In a landmark ruling, Washington, D.C. won a permanent injunction Wednesday against Polymer80 after a judge ruled the company was illegally selling ghost gun parts in the city and falsely telling consumers it was legal.
Driving the news: Polymer80, one of the largest manufacturers of ghost guns in the U.S., was permanently barred from selling unserialized, untraceable firearms to D.C. residents.
The Justice Department is investigating the Southern Baptist Convention for its handling of sex abuse cases after an independent review found evidence of a cover-up among leaders.
Driving the news: The federal probe comes amid controversies about systemic problems of clergy sexual abuse, racism and the mistreatment of women. Survivors were "met, time and time again, with resistance, stonewalling, and even outright hostility," the SBC-commissioned review found.
The House of Representatives on Friday passed Democrats' $740 billion tax, health care and climate bill, which now goes to President Biden's desk for his signature.
Why it matters: The bill's passage notches a big legislative victory for Democrats with the midterms approaching and delivers on several long-standing liberal policy goals.
The U.S. National Archives and Records Administration on Friday rejected former President Donald Trump's claims that former President Barack Obama took classified documents from the White House.
The big picture: After the FBI searched Trump's Mar-a-Lago home on Monday — finding 11 sets of classified documents — the former president made unsubstantiated claims that Obama also took records.
Why it matters: The unsealed warrant and inventory provides a glimpse into the items seized during the search and what potential crimes the Department of Justice is investigating, including those related to Trump's handling of presidential records.
House Republicans are planning to try to open up Democrats' $740 billion tax, climate and health care bill to a legal challenge after it passes, Axios has learned.
Why it matters: The move is Republicans' way of showing their base that they're going to great lengths to kill the legislation, which is likely to be unanimously opposed by House Republicans.
The FBI agents who searched Mar-a-Lago on Monday removed 11 sets of classified information from the Trump property, including some marked as "top secret," the Wall Street Journal reports.
Why it matters: The inventory — which was reviewed by the WSJ along with the warrant from the search — confirms the FBI removed classified documents that were only meant to be kept in secure government facilities.
After former President Trump said the warrant authorizing the FBI to search his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida should be publicly released, the Department of Justice told the court Friday that his lawyers won't object to releasing the documents.
Driving the news: Responding to Merrick Garland's request to a federal court earlier Thursday to unseal parts of the warrant that the attorney general personally approved, Trump said in a statement: "Release the documents now!"
Florida has moved to prohibit transgender residents from using Medicaid to pay for gender-affirming care.
The big picture: Florida joined at least 10 other states — including Texas, Arizona and Missouri — in barring residents from using Medicaid to pay for the medications and surgeries prescribed to those diagnosed with gender dysphoria, the Washington Post reports.
A judge on Friday reportedly denied a request to dismiss the Manhattan tax fraud case against the Trump Organization and its longtime chief financial officer, Allen Weisselberg.
Why it matters: Friday's denial allows the case to move forward to a trial in October, the New York Times reports.
The affidavit in support of the search warrant for former President Trump's Mar-a-Lago residence remains under seal, Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.) said Friday during a press conference urging the Justice Department to release more information.
The big picture: The affidavit would lay out details about the investigation, including what prosecutors believed was the probable cause to warrant the search in the first place, the New York Times notes.
The armed man who attempted to break into the FBI building in Cincinnati has been identified as Ricky Shiffer, the Ohio Department of Safety said Friday.
Why it matters: Shiffer, who was shot and killed after a standoff with police, was allegedly at the U.S. Capitol during the Jan. 6 insurrection, the Associated Press reports. He was not charged with any crimes related to Jan. 6.
San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins has been in the hot seat this week following an income disclosure showing that she received over $100,000 from a nonprofit linked to the effort to recall her predecessor, Chesa Boudin.
Why it matters: The recent revelations raise ethical concerns around whether Jenkins intentionally misled the public about her role in the recall.
The filing deadline for municipal races passed on Wednesday, and there's a lengthy list of local candidates to consider before November's election.
Why it matters: These are the people in your backyard who make a lot of decisions for and about your city — like how your tax dollars are spent and what's built in your neighborhood.
South Korea's president on Friday pardoned Jay Y. Lee, Samsung Electronics' de facto leader who served 18 months in prison after being convicted of bribery and embezzlement.
Why it matters: The pardon will enable Lee, the grandson of Samsung's founder, to formally take the helm of the electronics giant at a critical moment as South Korea's government seeks to recover the country's pandemic-hit economy in the face of surging inflation.
Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.) told WGN-TV in an interview published Thursday he has no regrets about standing up to former President Trump, but he thought more Republicans would speak out.
Driving the news: Kingzinger called on Trump in November 2020 to stop spreading "debunked misinformation" about the presidential election and criticized him for calling for an early end to ballot counting.
An armed man who tried to break into the FBI building in Cincinnati on Thursday leading to a lockdown in the nearby area has been shot and killed by police.
Driving the news: The man, whom officials have yet to publicly identify, was wearing body armor. He was shot after he raised a gun toward officers around 3:40pm, according to Ohio State Highway Patrol.
The number of online news articles and social media interactions about Mehmet Oz, the Republican nominee for U.S. Senate in Pennsylvania, has exceeded his Democratic rival John Fetterman's metrics for most of the year.
Why it matters: That's not necessarily a good thing. Oz is polling at an average of 10 points below Fetterman in what should be one of the most closely contested Senate seats in the nation.
Florida swing voters in our latest Engagious/Schlesinger focus groups said the FBI's search of Mar-a-Lago was justified — and that it would be a "serious crime" if former President Trump did take classified documents from the White House.
Why it matters: Trump's GOP allies are almost universally echoing his unsubstantiated claims of law enforcement overreach or politicization. The aggressive rhetoric may be boosting Trump's base support and fundraising, but it's not cutting through for this mix of Democrats, independents and Republicans who once backed him.
Politicians, public officials and even obscure bureaucrats are becoming inured to the new normal of today’s polarized America: constant threats of violence inflamed by highly charged political rhetoric.
Why it matters: The Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol demonstrated how easily tensions can boil over into devastating political violence. And the problem is only getting worse.
