The Biden administration asked Congress to provide $6.4 billion in funding to assist Ukraine as it fights off Russia's advances, an administration official confirmed to Axios on Friday.
Driving the news: $2.9 billion would go toward security assistance, humanitarian aid, economic stabilization needs, and regional efforts to combat Russian cyberattacks, among other things. The administration is also seeking $3.5 billion for the Pentagon's response to the crisis.
Washington lobbying firms are dropping high-profile Russian clients targeted by U.S. sanctions this week, as restrictions limit business with those companies.
The big picture: So far, seven U.S. lobbying and PR firms have parted ways with 10 different clients in the wake of punitive U.S. measures designed to punish Russia's invasion of Ukraine, according to filings, statements and interviews with the firms.
President Biden has nominated Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to the U.S. Supreme Court, the White House announced Friday.
Why it matters: Jackson would be the first Black female justice in the court's history, and the first justice in decades with any significant experience representing criminal defendants.
The Florida man who carried House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's (D-Calif.) lectern around the U.S. Capitol during the Jan. 6 Capitol riot was sentenced to 75 days in prison on Friday, NBC News reports.
Driving the news: "We're on a dangerous slide in America," U.S. District Court Judge Reggie B. Walton said during Adam Johnson's sentencing, adding that he made "a mockery" of the events.
The House Oversight Committee said Friday that it widened its investigation into former President Trump's handling of presidential records Friday by asking the national archivist for information on the contents of the 15 boxes that were recovered from Mar-a-Lago.
Why it matters: Trump's handling of the records puts into question whether he followed the Presidential Records Act, which requires that presidential records be immediately transferred to the national archivist as soon as a president leaves office.
U.S. officialstried half a dozen times over three months to get China to help head off a Russian invasion of Ukraine — but were repeatedly rebuffed by Beijing, The New York Times reports.
Why it matters: The U.S. kept presenting Beijing with intelligence on Russia's buildup around Ukraine "and beseeched the Chinese to tell Russia not to invade," according to The Times. The Chinese, including the foreign minister and the ambassador to the U.S., said they did not think an invasion was in the works.
Former President Trump is privately pushing Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) to challenge Mitch McConnell for Senate majority leader, Politico reports.
Why it matters: Trump's move could sow tension between McConnell and Scott — who, as NRSC chair, is leading the party's campaign to win a majority in November's midterms.
The big picture: As governments around the world announced fresh sanctions in response to Russia's unprovoked assault, thousands of demonstrators took to the streets in cities around the world to protest — many outside Russian embassies.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has set his sights on other countries in addition to Ukraine, Secretary of State Antony Blinken told CBS News on Thursday evening.
The Biden administration and Congress are steeling for cyberwarfare from Russia following its invasion of Ukraine and warning businesses to prepare for potential attacks.
Why it matters: Russia's invasion was coupled with cyberattacks on Ukraine. American officials fear cyber-conflict could escalate if Russian President Vladimir Putin believes the U.S. is responsible for retaliation.
A U.S. Capitol rioter was sentenced to 75 days in prison on Thursday for directing a mob toward the Speaker's Lobby on Jan. 6, 2021.
Driving the news: Jeffrey Register, 39, of Jacksonville, Florida, was also fined $500 following his guilty plea last October to parading, demonstrating and picketing in a Capitol building, per a Justice Department statement.
The sanctions aimed at punishing Russia's invasion of Ukraine will likely face a self-inflicted obstacle, experts tell Axios: opaque financial vehicles allowing illicit foreign assets to flow through Western economies.
Why it matters: Financial transparency advocates have warned for years that lax disclosure of such transfers allows malicious foreign actors to hide their immense wealth. Now, it could imperil U.S. efforts to inflict pain on individual Kremlin officials behind the country's attack on its western neighbor.
Ukraine is among the top recipients of direct military assistance from the Defense Department — but the Pentagon has spent far more helping other countries.
Why it matters: Ukraine is in the fight of its life after Russia's invasion. To the surprise of many, it's held its own, attributable both to its people's spirit as well as advanced weapons supplied by the West.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told House lawmakers Thursday the Biden administration is considering ways to train Ukrainian forces remotely if the Russians seize control of Ukraine, officials on the call told Axios.
Why it matters: With the capital of Kyiv in danger of falling after Russia's invasion, the Pentagon is contemplating the next phase of the conflict.
