Florida Governor Ron DeSantis on Friday signed into law a bill revoking the special status of Reedy Creek, a municipal district operated by Walt Disney Co.
Why it matters: The vote is a victory for Republican governor Ron DeSantis, who for weeks has been battling Disney over the state's controversial Parental Rights in Education Law — dubbed by critics the "Don't Say Gay" law.
Why it matters: The pandemic-driven policy, which allows federal officials to turn back migrants at the border without the chance to seek asylum, is set to end May 23.
Civil rights groups on Friday filed a lawsuit against Florida state officials over the newly passed congressional map that they say "[diminishes] the voting power of Black residents."
Driving the news: The lawsuit alleges that the map, proposed by Gov. Ron DeSantis (R), violates the Fair Districts Amendment of the state Constitution. The provision prohibits legislators from drawing lines favoring specific political parties or incumbents.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) on Friday was being cross-examined in federal court about the Jan. 6 insurrection and comments she has made over the years, as she fends off a lawsuit brought by Georgia voters to kick her off the ballot.
Why it matters: The hearing offers a rare instance of Greene having to answer, under oath, direct questions about any foreknowledge or if she was directly involved in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.
White House national climate adviser Gina McCarthy is optimistic about enlisting Sen. Joe Manchin's help on a potential climate bill, she told Axios during an Earth Day event Friday.
Why it matters: Manchin has recently signaled that he'd support some climate provisions as part of a pared-down version of the Build Back Better Act, which failed in Congress after Manchin turned against it and Republicans solidly opposed it.
A super PAC aligned with Sen. Thom Tillis is spending six-figures on a hard-hitting ad going after his fellow North Carolina Republican, freshman Rep. Madison Cawthorn, records show.
Why it matters: The ad buy is the latest sign of discontent among powerful state Republicans with the hard-right Cawthorn, who's riled his colleagues most recently with comments about cocaine-fueled orgies in Washington.
House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy told GOP lawmakers in the days after the Capitol riot that former President Trump acknowledged he had "some responsibility for what happened," according to audio released Friday by two New York Times reporters.
Driving the news: "He told me he does have some responsibility for what happened and he needs to acknowledge that," McCarthy said on Jan. 11, 2021, during a House Republican conference call, per the audio released to CNN.
Former President Trump and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) spoke on the phone on Thursday after a recently released tape showed that the lawmaker planned to ask Trump to resign over the Jan. 6 deadly insurrection, the Washington Post reports and Axios has confirmed.
State of play: During the conversation, Trump did not seem upset about the contents of the tape and was thankful that McCarthy did not actually urge him to step down, per the Post.
Two New York Times reporters say that they "have a lot more" on tape after releasing audio of House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) saying he planned to urge President Trump to resign over the Jan. 6 riot.
Driving the news: "We have a lot more on tape from this period, which is at the highest levels of American politics. It is sensitive, it's delicate, and it's high-stakes, and we have it all on tape," the New York Times' Jonathan Martin told MSNBC's Rachel Maddow.
House Judiciary Committee Republicans on Friday demanded Twitter's board of directors preserve documents and other materials about their response to billionaire Elon Musk's takeover attempt.
Why it matters: The request signals the House GOP's plans to launch an investigation if they take the majority as part of a broader crusade against what they say is major tech companies' bias against Republicans.
Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) on Friday blasted House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy over a leaked phone call from January 10, 2020, in which McCarthy is heard saying he planned to urge President Trump to resign after the Capitol riot.
Driving the news: "While I was rallying in Wyoming against Liz Cheney … Kevin McCarthy was defending Liz Cheney among House Republicans … While Liz Cheney was secretly recording Kevin McCarthy for the New York Times," Gaetz wrote in a tweet.
J.D. Vance has spoken out strongly against H-1B visas as a Senate candidate in Ohio, but his history as a venture capitalist tells a different story.
Around three dozen companies in which Vance-affiliated funds invested, and in which he still has economic interests, have applied for the visas, which often are used by American tech companies to hire highly skilled foreign workers.
Why it matters: Vance and former President Trump are slated to appear together tomorrow night at a rally in Ohio, where H-1B visas are often used as rhetorical punching bags by candidates seeking to appeal to blue-collar workers.
Unless they appoint infrastructure coordinators — or czars — state and local governments risk squandering their shares of the trillions in public works money coming their way under the landmark Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, a new report from McKinsey & Co. warns.
Why it matters: Because of the historic opportunity to make huge and lasting improvements, the Biden administration has urged each state to name a point person and task force to administer the law, passed in November, which targets everything from clean water and high-speed internet access to bridge and road repair and public transportation.
But so far only a handful of states, like Delaware, Arkansas and New Mexico, have done anything of the sort.
The big picture: While the end of masking requirements for airlines and many airports was reportedly greeted with applause, this poll shows that most Americans — and even most Republicans — were fine with mask requirements and are largely unmoved by their demise.
Authors of a new book released audio of House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy saying he planned to urge President Trump to resign over the Jan. 6 riot — hours after McCarthy denied the account.
Why it matters: With the House GOP expected to win the majority in November's midterms, McCarthy — one of Trump's most unabashed allies — is on the doorstep of the Speaker's office. But if Trump turned on him, the Californian's path could be imperiled by the former president's loyalists in the GOP caucus.
Vice President Harris said Thursday that the U.S. must confront its "crisis on the issue of maternal health," especially the disproportionate rate of maternal mortality among Black women.
A number of 2022 Senate candidates — mostly Republican — are pouring millions of their own dollars into their primary campaigns.
Why it matters: While many might be the top source of cash for their race, it doesn't necessarily mean they'll emerge victorious. Some have been out-raised by potential Democratic rivals thus far in the primary process.
Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas has privately told members of Congress he's concerned with the Biden administration’s handling of its plans to lift Title 42 on May 23, sources familiar with the conversations tell Axios.
Why it matters: The private airings by Mayorkas, recounted by lawmakers, belie public posturing that the administration is prepared for a potential influx of migrants. The secretary is not only charged with protecting the border but overseeing the process of ending the Trump-era immigration control.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Thursday that Russia "must pay for violating global stability," calling for "a special tax for the war."
The big picture: Russia's unprovoked invasion has killed unknown thousands of soldiers and civilians since it launched on Feb. 24. More than 7.7 million Ukrainians have been internally displaced, according to the UN.
