President Biden is unlikely to invoke executive privilege to shield any Trump White House records from the House investigation of the Capitol insurrection, Press Secretary Jen Psaki said Friday.
Why it matters: Though Psaki said they would evaluate on a case-by-case basis, it puts a dent in former President Trump's plan to block requests for Jan. 6 information by claiming executive privilege, a legal theory that can allow presidents and their aides to sidestep congressional scrutiny, per the Washington Post.
Prosecutors recommended a four-month-long jail sentence for an Air Force veteran who participated in the Capitol riot.
Why it matters: Justice Department attorneys wrote in a sentencing memo that though Derek Jancart's military service is "laudable," it "renders his conduct on January 6 all the more egregious."
The European Union warned Russia in a statement on Friday not to allow hackers to attack databases or spread disinformation as Germany holds its parliamentary elections this weekend.
In an odd coda to the 2020 election, private contractors conducting a GOP-commissioned recount in Arizona confirmed President Biden’s win in Maricopa County.
Why it matters: The unofficial, party-driven recount has been heavily covered on cable news as part of former President Trump's continued effort to sow doubt about the election result.
The U.S. Treasury said Friday that it has issued licenses allowing the U.S. government, NGOs and international organizations like the United Nations to engage in transactions with the Taliban or Haqqani Network to provide humanitarian assistance despite U.S. sanctions on the two militant groups.
Why it matters: There's growing concern that the punitive measures could exacerbate the crisis in Afghanistan, Reuters reports.
Huawei Technologies executive Meng Wanzhou reached a deal with the Justice Department that resolves the criminal charges against her and could pave the way for her to return to China, AP reports.
Why it matters: The deal settles a yearslong dispute involving the U.S., China and Canada, where Meng, Huawei's chief financial officer, has remained since her arrest there in December 2018, per AP.
The last migrants camping under the Del Rio International Bridge, which connects Texas and Mexico, departed on Friday, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas announced during a White House press briefing.
Driving the news: Thousands of migrants, mostly from Haiti, had arrived to the makeshift camp after crossing the southern border seeking asylum. Roughly 1,800 migrants will now head to U.S. Customs and Border Protection processing centers.
The White House said in new guidance Friday that it expects millions of federal contractors to be vaccinated against the coronavirus no later than Dec. 8.
Why it matters: Companies with federal contractors have been waiting for formal guidance from the White House before requiring those employees to get vaccinated, according to Reuters.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention director Rochelle Walensky on Friday reiterated her decision to go against a recommendation by a CDC advisory panel that refused to endorse booster shots for workers whose jobs put them at high risk for contracting COVID-19.
Driving the news: "Our healthcare systems are once again at maximum capacity in parts of the country, our teachers are facing uncertainty as they walk into the classroom," Walensky said at a Friday briefing. "I must do what I can to preserve the health across our nation."
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) on Friday unveiled the full text of President Biden's $3.5 trillion social spending package.
Why it matters: Democrats are racing to finish negotiations and get the bill on the floor as soon as possible so Pelosi can fulfill her promises to both House centrists and progressives about the timing and sequencing of passing the party's dual infrastructure packages.
The House of Representatives on Friday passed the Women’s Health Protection Act, which would guarantee a person's right to an abortion, in a 218-211 vote.
Why it matters: The Supreme Court in December will consider a case on a Mississippi law that bans abortions after 15 weeks, which could potentially overturn Roe v. Wade, the 1973 landmark case that ruled a woman had the constitutional right to have an abortion.
President Biden on Friday urged congressional Democrats to overcome differences surrounding his multi-trillion-dollar economic proposal but said he's still confident it will pass.
Why it matters: It's currently unclear how the $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill and the $3.5 trillion reconciliation package will move forward with moderate and progressive Democrats in disagreement over critical portions of the legislation.
Vice President Kamala Harris being interviewed virtually by "The View" co-host Joy Behar. Photo: ABC News "The View"
Vice President Kamala Harris on Friday appeared remotely on ABC's "The View" after two of the show's hosts tested positive for COVID-19 — in the middle of the show, mere minutes before Harris was set to appear.
Why it matters: Friday's interview was slated to be the Vice President's first in-studio interview since taking office.
President Biden on Friday condemned Border Patrol officers for using horses to deter Haitian immigrants from an encampment under the international bridge earlier this week, but took responsibility for the actions and said an investigation is underway.
Why it matters: Photos of patrol officers charging their horses at immigrants prompted criticism of the Biden administration's handling of the crisis at the border.
