House Republicans, conducting their own investigation of the Jan. 6 insurrection, plan to accuse the Capitol security apparatus of "negligence at the highest levels," Rep. Jim Banks (R-Ind.) tells Axios.
Why it matters: By placing blame on the building's top security officials, this shadow investigation gives the GOP an alternative frame for discussing the 2021 Capitol assault.
President Biden is considering Stephen Robert, a former Wall Street executive with close ties to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, to become U.S. ambassador to Italy, Axios has learned.
Why it matters: The president has struggled with and waited to fill the post — despite the desirability of living in Rome. The ambassadorial residence, Villa Taverna, boasts a pool, private gardens and a three-story wine cellar, nestled in the catacombs below.
Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) on Sunday called the select committee investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection a "complete partisan scam."
Why it matters: Rubio's comments are in line with the Republican National Committee, which this week voted to censure GOP Reps. Liz Cheney of Wyoming and Adam Kinzinger of Illinois for serving on the panel in a resolution that said those who participated in the riot were involved in "legitimate political discourse."
Former Vice President Mike Pence's chief of staff, Marc Short, said on Sunday that "many bad advisers" made former President Donald Trump believe Pence could have overturned the results of the 2020 election.
What they're saying: "I think unfortunately, the President had many bad advisers who were basically snake oil salesmen giving him really random and novel ideas as to what the vice president could do," Short said on NBC's "Meet the Press."
Two days after Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi made a show of reinforcing their unity against Western "interference," U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan said the two would also be tied together in some manner if the Kremlin decides to invade Ukraine.
Driving the news: “We believe that Beijing will end up owning some of the costs of a Russian invasion of Ukraine and that they should calculate that as they consider their engagements with the Russian government,” Sullivan told host Chuck Todd on NBC's "Meet the Press."
At the momentthe late Sen. John McCain green-lit Sarah Palin as his presidential running mate in 2008, he told top advisers: "F--- it. Let’s do it."
The intrigue: McCain balled up a fist and shook it as if rolling dice, N.Y. Times political reporter Jeremy W. Peters reveals in his forthcoming book, "Insurgency: How Republicans Lost Their Party and Got Everything They Ever Wanted."
Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia on Sunday endorsed the re-election campaign of his Republican colleague Lisa Murkowski of Alaska.
Why it matters: Murkowski is one of seven Republicans who voted to convict former President Trump in his second impeachment trial, leading Trump to lambast her as "disloyal" and endorse her opponent.
Schools and universities are marking Black History Month starting today, but this is the first time it will be celebrated under new restrictions on diversity education imposed by some states.
Why it matters: The constraints — under the guise of banning the teaching of critical race theory — limit what some state-supported institutions can discuss about the nation's racial past. Educators embracing Black history have received death threats.
Paths to power and winning electionsinside the GOP are changing rapidly and radically, spawning a new generation of kingmakers while diminishing the clout of many who lorded over the party for years.
Why it matters: Fourteen of the Republican Party's top consultants and operatives across the country spoke in detail with Axios about how profoundly primary races have changed since 2014 — the last pre-Donald Trump midterm election and the last midterms in which a Democrat occupied the White House.
Joe Rogan, the popular podcaster whose anti-vaccination remarks have sparked protests against Spotify, apologized on Saturday via an Instagram post for repeatedly using racial slurs in the past.
Why it matters: The admission follows a weeklong public relations crisis for Spotify over the way it moderates content, specifically Rogan’s podcast, which they pay to exclusively distribute.
A Navy SEAL candidate died on Friday and another was hospitalized in San Diego at the end of what is known as Hell Week, an intense training phase for the military unit, NBC News reports.
Driving the news: The candidates were taken to the hospital Friday "several hours after their Basic Underwater Demolition SEAL (BUD/S) class successfully completed Hell Week, part of the first phase of the Navy SEAL assessment and selection pathway," Naval Special Warfare command said in a statement, per NBC.
A single day's events made clear the new GOP litmus tests: Is Joe Biden the lawfully elected president, and was Jan. 6 an insurrection?
Why it matters: The correct answer is often "no" to both if you want to win a contested GOP primary or make a serious 2024 play. A full-throated "yes" gets you censured or defeated.
U.S. cities have long lagged behind counterparts in Europe when it comes to biking infrastructure, but some metros are making a push to build more lanes and boost bike commuting.
Why it matters: Transportation is the leading generator of greenhouse gases, the Urban Institute notes. Still, just 0.5% of Americans commuted on bikes in 2019, reports National Geographic.
Reports of hate crimes skyrocketed in 2021 in more than a dozen of America’s largest cities, with a record number of Asian Americans saying they were targeted, according to a preliminary analysis of the data.
Why it matters: The unpublished study by the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism at California State University, San Bernardino comes amid the COVID-19 pandemicand as police departments have improved record-keeping.
Nearly 70 years since Brown vs. Board of Education ended racial segregation in schools, most Black history lessons taught across America are insufficient and under attack, several presidents of Historically Black Colleges and Universities tell Axios.
Why it matters: There's been a renewed and fierce debate around the role of race — and, specifically, Black history — in school curricula as states propose measures to curtail the teaching of the country's racial past.
A Virginia judge on Friday temporarily barred enforcement of Gov. Glenn Youngkin's (R) executive order making masks optional in schools.
Why it matters: Seven school boards have sued Youngkin over the order, calling it a violation of Virginia’s constitution, which leaves school supervision up to the boards, and a state law that requires school districts to follow federal health guidelines.
The North Carolina Supreme Court ruled 4-3 Friday that the state's GOP-led redistricting maps are unconstitutional and "unlawful partisan gerrymanders."
Why it matters: After North Carolina gained a 14th congressional seat post-2020 census, Republicans drew up a plan that would have left Republicans with as many as 11 seats compared to just three for Democrats.
