Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell(R-Ky.), one of America's most inscrutable power players, has made the surprising decision to open his archive to a journalist, and sit for long interviews.
Why it matters: McConnell's signature has been to keep his counsel and hide his emotions — rarely showing his hand or sharing his mind, as he outfoxed opponents, generation after generation.
The White House claims there is "no dialogue" about oil or sanctions underway with Nicolás Maduro's regime in Venezuela, even as U.S. officials made a rare trip to Caracas on Saturday at a time when the administration is scrambling to increase global oil production.
Driving the news: Maduro released two American hostages this week following the meeting, potentially heralding a thaw in relations. But the reengagement with Maduro has sparked backlash from some lawmakers in Washington, who fear President Biden is about to relax sanctions to get more Venezuelan oil onto the market.
Rep. Madison Cawthorn (R-N.C.) called Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky "a thug" during a political event, according to a video obtained and published by WRAL-TV, a Raleigh-based NBC-affiliate.
The 2020 census featured large undercounts of America's Black, Latino, and Native American populations while overcounting non-Hispanic white Americans and Asian Americans, according to a new survey released Thursday by the U.S. Census Bureau.
Why it matters: The U.S. census has a longstanding history of undercounting Black, Latino, and Native Americans, and the survey's results indicate that this trend is worsening.
HOUSTON — Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm was by turns defiant and solicitous in remarks to oil-and-gas executives here as she called for cooperation on supply increases and the clean energy transition.
Why it matters: Her speech on Wednesday at the CERAWeek by S&P Global conference is part of a push for faster domestic output growth as Russia's war on Ukraine crimps supply, but without — so far — backing off policies the industry calls restrictive.
The Biden administration on Thursday extended the transportation mask mandate on planes, buses and trains by another 30 days.
Driving the news: The Transportation Security Administration's face mask requirement, originally set to expire on March 18, is now in effect until April 18,the agency announced.
Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, on Thursday will call for her organization to divest from Russia-related assets, Axios has learned. This would include assets owned or controlled by Russian oligarchs.
Why it matters: AFT is the country's second-largest public teacher union, with 1.6 million members, and manages around $1 trillion in pension assets.
Vice President Kamala Harris on Thursday said that the U.S. and Poland remain "united" in their support for Ukraine, despite the Pentagon's rejection of the Polish government's fighter jets proposal.
Driving the news: The Pentagon rejected a plan from Poland to deploy the country's fleet of MiG-29 fighter jets to a U.S. base in Germany, which then the U.S. would have transferred to Ukraine.
Nearly 1 in 5 local election officials say they are likely to leave their jobs before the 2024 presidential election, according to a report out Thursday.
Driving the news: Local election officials cite politicians' attacks on the election system, stress and retirement as the primary reasons they plan to leave, according to the liberal-leaning Brennan Center for Justice.
MSNBC's Chris Hayes plans a book in early 2024, "The Sirens' Call," which the publisher, Penguin Press, calls a "big-picture reckoning with how our inner lives have come under assault in the unprecedented new age of attention capitalism — putting great stress on our psyches, our politics, and the very fabric of our society."
Hayes says: "I think something has happened to attention in the 21st century that's similar to what happened to labor in the 19th century: it's become a commodified resource extracted from us, and from which are increasingly alienated. I'm going to try [to create] a working general theory of this epoch-defining transformation."
Why it matters: The sanctions mean the planned sale of Abramovich's English soccer team is now effectively on hold as Chelsea is among the assets the billionaire businessman has had seized, per a statement from the U.K. government.
The House of Representatives on Wednesday passed legislation to sanction Russia for invading Ukraine.
Driving the news: The vote was overwhelmingly bipartisan, passing 414-17, and marks the first time since Russia began amassing troops on the Ukrainian border that either chamber of Congress has moved on a sanctions package.
Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards vetoed the state legislature's congressional redistricting map on Wednesday, saying it fails to add a second majority minority district and "runs afoul of federal law."
Why it matters: Redistricting maps, which are drawn every 10 years, determine seats for elected positions, but have become part of a partisan battle to gain seats.
Fox News star Tucker Carlson's comments could cement voting machine company Smartmatic's defamation lawsuit against the network, a judge said this week.
Mike Pence flew to Israel this week on the private jet owned by arguably the most powerful donor in Republican politics, Miriam Adelson, two sources familiar with the situation told Axios.
Why it matters: The former vice president, who fell out with Donald Trump because he refused the former president's demands to unilaterally overturn the 2020 election result, is contemplating challenging Trump in the 2024 GOP presidential primaries.
The top fundraisers in the House have something in common: high profiles.
Why it matters: In a chamber with four times more members than the Senate, having a title, unique brand or loud voice is a proven way to raise money as a candidate in the House.
