Axios

The New York City Council voted 33-14 on Thursday to allow noncitizens to vote in local elections starting in 2023.

Why it matters: Advocates say immigrants who live in the city, pay taxes and participate in its communities should be able to help decide local leaders. The city is the largest municipality to approve such a measure, Washington Post reports.

The Senate on Thursday passed a one-time measure to clear passage of legislation to raise the debt ceiling.

Why it matters: The 59-35 vote puts Congress on a path to raising the debt ceiling before the U.S. is would default on its debt. An earlier 64-36 vote to break the filibuster on the bill was the only step in the process that requires GOP support.

Retailers are fighting online anonymity to stop stolen goods from being resold on the internet.

Driving the news: CEOs of nearly two dozen retail companies threw their weight today behind legislation aimed at marketplaces like Amazon and eBay in a letter to congressional leaders.

Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie said in an interview with PBS that he believes it's "undeniable" he got COVID-19 from then-President Trump last year.

Driving the news: Former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows revealed in his new book that Trump tested positive for COVID-19 on Sept. 26, 2020 — six days before it was publically announced on Oct. 2. Christie tested positive for COVID-19 on Oct. 3, 2020.

A D.C. appeals court on Thursday denied former President Trump's bid to shield a slew of records to the congressional panel investigating the Jan. 6 insurrection, rejecting Trump's claim that the documents are shielded by executive privilege.

The big picture: In a 3-0 decision, Judge Patricia Ann Millett wrote that lawyers for Trump had not "provided no basis for this court to override President Biden's judgment" that the documents, held by the National Archives, should not be protected by executive privilege.

Jim Malatras, chancellor of the State University of New York, announced his resignation Thursday, citing difficulties brought on by new revelations regarding his involvement in former Gov. Andrew Cuomo's sexual harassment scandal.

Why it matters: Malatras is the latest Cuomo ally to step down from a job in the aftermath of the scandal. His resignation comes after new documents showed that Malatras had sent a disparaging text to a woman who accused the former governor, the New York Times writes.

Starbucks workers at a store in Buffalo, New York overwhelmingly voted in favor of forming a union, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) confirmed Thursday.

Why it matters: The push to unionize was largely fueled by staffing shortages and poor working conditions exacerbated during the pandemic, per CNBC. None of the coffee giant's U.S. company-owned stores were unionized before the vote.

Activists in the small town of Marfa, Texas, are working to get national recognition for a building once used as a segregated school for Mexican American students, some of who were used as extras in the 1956 movie, "Giant."

Why it matters: Efforts to preserve the Blackwell School in West Texas are part of a movement to save sites connected to the nation's history of racial segregation and racial terror as a way to reckon with the past.

A record number of journalists are in jail for their work, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Thursday, a grim reminder of the growing threat the free press faces against authoritarian rulers.

Driving the news: The pandemic has empowered autocratic leaders and others to go after the free press under the guise of arbitrary "fake news" laws and internet blackouts meant to silent dissent.

New York Attorney General Letitia James announced Thursday that she would suspend her campaign bid for governor in 2022, citing a desire to "finish her work" as attorney general.

Why it matters: The attorney general had announced her bid for governor just over a month ago and was seen by Democratic strategists, operatives and progressives as a potentially strong candidate for the position.

The parents of two students who survived the school shooting at Oxford High School Nov. 30 filed a civil lawsuit against the school district on Thursday.

Why it matters: The parents, Jeffrey and Brandi Franz, allege the district violated state law and the 14th Amendment's guarantee of equal protection by acting in “reckless disregard” for the victims’ safety.

New York Attorney General Letitia James requested a deposition from former President Trump as part of an ongoing civil investigation into potential fraud at the Trump Organization, the Washington Post and New York Times report.

The big picture: The attorney general's investigation seeks to determine whether the Trump Organization engaged in financial fraud by submitting false property valuations to reduce its tax burden, the reports say.

President Biden, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and other lawmakers on Thursday honored Sen. Bob Dole, who laid in state at the U.S. Capitol after passing away Sunday at the age of 98.

What they're saying: "He, too, was a giant of our history. That's not hyperbole," President Biden after quoting Martin Luther King Jr. and Thomas Jefferson at the congressional tribute ceremony. "Bob belongs here."

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has asked the public for input on how to prevent future administrations from separating families at the border, the agency announced on Thursday.

Why it matters: The Trump administration's "zero-tolerance" policy led to almost 4,000 children being separated from their parents from July 1, 2017, to Jan. 20, 2021. Many have been since been reunited with their families, but an estimated 1,443 children are still separated, per Axios' Oriana Gonzalez.

The Elizabeth Dole Foundation said Thursday it removed Tim Unes from his role in helping plan former Sen. Bob Dole’s funeral over his alleged ties to the Jan. 6 rally that proceeded the deadly Capitol riot.

Driving the news: Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) this week told a contact for the Dole family that Unes had been subpoenaed by the Jan. 6 select committee for his work organizing the rally before the Capitol attack, according to a source familiar with the discussion.

A congressional staffer was arrested and criminally charged after bringing a gun into a House office building Thursday morning, the Capitol Police said.

Why it matters: The brief incident prompted a security lockdown in the Longworth House Office Building at a time when the Capitol complex has been shaken by a series of violent attacks and threats.

