President Biden's fist bump with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has swiftly brought backlash.
Driving the news: U.S. officials had determined that MBS was responsible for the 2018 murder of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi, a conclusion Saudi officials reject. The Post's publisher, Fred Ryan, on Friday said the fist bump "was worse than a handshake — it was shameful."
A Georgia Republican lawmaker who is a target of Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis' investigation into the 2020 election is calling on Willis to recuse herself from his prosecution.
Why it matters: State Sen. Burt Jones was among a group of false electors Republicans organized after Georgia's 2020 election to "certify" a victory for then-President Trump.
President Biden said from Jeddah on Friday that he raised the murder of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi at the top of his meeting with Saudi Crown Prime Mohammed bin Salman.
Why it matters: U.S. intelligence concluded MBS was responsible for Khashoggi's murder — an allegation Saudi officials deny.
Saudi Arabia has agreed to start discussions on direct flights from Israel to Jeddah for approved carriers for Muslim pilgrims in Israel wanting to participate in next year’s hajj, a senior U.S. official said after President Biden's meetings with King Salman and Crown Prince Mohamed Bin Salman on Friday.
Why it matters: It is the second step Saudi Arabia has taken towards normalizing relations with Israel since President Biden arrived in the region earlier this week. Late Thursday, the Gulf kingdom announced it will allow Israeli airlines to use its airspace.
Two months after a white teenager killed 10 Black people in a supermarket in Buffalo, New York, in what authorities say was a racially motivated hate crime, the store where the attack occurred reopened on Friday.
Driving the news: The event has been met with mixed feelings by community members. Some believe the market should have been converted into a different type of venue. Others maintain that Tops, the lone grocery store in the area, remains an essential resource for the community, AP reported.
The House on Friday passed a bill to protect people who travel out-of-state to access abortion care in a 223-205 vote, following last month's Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade.
Driving the news: House lawmakers also passed a bill that codifies abortion protections that used to be guaranteed by Roe into federal law. That law had already passed the House in 2021 but failed in the Senate.
President Biden shared a fist bump with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman after arriving in the Gulf kingdom for a high-stakes visit.
Why it matters: Biden once vowed to make the kingdom a "pariah," and U.S.-Saudi relations have been strained over a number of issues, including the murder of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi.
Jayland Walker, a 25-year-old Black man who police killed last month in Akron, Ohio, had 46 gunshot wounds, a preliminary autopsy report released Friday by the Medical Examiners Office in Summit County found, AP reports.
Driving the news: Walker "had several very devastating injuries that would cause death," said Lisa Kohler, the Summit County medical examiner, adding that Walker had injuries to his heart, lungs, ribs and arteries, per AP.
Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) claimed that he didn't close the door to a climate and energy package with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, but that he's ready to support a plan to lower prescription drugs costs this month.
Driving the news: Manchin used one of his favorite venues — a popular West Virginia radio show hosted by Hoppy Kercheval— to say that he simply wants more time before deciding on legislation that raises corporate taxes and invests up to $300 billion in clean energy.
Driving the news: "In light of the passing of Ivana Trump yesterday, we received a request from counsel for Donald Trump and his children to adjourn all three depositions, which we have agreed to," a spokesperson for New York Attorney General Letitia James said.
President Biden stressed in a speech after his meeting with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Bethlehem on Friday that a two-state solution based on the 1967 lines with agreed upon land swaps is the best way to achieve peace between Israel and the Palestinians.
Why it matters: Biden's address — the first time as president he laid out parameters for ending the Israeli-Palestinian conflict — was seen as a win for the Palestinians, who were hoping to get a diplomatic achievement from the president's visit in the form of a more detailed U.S. public position on the conflict.
The big picture: A chair was left empty at a joint press conference between Biden and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to honor Abu Akleh, who was killed in May while covering an Israeli military raid in the occupied West Bank city of Jenin. She was wearing a bulletproof vest marked "press" at the time.
