The Texas Supreme Court on Friday ruled that state officials do not have the ability to enforce the state's six-week abortion ban, effectively ending providers' case challenging the law.
Driving the news: Because the law was written so private citizens could enforce it, the court wrote, "Texas law does not grant the state-agency executives named as defendants in this case any authority to enforce the Act’s requirements, either directly or indirectly."
Why it matters: The new wave of sanctions is part of a larger strategy aimed at crippling the Russian economy and leaders who have enabled Russia's unprovoked attacks.
Former President Trump on Friday lost his bid to countersue writer E. Jean Carroll, who sued Trump for defamation after he branded her a liar for publicly alleging that he raped her in the mid-1990s.
Driving the news: Manhattan federal court Judge Lewis Kaplan said Friday that Trump's attempt to countersue was done in an effort to stall Carroll's defamation lawsuit against him, according to court filings.
Disney CEO Bob Chapek on Friday said the company would pause all political donations in the state of Florida, following a week of blowback surrounding the company’s initial decision to not speak out about Florida's so-called "Don't Say Gay" bill, which is close to becoming a law.
Why it matters: The handling of the issue frustrated employees at Disney. Staff at Disney-owned Pixar sent a letter to leadership Wednesday expressing their disappointment, saying "we hoped that our company would show up for us. But it didn't."
President Biden has a message for members of Congress: the U.S. response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine will be in coordination with U.S. allies.
Why it matters: Biden used the first part of his appearance before House Democrats on the last day of their retreat in Philadelphia Friday to defend his decisions on Russia — and the timing and scope of his actions.
Linda Thomas-Greenfield, U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, denounced Russia's claims that the U.S. is housing biological or chemical weapons facilities in Ukraine at a U.N. Security Council meeting Friday.
The U.S. is moving to revoke Russia's "most favored nation" trade status in what President Biden called Friday "another crushing blow" against the country over its invasion of Ukraine.
Driving the news: "We're going to continue to stand together with our allies in Europe and send an unmistakable message. We'll defend every single inch of NATO territory with the full might of a united and galvanized NATO," Biden said.
President Biden said Friday that the United States will welcome Ukrainians displaced by Russia's unprovoked invasion "with open arms."
Why it matters: The United Nations estimates that so far more than 2.5 million refugees have fled Ukraine since Russia launched its attack in late February, making it the fastest-growing refugee crisis in Europe since World War II.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement made 74,000 arrests of undocumented immigrants in the U.S. in fiscal year 2021 — a significant decline from the past several years, according to the newest yearly report.
Why it matters: The yearly report released by ICE underscores how the agency has transformed under the Biden administration, with new priorities for arrests, a focus on deporting aggravated felons and the end of detaining migrant families.
The key factor determining how Americans have handled COVID-19 — more than race, education or even political affiliation — is where they get their news, according to an analysis of two years of data from our Axios/Ipsos Coronavirus Index.
Why it matters: Partisan divisions weaken U.S. leaders' ability to deal with such existential crises — and the modern media landscape feeds that cycle.
The Senate on Thursday passed a $1.5 trillion budget bill to fund the government through the end of September.
Why it matters: The bill includes an emergency funding requested by the White House to provide humanitarian and security assistance to Ukraine amid Russia's brutal invasion.
Senate Republicans are trying to force Democrats to pick between a policy many of them support and President Biden, who opposes it.
Driving the news: The Republicans want to expand an oil sanctions bill so it includes a provision suspending Russia’s permanent normal trade relations (PNTR) status, which would put its trade relationship with the U.S. in the same category as North Korea and Cuba.
The chair of one of the most prominent 9/11 family coalitions has written to President Biden raising concerns about potential renewed U.S. engagement with Saudi Arabia, Axios has learned.
Why it matters: 9/11 Families United chair Terry Strada wants Biden to uphold his campaign pledge to make Saudi Arabia a "pariah," after Axios reported this week the president's advisers are discussing a possible trip to convince the Kingdom to pump more oil.
Election officials worry about politicians interfering with their jobs, as well as new colleagues who embrace theories about widespread election fraud, according to a survey by the Brennan Center for Justice.
Why it matters: It's been nearly a year and half since the 2020 election, but baseless allegations of fraud from former President Trump and associates are still fueling anxiety. Brennan found that one in five election workers they're likely to leave their jobs before 2024.
Actor Jussie Smollett was sentenced to 150 days in jail and 30 months probation on Thursday for making a false report to Chicago police that he was the victim of a hate crime in January 2019.
The big picture: The former "Empire" star, who is Black and gay, told police two men attacked him in what he described as a hate crime. He was convicted last December on five counts of lying to police but has maintained he was telling the truth.
More than 60 companies, including some of the largest firms in tech and finance, are calling on Texas Gov. Greg Abbott to abandon an executive order that equates gender-affirming healthcare for transgender children with child abuse.
Driving the news: Apple, Google, Meta, Johnson & Johnson, Ikea, PayPal, Capital One, Electronic Arts and many more firms signed an ad running in the Friday edition of the Dallas Morning News calling the new order discriminatory.