The most interesting thing about President Biden's executive order on federal government emissions isn't the headline goal — net zero in three decades — but rather the interim targets.

Catch up fast: Biden yesterday issued a wide-ranging order on federal climate goals and clean technology procurement targets.

In a midterm preview, top Democratic strategist Anita Dunn advises the party's House and Senate members to frame Republicans "as being against the economic interests of working Americans."

What she's saying: "Explicitly framing Republicans as opposing policies to lower costs does better than simply framing Republicans as the 'party of no,'" Dunn, White House senior adviser until August, writes in the memo.

Donald Trump and his associates are systematically reshaping the Republican Party, working to install hand-picked loyalists across federal and state governments and destroy those he feels have been disloyal, sources close to the former president tell Axios.

Why it matters: If most or all of Trump’s candidates win, he will go into the 2024 election cycle with far more people willing to do his bidding who run the elections in key states.

Congress on Wednesday sent the Biden administration and Corporate America an unequivocal message about the Chinese government's repression of Uyghur Muslims: If this is genocide, as the U.S has declared, the response can't be business as usual.

Driving the news: The House overwhelmingly passed a bill that would ban all imports from the Chinese region of Xinjiang unless the U.S. government determines with "clear and convincing evidence" the products were not made with forced labor.

The Consumer Price Index has replaced the jobs report as the most anticipated data drop by the U.S. government.

Why it matters: Rising prices tend to lower political fortunes. Washington and Wall Street are now waiting for the CPI number to flash at 8:30am ET around the 10th day of each month. This month's report — due Friday morning — will give a reading of how hot inflation ran in November.

New Zealand officials announced Thursday legislative plans to outlaw smoking by making it illegal to sell or supply tobacco products to the next generation as part of a lifetime ban.

Why it matters: "People aged 14 when the law comes into effect will never be able to legally purchase tobacco," Associate Health Minister Ayesha Verrall said in a statement announcing the proposed law, part of the Smokefree 2025 Action Plan.

A Michigan man charged over the U.S. Capitol riot was accused in federal court in Detroit Wednesday of using chemical spray on law enforcement officers during the insurrection.

The big picture: Tim Levon Boughner, 41, of Romeo, is one of more than 700 people who've been arrested in nearly all 50 states over the Capitol breach — including over 220 individuals charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement, per a Department of Justice statement.

Former Vice President Mike Pence declined to commit to cooperating with the Jan. 6 select committee's investigation in an interview with AP and Fox News on Wednesday.

What he's saying: "We'll evaluate any of those requests as they come," said Pence, who has previously described the Capitol riot as a "dark day" in U.S. history.

The Senate on Wednesday passed a resolution to overturn President Biden's COVID-19 vaccine mandate for private businesses with 100 or more employees.

Driving the news: Democratic Sens. John Tester (Mont.) and Joe Manchin (W. Va.) backed the Republican-led resolution, which needed a simple majority of 51 votes to be approved by the Senate under the Congressional Review Act.

The Biden administration has begun issuing denials to Afghans seeking to emigrate to the United States through the humanitarian parole process, after a system that typically processes 2,000 applications annually has been flooded with more than 30,000.

Why it matters: Afghans face steeper odds and longer processes for escaping to the U.S., despite the earlier sweeping efforts by the Biden administration to assist its allies. Immigration lawyers and advocacy groups say the government has set untenable barriers to a safe haven in the U.S.

The White House was surprised Treasury officials orchestrated the promotion of Gita Gopinath to the International Monetary Fund's No. 2 position without their consent, people familiar with the matter tell Axios.

Why it matters: The communication failure over who should replace Geoffrey Okamoto as first deputy managing director suggests there are different opinions in the administration about how to use U.S. leverage at the Fund.

Former Sen. David Perdue is running for Georgia's 2022 Republican gubernatorial nomination with a campaign — so far — rooted in a string of falsehoods.

Why it matters: As Axios's Jonathan Swan has pointed out, this follows a national trend of Trump-backed Republicans challenging those who didn't go along with overturning the 2020 election. Perdue says, "What I’m trying to do is pull our party back together."

A small group of Senate Democrats is privately invoking the legacy of late West Virginia Sen. Robert Byrd in an effort to sway Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) to support their plans to change the chamber's rules, Axios has learned.

Why it matters: Manchin — who holds Byrd's Senate seat — has often referenced his predecessor's strong moral conviction and insistence on preserving the Senate as an institution, as justification for some of his tough positions.

The Biden administration on Wednesday urged the Supreme Court to reject a challenge to Harvard's affirmative action policy.

Why it matters: The challenger, Students for Fair Admissions (SFFA), is appealing a lower court decision to uphold the policy, which it claims violates civil rights law by discriminating against Asian Americans and showing preference to Black and Hispanic applicants.

Several Republican senators told Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell during their weekly policy lunch they disagree with the debt-limit deal he cut with Democrats, saying it puts them in a tough spot no matter how they vote, Axios has learned.

Why it matters: Some who've been refusing to help Democrats' raise the limit are against the one-time, fast-track procedural bill allowing the Senate to raise the limit with just 51 votes. That said, they support the broader package that includes delaying Medicare sequestration cuts.