On the first day of his trip to Africa, Secretary of State Antony Blinken condemned the recent string of violent conflicts roiling the continent, even as the Sudanese government cracked down on pro-democracy protesters and Ethiopia's prime minister claimed a "sophisticated narrative war."
Why it matters: "Despite the grand gesture of American support for the continent signaled by ... Blinken’s trip, the developments illustrated the frustrating limits of U.S. diplomacy in a tumultuous region," the New York Times writes.
Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen warned in a letter to lawmakers on Tuesday that the federal government will run out of money to pay its bills as soon as Dec. 15 if the debt ceiling is not suspended or raised.
One idea to ensure the government does not default, even if the debt ceiling is not raised, is to mint a trillion-dollar coin. Yellen has called this a gimmick, but some economists insist it’s a legitimate finance trick that can be used to stave off a default.
Axios Re:Cap host Felix Salmon is joined by former U.S. Mint Director Philip Diehl to discuss the idea behind the trillion-dollar coin and whether it’s remotely likely to be minted in the next month.
The House on Wednesday voted to censure Rep. Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.) and strip him of his committee assignments for posting a video on Twitter that depicts him attacking President Biden and killing Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.).
Why it matters: Gosar is the second House Republican to lose committee seats at the hands of the Democratic majority in the 117th Congress, which has been plagued by violence and inflammatory rhetoric both inside and outside the Capitol.
Why it matters: Carroll Independent School District, which is located in wealthy, suburban Southlake, Texas, has been at the forefront of the ongoing national battle over how to teach students about racial issues.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) Wednesday rebuked Rep. Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.) over a violent video he shared on social media last week, asking during an impassioned speech on the House floor, "what is so hard about saying that this is wrong?"
Why it matters: The speech comes ahead of the House's vote Wednesday on whether to censure Gosar and remove him from his committee assignments because of the video, which depicted him killing Ocasio-Cortez and attacking President Biden.
Former Trump adviser Steve Bannon will plead not guilty to criminal contempt charges on Wednesday after surrendering to the FBI earlier this week, according to a notice filed in court.
Driving the news: A grand jury indicted Bannon on two counts of contempt of Congress for his failure to comply with a subpoena issued by the House Jan. 6 select committee investigating the deadly riot.
The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops on Wednesday overwhelmingly passed a document which clarifies the meaning of communion and who can receive the sacrament, the Washington Post reports.
Why it matters: The effort to produce the document was partly ignited by questions surrounding President Biden, the first Catholic president since John F. Kennedy, and whether his support for abortion rights should disqualify him from receiving communion.
Rep. Terri Sewell (D-Ala.) told Axios during an event Wednesday she hopes the extended premium tax credits from President Biden's social spending bill will be key to detecting cancers earlier, if the legislation passes.
Why it matters: Sewellsaid some 300,000 people in her home state of Alabamafall into the "Medicaid gap" — meaning they make too much money to qualify for Medicaid, but too little to afford their own insurance.
President Biden sent a letter to Federal Trade Commission chair Lina Khan Wednesday asking the agency to determine whether “illegal conduct” by large oil and gas companies is pushing up gasoline prices.
Why it matters: It's unlikely that the letter will bring down gas prices anytime soon, though an FTC investigation could clarify how such companies determine prices.
A judge on Wednesday sentenced Jacob Chansley, known as the "QAnon Shaman," to 41 months in federal prison for his involvement in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.
Why it matters: It is among the longest sentences handed down so far in connection to the Capitol riot, and it could set a benchmark for other cases.
Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) said Wednesday that her first six-month post-cancer exam showed that "everything was clear."
The big picture: Klobuchar revealed in September that she had been diagnosed with stage 1A breast cancer in February. She completed radiation treatment in May and "it was determined in August that the treatment went well."
The White House is planning to offer U.S. drugmakers billions of dollars to ramp up COVID-19 vaccine production capacity, aiming to produce at least 1 billion doses a year, White House COVID-19 response coordinator Jeff Zients said Wednesday.
Why it matters: The Biden administration's investment comes as pressure mounts on the U.S. to support vaccine distribution in low-income countries.
Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) criticized Democratic leadership in a wide-ranging interview with Politico published Wednesday for making false promises by setting expectations for the social spending bill and other legislation far too high.
Why it matters: Sinema said that the pledges amount to dishonesty with Americans because they are made with the presumption of agreement within the party, which she believes is an unrealistic and potentially hazardous expectation in a diverse democracy.
U.S. cities are planning to spend the money allotted to them under the American Rescue Plan — the COVID-19 stimulus package enacted in March — primarily on housing and local economic support, according to a new analysis.
Why it matters: The analysis — provided first to Axios by the Bloomberg Center for Public Innovation at Johns Hopkins University — gives a sense of the priorities that cities are setting as they figure out how to "build back better" locally.
Democrat Beto O'Rourke, sprinting through his second day on the campaign trail with stops in San Antonio and Laredo, signaled he'll avoid the playbook that failed Terry McAuliffe in Virginia, telling Axios, "Trump doesn't live in Texas. Biden doesn't live in Texas. Thirty million of us are what's most important to me."
Driving the news: O'Rourke called on President Biden to place a greater emphasis on protecting voting rights, when he spoke with Axios on Tuesday, sketching a framework for his strategy in what's widely seen as an uphill fight to unseat Gov. Greg Abbott.
TerraPower, the Bill Gates-founded nuclear power venture, announced Tuesday plans to replace a Wyoming coal-fired power station with a $4 billion advanced reactor demonstration project.
Why it matters: Roughly half of the project's funding will come from the U.S. government, including $1.5 billion from the infrastructure bill that President Biden signed into law this week, per an emailed statement from Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm.
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced pandemic travel restrictions on the Auckland region imposed in August will lift next month, but travelers must provide proof of vaccination or a negative test within 72 hours of departure.
Why it matters: Those who fail to comply with the requirement face an NZ $1,000 fine (U.S. $700) and police will be responsible for enforcement when it takes effect on Dec. 15, Ardern said at a briefing Wednesday afternoon New Zealand time.
Congress is about to repeal a president's authorization to use military force for the first time in about half a century, kicking off a debate about restoring its role in authorizing future wars.
Why it matters: Democrats are eager to declare they've succeeded in facilitating an official end to America's "endless wars." The 2002 AUMF that justified the Iraq war was cited as recently as the January 2020 assassination of Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani, who was killed in a drone strike in Baghdad.
America's young women are on the cusp of a rite of passage that's been reserved for men until now: registering with the Selective Service when they turn 18.
Driving the news: Whether allowing women to serve in combat also means they should have to sign up for the military draft has been a debate for decades. Now, an unlikely coalition of feminists, veterans and conservatives could make it law as part of the Senate's expected passage of the National Defense Authorization Act.
The last time an authorization of military force was repealed was in 1974, and some ancient authorizations remain on the books, according to the Congressional Research Service and House Historian.
Why it matters: Lawmakers in both parties have framed repeals as a rare instance of the legislative branch wresting some control back from the executive branch. That's especially true in the post-9/11 era, when Congress’ authority on war powers is often overlooked.
Gen. John E. Hyten, vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, warned in an interview with CBS News that the Chinese government's hypersonic weapons test last summer could jeopardize the world order's current nuclear balance.
Why it matters, via Axios' Zachary Basu: Weapons experts caution that China's hypersonic missile test is not a technological game-changer in the same way that Sputnik was. But the fact that the breakthrough caught U.S. intelligence by surprise is raising alarms in Washington, especially in the context of the Chinese government's rapid nuclear expansion and military modernization efforts.
