Axios

David Axelrod, chief strategist for former President Obama’s two winning presidential campaigns, told the New York Times in an interview that President Biden's age would be a liability if he runs for a second term in 2024.

Why it matters: Nearing the midterm, some Democrats are growing wary of Biden seeking a second term, especially given that former President Trump may seek to return to the White House, the Times reports.

The Seattle field division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) said Friday it was helping authorities in Oregon investigate a fire that was "suspicious in nature" at a pregnancy center run by a Christian organization.

Why it matters: The fire at the Gresham, Oregon, facility came after a similar anti-abortion facility in Eggertsville, New York, was damaged in an alleged arson attack earlier this week. That incident is also currently under investigation, according to the Buffalo News.

Then-Vice President Mike Pence’s legal team determined most of former President Trump’s claims of election fraud in the aftermath of the 2020 presidential election could not be verified, according to a newly obtained memo Politico published Friday.

Why it matters: The memo dates to the days before the Electoral College certification that Trump wanted Pence to block in his failed effort to overturn the election results.

My sister, a special education teacher in central Wisconsin, says it's never been harder, more stressful, more dangerous or more thankless to be a teacher. 

• She describes vividly what we all see unfolding online: a rise in depression, cursing, fighting, disrespect, disruption, violence and disengaged parents. "In 25 years, I’ve never seen it this bad," she says. 

The stakes: We’re staring down a severe staffing shortage in schools. Escalating burnout and stagnant wages are driving seasoned teachers out of classrooms, and fewer and fewer college kids want to become teachers.

Rep. Mo Brooks (R-Ala.) lashed out against former President Trump on Friday, saying he was "conned by Mitch McConnell" into endorsing Brooks' opponent in Alabama's Senate race.

Why it matters: Trump originally endorsed Brooks, but then pulled his support after the representative told supporters during an August rally to stop disputing the 2020 election results and to "put that behind you."

Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin reiterated the U.S.' support for Taiwan at a defense summit in Asia on Saturday, warning of a recent "steady increase" of Chinese military activity near the self-governing island country.

Why it matters: Austin's speech comes after China's defense minister Wei Fenghe told Austin on the sidelines of the summit that an independent Taiwan would leave the Chinese military with no choice but to "fight at any cost," according to the BBC.

A federal judge in Texas blocked a Biden administration policy that limited who authorities can arrest and deport, NPR reports.

Why it matters: The Biden administration's policy directed immigration authorities to prioritize serious threats to national security and people who recently crossed the border.

President Biden unveiled a sweeping declaration on Friday, with buy-in from countries from Canada to Ecuador, to help stem migration and promote welcoming policies throughout Latin America, the Caribbean and the U.S.

Why it matters: The move comes as record numbers of migrants continue to cross the U.S.-Mexico border. Biden announced the declaration at the Summit of the Americas despite the absence of heads of state in several key countries such as Mexico, Guatemala and Honduras.

A New York judge dismissed the National Rifle Association's claims that an investigation into allegations of fraud and mismanagement by state Attorney General Letitia James is politically motivated.

Driving the news: State Supreme Court Justice Joel M. Cohen said in a 14-page ruling that the NRA failed to make "any viable legal claims that the Attorney General’s investigation was unconstitutionally retaliatory or selective."

The office that regulates attorneys in the District of Columbia for ethical misconduct filed a charged against Rudy Giuliani on Friday over his false claims about fraud during the 2020 election.

Why it matters: The ethics charge from the disciplinary arm of the D.C. Bar brings Giuliani closer to completely losing the ability to practice law in the district, coming roughly a year after he was suspended from practicing in the state of New York over his erroneous claims involving election fraud.

Washington Commanders head coach Ron Rivera on Friday said he decided to fine the team's defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio $100,000 for his comments on the Jan. 6 deadly Capitol insurrection.

Driving the news: Earlier this week Del Rio referred to the Capitol attack as “a dust-up,” prompting the ire of fans, players and even some elected officials.

A judge in Texas on Friday temporarily blocked Texas state officials from investigating parents for child abuse if they seek gender-affirming care for their trans children.

Driving the news: The court granted a temporary restraining order to block Texas' Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS) from investigating families that are part of PFLAG National, an LGBTQ advocacy group that filed a lawsuit this week challenging a directive issued by Gov. Greg Abbott in February.

President Biden ditched former President Trump's red, white and blue paint design for the next version of Air Force One after a review found the paint scheme could increase costs of construction, AP reports.

Driving the news: “The Trump paint scheme is not being considered because it could drive additional engineering, time and cost," an administration official told Politico, which first reported on the news.

Several Latino members of Congress have asked Texas authorities to provide Spanish-language updates about the Uvalde mass shooting to the largely Latino community.

Driving the news: In a letter dated June 10, the lawmakers implored the Department of Public Safety to add Spanish-language updates about the shooting that that left 19 children and two teachers dead.

The U.S. government said Friday it has purchased an additional 300,000 monkeypox vaccines produced by Bavarian Nordic, adding to its current stock of around 72,000 doses, AP reports.

Why it matters: The U.S. has started shipping vaccines to multiple states to prevent the spread of the virus, which is endemic in parts of Africa but has recently started appearing in localized outbreaks in several European countries and several states in the U.S.

