers, the White House is acknowledging that it faces both legislative and political hurdles in getting its infrastructure bills passed.

More than a dozen CEOs of major health systems sent a letter to Congressional leaders Wednesday calling for support of President Biden's proposal to fund $5 billion in hospital and community-based gun violence intervention programs.

Why it matters: The letter from some of the top health systems in the country — including CommonSpirit Health, RWJBarnabas Health, Sanford Health and Intermountain — comes as gun violence reaches critical levels.

• In 2020, there were a record 43,559 firearms-related deaths and more than 39,000 additional injuries recorded. The country on pace to surpass records again this year.

Some GOP lawmakers and media figures have been making a point to be publicly supportive of coronavirus vaccines as the Delta variant rips through parts of the country with low vaccination rates.

Why it matters: Vaccine resistance is much higher among Republicans than Democrats, and some party leaders have been openly hostile to the U.S. vaccination effort despite the effectiveness of the shots.

A top Chinese health official said Thursday the government doesn't accept World Health Organization plans for a follow-up investigation into COVID-19's origins — labeling a theory that it started from a laboratory leak a "rumor," per AP.

Why it matters: National Health Commission Vice Minister Zeng Yixin's comments come days after WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said it was "too early" to rule out the lab leak theory and proposed a second phase of study into the virus' origins.

The director of the Games' opening ceremony was fired Thursday over his past comments about the Holocaust during a comedy performance, the Tokyo Olympic Organizing Committee announced.

Why it matters: Kentaro Kobayashi's removal came a day before the opening ceremony of the pandemic-delayed Tokyo Games was due to start. Organizing committee president Seiko Hashimoto said at a news conference Thursday, "How we're going to handle the ceremony is currently being discussed."

An Ohio man involved in a misogynistic online community known as "incels" was arrested Wednesday and charged with an attempted hate crime over a plot to conduct a mass shooting of women.

Driving the news: Tres Genco, 21, of Hillsboro, "allegedly plotted to commit a hate crime, namely, a plan to shoot students in sororities at a university in Ohio," per a Department of Justice statement. He's also charged with illegally possessing a machine gun.

Attorney General Merrick Garland issued a memo Wednesday designed to prevent political interference from the White House on Department of Justice matters.

Why it matters: The highly anticipated directive follows allegations of political interference during the previous administration, when former President Trump broke with convention to push the DOJ to investigate those he felt had scorned him while advocating for allies during investigations.

President Biden jabbed at Fox News during his CNN town hall Wednesday night, saying the network had "an altar call" over stepping up messaging on getting vaccinated against COVID-19.

Why it matters: Fox News has long been criticized for allowing some of its personalities to spread misinformation as they've railed against pandemic measures.

Ideologically driven news outlets are providing a steady stream of funding for like-minded political candidates by harvesting readers’ emails and charging campaigns to fundraise from them, an Axios examination shows.

Why it matters: The mutually beneficial arrangement reinforces the partisan divide. The news sites bombard readers with content attacking political adversaries, and the candidates then step in with a solution: give me money and I’ll stop them.

Some progressive House Democrats — and potentially 20 members of the pivotal Transportation and Infrastructure Committee — are signaling they'll vote against the Senate’s $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure package.

Why it matters: With just three Democratic votes to spare, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and President Biden must seriously consider every possible House defection if they hope to pass the Senate package.

A top party pollster and senior adviser to the Biden political team is urging Democrats to confront the problem of rising prices — which she says is starting to bite with voters.

Driving the news: Celinda Lake, who polled for the Biden presidential campaign and still advises Team Biden, told Axios that worries about inflation are coming through loud and clear in both public polls and her own focus groups.

The Centers for Disease and Control Prevention will "probably" urge everyone under age 12 to wear masks in school, President Biden said in a CNN town hall on Wednesday evening.

Why it matters: The latest surge in COVID cases fueled by the Delta variant has again raised concern about the spread of the virus as schools reopen for the fall.

Conservative talk radio host Larry Elder will appear on California's recall ballot this fall after a judge ruled Wednesday that he complied with the ballot requirements to run in the election aimed at unseating current Gov. Gavin Newsom, the Associated Press reports.

Why it matters: Elder's inclusion on the ballot brings the total number of candidates on the Sept. 14 recall ballot to 43, per Politico.