The Respect for Marriage Act, a historic bill to codify the right to same-sex and interracial marriages, cleared its main obstacle on Tuesday after it passed the Senate — but the measure's provisions don't go as far as many had hoped they would.
Why it matters: Lawmakers crafted the legislation after Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas suggested the court reconsider Obergefell v. Hodges, which legalized same-sex marriage nationwide, in a concurring opinion overturning Roe v. Wade. The bill, which the Democratic-led House is expected to vote on in December, would not necessarily preserve the status quo as currently dictated by Obergefell.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) said Wednesday that it had erroneously posted on its website data identifying 6,252 asylum seekers in ICE custody.
Driving the news: The posted document, which included immigrants' names, case status and detention locations, stayed up on the website for about five hours, the Los Angeles Times reports. The disclosure could increase the level of threat to the asylum seekers, many of whom fled gangs and government retaliation to seek protection in the U.S.
The Treasury Department has made available six years of former President Trump's federal tax returns to the Democratic-led House Ways and Means Committee, a spokesperson confirmed to Axios Wednesday.
The big picture: House Democrats have been trying for years to obtain Trump's tax returns from the Internal Revenue Service as part of its investigation into the service’s presidential audit program, even as the former president fought for years to block its release.
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) on Wednesday told the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack to preserve its findings – including those that don’t make it into the panel’s final report.
Why it matters: The development is the latest indication that Republicans plan to launch an investigation into the committee’s work to counter-program the report, which is reportedly expected to focus on former President Trump's role in the violence and his efforts to overturn the election.
The House passed legislation Wednesday to avert a nationwide rail strike that President Biden warned earlier this week could "hurt millions of other working people and families."
Driving the news: The legislation now heads to the Senate, where time is ticking before Dec. 9 — the earliest date railway workers could strike if an agreement is not reached.
The hearing for Denver International Airport CEO Phil Washington to head the Federal Aviation Administration — which has been leaderless since late March — won't happen until next year.
Why it matters: It's the latest hitch Washington has faced since news surfaced in September that he was named in a criminal search in Los Angeles related to his time as CEO of LA Metro.
President Biden said Wednesday he will establish Nevada's Spirit Mountain, a sacred location to several Native American tribes, as a new national monument.
Why it matters: It was one of several new commitments Biden made to Native American nations at the White House's first in-person Tribal Nations Summit.
Indiana GOP Sen. Mike Braun has filed paperwork to run for governor of the state, opening up another Senate seat in 2024.
Why it matters: A vacant Republican Senate seat could impact the balance of power in the chamber, where Democrats have held onto a narrow majority, during the 2024 election.
Incoming Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said it was a "mistake" for Donald Trump to meet with rapper Ye (formerly known as Kanye West) and far-right activist Nick Fuentes, both of whom have made antisemitic remarks.
Why it matters: The remarks from Netanyahu, who is highly popular among Republicans, echo criticism from senior Republicans in Congress and several of Trump's former advisers.
Georgia has seen record-breaking early vote turnout ahead of its Dec. 6 Senate runoff between incumbent Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.) and Republican Herschel Walker.
Driving the news: The Peach State set a new record for daily turnout during early voting on Tuesday, after setting the previous record on Monday.
Compared to the decades and decades it took to dismantle Jim Crow laws or secure women's right to vote, America's about-face on same-sex marriage happened in the blink of an eye.
The big picture: Just 27% of Americans supported same-sex marriage in 1996, the year President Clinton signed the Defense of Marriage Act, which denied federal recognition to same-sex marriages.
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) met on Tuesday with key members of his conference — including several right-wing detractors — as part of an intensifying effort to cobble together the votes he needs to become speaker.
Why it matters: McCarthy is at risk of a humiliating and potentially career-ending defeat with just five weeks until the Jan. 3 speaker election, as several members of the right-wing House Freedom Caucus are still publicly vowing to deny him crucial votes.
Testimony from both defendants and witnesses during the Oath Keepers trial outlined how several were drawn to an extremist group that would ultimately play an outsized role in storming the Capitol to try to prevent Joe Biden from becoming president.
The big picture: A lack of stability, a desire for belonging and faith in misinformation were recurring themes as members of the Oath Keepers described their descent into radicalization.
A Marine reservist from New Jersey who stormed the Capitol during the Jan. 6 riot was sentenced Tuesday to 14 days of intermittent incarceration, per the Department of Justice.
Driving the news: Marcos Panayiotou, 30, was also sentenced to 36 months of probation and was ordered to pay a $1,500 fine and $500 in restitution.
This article originally appeared in Axios Finish Line, our nightly newsletter on life, leadership and wellness.Sign up here.
When considering what makes life meaningful, Americans across age, party and home state agree: It's family.
Why it matters: Watch cable news or scroll social media, and it might start to seem like we seldom agree on anything. But the power of family unites us.
House Democrats will meet Wednesday to coronate a new leadership triumvirate — capping years of meticulous planning that united a fractious party and defied stereotypes about Democratic infighting.
Why it matters: Outgoing House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) and Majority Whip Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.) reigned over the caucus for a generation. The new troika — average age 51 — is poised to shape the party for years to come.
Top U.S. officials are considering drastic measures — including barring some asylum seekers and surging prosecutions of illegal border crossings — in preparation for an end to the pandemic-era Title 42 border policy, Axios has learned.
Why it matters: Some of the ideas under serious consideration echo controversial immigration policies from the Trump administration. Others could expand legal avenues for migrants and asylum seekers in the region to enter the U.S.
Former President Trump insulted Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) in an interview with Fox News on Tuesday, calling him a "loser for our nation" after McConnell appeared to criticize his decision to have dinner with white supremacist Nick Fuentes and antisemitic rapper Ye.
Why it matters: The dinner has divided the GOP, with some playing it down and others denouncing the move. McConnell said Tuesday that anyone who meets with antisemites or white supremacists is "highly unlikely to ever be elected president of the United States."
