Axios

Students and staff will never return to the elementary school building in Uvalde, Texas, where a gunman killed 19 children and two teachers last month, the superintendent said Friday at a special school board meeting.

Driving the news: The decision to permanently shutter the Robb Elementary School building was shared Friday at what was the first meeting of the Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District Board since the mass shooting on May 24.

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D) was among the names found on a 'hit list' believed to belong to the person suspected of killing a retired Wisconsin judge, her office told the Detroit News on Saturday.

Driving the news: The suspect, identified to reporters by the Wisconsin DOJ as Douglas K. Uhde, is accused of killing former Juneau County Circuit Court Judge John Roemer in his home in what officials are calling a "targeted act." Multiple outlets have reported several public officials were on the list, citing unnamed law enforcement officials, but Whitmer is the first to confirm her name appeared.

Good afternoon, and welcome to the latest installment of our Climate Truths Deep Dive series. In this edition, we're looking at the local impact of climate change and how communities and leaders across the country are responding.

The House panel investigating the Jan. 6 riot questioned the Justice Department's "puzzling" decision to not indict former President Trump's chief of staff Mark Meadows or Dan Scavino, Trump's deputy chief of staff, for contempt of Congress.

Why it matters: The DOJ informed the Jan. 6 committee Friday it would not charge Meadows or Scavino, the same day the department indicted former Trump aide Peter Navarro on two counts of contempt of Congress after he refused to comply with subpoenas from the committee.

There's a growing divide within America's gun lobby, as groups representing firearms manufacturers and individual owners splinter over federal gun-control legislation and what gun culture means in an increasingly diverse country.

Driving the news: The National Rifle Association, the nation's leading but weakened gun rights organization, says a federal law to stop potentially dangerous people from obtaining weapons should be a non-starter. But the National Sports Shooting Foundation, the industry trade group that's a rising lobbying force, says it thinks there's a deal to be made.

Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney said that there is "absolutely a cult of personality around Donald Trump" in the Republican party, in a new interview with "CBS Sunday Morning."

Why it matters: Cheney, who serves as vice chair of the House Select Committee investigating the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, has been vocal in her criticism of former President Trump and congressional Republicans supportive of him. Trump has campaigned heavily for her primary opponent.

Businessman Dave McCormick officially conceded to Mehmet Oz in Pennsylvania's Republican primary, making Oz the official GOP nominee to run for the state's open U.S. Senate seat.

Driving the news: The extremely tight race between McCormick and Oz had gone into a recount but McCormick was still falling short. The Trump-backed Oz will face Pennsylvania's Lt. Gov. John Fetterman, who is recovering from a stroke, in November.

Rep. Chris Jacobs (R-N.Y.) announced Friday that he would not seek re-election for his seat after losing the support of his fellow Republicans for endorsing gun control measures following the Buffalo mass shooting that killed 10 people.

Why it matters: Jacobs' abandoning his re-election campaign is another sign of the GOP's entrenchment in gun rights and may serve as a warning for other Republicans as pressure mounts on Congress to pass new gun control legislation.

A federal grand jury has indicted former Trump administration aide Peter Navarro on two counts of contempt of Congress.

The latest: In his first court appearance on Friday, Navarro accused the prosecutors of misconduct, saying that he was allegedly not allowed to make a call from jail and that they did not contact his attorneys, which he had requested.

Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. John Fetterman (D) said Friday he needs "some more time" to recover from a stroke he suffered last month before he returns to actively campaigning for the state's open U.S. Senate seat and revealed he had ignored a heart condition.

Why it matters: Some state and national Democrats are worried about his absence from the trail, and he gave no solid timeline on when he may be able to return to campaigning in one of the most contested races in the country this midterm election cycle.

Marc Short, the then-chief of staff to former Vice President Mike Pence, warned the Secret Service on Jan 5th of a security threat to Pence, the New York Times reported.

Driving the news: The day before the Capitol riot, Short warned his top Secret Service agent, Tim Giebels, that former President Trump may turn against Pence "and there could be a security risk to Mr. Pence because of it," the Times writes.

Capitol police arrested a man outside of the U.S. Capitol on Friday morning with a fake badge, body armor and ammunitions.

Driving the news: Retired New York police officer Jerome Felipe, 53, was arrested after officers found a BB gun, two ballistic vests, several high-capacity magazines, and other ammunition in his car, Capitol police said in a announced.

Committee leaders in both the House and Senate are poised to introduce an online privacy bill, with key lawmakers releasing a bipartisan draft Friday.

Why it matters: The U.S. has lagged behind the E.U. and China in establishing national privacy rules for online platforms, but this bipartisan effort shows signs of life even as the looming midterms mark the unofficial end of legislating.

