Axios

The House voted 428-1 on Wednesday to pass a bill that would ban all imports from the Chinese region of Xinjiang unless the U.S. government determines that the products were not made with forced labor.

Why it matters: Both the Trump and Biden administrations, as well as several foreign parliaments, have recognized China's repression of Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities in Xinjiang as genocide.

The North Carolina Supreme Court on Wednesday postponed all March 8, 2022 primaries to May 17 of next year to allow lower courts to review gerrymandering lawsuits that cloud the state's elections.

The big picture: The two-month shift affects everything from the U.S. Senate race to the already delayed Charlotte City Council election. The Republican-led legislature has faced claims of gerrymandering since early November, when it finalized the new maps for U.S. House, state Senate and state House.

Former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows sued House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and all nine members of the Jan. 6 select committee on Wednesday.

Why it matters: The move comes less than a day after the committee moved to hold Meadows in contempt for refusing to cooperate with its investigation of the Capitol riots.

Instagram head Adam Mosseri testified before Senate lawmakers Wednesday and was pressed on the app's impacts on young children and teens.

Why it matters: Legislation to protect kids online is one area Congress has shown it's willing to regulate, as Axios previously reported. Wednesday's back-and-forth gave momentum to lawmakers eager to make more rules for social media platforms and how children and teens can use them.

At least 12 major U.S. cities have set homicide records this year, including topping five set just last year, ABC News reports.

The big picture: Experts cite fewer cops on the streets, reduced after-school and nonviolence programs, court systems that can't handle the strain, and mental health issues exacerbated by two years of COVID.

We're not the Wild West — but give us clearer rules of the road: This was the message to Congress from the heads of six cryptocurrency companies on Wednesday.

Why it matters: Never before have crypto executives been hauled to Washington like this. It was the highest-profile attempt by the industry to plead its case.

Canada approved legislation Wednesday banning conversion therapy practices throughout the country, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Wednesday.

Why it matters: The measure makes promoting and profiting off of conversion therapy a criminal offense, according to Canada's Justice Department. The bill also authorizes courts to order the removal of conversion therapy advertisements.

Of the more than 40 known cases of the Omicron variant in the U.S., nearly all are mild, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Rochelle Walensky said Wednesday in an interview with AP.

Why it matters: Concern has ramped up with health experts forecasting a rise in Omicron cases. Over three-quarters of U.S. patients had been vaccinated, and one-third had gotten their booster shots, according to Walensky.

Drug company Allergan reached a $200 million settlement with the state of New York for its role in the opioid crisis, State Attorney General Letitia James announced Wednesday.

Why it matters: The settlement comes more than two years after James filed the lawsuit. It bars the company from selling opioids in New York.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) on Tuesday told reporters she would "never forgive" former President Donald Trump for inciting the insurrection on Jan. 6.

Why it matters: Nearly a year later after the deadly riots, there has been an uptick in violent threats against elected officials and the inspector general for the U.S. Capitol Police said this week more needs to be done to keep the complex safe.

Georgia gubernatorial candidate David Perdue wouldn’t have signed the certification of the state’s 2020 election results if he had been governor at the time, the former Senate Republican told Axios.

• “Not with the information that was available at the time and not with the information that has come out now. They had plenty of time to investigate this. And I wouldn’t have signed it until those things had been investigated, and that’s all we were asking for," he said.

Why it matters: There has been no evidence widespread fraud took place in Georgia's elections last year, and the November results were counted three times, once by hand.

Abortion providers and supporters in California, including the leader of the state's Senate, on Wednesday unveiled a series of recommendations to make the state a haven for people seeking abortions in the state if Roe v. Wade is overturned.

Why it matters: The Supreme Court is considering a Mississippi case that has thrown Roe's survival into question. Without it, abortion would immediately become illegal in 12 states, and more would likely follow suit.

Several countries, including Canada and Australia, have announced they will join the U.S. in a diplomatic boycott of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics to protest human rights abuses committed by China's government.

Driving the news: Leaders have faced pressure from human rights groups and others to boycott the Games, pointing to the ongoing genocide of Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities in China's Xinjiang region and other abuses.

President Biden signed an executive order Wednesday that requires the federal government achieve multiple goals related to reducing its carbon emissions, including achieving net-zero emissions by 2050.

Why it matters: Meeting the objectives of the order would require a massive investment by the federal government to buy electric vehicles, upgrade buildings and change how it procures electricity.

The head of Instagram called for the creation of an industry body to develop best practices for protecting youngsters online during his first appearance before Congress, as Big Tech faces blowback from lawmakers over tech's harms to children.

Why it matters: Republicans and Democrats have found common ground in grilling tech companies on how their products harm children, especially after revelations in The Wall Street Journal about Instagram's potential harm to the mental health of teen girls.

The Jan. 6 select committee plans to move forward with contempt proceedings against former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows for his refusal to comply with the panel's subpoena.

