NATO on Friday rejected Russian President Vladimir Putin's demand that the military alliance halt admission of new members in a bid to prevent Ukraine from joining, AP reports.
Why it matters: WithRussian troops amassed at the Ukrainian border, fear of another invasion has risen steadily in recent months. Friday's comments are a response to Putin's conditions for de-escalating the potentially devastating conflict.
An Albany judge on Friday dismissed a sex crime charge against former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) after prosecutors requested the move, Politico reports.
The U.S. Department of Treasury distributed $2.9 billion in emergency rental assistance last November, the Treasury Department announced on Friday, the largest amount of ERA funds distributed in any month.
Why it matters: Congress approved $46.5 billion in rental assistance as part of COVID relief packages but the program. November's number marks the 3rd straight month of ERA spending above $2.8 billion, Treasury said.
Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) and Rep. Jim McGovern (D-Mass.) raised concerns about Airbnb's business activities in China's Xinjiang region in a letter to the company's CEO on Friday.
Why it matters: An Axios investigation last year revealed that Airbnb has more than a dozen homes available for rent in Xinjiang on land owned by an organization sanctioned by the U.S. government for complicity in genocide and forced labor against Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities in the region.
A Capitol police officer on Thursday sued former President Trump, arguing that he "inflamed, encouraged, incited, directed, aided and abetted" the "insurrectionist mob" that attacked the Capitol on Jan. 6.
Driving the news: The lawsuit from Briana Kirkland, who suffered a traumatic brain injury in the attack, is one of the several filed by police officers this week alleging that Trump played a pivotal role in inciting the insurrection.
The Supreme Court on Friday appeared likely to curtail the Biden administration’s most sweeping mandate for COVID-19 vaccinations.
The big picture: A majority of the justices seemed to believe that the Biden administration’s rules, which require employers to mandate vaccines or testing for the workers, are too broad.
Two state lawyers arguing against the Biden administration's vaccine mandates in front of the Supreme Court on Friday have tested positive for COVID and are presenting their cases remotely, state officials confirmed Friday.
Why it matters: It is the first time attorneys are arguing remotely in front of the court since in-person oral arguments returned in October, according to Bloomberg Law.
Parler, the social media app that was temporarily booted from app stores in the aftermath of the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, has raised $20 million in new funding, according to a filing with federal securities regulators.
Why it matters: This is part of a growing effort by conservatives to build their own social media ecosystem.
Four law enforcement officers who defended the Capitol during the Jan. 6 insurrection emphasized the need for accountability and fact-telling on Thursday in a joint interview commemorating the first anniversary of the assault.
Why it matters: Officers served on the frontlines during the insurrection, suffering beatings, violent threats and tasings, among other assaults, to protect the Capitol and everyone inside during the certification of the 2020 election. The fallout has led to a multitude of mental health issues, including some officers' deaths by suicide.
The Jan. 6 select committee and the U.S. Senate are on a potential collision course over reforms to the Electoral Count Act — a law from 1887 that President Trump tried to commandeer a year ago to return himself to office.
Why it matters: A bipartisan group of senators is considering a variety of changes, yet the committee is weighing dozens of its own recommendations. A concern already echoed by several Democrats is that a quick fix to the act may undercut a more meaningful, long-term change.
After Jan. 6, 2021, corporate PACs began cutting off Republican lawmakers who voted against certifying Joe Biden's victory — but it doesn't appear to have done much to alter the lawmakers' behavior.
The big picture: For all the attention on boardrooms and congressional offices, the GOP's drift away from corporate America over the past year is largely a grassroots phenomenon — driven less by executives or members of Congress than the people to whom both camps must answer.
Rising numbers of Latinos and Asian Americans in cities — as Black populations shift toward the suburbs — are forcing some states into redistricting decisions shaking up historically Black wards.
Why it matters: News coverage around 2022 redistricting fights has focused on Republican efforts to maximize white and conservative voters' power. But many cities are grappling with an entirely different kind of redistricting drama — one that's mostly confined to heavily Democratic communities of color.
President Bidensays holding former President Trump accountable for the Jan. 6 attack is about confronting the truth so America can move on.
"I’m crystal clear about the threats America faces," he said at the Capitol today in a fiery speech on the anniversary of the riot. "But I also know that our darkest days can lead to light and hope."
Between the lines: Biden also previewed themes for 2024 — especially if there's a Biden-Trump rematch.
Why it matters: Cuban authorities cracked down on civil rights protesters in multiple incidents last year. The eight individuals, who are now banned from entering the U.S., were involved with using "repression, unjust detentions, and harsh prison sentences" as intimidation tactics, according to Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
