President Biden had a phone call Friday with the sister of Paul Whelan, an American who has been detained in Russia for more than three years.
Driving the news: Biden told Elizabeth Whelan that the United States will work to bring home her brother, WNBA star Brittany Griner and other detained Americans from Russia, per a White House official.
The FBI and British domestic security agency MI5 warned Friday that domestic terror cases are increasingly carrying an international component as extremists draw inspiration from neo-Nazism and racist attacks across borders, the Washington Post reports.
Why it matters: FBI Director Christopher Wray previously testified that the U.S. domestic terrorism caseload has "exploded" in size since spring 2020. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas has called domestic violent extremism the "single greatest terrorism-related threat" in the U.S.
The assassination of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe left the world reeling on Friday as people grappled with how the shooting happened in a country with strict gun laws and one of the lowest homicide rates.
Why it matters: Gun violence in Japan stands in stark contrast to the U.S., with only one firearm-related death in all of 2021, the New York Times reports.
A state judge on Friday lifted an order temporarily blocking Louisiana's abortion trigger bans from being in effect — nearly all abortions are now illegal in the state.
Driving the news: Louisiana's trigger laws had been blocked since June 27, after abortion providers sued the state over the bans, which they had said violated the state's constitution.
A police officer armed with a rifle watched the gunman in the Uvalde elementary school shooting walk toward the campus but did not fire while waiting for permission from a supervisor to shoot, according to a report released Wednesday.
Driving the news: Some of the 21 victims at Robb Elementary School, including 19 children, likely “could have been saved” on May 24, according to a report by the Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid Response Training (ALERRT), a Texas State University training center for active shooter situations.
The House plans to vote on bills to protect abortion rights and crack down on mass shootings when members of Congress return from recess next week.
Why it matters: The votes are in response to two major events that rocked the country during Congress’ two-week break: the Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson overturning Roe v. Wade, and a July 4 mass shooting in Illinois.
Border Patrol agents on horseback acted unprofessionally, unsafely and used unnecessary force toward Haitian migrants last September, but did not strike them with horse reins, according to a 500-page report released by the Department of Homeland Security and Customs and Border Protection on Friday.
Why it matters: Images and videos of border agents on horses chasing and grabbing Haitian migrants near the Rio Grande River went viral and sparked national outrage.
President Biden on Friday signed an executive order aimed at protecting abortion access after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade.
Why it matters: Biden has faced intense pressure from his own party to act more aggressively on abortion. Many conservative states had "trigger laws" in place that banned or severely limited abortions in the days following the ruling and more bans are expected.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution has been subpoenaed by prosecutors in Fulton County, who have launched a criminal investigation into former President Trump's efforts to overturn the results of Georgia's 2020 elections.
Driving the news: The AJC reported that the grand jury is seeking to access the full recording of a call that took place in January 2021 between then-U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Georgia, Bobby Christine and his staff.
Stacey Abrams, the Democratic nominee for Georgia governor, has raised $22 million during the past two months of her campaign, more than 3x the fundraising by her opponent, Republican Gov. Brian Kemp.
Why it matters: Kemp and Abrams' fundraising numbers reflect what a different kind of election this rematch is. For the same period in 2018, Abrams reported raising $2.8 million, with $1.5 million in cash on hand.
Wisconsin's conservative-led Supreme Court ruled Friday that absentee voter drop boxes are illegal under the state's constitution.
Why it matters: The ruling is a victory for Republicans. Many in the party, including former President Trump, have falsely alleged the 2020 election was rigged and that ballot drop boxes may facilitated voter fraud.
What he's saying: "Really BAD NEWS FOR THE WORLD! Former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is dead. He was assassinated. His killer was captured and will hopefully be dealt with swiftly and harshly," Trump said on his social media platform, Truth Social.
A House committee is launching an investigation into companies' handling of reproductive health data in the aftermath of the Supreme Court's decision overturning Roe v. Wade.
Americans' confidence in newspapers and television news has plummeted to an all-time low, according to the latest annual Gallup survey of trust in U.S. institutions.
Why it matters: The erosion of trust in media is one of the most significant signs of deepening polarization in America.
Divisions in U.S. society worsened significantly after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, according to the latest Axios-Ipsos Two Americas Index.
Why it matters: From December through May, our national survey found a small window in which Americans were feeling more in common with one another — perhaps because of shared opposition to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The June findings slammed that window shut.
The big picture: Like Walker, Blake and Taylor were both victims of police shootings. All three incidents have sparked protests over law enforcement's use of force against Black Americans.
The Cleveland police officer who fatally shot 12-year-old Tamir Rice in 2014 resigned from his new police post on Thursday, two days after being sworn in.
Driving the news: Former officer Timothy Loehmann was hired as the only police officer in the small Pennsylvania town of Tioga this week, sparking backlash, the Washington Post reported.
