Axios

The Federal Election Commission (FEC) has fined Hillary Clinton's 2016 presidential campaign and the Democratic National Committee for not properly disclosing the money they used to fund opposition research that led to a controversial dossier on President Trump's links to Russia.

Why it matters: Political candidates and groups are required to publicly disclose their spending and provide a purpose for any expenditure that exceeds $200. The Clinton campaign was fined $8,000 and the DNC $105,000 for misreporting the dossier funding as "legal services" and "legal and compliance consulting" instead of opposition research, according to an FEC letter sent Tuesday.

The Senate is zeroing in on legislation to lower the cost of the insulin — a lifeline for millions with diabetes.

Why it matters: The drug costs eight times more in the U.S. than 32 other high-income nations, according to a 2020 study commissioned by the Health and Human Services Department. A $35 monthly price cap would help many diabetics.

The Daily Wire is planning a significant push into kids entertainment, with what it says will be "a minimum of $100 million" investment over the next three years.

Why it matters: The move, executives say, is in response to Disney's positioning on Florida's Parental Rights in Education bill, known as the "Don't Say Gay" bill. Disney has begun to speak out about the bill in response to backlash that it didn't proactively denounce it initially.

President Biden issued a statement Wednesday to mark March 31 as the Transgender Day of Visibility and "recognize the resilience, strength, and joy of transgender, nonbinary, and gender nonconforming people."

The big picture: The proclamation comes as conservative states continue to introduce and pass new anti-trans legislation, with dozens of bills targeting trans youth. 2021 was the deadliest year on record for trans people in America.

Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey on Wednesday signed legislation that prohibits abortion past 15 weeks in a pregnancy.

Driving the news: The legislation, which cleared the Arizona House last week, only provides exceptions for medical emergencies, including those that could result in the pregnant person's death. It does not provide exceptions for cases of rape or incest.

Rep. Madison Cawthorn (R-N.C.) admitted suggestions that his colleagues have done cocaine and invited him to orgies were "exaggerated" in a tense meeting with Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), the House GOP leader told Axios.

Driving the news: McCarthy says he may take further action to condemn Cawthorn over his "unacceptable" remarks, which set off a firestorm within the House Republican conference.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is expected to end the use of Title 42, a pandemic-era public health policy used by both the Trump and Biden administrations to rapidly expel migrants at the border, by late May, according to multiple reports.

Why it matters: U.S. officials have been bracing for the policy's end, which could fuel already rising numbers at the border. The government has readied a sweeping contingency plan, preparing for a worst-case scenario of up to 18,000 migrants being taken into custody each day, Homeland Security officials told reporters Tuesday.

Tuesday's meeting between U.S. Secretary of State Tony Blinken and Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed helped bring down tensions and "move the relationship between the UAE and the U.S. back on the right track," UAE ambassador to Washington Yousef Al Otaiba told me.

Why it matters: Relations have been strained since a Houthi missile attack on Abu Dhabi in January.

President Biden on Wednesday received his second COVID-19 booster shot after he delivered remarks on the country's fight against the virus.

The big picture: Biden's booster comes one day after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention expanded eligibility for a second booster shot for Americans age 50 or older in addition to some with compromised immune systems.

President Biden on Wednesday announced the launch of COVID.gov., a website intended to be a "one-stop shop" for COVID resources, including vaccines, tests and masks.

Driving the news: The website includes a tool to help people find locations where they can get tested and receive oral antiviral treatments if needed.

California's task force on reparations voted 5-4 on Tuesday to limit state compensation to Black Americans whose ancestors were free or enslaved Black people in the U.S. in the 1800s, AP reported.

Why it matters: California's task force to consider reparations for Black Americans was created in 2020 and is the first such panel in the nation, with the potential to shape reparations discussions in other parts of the country.

During a call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday, President Biden informed him that the U.S. intends to give Ukraine an additional $500 million in direct budgetary aid, according to a White House readout of the call.

