Pro-Trump organizer Ali Alexander confirmed Friday that he is cooperating with the Justice Department's investigation of the Jan. 6 insurrection, Politico reports.
Why it matters: Alexander, who was connected to permit applications for the "Stop the Steal" rally that preceded the Capitol attack, claimed to have been in communication with the White House and Congress members about events planned to coincide with the certification of the 2020 election, according to the Jan. 6 select committee, which subpoenaed him in October.
Why it matters: The law, which was signed in March and set to go into effect on April 22, will not be enforced while the court considers the case. The legislation was modeled after Texas' six-week abortion ban, which encourages private citizens to sue any health professional who has provided an abortion.
Democratic Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear vetoed on Friday a bill that would ban abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy with no exceptions for rape or incest.
Why it matters: The sweeping measure is modeled after Mississippi's abortion law, which is currently under review by the Supreme Court, AP notes. Kentucky currently bans abortions after 20 weeks.
The U.S. suspended normal trade relations with Russia and banned Russian energy imports on Friday after President Biden signed both bills into law.
The big picture: The move accompaniesBiden'sexecutive order last month, which bans the import of Russian oil, liquefied natural gas and coal to the United States.
Two men were acquitted Friday in a conspiracy scheme to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D) in 2020, AP reports.
Driving the news: Jurors said Friday that Brandon Caserta and Daniel Harris were not found guilty, while a unanimous verdict was not reached for Adam Fox and Barry Croft Jr., who were also accused of plotting to kidnap the Democratic governor.
Why it matters: The news follows a recent trend of Republican-led state legislatures across the country introducing and passing bills that target transgender youth and restrict discussion about sexual orientation and gender identity in the classroom.
The Federal Aviation Administration said Friday it would seek to impose the biggest fines ever for the disruptive passengers who caused two separate incidents last summer.
Why it matters: The agency said it has proposed $2 million worth of fines since Jan. 1 in an effort to cut down on "unruly behavior."
Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, who will become the first Black woman Supreme Court justice, celebrated her confirmation on Friday at a White House event alongside President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris.
Why it matters: "It has taken 232 years and 115 prior appointments for a Black woman to be selected to serve on the Supreme Court of the United States. But we've made it. We made it, all of us," Jackson said on the South Lawn of the White House, receiving a standing ovation from the audience.
The leader of a North Carolina chapter of the Proud Boys on Friday pleaded guilty to conspiring with other Proud Boys members to stop Congress from certifying the 2020 election on Jan. 6, 2021.
Driving the news: Charles Donohoe, 34, is the second member of the extremist group to plead guilty to a conspiracy charge related to the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, according to the Associated Press.
President Biden on Friday said that Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson's confirmation as the first Black female Supreme Court justice represents "a moment of real change" in the U.S.
What he's saying: "This is going to let so much sun shine on so many young women, so many young Black women, so many minorities, that it's real. It's real. We're going to look back, nothing to do with me, we're going to look back and see this as a moment of real change in American history," Biden said at a White House event commemorating the confirmation.
A federal appeals court on Thursday revived President Biden's COVID-19 vaccine mandate for federal executive branch employees.
Driving the news: The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that a federal judge in Texas lacked jurisdiction to block the Biden administration from enforcing the mandate, according to court filings.
A pile of big, polarizing cases is already waiting for Ketanji Brown Jackson at the Supreme Court.
The big picture: Jackson will take her seat on the court just as it's diving headfirst into the most controversial issues in American politics — and at a moment when its conservative majority is poised to lock in victories that the right has been chasing for years, sometimes decades.
Ketanji Brown Jackson is not only the first Supreme Court justice confirmed under Joe Biden's presidency — but, perhaps, also his last, based on comments Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell made Thursday to Axios' Jonathan Swan.
Why it matters: During an Axios News Shapers interview, McConnell declined repeatedly to say whether he could commit to holding hearings on any Supreme Court nominee by President Biden if Republicans regain the Senate majority in November and a seat opens in 2023.