President Biden on Friday said there is a "possibility" he could visit Saudi Arabia on a trip to the Middle East, but he is not "going to change" his "views on human rights" in the kingdom.

Driving the news: The president was responding to questions from reporters about whether he was planning to visit Saudi Arabia and meet with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who U.S. intelligence has concluded is responsible for the murder of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi — an allegation Saudi officials reject.

Modest drug pricing reforms aren't likely to squelch pharmaceutical innovation or jeopardize the future health of Americans, researchers from the USC-Brookings Schaeffer Initiative for Health Policy write in a new post.

Why it matters: Drugmakers have long claimed that controlling the price of their products would result in fewer new cures — a "nuclear winter" argument that could be revived as Congress eyes a slimmed-down Build Back Better package that includes drug cost reforms.

Survivors and parents of victims of the May mass shootings in Uvalde, Texas, and Buffalo, New York, will testify before the House Oversight Committee next week to highlight the toll of gun violence, the committee announced Friday.

Why it matters: The hearing comes as Democrats, led by President Biden, are calling on Republicans in Congress to help pass new gun control legislation in response to the shootings.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk on Friday endorsed Rick Caruso, a former Republican turned Democrat, for Los Angeles mayor.

Driving the news: Musk, who called Caruso "awesome," said that it is "rare" for him to make political endorsements.

President Biden called on Congress to reinstate an assault weapons ban during his primetime speech to the nation Thursday in which he outlined his gun control agenda.

Why it matters: The previous federal assault weapons ban lasted for 10 years before it was allowed to expire, but it has often come up in discussions over gun control.

A House committee has launched an investigation into former Trump White House adviser Jared Kushner and a $2 billion investment in his private equity company from a wealth fund controlled by Saudi Arabia's crown prince.

Why it matters: House Committee on Oversight and Reform chair Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.) wrote to Kushner on Thursday, saying the panel was investigating "whether your personal financial interests improperly influenced U.S. foreign policy during the administration of your father-in-law, former President Trump." Kushner denies any wrongdoing.

White House officials are privately bearish Congress will pass anything substantial to limit guns.

Why it matters: Biden aides aren't under any delusion that a presidential speech will change deeply entrenched and structural obstruction on Capitol Hill.

Kuwait's government said it summoned a senior U.S. diplomat after the American Embassy posted a pair of tweets supporting LGBTQ+ rights in English and Arabic to mark Pride Month on Thursday.

Why it matters: Rights for LGBTQ+ people are severely restricted in Kuwait, but the embassy tweeted that President Biden is a "champion for the human rights" of LGBTQ+ people and "all human beings should be treated with respect and dignity and should be able to live without fear no matter who they are or whom they love."

New York's legislature passed a raft of new gun-safety bills on Thursday night, including a measure banning anyone younger than 21 from buying or possessing a semi-automatic rifle.

Driving the news: The legislation follows a spate of mass shootings in recent weeks, including an attack at a Buffalo, N.Y., supermarket in May that killed 10 people. An 18-year-old New York man is accused of using a semi-automatic rifle to carry out the shooting that the FBI is investigating as a racially motivated hate crime.

A teacher at Robb Elementary School is "heartbroken" after Texas officials made incorrect statements that she left a door propped open that allowed the Uvalde gunman to enter the school, her lawyer told ABC News on Thursday.

Driving the news: "It's traumatic for her when it's insinuated that she's involved, the door open," attorney Don Flanary, who represents the Robb Elementary School teacher, said. "She's heartbroken."

Congress hasn't budged on President Biden's pick for a key tie-breaking FCC seat as the clock ticks down on the chance for a vote.

Why it matters: Without confirmation of Biden's nominee, Gigi Sohn, the communications regulator will remain deadlocked — hobbling efforts to enact the administration's agenda of expanding broadband access and promoting digital equity.

Former President Trump and his allies, in conjunction with top House GOP leadership and conservative groups, have begun pulling documents and coordinating a behind-the-scenes effort to counterprogram the Jan. 6 committee's televised hearings this month, Axios has learned.

Why it matters: Republicans face a daunting challenge in the coming messaging war. The committee has been building toward this moment for months, hoping to use the blockbuster summer hearings to paint a vivid picture of how close Trump and his supporters came to subverting democracy.

Former President Trump endorsed election-denying venture capitalist Blake Masters in the Republican Senate primary in Arizona on Thursday after souring on two of his rivals.

Why it matters: In addition to being crucial for determining which party holds the Senate next year, Arizona has been ground zero for election conspiracy theories ever since President Biden eked out his 10,000-vote victory there in 2020.