The Biden administration urged the Supreme Court Tuesday to let the Trump-era Title 42 border policy end as GOP-led states push to keep it in place — but requested a short pause on lifting it for operational reasons.
Driving the news: Title 42, which allows the U.S. to expel migrants at the southern border without the chance for asylum, had been set to expire Wednesday before the Supreme Court temporarily halted its termination to consider taking up the case.
The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) announced Tuesday that it seized over 379 million doses of potentially deadly fentanyl in 2022, including more than 50.6 million fentanyl-laced fake prescription pills and more than 10,000 pounds of fentanyl powder.
Why it matters: Fentanyl, a highly addictive man-made opioid that is 50 times more potent than heroin, is considered the deadliest drug threat in the U.S. — and a growing threat to teenagers.
Incoming House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) on Tuesday announced the selection of Rep. Suzan DelBene (D-Wash.) to lead the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee for the 2024 cycle.
Why it matters: DelBene will be tasked with winning back House Democrats' majority after a narrow loss to Republicans this year that saw the current DCCC chair, Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney (D-N.Y.), lose his own seat.
President Biden said on the sidelines of a Nov. 4 election rally that the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran is “dead,” but stressed the U.S. won’t formally announce it, according to a new video that surfaced on social media late Monday.
Why it matters: It's the strongest confirmation so far that the Biden administration believes there's no path forward for the Iran deal, which leaves key questions about the future of Tehran's nuclear program.
A bevy of proposals to limit Big Tech firms' power gave up their last gasp Monday night as Congress released the text of its year-end spending bill.
Driving the news: The spending bill, known as the omnibus, was the final ticket out of the 117th Congress to the president's desk. But major tech-related bills, including two that supporters were fiercely pushing for, failed to make it in.
U.S. congressional negotiators have reached an agreement on a proposed $1.7 trillion omnibus package to fund the federal government through the fiscal year ending in September 2023.
Why it matters: If lawmakers are to avoid the prospect of a shutdown and federal funds running out they must by the end of Friday debate and pass the 4,155-page measure, which could still be amended in the Senate and House.
A man who threatened to kill CDC director Rochelle Walensky has pleaded guilty to "making threats in interstate commerce," federal prosecutors said Monday.
Details: Robert Wiser Bates told FBI agents he called the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, Georgia, to leave threatening voicemails for Walensky in July 2021 that stated "he would kill Dr. Anthony Fauci as well," per a statement from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Mississippi.
New details of former President Trump's private conversations are among the revelations in the Jan. 6 select committee’s final report, portions of which were provided to Axios.
Why it matters: The evidence and testimony shed new light on key events from the Capitol riot and the events leading up to it, including Trump's wide-reaching efforts to overturn the 2020 election.
Even after 18 months of investigation and over 1,200 witness interviews, the House Jan. 6 committee released the executive summary of its final report Monday with several major questions lingering.
Why it matters: The committee's work has been historic, culminating in an unprecedented criminal referral against former President Trump on four charges. But gaps remain — largely as a result of roadblocks that special counsel Jack Smith must now overcome in his own criminal investigation of Trump and his allies.
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) was by far the most prolific senator on Twitter in 2022, beating his fellow Texas Republican John Cornyn by nearly 3,000 tweets, according to a new report from Quorum.
By the numbers: Overall, members of Congress tweeted less from Jan. 1 to Nov. 30 this year than in the same period in 2021 — sending 662,000 tweets, down from 709,000.
A provision in the defense bill passed by Congress requires the Department of Defense to collect crucial demographic data on programs training students to be commissioned officers.
Why it matters: The Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) is a significant pipeline for officers in all branches of the U.S. military, yet Black Americans and Latinos are underrepresented among officer corps.