Three former officials with the Department of Justice will be witnesses at the Jan. 6 hearing next Wednesday, according to a new letter sent to the Jan. 6 committee.

Why it matters: The officials will discuss former President Trump's efforts to use the Justice Department as a weapon to stay in power, the New York Times writes.

There is no silver lining: May's inflation report is a disaster for the "soft landing" camp — policymakers and politicians hoping to tame inflation without an all-out recession. Prices rose 1% alone during the month, bringing the year-over-year increase to a fresh four-decade high.

Why it matters: The Fed will likely have to take more aggressive steps to cool demand broadly in the economy to tackle worsening inflation, which amplifies the risk of a sharp economic downturn.

Former Fox News editor Chris Stirewalt said Friday that he will testify at a Jan. 6 committee hearing next week.

Driving the news: "I have been called to testify before this committee and will do so on Monday," Stirewalt confirmed during an appearance on NewsNation, where he serves as a political editor.

Former President Trump made at least nine posts on his social media platform Truth Social on Thursday night and Friday morning to slam the prime-time Jan. 6 hearing.

Driving the news: "So the Unselect Committee of political HACKS refuses to play any of the many positive witnesses and statements, refuses to talk of the Election Fraud and Irregularities that took place on a massive scale, and decided to use a documentary maker from Fake News ABC to spin only negative footage," Trump wrote on Thursday night.

The U.S. will lift its requirement for air travelers to get a negative COVID-19 test before entering the country starting Sunday, the Centers for Disease Control announced on Friday.

Driving the news: The move goes into effect shortly after midnight on June 12, according to the CDC's statement.

The chief of the Uvalde school district police department, in an interview with the Texas Tribune on Thursday, defended the delay in officers confronting the gunman in last month's shooting that killed 19 children and two teachers.

Driving the news: Law enforcement officials in Texas, and Uvalde schools police chief Pete Arredondo in particular, have faced intense criticism over why it took so long for officers to confront and stop the Robb Elementary School shooter on May 24.

The Jan. 6 committee hearing on Thursday promised to prove former President Trump was responsible for the Jan. 6 Capitol attack.

Driving the news: “President Trump summoned the mob, assembled the mob, and lit the flame,” Vice Chair Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) said, before laying out a seven-point plan for how the panel will publicly show Trump tried to overturn the 2020 election and prevent the transition of power to President-elect Biden.

The Pentagon will no longer automatically ban people who are HIV-positive from joining the US military.

Driving the news: Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said in a memo the military updated its HIV policies due to "significant advances in the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of" HIV as the impetus for the policy change.

Two eyewitnesses to the Jan. 6 attack provided detailed testimony about what they saw and experienced during the riot to Thursday's primetime committee hearing.

Driving the news: "I was slipping in people’s blood," U.S. Capitol Police Officer Caroline Edwards, believed to be the first officer injured on Jan. 6, recounted.

The Department of the Interior plans to phase out single-use plastics by 2032 on its land and facilities, including the country's national parks.

The big picture: The announcement, made on World Ocean Day, said the department would find alternative materials to disposable plastics, such as cutlery, bags, cups, bottles, straws and food containers.

President Biden met with Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro for the first time on Thursday at the Summit of the Americas.

Why it matters: Bolsonaro, who has recently questioned the legitimacy of Biden's victory of Donald Trump and mocked Biden's age, only committed to making the trip to Los Angeles for the summit after Biden promised a bilateral meeting.

U.S. Capitol Police Officer Caroline Edwards, who is believed to be the first officer injured on Jan. 6, described the attack as "carnage" and "chaos" during her testimony during Thursday's hearing.

Driving the news: "I was slipping in people’s blood," Edwards recounted from that day. "It was carnage. It was chaos. I can’t even describe what I saw."

Mick Mulvaney, who served as former President Trump's White House chief of staff for more than a year, called video of the Capitol attack presented at a Jan. 6 hearing "stunning."

Driving the news: The footage laid out a play-by-play of Jan. 6, starting at 10am when Proud Boys marched at the Capitol, to Trump's Ellipse speech just after noon, to footage of violence at the Capitol.

Former Trump White House adviser Jared Kushner dismissed threats of resignation by White House counsel Pat Cipollone as "whining," according to a video played during Thursday's Jan. 6 committee hearing.

Driving the news: "My interest at that time was on trying to get as many pardons done," Kushner said, per the video played during the prime-time hearing.

Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.), the vice chair of the Jan. 6 committee, said during the Jan. 6 hearing on Thursday that Rep. Scott Perry (R-Pa.) contacted the Trump White House for a presidential pardon in the aftermath of the Jan. 6 attack.

Why it matters: The committee has spent the better part of a year gathering documents and testimony about what went on before, during and after the attack, with the hearings aimed at presenting that information to the public.

The Jan. 6 committee aired a closed-door video of former Attorney General Bill Barr's deposition to kick off the prime-time hearing.

Driving the news: "I told the president it was bull***t. I didn't want to be a part of it," Barr said.

Carl Paladino, a Republican running for Congress in New York, said Thursday that he was wrong to suggest Adolf Hitler was "the kind of leader we need today" in an interview last year, per the Washington Post.

Driving the news: Hiter "would get up there screaming these epithets and these people were just — they were hypnotized by him," Paladino said in a radio interview in February 2021. "I guess that’s the kind of leader we need today."