Axios

Greyhound will pay $2.2 million to settle a lawsuit filed by Washington state over the company's practice of allowing U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents to board and search its buses without warrants, the state attorney general's office announced Monday.

Why it matters: The money will given to passengers who were "detained, arrested or deported" after immigration agents performed an immigration sweep on a bus at the Spokane Intermodal Center, as well as to covering some of the litigation costs incurred by the attorney general's office.

A judge has officially removed Britney Spears' father from his 13-year-long role as conservator of her estate, multiple outlets reported Wednesday.

Why it matters: Spears has alleged that her father abused her repeatedly and dictated extreme restrictions on her body, finances, career and life. The legal battle spurred the #FreeBritney movement and resulted in greater scrutiny of conservatorships across the U.S.

The select panel investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection has issued 11 new subpoenas to people involved in planning the rally ahead of the riots.

Why it matters: The new subpoenas provide more insight into the scope of the select committee's investigation as it ramps up. The previous subpoenas were issued to four members of former President Trump's inner circle.

A new study posits one explanation for the dramatic drop in birth rates in the U.S.: shifting priorities among young adults.

Why it matters: If the fall in the U.S. birth rate is largely driven by changing life priorities among people of child-bearing age, it limits any steps that might be taken to reverse the trend.

House Democrats on Wednesday passed a bill, 219-212, to suspend the debt limit through December 2022, sending it to the Senate, where it is expected to fail.

Why it matters: Democrats are trying to exhaust all options in order to pass the debt limit on the floor without forcing it to go through the partisan budget reconciliation process, but Republicans continue to obstruct that effort.

American swimmer Klete Keller, a two-time Olympic gold medalist, pled guilty in federal court Wednesday to a single charge in connection to his appearance at the Jan. 6 Capitol riot as part of a plea deal, NBC News reports.

Driving the news: Keller, who faced seven federal charges for participating in the Capitol riot, pled guilty to a felony charge of obstructing an official proceeding in exchange for prosecutors dismissing the six other charges, per CNBC.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture is sending $1.5 billion to help schools struggling to serve students healthy lunches, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced Wednesday.

Why it matters: School districts across the United States are experiencing food and supply shortages, price increases and delayed and canceled deliveries, among other setbacks, according to the School Nutrition Association.

In a classified briefing with senators on Tuesday, Joint Chiefs Chairman Mark Milley directly blamed the State Department for a botched evacuation from Afghanistan, saying officials "waited too long" to order the operation out of Kabul's airport, two sources with direct knowledge of the briefing told Axios.

Why it matters: Those private remarks were far more blunt than Milley's public testimony, in which the nation's top general said the issue of whether the order should have been given earlier is an "open question that needs further exploration."

The State Department said Wednesday that it is vetting and verifying the identities of over 100 U.S. citizens and permanent residents who were evacuated from Afghanistan through a charter plane this week.

Why it matters: The founder of the nonprofit Project Dynamo, which chartered the flight out of Kabul with Human First Coalition, said U.S. Customs and Border Protection had denied the charter flight landing rights in the U.S.

David Chipman, whose nomination to lead the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) was ultimately withdrawn, told the New York Times that the lack of communication from the White House often made him feel alone and on "an island" amid attacks from pro-gun groups.

Driving the news: Chipman, a gun control advocate, was nominated by President Biden to head the agency in April. His nomination, however, faced widespread opposition from Senate Republicans, as well as Sen. Angus King (I-Maine).

The Department of Homeland Security announced Wednesday that it will create a council to "promote best practices in its law enforcement activities."

Why it matters: DHS said the new Law Enforcement Coordination Council will be the first unified law enforcement coordination body at DHS and will cover everything from training curricula to use of force policies.

Over two-thirds of Black voters favor inclusion of new investments to combat climate change and expand the social safety net in wide-ranging federal spending legislation, per new polling by the firm Hit Strategies shared with Axios.

• The poll also showed that climate is tied for Black voters' top priority in infrastructure legislation.

Democrats' pathway to moving huge new climate investments through Congress is looking narrower than ever as negotiations over wide-ranging tax and spending legislation reach a fever pitch.

Driving the news: Washington is enmeshed in tricky talks over sweeping legislation that covers taxes, health and social spending, and of course energy and climate.

Tennessee community and technical colleges continued awarding degrees, diplomas and certificates at record levels this year despite the pandemic.

• Data released last week showed a combined 22,956 given out during the latest academic year, only one behind last year's all-time high.

The federal government distributed more than $113 million in aid to struggling Austin music venues through the Shuttered Venue Operators Grant program, according to the latest data from the U.S. Small Business Administration.

Why it matters: Music venues in Austin and across the country were forced to shutter because of the pandemic, leaving independent venues especially at risk for permanent closure.

Ohio's charter schools nabbed a record number of public school students during the pandemic, registering an 11.1% enrollment increase between the 2019-20 and 2020-21 school year.

