The House Jan. 6 select committee on Thursday subpoenaed Phil Waldron, a retired Army colonel who served on former President Trump's outside legal team and spread baseless claims of election fraud.
Why it matters: Waldron created and shared a PowerPoint presentation that included possible strategies for overturning the 2020 election, according to the committee. It was circulated among Republican Congress members on the eve of Jan. 6.
Private equity investor Brian Shevland is suing the CEO of the blank check company that it merging with former President Trump's social media platform, claiming a "brazen act of fraud."
Big picture: The lawsuit comes just a week afterDigital World Acquisition Corp. (DWAC), led by Patrick Orlando, disclosed that it's under investigation by federal securities regulators. It also comes several months before Trump's company is slated to launch its first public products.
The Food and Drug Administration said Thursday it will issue new guidance that will make abortion pills more accessible in some states, even after the pandemic.
Why it matters: The move makes permanent pandemic-era guidance that allowed people to access the medication through telemedicine and receive the pills by mail, where permitted by state law. Before the FDA temporarily changed the rule due to the pandemic, people were required to go to doctor's offices, hospitals or clinics to receive the mifepristone abortion pill.
The National Football League announced Thursday that it would adjust its coronavirus protocols to "address the increase" in cases and in response to the Omicron variant.
Why it matters: The league's announcement comes on the heels of a massive outbreak with more than three dozen players placed on the league’s COVID-19 list, according to AP.
Driving the news: The Omicron variant is also now spreading in the United States. It's been shown to be highly transmissible and more able to evade vaccines, but a third shot or booster of an mRNA vaccine re-ups protection against Delta and Omicron, Fauci says.
The Department of Justice confirmed Thursday that it has ended negotiations for compensation for migrant families separated at the U.S.-Mexico border under the Trump administration's "zero-tolerance" policy.
The big picture: The news comes after the Biden administration faced criticism from Republicans following reports that the DOJ was in talks to pay up to $450,000 per person to settle lawsuits filed on behalf of the families affected.
President Biden on Thursday awarded the Medal of Honor to three U.S. soldiers, including Sgt. First Class Alwyn C. Cashe, the first Black recipient of the award for actions since 9/11.
Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) told reporters on Thursday that he is "stunned" by Sen. Joe Manchin's (D-W.Va.) opposition to a one-year extension of the child tax credit included in the Build Back Better deal.
What he's saying: Durbin said he was "frustrated and disappointed" because it seems unlikely that the legislation will be headed to President Biden's desk soon. "We missed an opportunity, but I'm not giving up."
Vice President Kamala Harris said Wednesday that she and President Biden have not spoken about re-election plans and she doesn't "think about it."
Driving the news: "We do not talk about nor have we talked about re-election, because we haven't completed our first year and we're in the middle of a pandemic," Harris said in an interview with the Wall Street Journal.
In a rare bipartisan compromise, the Senate unanimously passed a bill punishing the Chinese government for its genocide of Uyghurs and other ethnic minorities — and agreed to hold a vote later on Thursday to confirm Nicholas Burns as ambassador to China.
Driving the news: The Uyghur Forced Labor Protection Act, which passed the House on Tuesday, would ban all imports from the Chinese region of Xinjiang unless the U.S. government determines with "clear and convincing evidence" that they were not made with forced labor.
Tens of millions have watched "A Charlie Brown Christmas" every year since it first aired in 1965, but few realize the beloved special has a Mexican American godfather who transformed the popular newspaper comic strip "Peanuts" into a holiday classic.
The big picture: Bill Melendez directed the CBS special when few Hispanics worked in the entertainment business, and quietly broke barriers with a project associated with the U.S. pop culture for more than half a century.
The Biden administration unveiled plans Thursday to replace all lead water pipelines over the next decade.
Why it matters: The White House estimated that up to 10 million households connect to water through lead pipes and service lines and 400,000 schools and child care centers are at risk of exposure to lead in their water. Exposure can cause multiple adverse health effects, including brain and nervous system damage.
Kathryn Murdoch is issuing an urgent clarion call to pro-democracy donors: They need to step up now and support principled Republicans, or there may not be another chance.
What she's saying: "I don’t know what you’d be saving your money for later on if you don’t solve the problems now," Murdoch told the Financial Times' Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson.
The Biden administration will announce an action plan Thursday to address enduring "workforce challenges" in the truck driving industry.
Why it matters: The pandemic worsened existing issues within the trucking industry, most notably in recruiting and retaining drivers. The action plan aims to double down on existing programs and "lay the foundation for a next generation trucking workforce."
The U.S. Navy will begin discharging service members who refuse to comply with the vaccine mandate, the navy personnel chief announced on Wednesday.
The big picture: The Navy is the latest military branch to move to discharge individuals for refusing to get vaccinated. The Air Force has discharged 27 service members for defying the mandate.
The Biden administration published almost 1,500 documents related to President John F. Kennedy's assassination in 1963.
Why it matters: The National Archives' release of the internal memos, cables and other files concerning the U.S. government's investigation into Kennedy's death follows a long campaign by advocates to have all documents connected to his killing declassified, the Washington Post notes.
Republicans are facing crowded and increasingly nasty gubernatorial primaries in at least six states so far — with candidates sizing each other up over Donald Trump, election conspiracies and COVID-19 mandates.
Why it matters: These races are a snapshot of how the GOP is changing in real time ahead of the 2022 midterms. The party infighting threatens its ability to win elections, since the primary battles risk weakening their eventual nominees for the general election.
The Biden administration is ending the practice of holding undocumented migrant families in detention centers, turning to remote tracking technology such as ankle bracelets as alternatives.
Driving the news: As of Friday, the U.S. had zero migrant families in detention facilities, according to internal government data obtained by Axios — with the last and largest facility used for the practice now being slated to hold only single adults.
Posting on social media has increasingly become a part of congressional life, and the tweets, posts and hashtags used by senators and House members this year underscore vast partisan divides.
By the numbers: On social media,Republicans have hammered President Biden for record numbers at the U.S.-Mexico border, according to a new report from Quorum. Meanwhile, Democrats have focused on Biden's legislative priorities — such as the "Build Back Better" agenda and the "For the People" voting rights bill.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer is taking a procedural step to confirm more than 20 of President Biden‘s stalled judicial and ambassadorial nominees without agreement from Republicans.
Why it matters: By filing cloture on nominees Wednesday evening, Schumer made the opening move in a potentially lengthy confirmation process that will start on Friday — and extend into late-night, weekend and potential Christmas-week votes.
President Biden on Wednesday announced he intends to nominate Caroline Kennedy as ambassador to Australia and Olympian Michelle Kwan as ambassador to Belize.
