U.S. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona, in an "Axios on HBO" interview, said he's reluctant to withhold federal funding from states that won't enforce school mask mandates because he doesn't want to hurt students.
Why it matters: Cardona's comments suggest there are limits to how far the Biden administration will go in pressuring states to adopt universal masking — or vaccine mandates.
Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) told “Axios on HBO” he’s not sure former President Donald Trump would win the Republican nomination if he ran in 2024 — a rare voice of criticism from within the party.
When I raised the conventional wisdom that Trump would be expected to win the nomination, Cassidy jumped in.“
I don't know that,” the senator said during our interview in Chalmette, La.
Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana — one of the few Republicans who voted both to convict President Trump and to approve the infrastructure deal — told me in an “Axios on HBO” interview:
“People assume that if you're moderate in tone and you wish to connect with others for a common goal of improving our country in some way, you don't have true colors — whatever those colors are supposed to be, red or blue.”
The Republican National Committee is working to court more conservative Hispanic voters in south Texas, even as the state's GOP majority uses redistricting to blunt demographic changes that should be empowering Hispanic representation and helping Democrats.
Driving the news: The RNC is opening a Hispanic community center in San Antonio on Monday. It's the third such outreach center the party has opened in south Texas this year.
The House and Senate face an onslaught of deadlines key to fulfilling members' campaign promises and keeping the government afloat as they return from recess this week.
Why it matters: The next few weeks will be pivotal to enacting President Biden's agenda — and determining how the Democratic Party fares in the midterm elections.
New York has had the busiest state lawmakers this year, with an average of 70 bills introduced per legislator, although that doesn't necessarily mean they become law, according to a new analysis from Quorum.
By the numbers: New York state lawmakers introduced 30 more bills per legislator, on average, than their counterparts in Illinois, the next busiest state. Yet the New Yorkers enacted 420 new state laws from Jan. 1 to Aug. 25, compared to 661 for Illinois legislators.
Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) has told the White House the child tax credit must include a firm work requirement and family income cap in the $60,000 range, people familiar with the matter tell Axios.
Why it matters: While Manchin’s demands would dramatically weaken one of President Biden’s signature programs to help working families, they also would reduce the package’s overall costs.
Top Democrats came out to campaign for Virginia gubernatorial candidate Terry McAuliffe on Sunday across many of the state's Black churches, emphasizing the importance of the upcoming Nov. 2 election.
Driving the news: Stacey Abrams visited three Black churches Sunday on behalf of McAuliffe, and framed the election as a bellwether for the 2022 midterms, AP reported.
Two Black congressional staff associations published an open letter Friday calling for more diversity, better conditions and "a stronger college-to-Congress pipeline" for staffers at Capitol Hill.
Why it matters: While Congress swore in its most racially and ethnically diverse congressional class in history this year, congressional staffs remain "overwhelmingly white," the letter says.
Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.) on Sunday defended President Biden's support for prosecuting those who defy subpoenas from the Jan. 6 select committee, telling CNN's "State of the Union" that Biden has "every right" to make his position clear.
Driving the news: Biden said Friday that he hoped the Justice Department would prosecute those who defy subpoenas and hold them accountable.
Former President Bill Clinton was discharged from the University of California, Irvine Medical Center on Sunday, nearly a week after he was admitted for a non-COVID-related infection, according to his spokesperson Angel Ureña.
What they're saying: "His fever and white blood cell count are normalized and he will return home to New York to finish his course of antibiotics," wrote Dr. Alpesh Amin, who has been overseeing the team of doctors treating Clinton. "On behalf of everyone at UC Irvine Medical Center, we were honored to have treated him and will continue to monitor his progress."
Worth noting: Clinton had a urinary tract infection that spread to his bloodstream, per CNN.
The California-based medical team had been administering IV antibiotics and fluids, and was in constant communication with Clinton's New York team, including his cardiologist, according to the former president's physicians.
President Biden spoke by phone with Clinton on Friday to see how he was doing, and the catch-up included a discussion of recent politics.
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg on Sunday responded to Fox News host Tucker Carlson, who mocked Buttigieg for taking parental leave after the birth of his children.
What he's saying: "I'm not going to apologize to Tucker Carlson or anyone else to taking care of our premature twins," Buttigieg told CNN's "State of the Union."
Melbourne's stay-at-home orders will end five days earlier than planned, officials in Australia's second-biggest city announced Sunday.
Why it matters: The capital of the state of Victoria has had six lockdowns totaling 262 days since March last year. That means Melbourne spent longer under lockdown than "any other city in the world" during the pandemic, Reuters notes.
The latest "Saturday Night Live" cold open focused on this week's NFL scandal that saw Jon Gruden resign as Las Vegas Raiders head coach following reports that he used racist, sexist and homophobic language in past emails.
Highlights: Colin Jost made a rare appearance outside "Weekend Update" to play NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell. "All 32 teams in our league understand that diversity is our strength," he said. "I know that our Black coaches would agree. Both of them."
A key ally of Venezuela's President Nicolás Maduro was extradited from Cape Verde to the U.S. on Saturday to face money laundering charges in Florida, Bloomberg first reported.
Why it matters: Venezuela's government called off negotiations with opposition officials that were scheduled for Sunday in Mexico in response to the extradition of Alex Saab, a Colombian businessman and financial fixer for Maduro. Security forces placed six U.S. oil executives under house arrest hours later, per AP.
The only survivor of a fatal shooting in Kenosha, Wisconsin, during protests last year has accused law enforcement in a lawsuit of conspiring with a "band of white nationalist vigilantes," the Washington Post reported Saturday.
Of note: Kyle Rittenhouse, 18, is due to stand trial on Nov. 1, accused of wounding Gaige Grosskreutz, who filed the suit, and killing two other people protesting the police shooting of Jacob Blake on Aug. 25, 2020. He's pleaded not guilty to charges including homicide and attempted homicide and maintains he fired in self-defense.
