The 5th Circuit Court of Appeals on Wednesday affirmed a lower court decision declaring the Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program unlawful but allowed it to remain in place for existing DACA recipients for now.
Why it matters: More than 800,000 immigrants who were brought to the U.S. as children have been shielded from deportation through DACA, which has faced several legal challenges. The case now goes back to the lower court for review of the Biden administration's DACA final rule.
Days after a bombshell allegation rocked Georgia Senate hopeful Herschel Walker's campaign Monday, he has reported his best fundraising quarter yet: more than $12 million in the last three months.
Why it matters: Republicans view Georgia as essential to gaining a Senate majority in November, and the fundraising attention shows it.
President Biden said Wednesday during a visit to survey damages from the deadly Hurricane Ian in Florida that "the one thing this has finally ended is the discussion about whether or not there's climate change, and whether we should do something about it," referencing devastating weather events in recent months.
Driving the news: Biden met with Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, who during earlier remarks praised state, local and federal coordination in the wake of the storm making landfall in his state last week.
An appeals court on Wednesday granted a motion from the Department of Justice to fast-track its appeal in the special master case involving documents seized in the FBI's search at Mar-a-Lago.
Driving the news: "Having consulted with the Chief Judge, the appeal will be assigned to a special merits panel from the classified appeals log randomly selected by the Clerk," per the filing.
The White House announced Wednesday its plan to protect borrowers from scammers as the administration gears up to roll out its application for student loan forgiveness.
Driving the news: The efforts include "educating borrowers about how to protect themselves against scams and accelerating efforts to share scam complaints with states," the White House said.
Why it matters: The trip, which the White House has said will be "above politics," comes as DeSantis has steered clear of his usual provocations — against Biden and the media — as the hurricane has battered his state.
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (R) has raised a staggering $28.7 million in the last three months, between his campaign and PAC.
Why it matters: Kemp has $15.4 million cash on hand, according to his campaign. He heads into the final stretch of his reelection campaign against two-time Democratic opponent Stacey Abrams with more fundraising power than he's ever had at his disposal.
The estimated number of violent crimes in the U.S.decreased slightly in 2021, according to statistics released by the FBI — but the data is incomplete.
Why it matters: The figures from President Biden's first year come as Republicans seek to make crime a major issue before the midterms, an issue that polls show voters give an edge to the GOP.
A federal judge ordered Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) to testify in a lawsuit related to abortion rights funding in a reversal from a previous ruling that quashed the subpoena.
Driving the news: "The Court will not sanction a scheme where Paxton repeatedly labels his threats of prosecution as real for the purpose of deterrence and as hypothetical for the purposes of judicial review," U.S. District Judge Robert Pitman wrote in the filing on Tuesday.
"Disturbing accounts" are emerging of torture, widespread enforced disappearances and the arbitrary detention of Ukrainian civilians in territories controlled by Russian forces, United Nations human rights monitors warn.
The big picture: The update to the UN Human Rights Council raising concern about a "dire human rights situation" in Ukraine came as Ukrainian forces recaptured more territory in the east and south, in areas Russian President Vladimir Putin has claimed to have annexed into Russia.
Russian President Vladimir Putin signed laws Wednesday claiming the annexation of Ukraine's Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Donetsk and Luhansk regions into Russia.
Why it matters: Russian officials have said the four annexed regions would have Moscow's "full protection," hinting that nuclear weapons may be an option.
The U.S. and South Korean held joint live-fire military drills in response to Pyongyang's longest-range ballistic missile test that caused alarm in Japan as it flew over the country on Tuesday.
Driving the news: The U.S. Indo-Pacific Command tweeted that the exercises were designed to "showcase combined deterrent & dynamic strike capabilities" after the North Korean military's first missile launch over Japan in five years and its fifth test in just over a week.
Public attacks from Herschel Walker's son have drawn fresh attention to fears about his troubled past that many Republicans have privately shared since the beginning of his candidacy for U.S. Senate in Georgia.
Driving the news: "You have no idea what me and my mom have survived," Christian Walker, a 23-year-old conservative influencer, posted in a viral video Tuesday. "We could have ended this on Day One."
President Biden has trimmed his own wings, flying less for domestic political purposes — and hosting fewer out-of-town fundraisers — than his two most recent predecessors in corresponding midterm cycles, according to data analyzed by Axios.
Why it matters: Air Force One can confer unrivaled advantages for sitting presidents looking to take center stage, drive local news coverage and raise money for their parties or targeted candidates all at once.
