A judge on Wednesday issued a temporary restraining order to keep the pandemic-era public health policy Title 42 in place, according to court documents.
Driving the news: "This is a huge victory for border security, but the fight continues on," Missouri's Attorney General Eric Schmitt wrote on Twitter Monday after a judge had stated his intention to grant the order.
Former President Trump feared that protesters throwing tomatoes, pineapples and other "very dangerous" fruits could have killed him at campaign rallies several years ago, according to newly unveiled court documents Tuesday.
Driving the news: Trump's comments stem from a videotaped deposition he gave in October 2021 related to a lawsuit filed by a group of protesters against the former president's security staff, who they accused of assault.
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) has been at the center of controversy on Capitol Hill after the New York Times released audio of a phone call made in the days after the Jan. 6 attack where McCarthy can be heard disparaging former President Trump and blasting several of his conference members for dangerous rhetoric.
The big picture: McCarthy, one of Trump's staunchest allies, is on the verge of becoming House speaker after November's midterms. But his path to success relies on stalwart conservative support: Defections from too many GOP members could scuttle his chances. Here's what's happened so far in the aftermath of the tapes:
A number of young and prominent Trump-appointed judges are writing their opinions with provocative language, diving into the culture wars in ways offering an audition for a future Supreme Court opening.
Why it matters: Most judges who are would-be justices try to avoid controversy, preserving themselves for a confirmation hearing. But with the specter of former President Trump mounting another run for office, their opinions may not only create opportunity but curry favor with the person who could fulfill their ambitions.
After the White House announced that Vice President Harris tested positive for COVID-19, her spokesperson Kirsten Allen revealed that Harris would be taking Paxlovid, Pfizer's antiviral pill.
The big picture: Paxlovid is authorized to treat those who are at high risk of developing severe COVID, including cases that lead to hospitalization or death. Harris is 57, and the CDC says that adults aged 50 and older are more likely to get severely ill with the virus.
Richard Olson, a former U.S. ambassador to Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates, has been criminally charged for his alleged role in an undisclosed lobbying campaign for the Qatari government, records show.
Driving the news: Prosecutors accuse Olson, a career foreign service officer who served as an ambassador under President Barack Obama, of courting foreign work while in office and using his political influence to advance Qatari interests in Washington after leaving government.
House Democrats alleged in a new report Wednesday that senior Trump administration officials overruled Department of Defense officials in awarding a $700 million pandemic relief loan to a trucking company.
Why it matters: The loan received by the company, YRC Worldwide (now named Yellow Corp.), represented 95% of the total disbursed funds under the CARES Act national security loan program, according to the Democratic staff of the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis.
House Republicans are closing ranks around Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy after the New York Times published audio of a call four days after the Capitol riot in which he voiced support for some of his members losing access to Twitter.
Why it matters: McCarthy's path to the speakership — should his party win back the House in November — is perilous, and defections from too many conservative members could scuttle his chances.
Lis Smith — one of the most experienced and irreverent Democratic strategists in the land — will be out July 19 with a raw memoir that follows her from college internships to her star turns as adviser to Pete Buttigieg, Eliot Spitzer, Andrew Cuomo and Terry McAuliffe.
The title, "Any Given Tuesday," puts an Election Day twist on the "Any Given Sunday" truism about the NFL.
A Myanmar military court sentenced the country's ousted leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, to five years in prison on Wednesday, in the first of 11 corruption cases against her, per Reuters.
Why it matters: It's the latest verdict in a slew of cases brought by Myanmar's junta that could see the 76-year-old deposed leader imprisoned for the rest of her life.
Southern California officials on Tuesday declared a water shortage emergency for the first time ever and imposed unprecedented outdoor water usage restrictions on the region's roughly 6 million residents due to the ongoing drought.
Driving the news: After California recorded its driest start to the year on record, residents in parts of Los Angeles, Ventura and San Bernardino counties will be required to restrict outdoor watering to one day a week, per a statement from the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (MWD), the largest supplier of treated water in the U.S.
Former President Trump's fine of $10,000 per day for contempt of court must start on Tuesday, a New York judge ruled.
Driving the news: N.Y. state court Judge Arthur Engoron said in a written ruling the former president had "willfully disobeyed" his earlier order to turn over documents to N.Y. Attorney General Letitia James for her investigation into the Trump Organization, per Bloomberg.
Trump denies any wrongdoing and will appeal the contempt ruling and the fine, CNBC notes.
The International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) on Tuesday stripped Russia of hosting rights for the 2023 men's ice hockey world championship, citing "concern for the safety and well-being of all participating players, officials, media and fans."
U.S. diplomats have returned to Ukraine for the first time since Russia launched its unprovoked invasion, State Department spokesperson Ned Price said Tuesday.
Martial law has been declared over 60 times in the nation's history but not by a president since the Civil War, according to extensive research from the Brennan Center.
Why it matters: It's a widely misunderstood law that's gotten more attention in the Trump era — most recently after leaked texts from the Jan. 6 committee's investigation showed Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) discussing whether then-President Trump should have invoked it following the Capitol riot.
The Jan. 6 committee's intentional effort to build suspense for its blockbuster hearings is being undercut by a deluge of unauthorized media leaks.
Why it matters: The public now has an incomplete picture of the committee's closed-door work through a combination of court filings and leaks of thousands of documents and private conversations.