Senate Republicans want the Justice Department to roll back Trump-era restrictions on congressional oversight criticized at the time as an attempt to insulate the Trump administration from Democratic investigators, Axios has learned.
Why it matters: While some Republicans spoke out against the DOJ guidance at the time, it was mostly Democrats who attacked it as a constitutionally dubious effort to scuttle congressional oversight. Now the shoe is on the other foot, and the GOP is making similar arguments with Biden in the White House.
Biden-era financial regulators are getting increasingly involved in climate — if not as much as some advocates want — and this week is bringing fresh signs of the trend.
Driving the news: The Securities and Exchange Commission revealed that it's sending letters to corporations seeking more complete disclosures about their climate-related risks.
No official has been more publicly outspoken recently about regulator staffing shortages than SEC chair Gary Gensler. Complaints of this sort date back to at least 2009.
What they're saying: “We’ve got an IPO boom, we have a SPAC boom, we have cryptocurrencies to deal with ... [and] China," Gensler told CNBC last week.
The boom times are all around us (from corporate deal sprees to the breakneck rise of cryptocurrency) — and the agencies in charge are stretched thin trying to police it.
Why it matters: Overwhelmed staff and a slew of vacant posts could set back President Biden's big regulatory agenda.
Shelley Ross, a broadcast journalist and a former executive producer for ABC News, accused CNN anchor Chris Cuomo in a New York Times op-ed Friday of sexual harassment at a 2005 event while he worked for ABC.
Why it matters: The op-ed comes after the CNN anchor was implicated in a New York attorney general’s report for advising his brother, former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, on how to handle sexual harassment accusations against him from multiple women.
Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), the longest-serving Senate Republican, announced on Friday that he's running for re-election in 2022.
Why it matters: The GOP is looking to regain control of both chambers of Congress in the upcoming midterm elections. Several Republicans had urged the 88-year-old senator to run to avoid another retirement after five incumbent senators said they wouldn't seek re-election.
President Biden bit off too much, too fast in trying to ram through what would be the largest social expansion in American history, top Democrats privately say.
Why it matters: At the time Biden proposed it, he had his mind set on a transformational accomplishment that would put him in the pantheon of FDR and JFK.
Sudden doubts about President Biden's competence — on Afghanistan, immigration and COVID — are driving double-digit drops in his approval in private polling in swing House seats, The Cook Political Report's Amy Walter writes.
Why it matters: "[T]hese early mistakes go directly to the very rationale of his presidency; that it would be low drama and high competence."
The House approved a $768 billion National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for the 2022 fiscal year in a bipartisan 316-113 vote on Thursday.
Why it matters: The annual bill, which authorizes Pentagon spending levels and guides policy for the department, would require women to register for the military draft, among other provisions.
Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a $15 billion climate package on Thursday as California wildfires threaten more sequoias at Sequoia National Park.
Why it matters: The package is the largest such investment in California history as drought conditions have worsened across the state and led to numerous wildfires. More than 1.9 million acres have burned across the state this year, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, including over 220,000 in the Caldor fire last month.
Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) said Thursday that Democrats "need to stabilize" Medicare before expanding the program, The Hill reports.
Why it matters: Progressives are hoping to expand Medicare through a broad social spending bill, which Democratic senators have urged Manchin to support. Manchin's vote is critical in passing any Democratic bill in the 50-50 Senate.
Republican super PACs are beating up on the party's own candidates in key Senate primaries while Democratic groups largely hold their intra-party fire, an Axios analysis found.
Why it matters: The negative ads some Republican groups are directing at GOP candidates threaten to elevate damaging stories about them ahead of competitive fights that could determine control of the 50-50 Senate.
The five Senate Republicans who helped negotiate and draft the $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill have been privately courting their Republican colleagues to pass the measure in the House.
Why it matters: House GOP leaders are actively urging their members to oppose the bill. The senators are working to undercut that effort as Monday shapes up as a do-or-die moment for the bipartisan bill.
Several members of the Congressional Black Caucus weighed visiting the U.S.-Mexico border this week to investigate the conditions faced by Haitian migrants and protest allegations of inhumane treatment by U.S. agents.
Why it matters: It's a thorny proposition both in terms of timing and messaging. Going assures a new wave of negative headlines for President Biden amid sinking popularity. And with congressional deadlines in the coming days over infrastructure, a possible government shutdown and debt-limit crisis, Democrats can't afford to lose any votes in the House.
