Axios

President Biden reached a political milestone overnight when the Senate approved his 40th judicial nominee, the most judges confirmed during a president's first year in four decades.

Why it matters: The White House has spent an extraordinary amount of time and effort, mostly behind the scenes, trying to mitigate the legal boost conservatives got during the Trump administration.

President Biden on Saturday honored his first wife and infant daughter who were killed in a 1972 car crash by visiting their graves at St. Joseph on the Brandywine Roman Catholic Church, AP reports.

The big picture: Biden visited the church in Wilmington, Del., with first lady Jill Biden along with other family members like Ashley and Hunter Biden, per AP.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Sen. Ted Cruz (R) cut a deal overnight to hold a vote on Nord Stream 2 sanctions next month in exchange for the Texas senator lifting his hold on more than three dozen of President Biden's ambassador picks.

Why it matters: Biden has fallen far behind his predecessors in the rate at which his ambassadorial and other high-level State Department picks have been confirmed, leaving gaping holes in critical foreign-policy and national-security roles.

White House communications director Kate Bedingfield sent Democratic lawmakers a memo outlining President Biden's Year 1 accomplishments, even with Build Back Better in limbo.

Driving the news: A copy came down the Axios AM chimney.

Harvard University announced on Thursday that it will not require SAT or ACT scores for admission through the next four years.

Why it matters: The shift adds more momentum to the move in higher education away from using standardized test scores as a major bar for admission, partially in the name of improving equity.

From housing to child care to energy, the U.S. is beset by rising costs for the goods and services needed most — and part of the reason is there isn’t enough to go around.

Why it matters: Economists and other experts worry that subsidizing those costs could make things worse. They argue a better, fairer and more abundant future is one where policy focuses on increasing supply, not merely socializing demand.

A federal appeals court on Friday reinstated the Biden administration's vaccine mandate for businesses with at least 100 workers.

Why it matters: The administration paused enforcement of the mandate, which requires companies to ensure their workers are fully vaccinated or tested weekly by Jan. 4, 2022, after a separate federal circuit court last month deemed it "staggeringly overbroad."

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine announced on Friday that he has mobilized 1,050 members of the National Guard to assist with COVID-related staffing issues in hospitals across the state.

Why it matters: More than 4,700 people are currently hospitalized in Ohio for COVID — equating to 1 in every 5 hospital patients, according to DeWine's office.

The Senate on Thursday confirmed Rashad Hussain as ambassador-at large of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom.

Why it matters: Hussain is the first Muslim to hold the position, Religious News Service reported. The role was created to coordinate the country's strategy to protect freedom of religion abroad and recommend retaliatory actions when the human right is violated.

Democrats are eyeing a way to overrule the Senate parliamentarian and provide pathways to citizenship for millions of undocumented immigrants — but it will depend on the caucus, including Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.V.), sticking together.

Why it matters: Providing protections for undocumented immigrants has been a central focus for Congressional Democrats. Failing could cost some needed political points heading into what are expected to be brutal midterm elections.

Two Forbes magazine editors testified Thursday before the grand jury investigating former President Trump and his business practices, according to a post on Forbes' website.

Driving the news: Forbes chief content officer and editor Randall Lane wrote in the post that he answered questions about articles he wrote in 2015 about Trump's fixation with appearing on the magazine's annual list of wealthiest people.

A Capitol rioter from Florida who admitted to assaulting police with a wooden plank and a fire extinguisher on Jan. 6. has been sentenced in federal court to more than five years in prison.

Why it matters: The sentence handed down to 54-year-old Robert Palmer is the longest given for any Capitol riot defendant so far.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell has expressed interest in the findings of the House panel investigating the Jan. 6 riot, telling Spectrum News in an interview that aired on Thursday that the results are "something the public needs to know"

Why it matters: McConnell's remarks come after his public opposition to the creation of a bipartisan, independent commission to probe the insurrection. They also seem to put him at odds with House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), who has been opposed to the select panel's investigation, which he says is politically motivated.

