“There is no room in this party for apologists" for Russian President Vladimir Putin former Vice President Mike Pence plans to tell top Republican donors during a speech in New Orleans on Friday.
Why it matters: The excerpted remarks appear to be the most forceful separation yet between the former vice president and his ex-boss, Donald Trump.
A federal appeals court panel ruled unanimously Friday that the Biden administration can continue expelling migrant families "for now" under the Trump-era Title 42 public health policy but only to countries where they don't risk persecution or torture.
Why it matters: The ruling will offer more protection to families fleeing danger, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) said Friday. The surge in illegal crossings at the southern border is largely driven by violence, poverty and disasters, according to the Washington Post.
Governors across the U.S. are instructing state agencies to cut financial ties with Russia amid Russian President Vladimir Putin's ongoing invasion of Ukraine.
The big picture: Dozens of states have taken steps to condemn Russia and join the federal government in supporting Ukrainians. Many have sought ways to take direct action to sanction the Russian government.
Former Attorney General Bill Barr said in an interview with NBC News that former President Trump became "very angry" when Barr told him that there was no evidence the 2020 election was rigged.
The big picture: Barr also responded to accusations that he was "a toady" for Trump by acting as his personal lawyer, saying he wasn't one because "I tried to take every issue that came to me and decide ... what I thought was the right thing."
The Supreme Court on Friday reinstated the death penalty for Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev.
Driving the news: The 6-3 decision, with the court's liberal members dissenting, reversed a federal appeals court ruling that had voided the death penalty in the case.
Health professionals, transgender teens and their families are fearful and angry over Texas Gov. Greg Abbott's new directive to have a state agency investigate parents for child abuse if they seek gender-affirming care for their children.
Driving the news: Texas officials have already begun investigating parents of transgender children in accordance with Abbott's order, according to a lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union and Lambda Legal on Tuesday.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams on Thursday announced plans to transform a warehousing and manufacturing port into an offshore wind farm hub.
Why it matters: The facility, to be built at the city-owned South Brooklyn Marine Terminal, will be "one of the largest offshore wind port facilities in the nation," per a statement from the mayor's office.
Florida's Republican-controlled Senate passed a bill to ban abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy 23-15 on Thursday night.
Why it matters: Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) is expected to sign the bill, which makes no exception for rape, incest or human trafficking, as the Supreme Court prepares to consider the fate of Roe v. Wade following a series of new abortion restrictions in Republican-led states.
Russian soprano Anna Netrebko has withdrawn from her Metropolitan Opera performances after refusing to comply with the Met's condition that she repudiate public support for Russian President Vladimir Putin, the Met announced Thursday.
Why it matters: Netrebko, who has starred in multiple Met productions, has been linked to Putin for decades and endorsed his election in 2012, according to NPR. Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine, she has withdrawn or parted from several international opera houses.
Washington lobbying and public relation firms are offering their skills to Ukraine as Americans rally to its side amid Russia's brutal and relentless invasion, Axios has learned.
Driving the news: The latest entrant is the powerhouse firm SKDKnickerbocker, which is doing pro-bono work for the Ukrainian government, records show.
Americans who watched President Biden's State of the Union address generally thought he gave Russia's invasion of Ukraine the right amount of attention — but they wanted more about the economy, according to a new Axios-Momentive poll.
The big picture: Democrats and Republicans expressed diametrically opposed reactions to Tuesday's speech.