Why it matters: The committee has used the threat of contempt — and the associated financial and reputational costs — to try to ensure evasive witnesses sit for their depositions.

Christmas came early for banks this year: Biden's pick to lead a key regulator backed out.

Driving the news: Saule Omarova, tapped to lead the Office of the Comptroller for Currency, faced an uphill battle in Washington — but the strongest pushback may have been from the banks themselves.

President Biden today launched a new website and unveiled bold new branding as part of a nationwide tour to sell the benefits of his infrastructure package.

Why it matters: The White House says passage of the new law shows the ability to "forge bipartisan consensus and prove our democracy can deliver big wins" even in these toxic times.

Australia is joining the U.S. in a diplomatic boycott of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympic Games in protest of human rights abuses committed by China's government, Prime Minister Scott Morrison confirmed Wednesday.

Driving the news: After the Biden administration's announcement that U.S. officials won't attend the Games due to the ongoing genocide of Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities in the Xinjiang region of China, Morrison said at a Sydney briefing that Australia would follow suit as "it's the right thing to do."

House progressives are planning to introduce a resolution on Wednesday to strip Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) of her committee assignments, according to a Democratic aide familiar with the matter.

Why it matters: The move, which was first reported by the Washington Post, comes as progressives — anxious to see the right-wing firebrand face retribution for her recent comments — have grown frustrated by Democratic leadership's inaction on the issue.

Longtime Trump confidante Roger Stone won't cooperate with the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol riot and will invoke the Fifth Amendment right not to testify, his attorney said Tuesday evening.

Why it matters: The announcement, first reported by ABC News, came hours after former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows said he wouldn't cooperate with the probe.

Chile's Congress overwhelmingly passed a bill Tuesday to legalize same-sex marriage and allow same-sex couples to adopt children, per the New York Times.

Why it matters: It's a major, hardfought win for LGBTQ+ rights activists that highlights just how much politics and society has changed over the past 10 years in the majority-Catholic Latin American country with a reputation for being conservative, the NYT notes.

Congress has found a shortcut to pass its annual defense funding bill and raise the debt limit.

Driving the news: The House voted Tuesday night on two major bills — one creating a one-time, fast-track process for the Senate to raise the debt ceiling with just 51 votes, and another passing its annual defense bill.

The House voted to pass the annual defense bill 363-70 on Tuesday night, authorizing nearly $770 billion in funding for defenses and national security programs.

Why it matters: The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) still has to clear the Senate, but the House passage greatly increases the chances that the must-pass defense bill will move through both chambers of Congress before the end of the year.

The House of Representatives on Tuesday passed a bill, 222-212, that would allow Senate Democrats to raise the debt ceiling on their own in an expedited process.

Why it matters: The move helps Congress avoid a messy and arduous process and clears the way for the Senate — which will still need to pass the bill — to raise the debt ceiling before Dec. 15, when Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen says the U.S. will default on its debts.

The Senate confirmed President Biden's choice to lead the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Tucson Police Chief Chris Magnus, in a 50-47 vote on Tuesday evening.

Why it matters: Magnus is the first person confirmed to the role since 2019. It comes as the Biden administration seeks to address the record number of migrants arriving at the southern border. He'll be the first openly gay person in the role, per the New York Times.

A statue of Confederate Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest, the first Ku Klux Klan grand wizard, was removed Tuesday from the side of a highway in Nashville, Tennessee.

Why it matters: The move to take down the 25-foot statue comes amid renewed scrutiny of Confederate memorials. Dozens of Confederate symbols have been removed, relocated or renamed since George Floyd's death last year.

Women in Congress feel besieged and singled-out amid surging threats against lawmakers at all levels, with some frustrated more hasn't been done to halt the trend.

Why it matters: As record numbers of American women are being elected to public office, their growing political power is being met with death and rape threats, sexist and racist abuse and online disinformation. Collectively, it's discouraged women from running for office.

A new government accountability report says the Department of Justice failed to consistently publish an annual summary of police excessive force data from 2016 to 2020, as required by federal law.

Why it matters: The data is crucial for the DOJ to monitor excessive force cases, and used to investigate law enforcement agencies with patterns of abuse. The DOJ can pivot off it to pursue court action to force reforms.

Nearly a quarter of college students wouldn't be friends with someone who voted for the other presidential candidate — with Democrats far more likely to dismiss people than Republicans — according to new Generation Lab/Axios polling.

Why it matters: Partisan divides — as each side inhabits parallel political, cultural and media universes —make a future of discord and distrust in the U.S. all the more likely.

Opposition leaders from Belarus to Venezuela and Hong Kong will speak during the inaugural "Summit for Democracy" this week, according to an official schedule obtained by Axios.

Why it matters: The Biden administration has timed the summit with the rollout of a number of pro-democracy initiatives, including the first-ever U.S. government strategy for countering corruption.