The Food and Drug Administration announced Wednesday it will look to help foreign producers of baby formula secure long-term authorization for the U.S.
Why it matters: This includes helping the producers meet minimum requirements to stay in the market. Doing so will give American shoppers more choices for baby formula, which will help avoid future shortages.
The Justice Department will take "appropriate action" in response to the fatal police shooting of Jayland Walker if the investigation reveals possible violations of federal law, President Biden said Wednesday.
The big picture: The shooting of Walker, a 25-year-old Black man, has led to a week of civil unrest in Ohio and is the latest incident to spur a nationwide discussion on police use of force, especially when it comes to people of color.
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp's campaign has raised $3.8 million over the past two months in his high-profile rematch against Democratic candidate Stacey Abrams, according to his campaign.
A new PAC the Republican incumbent controls has also brought in $3 million during the same timeframe, for a $6.8 million total.
$1.4 million of the money the PAC reported came from primary runoff funds already raised by the campaign.
Why it matters: The haul reflects the dynamics at play in this election, compared with Kemp and Abrams' 2018 matchup. At this point in 2018, Kemp was still in a tough primary runoff, with $2.9 million cash on hand.
The big picture: The survey, which was conducted the week after the court's opinion was issued, highlights what we already knew — that most Americans support a person's right to choose to end their pregnancy.
White House communications director Kate Bedingfield is expected to depart her role at the end of the month, Axios has confirmed.
Why it matters: Her exit is the latest in a string of departures from Biden's core political team and will be felt as the White House tries to minimize losses in November’s elections.
Jurors on Wednesday found a 32-year-old man guilty of first-degree murder in the 2019 fatal shooting of rapper Nipsey Hussle, the Associated Press reports.
Why it matters: Hussle, a 33-year-old rapper from California, was gunned down soon after the release of his major-label debut album "The Marathon," which earned him a Grammy nomination.
A new, nonpartisan group is organizing dinners around the country for friends and neighbors to gather around a pledge to protect American democracy.
Driving the news: Democracydinners.org launched over the July 4 holiday weekend. The partnership with Vote.org aims to allow guests to check their voter registration status or register to vote in real time.
President Biden plans to send WNBA star Brittney Griner a letter and is working to secure her release, he told Griner's wife, Cherelle Griner, in a phone call Wednesday.
Why it matters:Brittney Griner previously wrote a letter to President Biden asking him to help her and other American detainees in Russia. Biden read Cherelle Griner the letter he plans to send to Brittney, the White House said.
Highland Park shooting suspect Robert Eugene Crimo III told police that he "seriously contemplated" carrying out a second attack in Madison, Wisconsin, after fleeing Illinois, authorities said at a press conference Wednesday.
Driving the news: Crimo headed to Wisconsin after allegedly killing seven people at a Fourth of July parade but decided to drive back to Illinois, Lake County Major Crime Task Force spokesperson Chris Covelli said.
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) plans to challenge a subpoena served by the district attorney's office in Fulton County, Georgia, which is investigating former President Trump's efforts to overturn the 2020 election, according to a statement from his legal team.
Why it matters: Graham is one of the highest-profile figures District Attorney Fani Willis has subpoenaed to speak before a special grand jury focused on the investigation.
The Department of Education announced on Wednesday that it has started looking at ways to improve loan forgiveness programs for students defrauded by their schools.
Why it matters: The move is yet another step in the Biden administration's effort to improve the student loan forgiveness system, but the announcement does not mention the broad student loan cancellation that many progressives have called for.
Former President Trump's White House counsel Pat Cipollone will testify Friday in a closed-door, videotaped interview with the Jan. 6 committee, a source familiar with his plans told Axios.
Why it matters: Cipollone — a crucial witness to what unfolded inside the West Wing on Jan. 6 — was subpoenaed by the committee following former Trump White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson's blockbuster testimony late last month.
The Wisconsin Supreme Court on Wednesday ruled that Chrystul Kizer, who is accused of killing a man who allegedly trafficked her, can argue that she is immune from prosecution under state law.
Driving the news: Kizer told detectives that in 2018 she traveled to the home of the man she says trafficked her in Kenosha, Wisconsin. Upon her arrival, she became "tired of [him] touching her" and shot him, according to court documents.
A New York judge this week found real estate firm Cushman & Wakefield in contempt of court and ordered it to pay $10,000 a day after it failed to turn over documents subpoenaed in an investigation into former President Trump's business.
Driving the news: Justice Arthur Engoron ordered the fine, which is effective Thursday, after Cushman & Wakefield missed the deadline to produce documents and failed "to seek an extension in a timely manner," per a court filing.
Key House Republicans are threatening to subpoena records of the Jan. 6 committee if the GOP retakes the majority next year — an escalation of the party's effort to undercut the investigation's findings.
Why it matters: Fresh talk of 2023 subpoenas, following last week's vivid testimony by former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson, means the committee's "final report” expected this fall may be far from the last word on the Capitol attack.
The death toll from the shooting at a Fourth of July parade in Highland Park, Illinois has risen to seven, Deputy Chief Christopher Covelli of the Lake County Sheriff’s Office said Tuesday, the New York Times reports.
The latest: Authorities announced at a press conference Tuesday that Robert "Bobby" Crimo III had been charged with seven counts of first-degree murder.
Vice President Harris said Tuesday that "extremist so-called leaders" who refuse to ban assault weapons yet attempt to control women's bodily autonomy need "a civics lesson" to remind them "how a democracy works."
Democratic House campaigns in battleground districts across the country have seen a surge of donations — and new donors — in the wake of the Supreme Court's decision last month overturning Roe v. Wade.
Why it matters: The sudden influx is a bright spot for Democrats in what has otherwise been a difficult campaign marked by rising inflation and costs, potentially validating a strategy of focusing more heavily on abortion on the campaign trail.
There are no high court justices who identify as a person of color in 20 states, while women make up less than a quarter of the bench in 10 states, according to data from the Brennan Center for Justice.
Why it matters: State high courts rule on crucial cases ranging from how people can vote to whether district lines are gerrymandered to when women have legal access to abortion. With the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade last month, some activists see state supreme court elections this November as one of the last firewalls to protecting abortion access.
The ACLU is launching an unprecedented, multimillion-dollar midterms initiative aimed at influencing the makeup of state Supreme Courts and district attorneys in battleground states where abortion access is on the line, Axios has learned.
Why it matters: The Roe v. Wade reversal by the U.S. Supreme Court empowered states to decide abortion rights. Down-ballot races that rarely get national attention — in addition to a record number of abortion-related ballot measures — are now viewed as the last line of defense in the fight to protect reproductive rights.
