The U.S. now believes that Russia's claims that it is withdrawing troops from near Ukraine are "false," and that Moscow has in fact increased its presence on the border "by as many as 7,000 troops" in recent days, a senior administration official told reporters Wednesday.
Why it matters: The explosive claim suggests that Vladimir Putin publicly offered to reopen negotiations "while privately mobilizing for war," the official said.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams is urging leaders of major companies to lift COVID-19 restrictions and allow employees to return to offices in the city.
Why it matters: It's part of Adams' effort to jumpstart the city's economy as Omicron cases slow.
The Biden administration will erase $415 million of student debt for almost 16,000 borrowers who were misled by their colleges, the Department of Education announced Wednesday.
Why it matters: These borrower defense discharges are the first to go to students who attended a university that is still operating, per the press release.
Asian Americans proved themselves to be a critical voting bloc this week as San Francisco overwhelmingly voted to remove three school board members from office.
Why it matters: The recall effort was largely driven by Asian American parents who were discontent with the board's delay in reopening schools, accused board members of unfairly prioritizing efforts to rename schools and were upset about plans to install a lottery admissions system at a prestigious local high school.
Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin signed a bill Wednesday ending school mask mandates, days after it cleared the state legislature.
Driving the news: The legislation, which will take effect on March 1, will allow parents to opt their children out of wearing a mask. It will put Virginia among the list of states to relax COVID-19 safety measures, as case numbers have declined.
Ryan Zinke, who served as interior secretary during the Trump administration, broke federal ethics rules for his continued involvement with a land development project in his hometown in Montana, according to a report released Wednesday by the department's internal watchdog.
Why it matters: Zinke is currently running for Congress in Montana and is considered a leading Republican candidate in the race, per the Washington Post.
The U.S. intelligence community warned Wednesday that Russia-sponsored hackers have repeatedly attempted to infiltrate computer networks belonging to Department of Defense contractors to steal information on weapons technologies.
Why it matters: It said that state-sponsored cyber actors have made several intrusion attempts between January 2020 and February 2022 and have acquired emails, sensitive, unclassified information and "export-controlled technology" owned by the contractors.
President Biden has ordered the National Archives and Records Administration to hand over White House visitor logs from the Trump administration to the Jan. 6 select committee.
Driving the news: White House counsel Dana Remus said in a letter dated Tuesday that Biden rejected former President Trump's claim that he could assert executive privilege to block the visitor logs' release.
There's already enough offshore wind power in the U.S. development pipeline to exceed the White House target of 30 gigawatts of capacity by 2030, per S&P Global Market Intelligence.
Why it matters: Marine wind power, a largely untapped resource in the U.S., is among the tools that can help decarbonize the country's electricity.
The House select committee investigating the Capitol riot has subpoenaed the phone records of a security guard who works for Trump-supporting conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, according to a court filing late Tuesday.
Why it matters: The action indicates that the panel has a "deepening interest" in who the Infowars founder was in contact with about former President Trump's rally before the insurrection, per Politico, which first reported the news.
The Biden administration is expected to reinstate California's authority to set stricter tail pipe emissions rules as early as Wednesday, the New York Times first reported.
Why it matters: The move would restore California's ability to be an environmental regulator after former President Trump stripped the state of that when he was in office.
Members of Congress — including Sens. Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.) and Ted Cruz (R-Texas) — are spending hundreds of thousands of dollars in campaign funds on personal security after federal regulators blessed the practice last year, records show.
Why it matters: Tempers are flaring amid intense political polarization, and lawmakers are enduring huge numbers of threats as a result. The spending is just the latest index for the concern.
Top Senate appropriators say the return of earmarks — albeit with new branding — will now happen through this year's omnibus spending package.
Why it matters:Though much discussed during the past year, finally reversing the decade-old ban on congressional earmarks will allow lawmakers to target federal spending toward projects in their districts, but with significant new limitations.
President Biden and his top advisers are caught in a loop: They know inflation wounds them politically and hurts their voters, but scrapping some inflationary policies would wound them politically — and hurt their voters.
Why it matters: The president remains committed to the core elements of his economic program, even as price hikes threaten to wipe out Democrats in November's midterms.
The Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) issued a rule Tuesday to allow adaptive driving beam headlights, or smart headlights, in the U.S.
Why it matters: The technology, which relies on sensors and LED light, will help prevent crashes by allowing better illumination of pedestrians, animals and objects without impairing the visibility of drivers in other vehicles, NHTSA said.
Arizona's Republican-controlled Senate passed a restrictive abortion bill on Tuesday that would make it a crime for doctors to perform an abortion on a woman more than 15 weeks pregnant.
Why it matters: Arizona already has some of the most restrictive abortion laws in the U.S., including one that would "automatically outlaw it" if the Supreme Court were to fully overturn Roe v. Wade, which set a precedent for the constitutional right to abortion, AP notes.
