The Justice Department wants to help non-English speakers report crimes, and Defense Department is reviewing algorithmic bias in its Artificial Intelligence technology as part of the Biden administration's broad effort to tackle inequality.
Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) raised $1.6 million during the first quarter of 2022, and nearly 75% of her contributions totaled less than $100, Axios has learned.
Why it matters: It's a lot of money for a senator who isn't up for re-election until 2024, and isn't a member of leadership or a committee chair. The numbers also give Sinema, a key holdout alongside Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) in the 50-50 Senate, something to point to amid their controversial record of bucking the party.
A Jan. 6 rioter was found guilty on all charges Thursday after his lawyers argued he was not responsible for his actions because former President Trump ordered him to participate in the breach, CNN reports.
Why it matters: Defendant Dustin Thompson was among the first Capitol riot defendants to argue that Trump is ultimately to blame for the large mob that breached the Capitol.
Senator Steve Daines (R-Mont.) and Representative Victoria Spartz (R-Ind.) arrived Thursday in Kyiv, in what they described as a show of support to Ukraine, the New York Times reports.
Why it matters: Daines and Spartz are the first American officials to visit Ukraine since the start of the war.
The man charged in Tuesday's subway attack in Brooklyn has been ordered held without bail, according to AP.
Why it matters: Frank R. James was arrested Wednesday and charged with committing a terrorist act on mass transit. If convicted, he could receive a sentence of life in prison.
Seventy-five years ago Thursday, in a pivotal case brought by a Mexican American and Puerto Rican family, a federal appeals court in California ruled against school segregation based on ancestry.
The big picture: The 1947 Mendez vs. Westminster ruling set up the U.S. Supreme Court's landmark Brown vs. Board of Education desegregation decision, but its legacy is often overshadowed.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) on Thursday signed into law a bill that bans all abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy in the state.
Driving the news: The legislation includes no exceptions for rape or incest and only allows abortions past 15 weeks in cases of a medical emergency or if there's a "fatal fetal abnormality."
The Republican National Committee voted unanimously Thursday in favor of withdrawing from the Commission on Presidential Debates.
What they're saying: "The Commission on Presidential Debates is biased and has refused to enact simple and commonsense reforms to help ensure fair debates including hosting debates before voting begins and selecting moderators who have never worked for candidates on the debate stage," RNC chair Ronna McDaniel said in a press release.
Russia's invasion of Ukraine — and China's general acceptance of it — have prompted congressional concern about the security of Taiwan and the greater Indo-Pacific region.
Why it matters: While war rages in eastern Europe, the fear is that an island-nation half a world away will become another site of a violent struggle for democracy. Communist China claims Taiwan as its own.
Planned Parenthood and EMW Women’s Surgical Center, Kentucky's only abortion providers, will not perform the procedure unless the state's new 15-week abortion ban is blocked by the court.
Driving the news: Patients seeking abortions in Kentucky are advised to reach out to the clinic for their first appointment "so that we can coordinate care in Indiana or another state that can provide the care they need," Nicole Erwin, a Kentucky-based Planned Parenthood spokesperson, told Axios.
Officials in Grand Rapids, Michigan, released videos on Wednesday showing a white police officer shooting and killing Patrick Lyoya, a Black man, after a traffic stop on April 4.
Driving the news: The newly released videos show the unidentified Michigan police officer lying on the back of Lyoya, 26, before he fatally shot him in the head. The videos show the police officer and Lyoya wrestling on the ground in the moments before the shooting, appearing to be fighting for control of the officer's Taser.
Just days after a verified account for Fox News appeared on former President Trump's social media app, Truth Social, a Fox News spokesperson says the network has nothing to do with the account.
Why it matters: Investors clearly would have viewed Fox News' participation as a boon for the struggling app.
The 2024 Democratic presidential primaries may look monumentally different from previous cycles after a Democratic National Committee panel voted Wednesday to give other states the chance to hold early primaries.
Why it matters: These early contests are often decisive in picking parties' nominees, giving some candidates breakout momentum going into Super Tuesday while hobbling others who underperform expectations.
The Justice Department and civil rights groups reached a partial settlement Wednesday in four lawsuits concerning the June 2020 removal of peaceful racial justice protesters from Lafayette Square in Washington, D.C.
Why it matters: The square became a focal point after police used tear gas and batons to clear the area before then-President Trump walked through the park near the White House to St. John's Episcopal Church for a photo op — though a watchdog later found that U.S. Park Police and assisting law enforcement did not clear the area for this reason.
Kentucky's Republican-led legislature voted Wednesday to override Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear's veto of a bill that would ban abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy with no exceptions for rape or incest.
Why it matters: The sweeping measure, passed in the Senate and House, means that state legislators have temporarily "suspended legal abortion access" across the state — effective immediately, per Reuters, though abortion providers said they would challenge this in the courts.
Voters in four states are getting a window into the future of their parties: new congressional districts drawn after the latest census have set up rare member-vs.-member primary showdowns this year.
Why it matters: The common denominator in five contests across the country is a battle between the more moderate and extreme wings of the Republican and Democratic parties. The results will give a preview of potential dynamics at play in the 2024 presidential race.
There are roughly 65 women running for governor across the country this cycle, with more Republicans than Democrats making the bid, according to data from the Center for American Women and Politics (CAWP).
Why it matters: More women than ever before are running for statewide offices, including governor, secretary of state and U.S. Senate. The 2018 midterm cycle was defined, in part, by a record number of women running for the House.
The political action committee linked to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is being criticized for pouring nearly $1 million into a TV ad campaign for a little-known, first-time candidate in a nine-way Democratic House primary still forming.
Why it matters: Unlike several others running for Oregon’s 6th District seat, that candidate, Carrick Flynn, has never held political office. And his nascent political career has been bankrolled by a cryptocurrency billionaire who’s given him a huge advantage by putting roughly $6 million behind his campaign, so far.
The Ronald Reagan Foundation and Institute issued a statement Wednesday expressing concern about the upcoming unconditional release of John Hinckley Jr., who attempted to assassinate former President Reagan in 1981 and now pursues a music career.
Why it matters: Hinckley, who seriously injured Reagan along with three others, was found not guilty by reason of insanity and sent to a mental health facility until 2016, when he was allowed to live with his mother. A federal judge ruled last year that Hinckley can be freed from all court supervision in June if he remains mentally stable and continues to follow rules that were imposed on him after he left the hospital.
