Axios

A federal judge on Thursday ordered a group of pro-Trump attorneys — including Sidney Powell and Lin Wood, who spread baseless conspiracy theories about the 2020 election — to pay $175,000 in sanctions for suing public officials in an effort to overturn Michigan's election results.

Why it matters: The unsuccessful lawsuit claimed public officials illegally manipulated votes and was part of a broader campaign to discredit President Biden's win.

The House of Representatives on Thursday voted 221-212 to pass a bill funding the government through Feb. 18.

Why it matters: The measure now heads to the Senate, where it will need to be approved before midnight on Friday to avert a shutdown, but some Republicans have indicated that they may delay passage if they don't get a vote on an amendment to defund President Biden’s vaccine mandates.

The Supreme Court heard oral arguments this week in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization — a case that offers a rare opportunity for the majority-conservative court to strike down the precedent set by Roe v. Wade. 

Host Erica Pandey is joined by MSNBC columnist Chris Geidner to understand why those in favor of abortion access are concerned by what they heard in court and where this case could be headed.

The Biden administration on Thursday announced a global initiative aimed to prevent authoritarian governments from using technology for surveillance and human rights abuses, the Wall Street Journal reports.

Why it matters: Many authoritarian governments rely on imported technology to implement state surveillance networks.

A former Franklin County sheriff's deputy was indicted Thursday on murder charges related to the death of Casey Goodson Jr., a 23-year-old Black man shot and killed in Columbus, Ohio.

Why it matters: Jason Meade, 44, was indicted on two counts of murder and one count of reckless homicide. The indictment comes almost a year after the 23-year-old was killed. The former sheriff's deputy is expected to plead not guilty to all charges, his lawyer said.

Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) on Thursday criticized billionaire Ray Dalio's investments in China, writing in a tweet that "his feigned ignorance of China's horrific abuses and rationalization of complicit investments there is a sad moral lapse."

Driving the news: Romney's comments come after Dalio's firm, Bridgewater Associates, the largest hedge fund in the world, raised $1.3 billion in November for a new private fund in China, Bloomberg reports.

Critical race theory is an academic framework that examines systemic racism in the U.S. legal system. Richard Delgado, the son of a Mexican immigrant, helped develop the framework five decades ago.

Why it matters: CRT is under attack by some conservatives who falsely claim the graduate school-level concepts are being taught in elementary and high schools. But not only is CRT routinely misunderstood, the Latino contributions to the field also are overlooked.

Two Georgia election workers on Thursday filed a lawsuit against The Gateway Pundit, a far-right website, for accusing them "of committing ballot fraud to alter the outcome of the 2020 presidential election in Georgia."

Why it matters: This is one of the first lawsuits to be filed by individual election workers against media companies for spreading misinformation about the 2020 elections.

The Biden administration is accelerating efforts to fill nearly 600,000 vacant cybersecurity positions in the public and private sectors bogging down efforts to protect digital infrastructure.

Why it matters: Following a deluge of ransomware attacks targeting critical government and corporate infrastructure this year, clogs in the talent pipeline are leaving federal, cash-strapped local governments and Big Business even more susceptible to hacking.

The Trump-era "Remain in Mexico" program will resume Monday as long as Mexico officially approves the plan, as expected Thursday, U.S. administration officials told reporters.

Why it matters: President Biden has been forced by court order to restart the controversial program, which makes asylum seekers wait in Mexico for their U.S. court hearings. The administration is simultaneously seeking to end the program, again.

Tate Myre, a 16-year-old football player at Michigan's Oxford High School, sacrificed his life Tuesday to save his classmates from the deadly shooting that has claimed at least three other lives.

The big picture: Students say Myre rushed the shooter — a fellow classmate — in an attempt to disarm him and give other students time to get away.

Activist movements promoting conspiracy theories and anti-vaccination lies are increasingly becoming the most dangerous spreaders of misinformation, according to researchers, often causing more real-world harm than state or government-backed groups.

Why it matters: Informal movements tend to rely on tactics — like coordinated harassment of health officials, journalists and influencers — that are hard to police without violating individuals' speech freedoms.

President Biden on Thursday announced new testing protocols for international travelers and extended masking requirements through March as the U.S. prepares to fight the Omicron variant this winter.

Driving the news: The U.S. will tighten pre-departure testing protocols starting early next week by requiring all inbound international travelers to take COVID-19 tests within one day of their departure rather than three.

