Vice President Kamala Harris tested negative for COVID-19 on Wednesday after being in contact with a staff member who has tested positive for the virus, according to a statement released on Wednesday afternoon.
Driving the news: "As a part of that regular testing, the Vice President received an antigen test this morning and tested negative," said Symone Sanders, Harris' senior adviser and chief spokesperson, adding that Harris also received a PCR test that came back negative.
The U.S. population grew just 0.1% in the year leading up to July 1, the lowest rate since the nation's founding — and a major cause is sharply decreased immigration.
Why it matters: Sluggish population growth is putting the U.S. on a pace to be an older, less productive and less dynamic country in the future.
Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon (D-Pa.) was carjacked at gunpoint on Wednesday afternoon, her office said in a statement.
Driving the news: The incident took place at FDR Park in Philadelphia around 2:45pm ET following a meeting there, the statement said, adding that Scanlon is physically unharmed.
Matthew Greene, a self-proclaimed member of the Proud Boys, pleaded guilty on Wednesday to conspiracy and obstruction for his role in the deadly Jan. 6 Capitol riot.
Why it matters: The 34-year-old is the first known member of the far-right group to plead guilty in federal court in connection to the riot. Several others affiliated with the Proud Boys have been charged.
President Biden signed a law Wednesday authorizing the Capitol Police chief to directly request assistance from federal agencies in cases of emergency.
Why it matters: The move expedites a process that previously hindered the federal response to the Capitol riot.
A federal judge in Florida on Wednesday ruled against former Trump national security adviser Michael Flynn's bid to block the Jan. 6 select committee from obtaining his phone records.
Why it matters: The ruling comes just a day after the former head of the Defense Intelligence Agency filed a legal challenge against the House probe into the Capitol riot, requesting a temporary restraining order.
Members of the House Committee on Oversight and Reform announced Wednesday they have launched a bipartisan investigation into festival promoter Live Nation's role in November's deadly Astroworld concert.
Driving the news: A dangerous stampede during rapper Travis Scott's performance at the concert left 10 people dead.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) Wednesday made an open plea for Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) to join the Republican Party, after Manchin's announcement earlier in the week that he would not vote for President Biden's signature agenda item.
What he's saying: "I think what Manchin is discovering is that there just aren't any Democrats left in the Senate that are pro-life and terribly concerned about debt and deficit and inflation," McConnell told conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt.
The Biden administration announced Wednesday that it will extend its moratorium on student loan payments until May 1, citing the ongoing pandemic.
Why it matters: The current pause would have expired on Jan. 31, when millions of borrowers were set to resume payments after a nearly two-year hiatus.
A short excerpt from my interviews with Donald Trump has created a heated debate in the U.S. in recent days, particularly in the Jewish community.
What Trump said: "People in this country that are Jewish no longer love Israel. … I’ll tell you, the evangelical Christians love Israel more than the Jews in this country," Trump said in April during an interview for my book, "Trump’s Peace: The Abraham Accords and the Reshaping of the Middle East."
The Biden administration is loosening restrictions to make it easier for humanitarian groups to provide aid to a devastated Afghanistan, senior administration officials told reporters Tuesday night.
Why it matters: The steps do not address the urgent calls from the Taliban, Afghan protesters, international aid groups and U.S. lawmakers for the U.S. to lift its freeze on Afghan foreign reserves. With most aid stopped and overseas assets frozen, Afghanistan's cash crunch has rendered the economy hardly functional.
Nearly $100 billion has been stolen from U.S. government COVID relief programs — most in unemployment fraud, AP reports from a Secret Service announcement.
What they're saying: "The sheer size of the pot is enticing to the criminals," said Roy Dotson, the Secret Service pandemic fraud recovery coordinator.
In its never-ending race to stay ahead of the coronavirus, the Biden administration keeps falling behind.
Why it matters: The U.S. is facing an overwhelming surge of cases driven by the Omicron variant less than six months after President Biden celebrated "Independence from COVID-19," and experts say the administration could have done more to better prepare the country.
Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) has filed legislation advocates hope may offer an opening to resume stalled bipartisan talks over police reform.
Why it matters: It would allow excessive force lawsuits against police departments, agencies and the federal government — but not individual officers, a stumbling block in earlier efforts.
The Biden administration announced Tuesday it has approved two major solar projects on federal land in California's desert and moved to solicit interest in more solar power developments in other Western states.
Harvard University professor Charles Lieber was convicted Tuesday in connection with lying to U.S. federal authorities about his ties to China.
Driving the news: A federal jury in Boston found the 62-year-old former chair of Harvard University's chemistry and chemical biology department guilty of two counts of making false statements to federal authorities about a Chinese government recruitment program, per a Department of Justice statement.
California will require health care workers to get COVID-19 booster shots, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Tuesday.
Driving the news: He's taking the step to "protect Californians during a potential winter surge," per a statement from Newsom's office. "With Omicron on the rise, we're taking immediate actions to protect Californians and ensure our hospitals are prepared," Newsom tweeted.
Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) signaled Tuesday a willingness to work on "bipartisan solutions" to overhaul an expanded child tax credit that is set to expire in January, the Bangor Daily News reports.
Why it matters: With the Build Back Better legislation now in limbo due to Sen. Joe Manchin's (D-W.Va.) opposition, Collins' openness to negotiating could provide a pathway to ensuring monthly payments continue for families of roughly 60 million children.
A billionaire from Utah announced he's officially resigning this week from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and pledged to donate $600,000 to an LGBTQ advocacy group, the Salt Lake Tribune first reported.
Why it matters: The letter, dated Dec. 23, is a rare public criticism of the church by a high-profile figure. Tech executive Jeff Green wrote: "I believe the Mormon Church has hindered global progress in women’s rights, civil rights and racial equality, and LGBTQ+ rights."
The Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected, without comment, a bid to challenge New Mexico's vaccine mandate for workers in hospitals, nursing homes and prisons, among other settings.
Why it matters: The court has repeatedly denied bids to block states' vaccine mandates, including in New York and Maine.
Former Trump national security adviser Michael Flynn on Tuesday sued the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 insurrection in an effort to block the panel from obtaining his phone records.
Why it matters: Flynn's lawsuit is the latest legal challenge to the select panel's probe into the Capitol riot.
