Axios

President Biden and former President Barack Obama, along with their past congressional colleagues, came together on Saturday to honor the life of former Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.).

Driving the news: "Harry Reid will be considered one of the greatest Senate Majority leaders in history," the president said in Las Vegas on Saturday.

The Navy announced Friday that it has added a two-week boot camp to its eight weeks of basic training to provide recruits with leadership and life skills that reinforce "character development with a warfighting spirit."

Driving the news: The boot camp also addresses suicide prevention and combat issues such as sexual assault, hazing and extremism, which have risen in recent years, the Associated Press reports.

Senate Minority Whip John Thune announced Saturday that he plans to run for a fourth term in 2022.

Why it matters: The second-ranking Senate Republican had been considering retirement, per the New York Times, setting off upheaval among members of the GOP who view Thune as a potential successor to Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.).

The chair of the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol riot told NPR on Friday that the panel will ask former Vice President Mike Pence to voluntarily appear before the committee by the end of the month.

Why it matters: The committee is upping the ante of its closed-door investigation into the insurrection, and view Pence as a key witness into what former President Trump was doing during the more than three hours the Capitol was under attack.

A woman who brought her 14-year-old son to the Capitol on Jan. 6 last year will serve three months in jail for illegally parading in the complex during the insurrection, CNN reported Friday.

Why it matters: Virginia Spencer and her husband entered a hallway of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's offices while inside the Capitol, later joining a crowd that attempted to enter the House chamber as lawmakers were still trapped inside, per court documents.

President Biden and first lady Jill Biden on Friday traveled to Boulder County, Colorado, to tour the area razed by last week's firestorm and speak with residents who lost their homes.

Why it matters: The rapidly-moving flames of the Marshall Fire destroyed nearly 1,000 homes and businesses and led to evacuation orders that impacted over 30,000 people.

The House of Representatives is instituting new coronavirus precautions as members prepare to return from the holiday recess next week.

Why it matters: Capitol physician Brian P. Monahan sent an alert to offices on Monday warning that the Capitol test center's positivity rate has spiked from 1% to 13% due to the spread of Omicron.

• In addition to telling offices to "adopt a maximal telework posture," Monahan said staff should wear KN95 masks, rather than cloth or surgical masks, when in crowded spaces or indoors with others.

What they're saying: "I have heard from many Members expressing concerns about the surge in COVID-19 cases relating to the highly infectious Omicron variant," House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer said in a letter to members on Friday.

• Hoyer announced the House will "lengthen voting times and limit the number of votes taken on the Floor" in an effort to reduce the number of members in the chamber at any given time.
• The majority leader also urged members to wear KN95 masks and "refrain from congregating" on the floor. Masks are mandated in the chamber.
• "I encourage you to continue taking steps in your offices to promote the safety of all who work for the House and those visiting for official business," Hoyer added.

The Capitol's chief administrative officer (CAO) simultaneously announced that House offices will start receiving a monthly allotment of KN95 masks to adhere with recommendations from the CDC and the Capitol physician.

• The KN95s will replace a previous allotment of surgical masks, the CAO said.

A judge on Friday sentenced the three white men convicted in the murder of Ahmaud Arbery to life in prison, with Travis and Gregory McMichael receiving life without parole and William “Roddie” Bryan receiving life with the possibility of parole.

Driving the news: Arbery, a 25-year-old Black man, was chased and shot dead while running in February 2020. Prosecutors only pursued the case after a video of the killing went viral in May 2020, sparking national anger.

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: With Russian 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.

Why it matters: Cuomo was charged after a former staffer accused him of forcibly groping her in a 2020 incident. It's one of several sexual misconduct allegations against the former governor, who maintains his innocence but resigned amid the controversy in August.

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.

President Biden will deliver his State of the Union address to Congress on March 1.

Why it matters: The news comes as Biden tries to shepherd several major pieces of legislation through Congress this year, including a multitrillion dollar social spending package and a comprehensive election reform bill.

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 Biden says 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.

The State Department announced Thursday new visa restrictions for eight Cuban officials who have been implicated in attempts to silence peaceful protests against the government.

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.