Axios

California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Thursday denied parole to Robert F. Kennedy's assassin Sirhan Sirhan, saying that the 77-year-old "poses an unreasonable threat to public safety."

Driving the news: Newsom rejected a recommendation made in August by a California Parole Board panel, who agreed to a conditional release for Sirhan.

The Jan. 6 select committee on Thursday subpoenaed Alphabet, Meta, Reddit and Twitter for records as part of its investigation of the Capitol insurrection.

Why it matters: The four social media companies have key information related to the spread of misinformation, efforts to overturn the 2020 election and domestic violent extremism, the panel said.

Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) reiterated his stance against reforming the filibuster in a statement Thursday, saying, "I cannot support such a perilous course of action."

Driving the news: President Biden earlier in the day attended the Senate Democratic caucus lunch to make a case for reforming the filibuster to pass voting rights legislation.

The Supreme Court on Thursday blocked the Biden administration's COVID-19 vaccine-or-test requirement for large employers, but it will allow a similar mandate to continue for workers at federally funded health care facilities.

Driving the news: The Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s emergency measure went into effect on Monday. It said that employers with more than 100 workers must require their workers to either get vaccinated or tested every week.

Stewart Rhodes, a founder and leader of the far-right Oath Keepers militia, has been arrested and charged in connection with events leading up to and including the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, the Justice Department announced Thursday.

Why it matters: Rhodes is the most prominent figure arrested on charges related to the Capitol insurrection.

Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) reiterated her long-standing support for the 60-vote Senate filibuster during a floor speech Thursday, dampening Democrats' hopes of reforming filibuster rules in order to pass voting rights legislation.

The backdrop: President Biden earlier this week threw his support behind changing filibuster rules in order pass voting rights legislation, and will attend the Senate Democratic caucus lunch later Thursday to make his case.

Navient, one of the nation's largest student loan services, reached a $1.85 billion settlement with a coalition of 39 state attorneys general to resolve allegations of predatory student loan servicing practices.

Driving the news: "Today’s settlement corrects Navient’s past behavior, provides much needed relief to Pennsylvania borrowers, and puts in place safeguards to ensure this company never preys on student loan borrowers again," Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro said in a statement.

The family of the late Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. is asking the public not to celebrate the civil activist on MLK Day as Congress stalls on national voting rights protections for Black, Native American and Latino voters.

Why it matters: The King family and other civil rights advocates today see access to the ballot as equally important to all people of color.

More than 100 leading scientists and medical professionals have signed a letter defending NIAID director Anthony Fauci, calling Republican criticisms of him inaccurate and "motivated by partisan politics."

Why it matters: The letter comes days after Fauci, in a fiery exchange with Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), said that the Kentucky senator's repeated attacks on him have led to "threats upon my life, harassment of my family and my children."

The Republican National Committee on Thursday sent a letter to the Commission on Presidential Debates threatening to block future GOP presidential nominees from sanctioned debates if "meaningful reforms" are not made.

Driving the news: "So long as the CPD appears intent on stonewalling the meaningful reforms necessary to restore its credibility with the Republican Party as a fair and nonpartisan actor, the RNC will take every step to ensure that future Republican presidential nominees are given that opportunity elsewhere," RNC chair Ronna McDaniel wrote.

The House of Representatives on Thursday passed voting rights legislation, approving a measure that combines the Freedom to Vote Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Amendment Act.

Driving the news: The package will be sent to the Senate, where it faces an uphill battle because of Republican opposition. Democrats are considering changing the Senate's filibuster rules to pass the bill.

A heavily armed woman who "wanted to talk about information she had about Jan. 6" was arrested outside Capitol Police headquarters, the department said Thursday.

Why it matters: There have been continued concerns about safety and security at the Capitol in the aftermath of the Jan. 6, 2021, attack and several subsequent incidents.

President Biden announced Thursday that his administration is buying an additional 500 million rapid tests to distribute to people in the U.S. for free.

Driving the news: The administration previously bought 500 million rapid tests in December, which are scheduled to arrive this month. With the purchase announced today, the U.S. will have 1 billion tests in total "to meet future demand," Biden said.

Afghanistan faces a "tsunami of hunger," Mary-Ellen McGroarty, a senior official at the United Nations World Food Program (WFP), warned Thursday in an interview with AP.

Driving the news: More than 22 million people in Afghanistan face food shortages and more than 8 million people in Afghanistan are close to starvation, per AP.

The Biden administration is expanding efforts to speed clean electricity expansion with its existing powers, but faces big obstacles to meeting its climate goals without far more help from Congress.

Why it matters: President Biden has set a goal of reaching 100% carbon-free power by 2035 and cutting economy-wide greenhouse gas emissions — that is, power, transport, industry, etc. — in half by 2030.

A powerful House committee next week will convene a hearing on the energy use of digital cryptocurrency mining.

Why it matters: The Jan. 20 Energy and Commerce Committee hearing highlights growing concern about carbon emissions linked to bitcoin and other currencies, even as the sector vows to get greener.

