Former President Obama said Wednesday that he "underestimated the degree to which democracies" are vulnerable to misinformation and disinformation, including the U.S.
Why it matters: Misinformation and disinformation have grown into an increasingly alarming crisis in the last two years during the COVID-19 pandemic and as Republican officials, including former President Trump, spread baseless conspiracy theories of election fraud during the 2020 election and beyond.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) said during a press briefing Wednesday that the state intends to provide charter buses from Texas to send migrants to Washington, D.C.
Driving the news: Abbott's announcement follows the Biden administration's decision to end the use of Title 42 next month, a pandemic-era public health policy used by both the Trump and Biden administrations to rapidly expel migrants at the border.
The House on Wednesday voted to hold former Trump administration aides Peter Navarro and Dan Scavino in contempt of Congress for refusing to comply with subpoenas from the Jan. 6 select committee.
Why it matters: As the panel seeks to piece together former President Trump's actions on Jan. 6, it has referred multiple uncooperative members of his inner circle to the Justice Department for contempt in hopes of extracting their first-hand accounts and documents.
Jamal Simmons, communications director for Vice President Kamala Harris, tested positive for COVID-19 on Wednesday, according to a statement from Harris' press secretary Kirsten Allen.
Why it matters: Simmons is the latest in a spate of positive COVID-19 cases that have hit Washington, D.C.'s elites in recent weeks, affecting both White House officials and members of Congress.
President Biden supported Amazon unionization efforts at the North America's Building Trades Union Legislative Conference on Wednesday, calling out the company by name.
Driving the news: Last week, workers at a Staten Island warehouse voted in favor of unionization, marking the first time a union had been formed by Amazon workers.
A federal defense contractor who admitted to entering the Capitol during the Jan. 6 insurrection was found not guilty on Wednesday, NBC News reports.
Why it matters: Matthew Martin, who held a top-secret security clearance, is now the first person acquitted after having been charged for participating in the Capitol riot. His case could now be used as an example for the defense of other Jan. 6 participants who go to trial, BuzzFeed News notes.
Attorney General Merrick Garland said Wednesday that he tested positive for COVID-19.
The big picture: Garland is the latest to test positive after attending the annual Gridiron Club dinner, a high-profile D.C. media event, on Saturday night.
The Supreme Court on Wednesday reinstated a Trump-era regulation that restricts the power of states and Native American tribes to block pipelines and other energy projects.
Driving the news: The court in a 5-4 decision agreed to halt a lower court judge’s order throwing out the rule.
The attorneys general of six states threatened to investigate the National Football League's treatment of female employees in a letter sent Tuesday to Commissioner Roger Goodell, saying they have "grave concerns about the recent allegations" against the league.
Why it matters: The accusations against the NFL stem from a February report published by the New York Times in which more than 30 women described their experience working at the NFL.
House GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) will lead a bipartisan group of lawmakers to Europe on Thursday to visit Poland and the Ukrainian border, three sources familiar with the trip tell Axios.
Why it matters: This is McCarthy's first congressional member delegation to the region since the war in Ukraine began.
Reps. Bob Gibbs (R-Ohio) and Fred Upton (R-Mich.) are the latest lawmakers to announce that they won't seek re-election this year, bringing the total number of Democratic retirements to 31, compared with 18 Republicans.
Why it matters: The increasing number of Democratic retirements — put against the backdrop of President Biden's sagging approval ratings and uncertainty about redistricting — is adding to concerns the party may not be able to keep its slim majority in the House.
Attorney General Merrick Garland unveiled an indictment against Russian oligarch Konstantin Malofeev on Wednesday for sanctions violations and announced the seizure of "millions of dollars from a U.S. financial institution" as proceeds traceable to the violations.
Why it matters: The indictment is part of a series of actions the Justice Department has recently taken to disrupt Russian criminal activity and enforce U.S. sanctions on Russian oligarchs for supporting the Kremlin's invasion of Ukraine.
The U.S., its G7 allies and the European Union are banning new investment in Russia and sanctioning Russia's largest bank, as well as Russian elites including Vladimir Putin's adult daughters.
Why it matters: A senior administration official told reporters that the steps were necessitated by the "sickening brutality in Bucha," a Kyiv suburb where the bodies of dozens of civilians were discovered after Russian troops pulled out. The official said the sanctions over Russia's invasion would push the country back to Soviet-era living standards.
Democratic National Committee chair Jaime Harrison on Wednesday slammed the Republican Party, saying "it is a party built on fraud, fear and fascism" in an interview on MSNBC's "Morning Joe."
Driving the news: "They don't deserve to be in power. Not because Democrats should, but because they don't deserve to be in power," Harrison said Wednesday.
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick's campaign email this week promised a Texas version of the recently signed Florida bill referred to by some critics as the "Don't Say Gay" law.
Why it matters: Another front in the Texas culture war is erupting. Patrick's comments are a sign of what's to come when the Legislature convenes next January, and the sentiments are sure to help shape the political terrain ahead of the November elections.
Driving the news: The 61-year-old lawmaker wrote he is "feeling fine and grateful to be vaccinated and boosted. In the coming days, I will quarantine and follow CDC guidelines. And remember, please get vaccinated!"
The House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack is reviewing a trove of emails that John Eastman, the ex-lawyer of former President Trump, had tried to keep secret, federal court documents filed Tuesday show.
Last year, Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) publicly sounded the death knell for President Biden's Build Back Better agenda. Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.), his fellow holdout, is privately concurring, Axios has learned.
Why it matters: In closed-door conversations, Sinema has told donors a path to revival is unlikely. That's dampened expectations Congress will act on a slimmed-down bill before Memorial Day. It also means any revived BBB legislation faces an arduous route back to the center of the Senate agenda.
Jan. 6 investigators have been intensely interested in Ivanka Trump, as the former first daughter is one of the few people with direct knowledge of what Donald Trump was thinking and doing during the critical hours of the Capitol attack.
Why it matters: Although the extent of Ivanka Trump's cooperation on Tuesday is still unclear, the import of what she had to say could be unmatched by almost any other witness.
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