The federal government will issue guidance to allow people with private health insurance to seek reimbursement for the cost of at-home COVID tests, President Biden will announce Thursday.

Why it matters: The move — which comes amid growing concern about the Omicron variant and as part of the administration's larger strategy to mitigate the spread of COVID this winter — will expand access to at-home testing for over 150 million people.

Republicans are on the brink of achieving a decades-long conservative project — overturning abortion rights — but some strategists worry that the party isn’t ready for the political dangers of this monumental victory.

Why it matters: The GOP has the best political environment in a decade leading into the midterms — and the last thing top party operatives want is for the Democratic base to become energized if the Supreme Court narrows or overturns Roe v. Wade.

Major League Baseball's collective bargaining agreement expired at 11:59pm ET Wednesday without a new deal in place.

Why it matters: With no CBA, the MLB is in a management lockout — the first work stoppage since a 1994-95 strike led to the cancellation of the World Series for the first time in 90 years.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Thursday the U.S. would "maintain the capabilities to defend and deter" threats from China's government and warned the country's hypersonic weapons program was increasing regional tensions.

Driving the news: Austin made the comments in Seoul after meeting with his South Korean counterpart to discuss regional security matters, including threats posed by China's government and the North Korean regime, which he also expressed concern about.

A coalition of news outlets including the Washington Post is supporting Stephen Bannon's campaign for the release of documents related to his contempt of Congress charges, WashPost reported Wednesday.

Why it matters: WashPost, the New York Times, CNN, NBC, the Wall Street Journal's parent company and others filed a motion arguing that a proposed protective order seeking to prevent the documents from being released violates the First Amendment, per the Daily Mail, which first reported on the news.

Chris Cuomo took to his radio show Wednesday to respond to CNN's decision to suspend him indefinitely, saying he felt embarrassed.

Why it matters: The star news anchor's remarks come on the heels of CNN's action following new revelations about his involvement in the management of his brother's sexual harassment scandal.

Symone Sanders, senior adviser and chief spokesperson to Vice President Kamala Harris, is leaving the VP’s office by the end of this year, three White House officials told Axios on Wednesday.

Why it matters: The VP has faced an onslaught of criticism in her first year centered on her leadership and staff, adding to the suggestion she’s not the Democratic Party’s preferred nominee for 2024.

Senate Republicans are feeling far more relaxed about the impending Dec. 15 federal debt-default deadline this time around, with many suggesting the real drop-dead date isn't until January.

Why it matters: Their attitude toward the deadline set by Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen is distinctively different from the hair-on-fire rhetoric before the initial Oct. 18 date. But a Congress discounting the advice of a Treasury secretary is risky financial practice — and has the potential to affect markets itself.

GOP leaders on Capitol Hill are scrambling to reach a deal with a bloc of 15 Senate Republicans threatening a government shutdown to force a fight over the Biden administration's vaccine mandates.

Why it matters: The push to defund the mandates — by holding the short-term government funding bill hostage — is largely symbolic, and highly controversial within the Republican Party. A shutdown as early as midnight Friday could trigger everything from national park closures to delays in receiving Social Security checks.

A conservative group is taking its air campaign to defeat President Biden’s $1.75 trillion social spending package to college football games, targeting vulnerable senators in Arizona, Nevada and New Hampshire with a nearly $3 million buy.

Why it matters: By running TV ads during this weekend's widely watched conference championships, America Next is seeking a big audience while trying to lash those senators to Biden's proposals — and sink them with his sagging approval ratings.

Immigrants caught in backlogs to receive green cards could become U.S. permanent residents years — even decades — faster if a little-noticed provision in President Biden's $1.75 trillion "human" infrastructure bill becomes law.

Driving the news: The provision would recover more than 400,000 family and employment-based green cards previously authorized by Congress but unused since 1992, according to data confirmed by a Senate aide.

House progressives are seeking concrete punishment for Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) as retribution for her incendiary remarks against one of their own, Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.).

Why it matters: House Democratic leaders continue to consider their options amid the latest ugly incident in their chamber. Republicans are already threatening retaliation after Democrats stripped Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) of her committee assignments and censured Rep. Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.).

The Jan. 6 Select Committee on Wednesday voted unanimously to recommend holding former Trump Justice Department official Jeffrey Clark in contempt of Congress.

Driving the news: The committee offered Clark another chance to give his deposition this weekend before finalizing the measure.