Axios

Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey (R) filed a lawsuit Friday against the Biden administration for ordering the state to stop allocating federal COVID relief funds to schools that don't comply with public health recommendations such as masking, the Arizona Republic reports.

Why it matters: The Treasury Department said last week that the state would have to pay back the money if Ducey does not redesignate the $173 million programs to ensure they don't "undermine efforts to stop the spread of COVID-19."

The Treasury Department on Friday announced sanctions against "financial facilitators" and companies connected to Iranian-backed Hezbollah.

Why it matters: The three people — Adel Diab, Ali Mohamad Daoun and Jihad Salem Alame — and 10 companies targeted by the new sanctions helped Hezbollah obtain funds through global "networks of companies that disguise themselves as legitimate businesses," Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement on Friday.

The Biden administration is widening the scope on STEM student visas.

Why it matters: Higher education enrollment has continued to decline in the U.S. as the country looks to stay competitive in science and technology on the global stage. 

Igor Fruman, a former associate and close ally of Rudy Giuliani, was sentenced on Friday to one year in prison for a case involving illegal campaign contributions from a foreign national, AP reports.

Driving the news: Fruman was also fined $10,000 in the campaign finance case.

Anti-abortion rights activists rallied in D.C. for the 49th annual March for Life on Friday.

Why it matters: As the Supreme Court considers restrictive abortion bans in Texas and Mississippi, opponents of Roe v. Wade have doubled down on their push to overturn the precedents that established the constitutional right to an abortion.

President Biden plans to nominate election law attorney Dara Lindenbaum to the Federal Election Commission, Axios has learned.

Why it matters: The nomination gives Biden an opportunity to try to shape some U.S. election rules in the wake of Congress' failure to advance sweeping election reform.

The Transportation Department said on Friday that it is suspending 44 China-bound flights conducted by the country's airlines after the Chinese government canceled dozens of flights from American carriers.

Driving the news: Chinese authorities have suspended 44 flights since Dec. 31 from United Airlines, American Airlines and Delta Airlines due to coronavirus concerns.

A federal judge in Texas blocked the Biden administration from enforcing its coronavirus vaccine mandate for federal workers on Friday, citing the outcome of last week's Supreme Court ruling that nullified the administration's vaccine-or-test requirement for large employers.

Why it matters: It's a blow to President Biden's efforts to increase the U.S.' vaccination rates, though much of the federal workforce has already been vaccinated against the virus.

The National Archives on Thursday evening released records of former President Trump's White House to the House Jan. 6 Select Committee, the agency said.

Why it matters: The committee now has documents that Trump attempted to keep hidden, arguing that their release would undermine his executive privilege.

The Justice Department on Friday arrested and charged a Texas man with threatening to injure and kill election and government officials in Georgia, according to court filings.

Driving the news: Prosecutors allege that Chad Christopher Stark posted on Craiglist in January, saying: "Georgia Patriots it's time to kill" an unnamed government official.

Rep. Mark Pocan (D-Wisc.) asked Attorney General Merrick Garland in a letter Friday to investigate 10 people who allegedly falsely claimed to be electors from Wisconsin during the 2020 election in an attempt to cast electoral college votes for former President Trump.

Why it matters: Wisconsin was one of at least seven states in which people filed fake paperwork seeking to cast votes for Trump, according to AP.

The Biden administration is gearing up to provide legal services to migrants entering the immigration system in seven border towns, according to a government solicitation for contractors published on Thursday.

Why it matters: Increasing migrant access to legal services has long been a goal of the administration. While the new Legal Access at the Border (LAB) program will help prepare migrants for the immigration legal process, it will not directly provide them attorneys.

Within a day of President Biden backing efforts to move a smaller version of his stalled spending plan that still includes robust climate investments, signs emerged of the high hurdles Democrats face.

Catch up fast: Biden floated trying to move "big chunks" of the plan, bowing to the reality that Sen. Joe Manchin — whose vote is needed for Democrats' plans — is a hard "no" on the current $1.75 trillion framework, among other hurdles.

Federal agencies are being directed to raise the minimum wages for government employees to $15 an hour, according to new guidance from the Office of Personnel Management shared first with Axios.

Why it matters: The guidance will impact almost 70,000 federal employees, most of which work at the Departments of Agriculture, Defense and Veterans Affairs. OPM is directing agencies to implement the new wage by Jan. 30.

Intel will open a new manufacturing mega-site near Columbus, Ohio, costing at least $20 billion, Time magazine first reported on Thursday night.

Why it matters: There's been a global chip shortage during the pandemic, which has impacted the manufacturing of products including vehicles and consumer electronics.

Austria's lower house of parliament voted on Thursday in favor of making COVID-19 vaccinations compulsory for most adults from next month.

Why it matters: The bill is expected to soon pass the upper house and be signed by President Alexander Van der Bellen in order for the law to take effect Feb. 1, per Reuters. It'd make Austria the first EU nation to impose such a sweeping mandate.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has been widely criticized for comments he made this week about Black American voters.

Driving the news: When asked by a reporter Wednesday about concerns among voters of color, McConnell said "the concern is misplaced, because if you look at the statistics, Black American voters are voting in just as high a percentage as Americans."

Close associates and advisers to Donald Trump tell Axios they're concerned by his decision to use a relatively inexperienced New Jersey attorney, Alina Habba, in his high-stakes legal fight against New York Attorney General Letitia James.

Why it matters: A former president typically has access to the country's most prestigious experts, including lawyers. Trump has turned to the former general counsel for a parking garage company, who works from a small law office near his Bedminster, N.J., country club.

Senior members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus privately upbraided Vice President Kamala Harris’ new communications director Thursday for comments he made about undocumented migrants — but most appeared willing to accept Jamal Simmons' apology.

Why it matters: Hispanics are a key constituency both for the Democratic Party and Harris herself. Venting their frustrations but then letting Simmons explain himself defuses a potential crisis for an already challenged VP team.

The number of people waiting for immigration court decisions is greater than the population of Philadelphia — and is building, according to new data and analysis from Syracuse University's Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse (TRAC).

Why it matters: The booming backlog points to a broken immigration system and often leaves immigrants awaiting decisions on asylum or other cases in legal limbo for longer periods of time.

White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain told allies and staff during a conference call Wednesday night President Biden wants to include funding for child and elder care in any revised Build Back Better agenda, people familiar with the matter tell Axios.

Why it matters: Klain’s comments came after his boss failed to mention those two priorities during his earlier news conference, while explaining how he planned to revive his agenda and pass it in “chunks” in the face of concerted opposition.

The Justice Department on Thursday charged four Belarusian government officials with conspiracy to commit aircraft piracy as part of an operation to arrest a dissident Belarusian journalist.

Why it matters: Prosecutors say the officials fabricated a bomb threat aboard a Ryanair flight carrying the journalist Raman Pratasevich last May, forcing it to land in Minsk, Belarus instead.