Roger Stone, a longtime ally of former President Trump, said Friday that he appeared for a deposition before the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack but asserted his Fifth Amendment right not to testify.

Why it matters: Stone is the second witnesses subpoenaed by the committee to invoke the Fifth Amendment, NPR reports. Another witness said he plans to in the future.

To prepare for an expected surge in coronavirus cases driven by the Omicron variant, the Biden administration on Friday unveiled a "test to stay" strategy that aims to keep students in school.

Driving the news: The surging number of cases is leading many school districts to return to remote learning, raising concerns about a broader interruption in student learning.

School shooting threats made on TikTok and other social media prompted school officials and authorities across the U.S. on Thursday to step up security measures.

Driving the news: Law enforcement agencies believe the threats that warn of possible incidents this Friday are not credible, but schools in D.C., New York, New Jersey, California, Michigan, Maryland, Virginia, Minnesota and elsewhere have taken precautions including closing for the day or increasing police or security presence.

Civil rights pioneer Claudette Colvin's 1955 arrest for refusing to give up her bus seat to a white person has been erased by a judge, per the Montgomery Advertiser.

The big picture: Colvin, who was then 15 years old, was arrested in Montgomery, Alabama, for challenging segregation on the Montgomery bus line — nine months before Rosa Parks was arrested.

A New York man who posted threats to kill Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.) and commit other acts of violence was sentenced Thursday to nearly three years in prison, according to the Justice Department.

Why it matters: Lawmakers have faced a surge in threats in recent years. U.S. Capitol Police reported 4,135 threats against members of Congress in the first three months of 2021 alone.

The federal workforce shifted in ways that aligned with Donald Trump's policy priorities during his four years as president, new data shared exclusively with Axios show.

Why it matters: Control over the 2.1 million-strong federal civilian workforce — the largest in the country — is a potent but often overlooked tool for presidents to shift policy.

Senate Democrats will conclude the year without delivering on President Biden's top priority: his $1.75 trillion Build Back Better agenda.

Why it matters: As predictable as that outcome may have been, it still has consequences for the party. Beyond the political ramifications of failing to meet a promised deadline, the chief concern is that dragging out negotiations will result in a smaller package during a midterm year — or no package at all.

As he travels the country, President Biden is tapping an unofficial group of advisers to help hone his message: the lawmakers flying with him aboard Air Force One.

Why it matters: Previewing his remarks to mostly Democratic lawmakers in the conference room of the iconic aircraft, Biden's found a way to catch up on the kinds of in-person interactions and instant feedback that COVID-era precautions have greatly curtailed on the ground in Washington.

Some Trump-to-Biden swing voters say they strongly support the work of the select committee investigating the Jan. 6 attacks — and that witnesses who refuse to cooperate should face consequences including prison.

Driving the news: That's the key takeaway this week from Axios’ latest Engagious/Schlesinger focus groups, which were monitored by Axios' Sarah Mucha.

President Biden said Thursday that his discussions with Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) on the Build Back Better agenda will continue into next week, all but guaranteeing the Senate won't vote on the $1.75 trillion spending package until next year.

Driving the news: Biden and Manchin are locked in a disagreement over how long programs in the package should be funded, Axios' Hans Nichols reports.

Senate Democrats got another "no" from the parliamentarian on Thursday for their latest plan to provide protections for undocumented immigrants in the $1.75 trillion "human" infrastructure bill, the Wall Street Journal first reported.

Why it matters: Democrats have promised to pursue immigration reform through legislation that's also focused on expanding the social safety net and addressing climate change. But it's unclear if there is a remaining pathway.

The U.S. Marine Corps announced Thursday it has discharged 103 individuals from its ranks for refusing to get vaccinated against the coronavirus.

Why it matters: Other military branches have begun addressing service members who defy the vaccination order amidst growing concern over another wave of infections fueled by the Omicron variant.