Why it matters: The news comes as Russian forces have intensified their attacks on Kyiv and the northern city of Chernihiv, despite earlier claims by Russian officials that they would scale back military operations near those cities in order to facilitate steps towards a potential peace deal.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) on Wednesday condemned calls by some Democrats for Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas to recuse himself amid revelations about his wife's activism, calling it a "new and inappropriate pressure campaign."

Driving the news: Recently revealed text messages sent by Ginni Thomas showed she repeatedly urged Donald Trump's then-Chief of Staff Mark Meadows to take measures to overturn the 2020 election results.

Two-thirds of Americans said, if they were senators, they would vote to confirm Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court, according to a new Marquette Law School poll published on Wednesday.

Why it matters: After contentious confirmation hearings last week, Jackson is on a relatively smooth path to confirmation with 50 votes in her favor expected from the Democratic caucus and at least one from Republican Sen. Susan Collins of Maine.

Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) said that she plans to vote to confirm Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court.

Why it matters: The senator from Maine is the first Republican to announce her intent to back President Biden's nominee.

The former director of a top U.S. government sanctions office is leading a new Ukrainian government legal team, records show.

Why it matters: Ukraine's new representatives, from the white-shoe firm Morrison & Foerster, show its U.S. advocacy remains heavily focused on sanctions policy as Washington pushes punitive measures against the Russian economy and individual Kremlin officials, including President Vladimir Putin.

Former national security adviser John Bolton told CBS News Tuesday that former President Trump used the phrase "burner phones" several times in discussions during his presidency.

Why it matters: CBS and the Washington Post reported that White House records submitted to the House panel investigating the Capitol riot show a seven-hour, 37-minute gap in Trump's phone logs for Jan. 6, 2021 — including the period when the Capitol was stormed. The Jan. 6 select committee is investigating whether a disposable "burner phone" was used, per the outlets.

Pulitzer-winning biographer Jon Meacham will portray what he calls "a very human Lincoln" in "And There Was Light: Abraham Lincoln and the American Struggle," out Oct. 25.

Meacham told me: "I wanted to learn all I could about a man who confronted crises of democracy and of justice and managed, however imperfectly and incompletely, to bend the arc of history toward the good."

The State Department warned "Russian government security officials may single out and detain U.S. citizens" in Russia and Ukraine, per fresh advisories against Americans traveling to the countries on Tuesday.

Driving the news: Americans in Russia face being harassed by Russian security officials, as well as "detention, the arbitrary enforcement of local law," according to the travel warning.

The families of victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting massacre on Tuesday rejected conspiracy theorist Alex Jones' offer to settle with each of them for $120,000, per AP.

Why it matters: The Infowars host is due to face a defamation trial to determine damages after a Connecticut judge ruled last November that Jones is liable in a lawsuit brought by the victims' families after he falsely claimed the 2012 mass shooting was a hoax.

The late Rep. Don Young (R-Alaska) became the latest public figure to lie in state in the U.S. Capitol on Tuesday, an honor accorded the longest-serving congressman from the current Congress after his death on March 18.

Why it matters: The frequency of public figures lying in state or honor in the Capitol has increased during the past two decades, according to data from the Architect of the Capitol.

In digital ads and press releases, Democrats are using Republican Sens. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, Rick Scott of Florida and Chuck Grassley of Iowa as foils to contrast their party's vision for health care and the economy.

Why it matters: Democrats view recent comments by the three senators as political gifts — and a rare opportunity to go on offense as the party tries to stave off projected midterm losses.

Democratic lawmakers are openly pressuring Attorney General Merrick Garland to bring the weight of U.S. law enforcement against members of former President Trump's inner circle they've deemed uncooperative with the House's investigation of the Jan. 6 attack.

Why it matters: The House select committee is seeking to compel or punish Trump loyalists who don't comply with the investigation, while Republicans are preparing to win back control of Congress in November — and end the probe.