• Public schools, meanwhile, experienced a nearly 4% decline, according to a new analysis from the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools.

President Biden has kept a public distance from Hill fights that'll help define his legacy, based on confidence that Dems will ultimately be with him despite bucking and bellyaching.

Between the lines: "He's not gonna beg," said an official with firsthand knowledge of the president's mindset. "His view is: 'You're Democrats, and you're with your president or you're not.'"

A majority of voters in battleground districts and states agree Big Tech companies are monopolies with too much power, according to new data shared exclusively with Axios — but those same voters are divided on what Congress should do in response.

Why it matters: Lawmakers from both parties in the House have backed a package of proposed new laws to rein in tech firms' power.

A growing number of elected Republicans are openly promoting "white replacement theory," a decades-old conspiracy theory that's animated terrorist attacks, including the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing.

Why it matters: This mainstreams what once was the sole provenance of white supremacists.

Fumio Kishida, Japan's former foreign minister, was elected leader of the country's ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) on Wednesday.

Why it matters: The 64-year-old's win in the leadership election runoff means he's set to become prime minister of the world's third-largest economy, and a key U.S. ally, after a special parliamentary session on Monday, per the Washington Post.

Manny Pacquiao announced Wednesday his retirement from boxing ahead of his run for president of the Philippines next year.

The big picture: The 42-year-old, who's also a Philippines senator, said in a video posted on his Facebook page that it's "difficult for me to accept that my time as a boxer is over." Pacquiao won 12 world titles in a 72-fight career, with 62 wins. He's the only boxer ever to win titles in eight different weight divisions.

A federal judge on Tuesday temporarily blocked a key aspect of a new Arizona abortion law hours before it was due to take effect.

Why it matters: The legislation would have allowed felony charges to be laid against doctors who knowingly terminated pregnancies solely due to genetic issues, such as Down syndrome, and anyone who helped fund such abortions.

North Korea's military fired a "newly developed hypersonic missile" on Tuesday, according to the state-run KCNA news agency.

Why it matters: KCNA indicated that the North Korean military has nuclear capabilities with this missile when it referred to it as a "strategic weapon."

San Jose officials will formally apologize in a Wednesday ceremony for racial discrimination and injustices that early Chinese immigrants suffered in the Californian city — including the destruction of Chinatown in an 1887 arson attack.

Why it matters: A rise in anti-Asian hate during the pandemic has focused attention on the U.S. legacy of racism against Asian Americans, per Axios' Shawna Chen. San Jose is the latest and largest city in the U.S. to formally apologize to Chinese immigrants and their descendants.

A federal judge on Tuesday temporarily blocked South Carolina's ban on mask mandates in schools, ruling that it discriminated against students with disabilities and violated the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Why it matters: As mask bans extend to public schools around the country, parents and disability rights activists have sounded alarm bells. The ruling may signal the outcomes of legal fights playing out across the country.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis took legal action on Tuesday to try to stop the Biden administration's immigration plans.

Why it matters: The Republican governor, who is running for re-election next year and is possibly eyeing a 2024 presidential bid, is picking a high-profile fight with Biden while re-upping his hardline stance on immigration.

Texas will release nearly 250 migrants who were arrested under Gov. Greg Abbott's "catch and jail" border policy and imprisoned for over a month without being charged, The Texas Tribune reports.

Why it matters: Under Texas law, criminal defendants must be released from jail on a no-cost or affordable bond if prosecutors fail to file charges within a certain time frame.

In a rare show of bipartisanship, the House voted 361-66 on Tuesday in favor of the EQUAL Act — a bill that would eliminate sentencing discrepancies between offenses for crack and powder cocaine.

Why it matters: For decades, much smaller amounts of crack than powder cocaine have triggered mandatory minimum sentences of at least five years, despite them being different forms of the same drug. And that's fueled a significant racial disparity in drug-sentencing outcomes.

President Biden sold his strategy for getting out of Afghanistan on uniformity of support. On Tuesday, the people in uniform contradicted him.

Driving the news: Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Mark Milley and Gen. Frank McKenzie, head of U.S. Central Command, testified they recommended keeping 2,500 troops in Afghanistan to prevent the collapse of Afghan security forces.

A tweak to U.S. export restrictions is letting a prominent Chinese tech company sidestep measures designed to punish the firm over its alleged involvement in the repression of Muslims within the country, records show.

Why it matters: The artificial intelligence company SenseTime's strategy to bypass those measures shows how companies deemed national security risks — or accused of complicity in human rights abuses — can bypass U.S. restrictions.

Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) lambasted Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) on Tuesday, saying "it's insane" that "one senator" is blocking attempts to settle on a palatable figure for President Biden's proposed $3.5 trillion budget reconciliation package.

Why it matters: The figure is the linchpin to getting progressive support for the companion $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure package. Khanna's statement reflects broader dissatisfaction among House progressives with Sinema and her fellow holdout, Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.).