A Utah school district intentionally ignored racial harassment and abuse for years despite repeated complaints, the Justice Department said this week.
Why it matters: An investigation launched in 2019 revealed "persistent failures to respond to reports of race-based harassment of Black and Asian American students by district staff and other students," according to the DOJ.
Why it matters: Mason was elected as the first ever president of Barbados after the island announced in September 2020 that it would become a republic and Queen Elizabeth II would be removed as the island nation's head of state.
A Nov. 4 hearing has been set for former President Trump's claim of executive privilege in regard to the House Jan. 6 select committee's investigation, Reuters reports.
Why it matters: Trump's legal team has moved to block some of the committee's requests for records by invoking executive privilege, which can allow presidents and their aides to sidestep congressional scrutiny.
A nonpartisan audit of the 2020 presidential race results in Wisconsin found no evidence of widespread voter fraud and determined the swing state's election had been "largely safe and secure."
Why it matters: The results further undermine former President Donald Trump's false claims of widespread voter fraud throughout the country.
Border patrol made nearly1.7 million arrests of immigrants illegally crossing the U.S.-Mexico border in fiscal year 2021 — the highest number on record, according to new agency data released on Friday.
Why it matters: Unauthorized crossings are beginning to decline, but still remain far above the usual numbers this time of year. The administration is also tracking other large groups of migrants headed toward the U.S.
Florida businessman Lev Parnas was convicted Friday on charges of conspiracy to make foreign contributions to political campaigns, according to multiple outlets.
Why it matters: Prosecutors said Parnas, then an associate of former President Donald Trump's personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani, funneled over$150,000 from a Russian businessman into U.S. campaigns as part of an effort to land licenses in the U.S.'s legal cannabis industry.
The Department of Justice on Friday announced a cross-government effort to ramp up investigations and prosecutions against redlining — a practice designed to keep racial minorities out of certain neighborhoods.
The big picture: Friday's announcement marks the first major expansion of redlining investigations since the Obama administration, per AP.
The Supreme Court on Fridayagreed to hear two cases challenging Texas' abortion law, which bans the procedure as soon as six weeks into pregnancy, but left the law in place in the meantime.
Why it matters: The court is moving extraordinarily fast on the Texas cases, compressing into just a few days a process that normally takes months. And that schedule means the court will take up Texas' ban a month before it hears another major abortion case — a challenge to Mississippi's own 2018 ban on abortions after 15 weeks.
The Biden administration on Friday released a 42-page plan to promote gender equality at home and abroad — the first national strategy of its kind.
Why it matters: Women in the U.S. and around the world dealt with an unequal playing field before the coronavirus pandemic exacerbated many of the issues they face, potentially reversing years of progress.
A Chinese government spokesperson on Friday said that there is "no room" for compromise over Taiwan after President Biden commented that the U.S. would defend the island if it were attacked, AP reports.
Why it matters: Biden’s comments were initially seen as undercutting the U.S. government’s long-standing position of “strategic ambiguity” toward whether it would defend Taiwan, which China views as a rebellious territory. A White House spokesperson quickly clarified that there is no change in U.S. policy.
The House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform announced on Friday it will hold a "landmark" hearing next week with fossil fuel executives focused on the industry's role in spreading climate disinformation.
Why it matters: This is the first time oil company CEOs, and the head of their main trade group, will testify under oath about their knowledge of the link between burning fossil fuels and climate change, per Axios' Andrew Freedman.
Congressional Democrats are again taking aim at private equity, but they don't have much more firepower than the last time around.
Driving the news: The Senate Banking Committee held a pair of hearings earlier this week, one focused broadly on PE misdeeds and one focused specifically on PE's role in the U.S. housing market. The former was chaired by Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and the latter by Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio).
Neera Tanden was named White House staff secretary on Friday, according to a White House official. The appointment comes after her nomination to lead the Office of Management and Budget was withdrawn in May after several senators voiced opposition.
Driving the news: Tanden's new role, described by the official as the "central nervous system of the White House," will put her in charge of managing a range of issues and documents for President Biden, including briefing books and decision memos.
What matters from President Biden's town hall with CNN's Anderson Cooper at Baltimore Center Stage on Thursday:
The biggest headline: Biden is jettisoning the corporate tax increases that White House officials have insisted, for the past 10 months, are wildly popular across the country. He admitted he doesn't have the votes.
Former President Trump is telling most anyone who'll listen he will run again in 2024 — and poll after poll shows the vast majority of Republicans would gladly cheer him on and vote for him.
Why it matters: Trump is the heart, soul and undisputed leader of the Republican Party and will easily win the nomination if he wants it, the polls make unmistakably clear.
Democrats don't have the votes to raise corporate taxes, President Biden admitted at Thursday's CNN town hall in Baltimore, Maryland, where he went into detail on the state of negotiations concerning the massive reconciliation bill.
Why it matters: Democrats are still negotiating what will go into the bill. Divisions within the party have stalled the legislation for weeks.
President Biden said Thursday at a CNN town hall he'd be willing to consider doing away with the filibuster in the Senate in a bid to protect voting rights and "and maybe more."
Why it matters: With an evenly split Senate, legislation requires at least 10 Republican votes making it highly unlikely any new voting rights bill would pass with the filibuster in tact.
