If Donald Trump is once again elected president, he will enjoy a key asset absent from his 2017 White House transition: a sprawling infrastructure already preparing to staff a new administration and immediately enact major policies.
Why it matters: No such apparatus devoted to Trump's political brand existed in 2017. The fractious conservative movement of the time — split among Trump loyalists, reluctant hangers-on and outspoken opponents — fueled the internal dysfunction that plagued his early administration.
Republican women and candidates of color made historic gains in state legislative races across the country even as the national GOP struggled during the 2022 midterms.
Why it matters: Several highly touted GOP Latina Republicans failed in their bids for Congress thanks to connections to former President Trump, but women and candidates of color who ran on local issues in state races performed well.
Frank James, the man accused of carrying out a subway shooting in April, will plead guilty to terrorism and firearms charges in connection to the attack, according to a letter filed by his lawyers on Wednesday.
The big picture: James initially pleaded not guilty to one count of terrorism and one count of discharging a firearm during the assault but now "wishes to schedule a guilty plea," the letter said. The mass shooting in Brooklyn injured at least 23 people and led to a 30-hour manhunt.
The big picture: The report came a vote by the House Ways and Means Committee to publicly release Trump's tax returns from 2015 through 2020, ending the ex-president's multiyear effort to shield the information.
The Democratic-led House Ways and Means Committee voted Tuesday to publicly release six years of former President Donald Trump's tax returns.
Why it matters: The returns will give new details on the former president's personal finances that he for years tried to block — and come as he seeks another White House bid and is entangled in a number of separate investigations.
The Internal Revenue Service didn't audit former President Donald Trump's taxes during the first two years of his presidency, according to a report published Tuesday by a Democrat-led House committee.
The big picture: The IRS is required to conduct mandatory audits of a sitting president's tax returns. Just one audit was begun during Trump's presidency, and the IRS had yet to complete it when his term ended, per the House Ways and Means Committee report. There's no suggestion that he was trying to influence the IRS in the report.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will visit Washington on Wednesday to meet President Biden, hold a press conference at the White House and address a joint session of Congress, a senior administration official told reporters.
Why it matters: Zelensky had not left Ukraine since Russia launched its brutal invasion on Feb. 24. During the visit, Biden will announce another $2 billion in U.S. military aid including, for the first time, the Patriot missile defense system.
President Biden will announce during Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky‘s planned visit to Washington Wednesday that the U.S. will provide Ukraine with a Patriot missile defense battery, according to a senior administration official.
Why it matters: While the U.S. and its allies, including France and Germany, have provided various missile defense systems to Ukraine in recent weeks, the Patriot system will be the most advanced sent to the country since the war began.
Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.) on Tuesday blocked a unanimous consent request to pass a bill that would have set federal protections for IVF and other fertility treatments whose future remains uncertain in the post-Roe era.
The big picture: Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), who introduced the legislation, requested to pass it through unanimous consent — meaning the bill would have been considered passed if there were no objections — in response to concerns that abortion restrictions can apply to assisted reproductive technologies.
Senate Republicans on Tuesday shrugged off a vow from House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) to block the legislative priorities of any GOP senator who votes for the $1.7 trillion omnibus spending bill.
Why it matters: Senate Republicans are saying what their House counterparts can't — that McCarthy's tough talk is intended to win over the conservatives whose votes he needs to become speaker and that he won't follow through.
The Biden administration is plotting to make a fresh push on immigration reform in the new year, looking for ways to provide legal status for so-called "Dreamers" and increase the labor supply to help lower inflation, according to people familiar with the matter.
Why it matters: Biden’s political advisers know the situation at the border — with up to 14,000 migrants expected to be crossing every day if Title 42 ends — presents an urgent humanitarian emergency and a long-term political dilemma.
