Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer declined to confirm when he will retire in an interview with NPR's Nina Totenberg, and did not say whether he will make an announcement on the issue in the court's upcoming term.
Why it matters: Progressives have been pressuring Breyer to retire and allow Biden to appoint a younger justice to the court. Breyer is the court's oldest justice at 83 years old.
Driving the news: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis championed the bill, which increased penalties for crimes committed during a "riot." The Republican governor has campaigned for stricter penalties against protestors following a rise in demonstrations sparked by George Floyd's death last summer.
The Justice Department has agreed to review the practices of the Columbus, Ohio, police department following several fatal shootings of Black people in the city, Mayor Andrew Ginther announced Thursday.
Why it matters: The nature of the review differs from that of the "pattern or practice" probes the department has undertaken in Phoenix and Minneapolis. Those typically end with a civil lawsuit by the DOJ to compel departments to change their practices.
Several major U.S. airlines indicated Thursday that their businesses have taken a hit from a surge in COVID-19 cases driven by the Delta variant.
Why it matters: A recent decline in bookings and an increase in cancellations have triggered a much lower revenue forecast for airlines than previously anticipated. The trend, which was earlier reported by AP, threatens to stifle the industry's rapid recovery from the coronavirus pandemic, which halted air travel in its early days.
The Justice Department has sued Texas over its new law banning abortions after six weeks, Attorney General Merrick Garland said in an announcement Thursday, calling the law "clearly unconstitutional."
Driving the news: The lawsuit comes after Garland vowed to "protect those seeking to obtain or provide reproductive health services," adding that "[w]e will not tolerate violence against those seeking to obtain or provide reproductive health services."
More than 80 million Americans working in the private sector will be required to receive a COVID-19 vaccine or produce a negative test result at least once a week, a senior Biden administration official said Thursday.
Why it matters: The new rule, to be developed by the Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), underscores the Biden administration's ramped-up efforts to control the virus as cases and hospitalizations largely driven by the Delta variant surge nationwide.
The Environmental Protection Agency will restore protections for Alaska's Bristol Bay, per a court filing Thursday, a move that will block the construction of a controversial gold and copper mine in the region, the Washington Post reports.
Why it matters: The policy shift, which comes in response to a lawsuit filed by natives of the area, will halt the near decade-long project that would have a significant impact on a sensitive southwest Alaskan ecosystem.
President Biden has withdrawn the nomination of David Chipman to head the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives after opposition, the White House announced Thursday.
Driving the news: President Biden nominated Chipman, a gun control advocate, in April to head the agency, which has not had a permanent director since 2015 and is considered a force within the federal government to combat gun violence.
The Biden administration has awarded over $18 million in grants to expand students' access to health care and mental health support as the new school year takes off, according to new numbers shared with Axios.
Why it matters: Both children's mental health and their utilization of mental health services worsened during the COVID-19 pandemic, per research from the Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF). The return to in-person instruction could also lead to increased health risks depending on masking and vaccinations in the community.
Around 250 Latinos were killed during the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, including some undocumented immigrants from Latin America whose families faced daunting tasks to prove they even existed.
Why it matters: As the nation prepares to mark the 20th anniversary of 9/11, advocates are working to memorialize the toll the attacks had on Latinos, whose sacrifices that day are often overlooked.
Former President Trump on Thursday endorsed Harriet Hageman over Republican Rep. Liz Cheney in the Wyoming House primary contest, per a press release.
Why it matters: The primary will test the former president's hold on the GOP as he seeks to unseat Republican officials who challenged his false claims that he won the 2020 presidential election, Politico notes.
President Biden on Thursday signed executive orders requiring most federal employees to get the COVID vaccine, without the option of getting regular testing instead.
Why it matters: The orders go further than the Biden administration's previously announced policy, which required federal workers to be vaccinated or follow other rigorous safety protocols, including regular testing.
Three people were arrested and charged with identity theft of seven victims of the June 24 Surfside condo collapse, Reuters reports.
Driving the news: Betsy Alejandra Cacho-Medina, 30, Kimberly Michelle Johnson, 34, and Rodney Choute, 38, are charged with an organized scheme to defraud, as well as multiple counts of identity fraud and other crimes, the Miami Herald reports.
Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, speaking virtually Thursday to the City Club of Cleveland, will appeal to business to back President Biden's social-infrastructure plans as "a competitive advantage" for America.
What she's saying: "I get it. We’re asking you to pay more in taxes," Raimondo, who has met with more than 100 CEOs since joining the Cabinet, says in remarks shared first with Axios.
Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) on Thursday revealed she was diagnosed with stage 1A breast cancer in February.
State of play: Klobuchar said she had a lumpectomy on her right breast to remove the tumor. She completed radiation treatment in May, and "it was determined in August that the treatment went well."
Stephanie Grisham has quietly written a top-secret memoir of her four years in Donald Trump's White House, and a publishing source says she'll reveal "surprising new scandals."
What to watch: The book— "I'll Take Your Questions Now: What I Saw in The Trump White House" — will be published Oct. 5 by Harper Collins.
Amazon's proposed $8.45 billion purchase of Hollywood studio MGM is presenting the Federal Trade Commission, which will soon decide whether to block the deal, with a kind of ideological Rorschach test.
Progressives see it as self-evident that regulators should not allow Amazon to further extend its already vast market power. They expect to find an ally in FTC chair Lina Khan, who built her reputation making the case that Amazon is a monopolist that should be checked.
Six in 10 Americans favor the call by Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) for a “strategic pause” on Democrats' $3.5 trillion spending plan, according to new polling by the bipartisan policy group No Labels shared with Axios.
Why it matters: The survey of 974 registered voters, conducted Tuesday, is the latest flash point in the fight over infrastructure — and how aggressively Democrats should move on a budget reconciliation package to allow them to enact key planks of President Biden's agenda without a single GOP vote.
The Taliban announced Wednesday a ban on all protests, slogans and demonstrations that do not have official approval of the caretaker government.
Why it matters: The decree signals that the new all-male interim government is set to be repressive, despite pledging to be "inclusive." It was written by Sirajuddin Haqqani, the head of the new interior ministry, who is wanted by the FBI for terrorism offenses.
Former President Obama called on California voters to reject the recall of Gov. Gavin Newsom in a TV ad launched statewide on Thursday.
Why it matters: Obama is the latest high-profile Democrat to back Newsom against GOP-led efforts to oust him. Newsom faces challenges from numerous candidates, including conservative talk radio host Larry Elder, who's emerged as his biggest threat. Elder's image is featured in Obama's ad.
The Supreme Court granted a stay of execution on Wednesday night for a Texas inmate who wants his preacher physically by his side praying for him at the time of his lethal injection.
Why it matters, via the Washington Post: "The request by John Henry Ramirez, 37, is the latest conflict over when a death row inmate’s spiritual requests conflict with the security and decorum prison officials say is needed during an execution."
United Airlines staffers who are granted religious exemptions for the company's COVID-19 vaccination mandate will be placed on temporary unpaid leave starting Oct. 2, the airline told employees in a memo.
Driving the news: United last month became the first major U.S. airline to institute a vaccine mandate for employees, and acknowledged then it would consider exemptions for religious, personal or medical exemptions.
The Biden administration has asked 18 members of military service advisory boards, including 11 officials appointed by former President Trump, to resign or be fired, the White House confirmed Wednesday.
Why it matters: Theofficials include prominent former Trump advisors — like former counselor to the president Kellyanne Conway and former press secretary Sean Spicer —who were appointed to Air Force Academy and Naval Academy boards respectively just before the former president left office.
Warehouse workers in California would gain more legal pathways to fight speed quotas set by employers under a bill passed Wednesday in Sacramento that addresses a growing trend at some of the country's largest workplaces.
Why it matters: This bill is the first of its kind and could help ensure the safety and well-being of a massive and growing workforce.
Democrats are leaning into efforts to raise their numbers in state legislatures — with an emphasis on candidates of color — as red states like Texas and Georgia pass restrictive voting and abortion laws.
Why it matters: States are responsible for many of the laws with the greatest direct impact on people's daily lives. But Republicans control 30 state legislatures and the GOP has the trifecta — the governorship, state House and state Senate control — in 23 states, while Democrats do in 15.