President Biden on Thursday announced a "surge" deployment of military medical personnel to support hospitals currently dealing with a spike of COVID-19 cases largely driven by the Omicron variant.

Driving the news: Omicron's surge in cases has led to a "high number of total hospitalizations," and hospitals are having to treat "more and more patients in the midst of staffing challenges and faced with a highly transmissible virus that does not spare our health care workers," CDC director Rochelle Walensky said on Wednesday.

NBC News White House correspondent Mike Memoli — who may hold the record for serving in Joe Biden pools — plans a book about President Biden, "The Long Run," coming from Twelve Books after the 2024 election.

Why it matters: Memoli has covered Biden, his family, and his inner circle of advisers for more than a dozen years.

The House Republicans' campaign arm raised $140 million in 2021, and $17.9 million in December alone, setting a new record for the committee's off-year fundraising, Axios has learned.

Why it matters: The hefty cash infusion into the National Republican Campaign Committee comes as House Republican leaders are ramping up their efforts to take back the chamber's majority in November. The party plans to focus its messaging on inflation, immigration, crime and pandemic closures.

Kevin McCarthy is signaling he'll institutionalize key Trumpian priorities if he takes over as House speaker next year — aggressive tactics targeting undocumented immigrants, liberals and corporate America. 

Why it matters: He'd govern with an edge and agenda in stark contrast not just to Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) but to Paul Ryan, the last Republican in the role. McCarthy's vision would empower populists and pugilists to complete the Republican makeover Donald Trump drove this far.

Robert Califf, President Biden's nominee to lead the FDA, is facing a surprisingly tight confirmation vote in the Senate.

Between the lines: A handful of Democrats have already announced their opposition to him over concerns about his drug industry ties or the FDA's record on the opioid epidemic, and several others may be on the fence.

• But abortion politics — not to mention the opportunity to sink a Biden nominee — are complicating efforts to make up for these defectors with Republican votes.

The Biden administration on Wednesday imposed sanctions on North Korean and Russian individuals and entities for supporting North Korea's ballistic missile program.

Driving the news: The announcement follows North Korea's two missile tests in the past week and leader Kim Jong-un's threat to bolster the country's nuclear weapons program.

The White House criticized China's decision to cancel more flights from the U.S. on Wednesday, saying it was "inconsistent with its obligations under the U.S.-China Air Transport Agreement."

Driving the news: China announced it suspended six flights over the course of the next week due to passengers testing positive for COVID-19, per Reuters.

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) said Wednesday he will not participate with the Jan. 6 select committee's request to interview him about his communications with former President Trump.

Driving the news: McCarthy, the highest-ranking elected official the panel has asked for information, said that he had nothing to add and criticized the panel's "abuse of power."

Former President Obama threw his support behind changing the filibuster on Wednesday in an op-ed that emphasized the need to "vigilantly preserve and protect" the right to vote.

Why it matters: The move comes a day after President Biden publicly backed rule changes to the filibuster this week to ensure the Senate passes Democrats' voting rights legislation.

Speaker Nancy Pelosi told Democrats the House Rules Committee was meeting Wednesday night to combine key provisions of two voting bills and pass the rule before sending it to the Senate for a vote.

Why it matters: Pelosi's announcement in a letter to Democrats comes a day after President Biden called for a change to the Senate's filibuster rules in an effort to pass voting rights legislation.

Some Senate Republicans are open to voting for Lael Brainard, President Biden’s nominee to serve as vice chair of the Federal Reserve, but sound more concerned about Sarah Bloom Raskin.

Why it matters: GOP support for Brainard, a Fed governor whose confirmation hearing will be Thursday, would all but assure her confirmation. But questions about Raskin, Biden’s likely choice to serve as the Fed's top bank regulator, raise doubts for her.

Consulting firms employed by candidates and party committees are simultaneously raking in huge sums by working on the same races for independent political groups, a new report shows.

Why it matters: The Supreme Court's Citizens United decision allowed limitless campaign spending by groups that don't coordinate with candidates or national parties. For leading political vendors working on high-profile races, that's meant a huge new revenue stream.

Congressional Democrats are trying to backfill for perceived shortfalls in the Biden administration's coronavirus response with a wave of new bill filings.

Why it matters: The legislative spurt is a reflection of the dread Democrats feel ahead of this fall's midterm elections. Republicans are already trying to capitalize on the discontent.

Fed-up Democratic lawmakers are prodding the Biden administration to do more to contain COVID-19.

Why it matters: The outreach reflects building pressure from constituents left confused and wary by shifting and conflicting guidance — a black eye for an administration that ran on its competence.

Quebec health officials said Wednesday bookings for COVID-19 vaccine first-dose appointments have jumped — with some 7,000 residents signing up after they announced plans to tax people who are unvaccinated for non-medical reasons.

The big picture: Quebec Premier François Legault said the Canadian province would impose a health tax on residents who refuse to get their first dose in the coming weeks that would be more than $100, per CBC News.