Axios

A federal judge on Wednesday sanctioned attorneys — including Sidney Powell, an ex-campaign lawyer for former President Trump who spread baseless conspiracy theories — over an unsuccessful lawsuit that attempted to overturn Michigan’s 2020 election results.

Why it matters: U.S. District Judge Linda Parker formally requested a disciplinary body to investigate whether Powell and the other pro-Trump lawyers, including Lin Wood, should be disbarred for filing the lawsuit, which she said "abused the well-established rules applicable to the litigation process by proffering claims not backed by law."

The Afghanistan situation — hundreds of thousands of people desperate to flee their country with few safe and accepting places to go — is just one sign of a future that will be shaped by a growing migration crisis.

Why it matters: Whether because of violence, persecution, climate change or economic distress, rising numbers of people will leave the only homes they've known in search of a safer and better life abroad — even as the politics in destination countries sours on accepting them.

Adult film star Ron Jeremy was indicted on more than 30 rape and sexual assault counts involving 21 people dating back more than two decades, the Los Angeles County district attorney's office announced Wednesday.

State of play: The counts appear to be identical to charges filed against Jeremy last year. Facing over 300 years in prison if convicted, Jeremy pleaded not guilty in Los Angeles Superior Court on Wednesday, as he has in nearly every court appearance since his first arrest last June.

Ten federal agencies plan on expanding the use of Facial Recognition Technology (FRT) by 2023, according to a Government Accountability Office (GAO) report released Tuesday.

Why it matters: How to use these technologies ethically and how to regulate related products will become major questions as more government agencies begin using them.

Ty Garbin, who pleaded guilty to conspiracy charges earlier this year in an alleged plot to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, was sentenced to six years in prison Wednesday, according to AP.

Why it matters: It's the first prison sentence handed down in the case. Prosecutors are signaling to the other defendants awaiting trial that Garbin has shared many details about the plan while cooperating with investigators.

President Biden is appointing Liz Allen, a longtime Obama-Biden aide, as assistant secretary of State for global public affairs, Axios has learned.

Why it matters: Allen is a campaign veteran well known in Washington political and media circles. She worked most recently in government as White House deputy communications director and deputy assistant to President Obama.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) on Wednesday said that there was an "opportunity cost" associated with Reps. Seth Moulton (D-Mass.) and Peter Meijer (R-Mich.) visiting Kabul on Tuesday as evacuation efforts continue in Afghanistan.

Driving the news: "It's not just about them going to Afghanistan, but in going to the region, because there's a call on our resources diplomatically, politically, militarily in the region as well, so this is deadly serious," Pelosi said at a press briefing Wednesday.

Delta Air Lines' decision to charge unvaccinated employees an extra $200 per month for health insurance signals that rewards alone aren't doing enough to measurably increase rates of COVID-19 vaccination.

Why it matters: Employers are playing a central role in getting more people vaccinated, but it's unclear how much, or if, these types of penalties will help.

Opposition figure Alexei Navalny likened his experience as a political prisoner in Russia to a "Chinese labor camp," in his first interview since his January arrest with the New York Times.

Why it matters: Though Navalny, 45, has written occasional social media posts through his lawyers, "the written exchange of questions and answers covering 54 handwritten pages is by far his most comprehensive and wide-ranging account," since his incarceration, the Times writes.

A federal appeals court upheld the convictions and death sentence for Dylann Roof, who was found guilty of murder for killing nine members of a Black church congregation in Charleston, South Carolina, in 2015, according to AP.

Why it matters: The 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals three-judge panel's ruling sustains the first death sentence for a federal hate crime, but it is unknown if Roof will be executed after Attorney General Merrick Garland ordered a moratorium on the death penalty in July.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul acknowledged nearly 12,000 coronavirus deaths in the state that had not been reported by former Gov. Andrew Cuomo's administration.

Why it matters: Cuomo had been criticized for his handling of COVID-19 in nursing homes early in the pandemic, and he faced allegations that his administration withheld data on coronavirus deaths in nursing homes in order to delay investigations.

The Jan. 6 select committee announced on Wednesday a sweeping records request sent to the National Archives and seven federal agencies as it probes the events of the violent Capitol riot.

Driving the news: The move shows how expansive the investigation will be. The National Archives and Records Administration is where correspondence from the White House is kept.

The Federal Communications Commission on Tuesday proposed a $5 million fine against right-wing activists Jacob Wohl and Jack Burkman for allegedly making illegal robocalls discouraging mail voting ahead of the 2020 election.

