White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Monday that President Biden's 2024 plans have not changed — he will run for re-election.
Why it matters: Biden has said that he intends to run in two years with Vice President Harris as his running mate if he remains in good health and if his predecessor campaigns again, but it hasn't quelled public scrutiny of his chances of winning again.
Idaho police said Monday they received multiple death threats after arresting 31 members of the white nationalist group Patriot Front near a Pride event over the weekend, according to multiple reports.
Why it matters: The majority of threats have come from outside the Coeur d’Alene community in Idaho, much like many of the Patriot Front members.
The Air Force's Office of Special Investigations (OSI) has cleared the crew operating the C-17 aircraft that lifted off as multiple civilians clung to the jet during the U.S.'s withdrawal from Afghanistan last year, Military.com reports.
Why it matters: Several people were killed after plummeting from the aircraft, which had been departing Kabul following the country's fall to the Taliban. OSI said it would review the incident upon discovering human remains in the plane's wheel well.
The Department of Education announced Monday that it has delivered $1.5 million in emergency funding to the Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District following the mass shooting at Robb Elementary School that killed 21 people, including 19 children.
Why it matters: The funding will go toward mental health services, on-the-ground recovery efforts, and technical assistance, including direct access to department personnel, as the community continues to mourn in the aftermath.
A number of story time events for children hosted by drag queens have been scrapped, or have seen organizers have to change venues, as the long-running events have become the latest flashpoint in a wave of anti-LGBTQ political organizing.
Why it matters: Drag Queen Story Hours, during which drag queens read children's books to kids, are aimed at fostering inclusive community spaces and have been happening for years with some blowback.
But a disturbance Saturday by men thought to have links with a far-right group at one of the events is shedding light on the recent hostility that has surrounded the book readings in some places.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) signed into law a series of abortion bills Monday that protect providers, as well as patients coming from out-of-state seeking to access the procedure, following strict restrictions enacted by some red states.
Driving the news: "My friends the sky is literally on the verge of falling in the next week or two and that’s why we are here today," Hochul said before signing the bills, referring to the upcoming Supreme Court decision that might overturn Roe v. Wade and other precedents that protect abortion access on the federal level.
President Biden on Monday signed into law a bill to establish a commission for studying the creation of a national museum dedicated to Asian Pacific American history and culture.
Why it matters: The move comes amid a nationwide push to teach Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) history in schools as the U.S. struggles to mitigate a years-long anti-Asian hate crisis. Experts say education is key to combating the stereotypes and misconceptions that drive anti-AAPI discrimination.
The Ukrainian government pressed major social media companies to crack down on Russian propaganda, records show.
Driving the news: Days after Russia's invasion, Ukraine's Digital Transformation Ministry enlisted a former White House official to press U.S. government officials and the companies themselves, according to newly released documents.
Why it matters: The committee's Day 2 goal was to reveal how deliberately the former president peddled election conspiracies and contradicted facts that were clearly presented to him.
They did so by having those closest to Trump in the aftermath of the election present the evidence themselves.
Former Attorney General Bill Barr advised former President Trump that there was zero evidence of widespread fraud in the aftermath of the 2020 election, telling the special committee investigating the Jan. 6 insurrection that his former boss had "become detached from reality if he really believes this stuff."
Why it matters: It's a damning moment for Trump, whose hand-picked attorney general has characterized the former president's election claims as “bulls**t,” "idiotic" and "complete nonsense" all in the span of the recorded deposition played by the committee.
Former President Trump, advised by Rudy Giuliani, agreed to falsely declare victory in the 2020 election when it "was far too early to be making any calls like that," Trump advisers testified during the second public hearing into the Jan. 6 insurrection.
Driving the news: "The mayor was definitely intoxicated," Jason Miller, Trump’s former spokesperson, said of Giuliani.
Former Fox News political editor Chris Stirewalt on Thursday defended the network's decision to call Arizona for now-President Biden on election night 2020.
What it matters: Fox becoming the first political desk to make the call for the state angered then-President Trump and his supporters and was a pivotal moment that all but confirmed he would lose reelection.
Louis Jacques Wilguens, a delegate from Haiti to the Special Olympics in Florida, was reported missing the Osceola County Sheriff's Office reported on Sunday.
Driving the news: Wilguens is the latest person missing from the Haitian delegation, after six members of the delegation were reported missing last week.
The Supreme Court ruled Monday that federal law does not require the government to grant specialized bond hearings to noncitizens who have been detained for six months.
The big picture: In the decision, with Justice Stephen Breyer as the lone dissent, the court said that bond hearings are not required to prove that the detainee "poses a flight risk or a danger to the community."
A bipartisan group of senators struck an agreement on gun safety over the weekend in what could be the most significant measure on the issue in decades if the legislation passes.
The big picture: The legislative text is still being written, but the agreement focuses on enhanced background checks for people under 21 and increased mental health funding.
Former Trump campaign manager Bill Stepien will not testify before the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol riot on Monday due to a "family emergency," the panel announced.
Driving the news: A source familiar with Stepien's thinking told Axios' Jonathan Swan that he was subpoenaed but did not want to testify and could hardly be considered a "friendly" witness.
The second of the Jan. 6 committee's public hearings will convene at 10 a.m. Monday for another day of testimony from key witnesses regarding the events around the Capitol riot.
Why it matters: The hearing will be focused on Trump's "Big Lie" — his declaring victory in the 2020 presidential election after being told he didn't have the numbers to win, committee aides said.
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet announced on Monday that she won't seek a second term.
Why it matters: The announcement comes amid blowback by genocide scholars and rights advocates criticizing Bachelet for her visit to China's Xinjiang region last month, which ended with Bachelet repeating, rather than denouncing, Chinese government propaganda about an ongoing genocide there.
Federal securities regulators have expanded their investigation into the planned merger between a blank check acquisition company and former President Trump's social media business, known as Truth Social, according to a Monday morning filing with the SEC.
Why it matters: Truth Social's financial prospects are heavily reliant on investment tied to the merger, which may never come to pass.
The likeliest matchupfor the 2024 election pits President Biden, who'll be 81, against former President Trump, who'll be 78.
Why it matters: Diversity and technology are making the workplace, home life and culture unrecognizable for many older leaders. That can leave geriatric leadership of government out of step with everyday life in America — and disconnected from the voters who give them power.
The Federal Reserve has "a decent chance" of helping the U.S. swerve a full-on recession, former Fed chair Ben Bernanke told CNN on Sunday.
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, per Axios' Neil Irwin and Courtenay Brown.
