Attorney General Merrick Garland announced Thursday that he appointed Robert Hur, former U.S. attorney for the District of Maryland, as special counsel to investigate President Biden's handling of classified documents.
Driving the news: Although there is no indication of criminal wrongdoing by Biden, Garland said, Hur's appointment was indicative of the Justice Department's "commitment to both independence and accountability in particularly sensitive matters."
Attorney General Merrick Garland announced Thursday that he has appointed a special counsel to investigate President Biden's handling of classified documents after the end of the Obama administration.
Why it matters: The appointment of Robert Hur, former U.S. attorney for the District of Maryland, is designed to avoid the appearance of a conflict of interest. The move comes as former President Trump faces a separate special counsel inquiry over his hoarding of hundreds of classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago home.
Supporters of teaching about race and diversity in schools appear to be better prepared this year to fight the expanding conservative broadside on critical race theory.
The big picture: The battle against critical race theory, often conflated with teachings on systemic racism, is not letting up in public schools across the country.
For his second oath of office as Georgia governor, Brian Kemp selected a verse from Proverbs heavy with symbolism: "When the Lord is pleased with a man and his ways, he makes even his enemies live at peace with him."
Why it matters: Kemp begins his second term after surviving withering political attacks from former president Donald Trump two years ago, a Trump-backed primary opponent last year and a formidable, well-funded challenge in November from Democratic nominee Stacey Abrams.
The White House said Thursday that a second set of classified documents from when President Biden was vice president had been discovered at his Wilmington, Del. home.
The big picture: The announcement comes days after the White House confirmed that a batch of classified documents from his time as VP had been discovered in a private office space.
Taylor Dudley, a U.S. Navy veteran was released from Russian custody on Thursday after Russian border police arrested him in April 2022, according to former New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson.
Why it matters: Dudley was released through negotiations led by Richardson, who has worked to free Americans wrongfully held in Russia and around the world.
Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen on Thursday announced the appointment of his predecessor, Republican Pete Ricketts, to fill the U.S. Senate seat vacated by Ben Sasse.
The big picture: Ricketts was seen as the heavy favorite to succeed Sasse, having given Pillen hefty financial support in last year's Republican gubernatorial primary over a Trump-endorsed rival.
Sen. Joe Manchin’s chief of staff, Lance West, is joining the American Petroleum Institute as vice president of federal affairs, Axios has learned.
Why it matters: As Manchin’s top aide for the last two years, West knows the politics – and the players — of the energy and climate change debates. His hiring indicates that API is preparing to play offense and defense in the new Congress.
U.S. consumers got a reprieve from soaring costs in December: the Consumer Price Index declined on a monthly basis, the first drop since last summer as falling prices for items including gasoline and used carsdragged the overall index down.
By the numbers: The index, which captures price changes across a basket of consumer goods and services, fell 0.1%, following an increase by the same amount in November. Over the past 12 months ending in December, the index is up 6.5%, falling from 7.1% through November.
U.S. Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Suzanne Clark, in an annual "State of American Business" address, on Thursday will say business "demands better from our government."
Driving the news: "Because when it comes to Washington, the state of American business is fed up," Clark will say.
The Biden administration is leaning toward making its executive order on U.S. investments in China more focused and targeted than some of the earlier suggestions, Axios has learned.
Why it matters: Imposing new controls on U.S. companies and investors looking to develop and support Chinese projects will mark another escalation in the U.S.-China relationship.
Despite official insistence that fears of a ban are unfounded, conservatives are suddenly championing gas stoves in a new culture war.
Why it matters: Mounting scientific evidence points to a link between a higher risk of respiratory problems and gas stoves — the prevalent means of cooking in roughly 47 million American households.
Rep. Nick LaLota (R-N.Y.) on Wednesday called for fellow Long Island Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.) to resign over revelations he fabricated major portions of his resume and background while on the campaign trail.
Why it matters: LaLota adds to a growing chorus of New York Republicans demanding Santos resign amid an array of probes into his financial disclosures, campaign finances and outstanding legal issues.
First lady Jill Biden returned to the White House Wednesday evening after surgeons removed a cancerous lesion from above her right eye and another one from her chest, the White House said.
Driving the news: The lesion on her right eye was "fully excised, with margins, and was sent for standard microscopic examination," the president’s physician, Kevin O’Connor, said in an update after the procedure.
People experiencing long COVID may see their symptoms ease within a year, per a study published in BMJ medical journal Wednesday.
The big picture: The outcome of this new study may provide some hope for the millions of people left newly disabled during the pandemic with a lingering illness that has no effective treatment.
Virginia Republicans' defeat in a state Senate special election Tuesday night has left Gov. Glenn Youngkin at a political crossroads, threatening to derail the national ambitions of one of the GOP's most promising rising stars.
Why it matters: Youngkin's efforts to build a robust governing record ahead of a possible 2024 presidential campaign — including closely watched plans for a stricter abortion ban — are at risk.
Top Republicans are performing a balancing act between fully embracing Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.) and abandoning him to a flurry of investigations and calls to resign.
Why it matters: It’s another headache that House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) doesn’t need right now as he tries to get his razor-thin GOP majority off the ground following a chaotic speaker battle last week.
A historic string of air, rail and supply-chain meltdowns has plagued Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg's first two years in office, placing him — for better or worse — at the center of crises affecting millions of people.
Why it matters: A modest Cabinet role has become a political albatross for one of the Democratic Party's brightest young stars. Republicans have sought to make Buttigieg the face of the transport disruptions, while Democrats say his crisis leadership is proving his political mettle.
The Federal Aviation Administration said Wednesday it traced the mass system outage that temporarily grounded all domestic flight departures earlier that day to a "damaged database file."
Driving the news: The agency added that there was "no evidence of a cyber attack" and that it is "continuing a thorough review to determine the root cause," per a statement.
