The best — and perhaps only — way to respond to huge changes in the climate and global demography may be to facilitate mass migration.
Why it matters: Migration in the future will be subject to powerful push and pull factors — the push of climate change and the pull of rich and aging countries in the West and East Asia that will desperately need younger workers from abroad.
The Jan. 6 select committee issued a subpoena to Jeffrey Clark, a former Justice Department official who reportedly helped former President Donald Trump amplify false claims around the election.
Why it matters: The announcement comes on the heels of a report by the Senate Judiciary Committee that detailed the extent of Trump's efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election.
A federal judge in Washington, D.C., has been giving participants in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot higher sentences than those sought by prosecutors, citing the necessity of consequences for taking part in the insurrection, Reuters reports.
Driving the news: U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan on Wednesday sentenced two cousins who entered the Capitol on Jan. 6 and took selfies to 45 days in jail — more than two weeks longer than the 30 days sought by the prosecution, according to Reuters.
The Justice Department announced on Wednesday that it would open an investigation into the conditions in five juvenile correctional facilities in Texas, citing reports of physical and sexual abuse.
Driving the news: The department has investigated a number of states over their treatment of juveniles because "protecting the rights of children throughout the juvenile justice system is a top priority," said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke for the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division.
A state judge on Wednesday dismissed a Georgia lawsuit alleging that members of Fulton County's election board counted fraudulent ballots in the 2020 election, Reuters reports.
Driving the news: Henry County Superior Court Judge Brian Amero said that petitioners failed to allege injuries affected them in a "personal and individual way," per Reuters.
More than 200 women and transgender inmates will be transferred from New York City's Rikers Island jail complex and to state facilities, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) and New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio (D) announced Wednesday.
Why it matters: Rikers for years has been plagued by neglect and dysfunction, which has worsened during the coronavirus pandemic. Wednesday's announcement comes amid growing calls by activists and human rights groups to close the facility.
A federal judge on Wednesday held officials at the Washington, D.C., Department of Corrections in contempt of court after ruling they violated the civil rights of a Jan. 6 detainee by impeding his access to medical care.
The big picture: The department has been the subject of heavy criticism from inmates, lawyers and judges over its living conditions, the Washington Post reports. During the pandemic, for around 400 days, officials imposed a 23-hour-a-day lockdown policy to enforce social distancing. The rule was eased this summer.
The federal government is demanding Moderna provide enough vaccines to the global initiative COVAX, at not-for-profit prices, a top federal official said during an intense panel event today.
What they're saying: "We expect that Moderna will step up as a company," David Kessler, the Biden administration's chief science officer of the COVID-19 response, said, adding Moderna has additional capacity to meet these demands. "Failure to do that would be unconscionable in my view."
Former Sen. Jeff Flake, a Republican who's now President Biden's nominee to be ambassador to Turkey, is funding a nonprofit focused on election processes in his home state of Arizona, Axios has learned.
Why it matters: Arizona is ground-zero for election conspiracy theories. While those behind the Public Integrity Foundation say that's not the impetus for the group, they hope it will address some of the underlying issues.
Social Security benefits for approximately 70 million Americans will increase 5.9% next year, the Social Security Administration announced Wednesday.
Why it matters: It's the largest cost-of-living adjustment in 39 years as inflation continues to tick up largely from supply chain issues, according to AP.
The Biden administration will open up U.S. land borders with Canada and Mexico to non-essential travel starting in November — but only to those fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
Why it matters: Government officials and business leaders have decried the economic impact pandemic travel restrictions have had on border communities. They have called for the U.S. to reopen the borders given high, and rising, vaccinations rates there.
The Biden administration is working with private companies, port officials and unions to keep the Port of Los Angeles running 24/7 in order to reduce the backlog of cargo ships floating in the Pacific, according to administration officials.
Why it matters: With the International Monetary Fund citing supply chain problems as a major factor in cutting global growth projections, the White House is scrambling to address some of the sources of the problem at U.S. ports.
Progressive groups will rally Thursday on the Ellipse to press President Biden and Congress to keep paid family medical leave in the social spending package that ultimately gets a vote, Axios has learned.
The big picture: Look for these and other advocates to step up their public engagement to keep their cherished programs from being axed, as congressional negotiators trim the size of Democrats' budget reconciliation package to roughly $2 trillion, from a $3.5 trillion starting point.
Why it matters: Cain, 25, had a promising career, becoming in 2013 the youngest American athlete to make a World Championships team at age 17. She alleges in the suit that she faced sustained emotional abuse by Salazar after joining the Nike Oregon Project in 2012, AP noted Tuesday.
The Jan 6. select committee investigating the Capitol riot "will move" criminal contempt charges against anyone who doesn't comply with its subpoenas, warned Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.), the panel's vice chair, Tuesday, per Reuters.
Why it matters: It follows reports that former President Trump told former aides and associates to invoke executive privilege and not comply with congressional requests.
Why it matters: It shows how, despite surging renewables, the global energy system remains far from an emissions-slashing pathway that achieves Paris agreement goals for limiting global warming.
An Afghan interpreter who helped rescue President Biden in Afghanistan in 2008 when he was a senator has safely left the country with his wife and five children, the State Department confirmed to Axios on Tuesday.
Why it matters: Aman Khalili, who was instrumental to the mission that rescued Biden's helicopter when it was caught in a snowstorm according to U.S. veterans, was forced into hiding after the Taliban took over Kabul.