The U.S. House Judiciary Committee is set to consider legislation next week that would ban certain semi-automatic weapons, the panel said Friday.
Why it matters: The proposed legislation, which comes after a spate of massshootings that killed at least 42 people in the past two months, is a rare step for the Judiciary Committee, which hasn't voted on an assault weapon ban in nearly three decades, Punchbowl News reports.
President Biden said Friday Saudi Arabia's decision to allow Israeli airlines to use its airspace "can help build momentum toward Israel's further integration into the region," including in Riyadh.
Why it matters: The historic decision marks the first time Saudi Arabia has allowed unlimited use of its airspace by Israeli airlines to fly to and from the country. Biden in a statement vowed to do all he can "through direct diplomacy and leader-to-leader engagement, to keep advancing this groundbreaking process."
Economic growth in China slowed sharply last quarter — with the economy expanding 0.4% from a year ago, the government said — as the country’s "zero COVID" policy spurred lockdowns in major cities that lasted for much of the three-month period.
Why it matters: Aggressive efforts to stamp out COVID-19 infections brought factory production and consumer spending to a crawl in the world’s second-biggest economy.
A judge in Colorado issued an arrest warrant on Thursday for indicted Mesa County Clerk Tina Peters, who's been accused of tampering with voting equipment.
Driving the news: Peters, who last month lost the Republican primary for Colorado secretary of state and faces 10 criminal charges including conspiracy, criminal impersonation, identity theft and official misconduct, had her bond revoked after records showed she left the state without permission to travel to a Las Vegas conference.
Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) has closed the door on a climate, energy and tax package, but remains open to a much smaller bill that focuses on deficit reduction, prescription drug reform, and funding for health care subsidies, according to people familiar with the matter.
Why it matters: Manchin’s offer will come as a bitter disappointment to the White House and his colleagues in the Senate.
The Biden administration welcomed Saudi Arabia's move to open its airspace to all civilian carriers, including flights to and from Israel on Thursday.
What they're saying: "This decision paves the way for a more integrated, stable, and secure Middle East region, which is vital for the security and prosperity of the United States and the American people, and for the security and prosperity of Israel," said national security adviser Jake Sullivan in a statement.
The chair of the Jan. 6 select committee on Thursday said the panel will try to ”reconstruct" deleted U.S. Secret Service text messages flagged by an agency watchdog.
Why it matters: The text messages were from Jan. 5 and 6 and may have contained evidence about key events related to the Capitol attack — the focus of the panel’s hearing next Thursday.
A mobile museum honoring children killed by gun violence headed to the home of Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) on Thursday.
Driving the news: The NRA Children's Museum — a convoy of 52 yellow school buses filled with items and 4,368 empty seats to represent the children killed by gun violence since 2020 — kicked off its campaign by visiting the Texas senator, who is a staunch opponent of gun control.
A new seven-figure ad campaign by a pro-Biden super PAC aims to boost the president's standing in a trio of battleground states where his flagging approval rating could drag down Democrats in key midterm contests, Axios has learned.
Driving the news: Unite the Country's 30-second spot addresses persistent economic turmoil, saying, "President Biden has a plan to bring America back" by fighting inflation, supply shortages and price gouging.
In one of the highest-profile gubernatorial battles in the country, Georgia Democrat Stacey Abrams is leveraging a vast pool of out-of-state money.
Why it matters: Abrams' fundraising profile — which consists of huge backing from wealthy coastal Democrats and a massive base of small-dollar support — is more typical of a leading national candidate than a gubernatorial contender.
Top Republicans, once confident about winning control of the Senate in the midterms, fear they'll blow it after nominating several deeply flawed candidates in winnable states, according to conversations with GOP strategists, pollsters and other officials.
Why it matters: Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has been sounding this alarm for months: electing fringe candidates with checkered pasts could squander a golden chance to reclaim power. Now, McConnell is left hoping for a red wave so wide and powerful that candidate quality is irrelevant.
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