The big picture: The record-setting penalty from the FCC comes as the pair faces criminal charges of voter suppression in Michigan and a federal lawsuit in New York accusing them of making 85,000 robocalls to Black Americans in an attempt to keep them from voting.

The Pentagon on Wednesday ordered military troops to get the COVID-19 vaccine as soon as possible, according to a memo from Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin obtained by AP.

Why it matters: Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby said Wednesday that "on the active duty force, 68% is fully vaccinated, and we estimate just over 76% have at least one dose."

The Justice Department has forced a major Chinese-owned newspaper's U.S. subsidiary to register as a foreign agent, records show.

Why it matters: The DOJ has stepped up scrutiny of foreign-owned media in recent years, and its demand that Sing Tao U.S. register as a foreign agent comes amid high tensions between Washington and Beijing over the latter's influence efforts in the U.S.

As the federal government readies to spend tens of billions of dollars on broadband upgrades, the Federal Communications Commission — the agency that has traditionally doled out subsidies for internet connections — is on the sidelines.

Driving the news: The bipartisan infrastructure bill recently approved by the Senate commits $42.5 billion to broadband deployment and related projects, but the money would flow to the states, with oversight from the Commerce Department.

The House Republicans' campaign arm is launching attack ads against 15 Democrats that focus entirely on inflation instead of the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan threatening to undercut Joe Biden’s presidency, Axios has learned.

Why it matters: The decision to focus on a domestic issue rather than the foreign policy crisis engulfing the administration highlights the GOP's bedrock belief that kitchen table issues will resonate best with voters in next year's midterms.

Afghans fleeing Kabul aren't supposed to reach America's shores until they've passed a multi-step vetting process — 14 steps, in the case of some interpreters and others who helped the U.S military.

Where it stands: The U.S. has helped evacuate more than 70,000 Afghans since Aug. 14. Only a fraction are believed to have entered the U.S. — though exactly how many isn't clear.

With the Afghan government and military no longer able to provide cover, President Biden risks the ugliest of exits from Kabul if he blows past his promise to leave Aug. 31.

Why it matters: The Taliban now controls the area around Kabul's airport. As the U.S. removes its final 5,800 troops — and shrinks the security perimeter they've been providing — the surest way to ensure the last soldiers and diplomats get out safely is through the grace of a grisly enemy.

The U.S. and allied countries are "working around the clock" to evacuate people from Afghanistan ahead of next week's full U.S. military withdrawal from the country, per the New York Times.

The big picture: President Biden said Tuesday over 70,000 people had been evacuated since the airlift began on Aug. 14 and that the U.S. and its allies were on pace to leave Afghanistan by the Aug. 31 deadline. He's suggested U.S. troops may remain beyond then to continue with evacuation efforts.

Reps. Seth Moulton (D-Mass.) and Peter Meijer (R-Mich.) visited Kabul on Tuesday as evacuation efforts continued from Afghanistan.

Why it matters: They had not previously announced their trip but said in a joint statement that as Congress members they "have a duty to provide oversight on the executive branch." The State Department and U.S. military personnel had to "divert resources to provide security and information to the lawmakers," U.S. officials said, per AP.

An Oklahoma man arrested on federal assault charges in the Capitol riot stands accused of assaulting an AP photographer during the Jan. 6 insurrection, the Department of Justice announced Tuesday.

Driving the news: Prosecutors allege that videos show two unknown attackers dragging the photographer down some stairs before Benjamen Scott Burlew, 41, joined others in grabbing, pushing and shoving him, the DOJ said. Burlew is also accused of throwing him down stairs.

Colleges and universities are welcoming students to campus against the backdrop of a nationwide surge of COVID-19 cases largely driven by the Delta variant — posing questions about how best to reopen campuses safely.

Driving the news: Some schools are turning to disciplinary actions — through fees or, in one case, suspending internet access — as a way to promote strict adherence to COVID-19 protocols. Others, however, are giving away prizes in an effort to incentivize students to get vaccinated.

Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt filed a lawsuit on Tuesday that aims to stop school districts from imposing mask requirements.

What they're saying: Schmitt alleges in the lawsuit that mask mandates are "not supported by the science and are an arbitrary and capricious measure."

The Supreme Court ruled Tuesday the Biden administration must reinstate former President Trump's "Remain-in-Mexico" policy.

Driving the news: The Court voted 6-3 to reject the administration's plea to block the reinstatement of the program, which requires immigrants seeking asylum at the southern border to wait in Mexico while their applications are pending.