Axios

The House plans to vote Thursday on removing Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) from the Foreign Affairs Committee after House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) flipped several votes in his favor.

Why it matters: McCarthy made several concessions to dissenting members of his conference in order to get them on board — a tactic that has become a hallmark of how he governs his narrow majority.

Former Minneapolis officer Tou Thao's attorney argued in a court filing Tuesday that his client is innocent and should be acquitted of all state charges in the murder of George Floyd, including aiding and abetting murder and manslaughter.

The big picture: Thao, who held back bystanders while his fellow officers restrained Floyd as he died, is the last of the four former Minneapolis officers to face judgement for the killing.

A group of 20 Republican attorneys general warned CVS and Walgreens on Wednesday that they could face legal consequences if they begin mailing and distributing abortion pills.

The big picture: Nearly a month after the FDA made a regulatory change allowing retail pharmacies to offer abortion pills, the attorneys general told the big pharmacy chains that selling mifepristone — which is used in medication abortions — is "unsafe and illegal," per a press release.

The FBI is investigating embattled Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.) for his alleged role in a fundraising scheme for a disabled U.S. Navy veteran’s dying service dog, Politico reports.

The big picture: Santos is facing a myriad of allegations and several investigations after he was accused of making sweeping fabrications on the campaign trail. Amid ongoing pressure, Santos temporarily recused himself from his committee assignments Tuesday.

Tyre Nichols was remembered by friends, family, community members and activists at a funeral Wednesday in a Memphis, Tennessee, church.

Driving the news: Vice President Kamala Harris, Rev. Al Sharpton — who delivered the eulogy, as he has for other Black people who have died because of police violence — other White House officials and political figures and the director Spike Lee attended the funeral.

Democrats are sending a former Trump impeachment lawyer and several longtime oversight members to sit on the newly created Republican-led House subcommittee investigating the "weaponization" of the federal government.

Why it matters: The weaponization committee will be a highly visible vehicle for Republicans to probe the Justice Department and FBI after a series of congressional and special counsel investigations implicated Republicans.

Details continue to emerge in the probe into classified documents discovered from before President Biden took office.

The big picture: At least three high-profile members of the White House have now been found in possession of classified material at their homes or offices in recent months. Both Biden and former President Trump are the subjects of DOJ investigations related to their handling of government records.

The FBI did not find any documents with classified markings during its Wednesday search of President Biden's home in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, as part of the ongoing probe into his handling of classified documents, according to Biden's personal attorney.

Driving the news: "The DOJ took for further review some materials and handwritten notes that appear to relate to his time as Vice President," Bob Bauer said in a statement.

About a quarter of U.S. states have banned or restricted abortion since Roe v. Wade was overturned. But elsewhere, lawmakers are moving to ensure that access to the procedure remains guaranteed, and to accommodate out-of-state providers and patients.

The big picture: There are currently at least 25 states and Washington, D.C., which have measures in place to protect abortion access.

President Biden will host Jordan's King Abdullah II for a private lunch at the White House on Thursday, a spokesperson for the National Security Council confirmed to Axios.

Why it matters: Thursday's visit, the king’s third to the White House since Biden assumed office, comes amid rising tensions in the occupied West Bank and Jerusalem.

The College Board on Wednesday released curriculum for its new Advanced Placement African American Studies course, excluding some of the content that infuriated Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R).

Why it matters: The outrage over the curriculum underscores the ongoing battles against critical race theory — a topic that is often conflated with teachings on systemic racism.

Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) on Wednesday signaled she’s been repeatedly chastised by House Republican leadership for her recent willingness to buck the party line in public comments.

Why it matters: It’s the latest example of just how fragile House Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s (R-Calif.) position is as he leads a narrow majority.

Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) is cheering the prospect of multiple candidates entering the GOP's 2024 presidential primaries.

Why it matters: "I think [former President Trump] needs to come before the American people ... and build a case," Tillis said at an Axios News Shapers event on Wednesday.

The House is preparing to vote on a resolution to remove Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) from the Foreign Affairs Committee as soon as Wednesday after Republicans found a way to bring a key GOP holdout on board.

Why it matters: House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) looks to be on the cusp of avoiding another destabilizing defeat just weeks after his speaker election went to a historic 15 ballots.

The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame's nominees for its class of 2023 includes a wide range of artists — from a country icon to a transcendent female rapper.

Driving the news: This year's ballot features 14 nominees, the fewest since 2010.

Nikki Haley is expected to announce her 2024 presidential campaign on Feb. 15 in Charleston, South Carolina, according to a person familiar with her plans.

Why it matters: Haley, 51, had said she wouldn't run against former President Trump. Now she is.

President Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy enter their talks on the debt ceiling today with remarkably similar lines about each other: Nice guy, but totally captive to his party’s base.

Why it matters: Biden and McCarthy, who will meet at the White House this afternoon, are leaving space for their relationship to develop, but ready to blame any failure to get along — or get a deal on raising the debt ceiling — on the other’s internal party dynamics.

In celebration of Black History Month, we wanted to find out what happened to D.C. sites listed in the “Negro Motorist Green-Book.” From the 1930s through the mid-1960s, the guides served as encyclopedias of businesses and resources across the country that welcomed Black travelers.

• We’ll highlight a few sites throughout February.

Why it matters: Traveling while Black has long been dangerous in America. Green Books made it safer to be on the road, including in northern states where it was harder to decipher which places were off-limits to Black visitors.

📍This week’s stop: Whitelaw Hotel, 1839 13th St. NW, U Street Corridor 

Then: The apartment-hotel on D.C.’s Black Broadway, as 14th and U was then known, was built in 1919. It doubled as a home for Washingtonians and as short-term accommodations for celebrities including Duke Ellington. 

• In its heyday, the Whitelaw was a point of pride for Black residents (some purchased shares in the hotel) who could enter through the front door, as opposed to coming through the back.
• The building was designed by Isaiah T. Hatton, one of the first Black architects in the country.

Now: The Whitelaw deteriorated in the wake of Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination and rioting that gripped the neighborhood. It was restored in the early '90s. 

• Today the building is home to affordable housing. 

The first wave of House Republicans' politically hot investigations of the Biden administration starts today.

Driving the news: The Oversight Committee will question officials on alleged fraud and abuse in pandemic assistance, while the Judiciary Committee will hear from local officials about Biden's handling of issues on the Southwest border.

Secretary of State Tony Blinken publicly reminded Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of the values of democracy this week  — reflecting just how concerned the Biden administration is about the new Israeli government's plan to overhaul the country's judicial system.

Why it matters: It's rare that the U.S. weighs in on domestic legislation of such a close ally. But Blinken's public remarks — albeit diplomatic and polite — urging Netanyahu to get a broad consensus on the judicial overhaul plan highlights the growing anxiety U.S. officials have about what the legislation could mean for Israel's democracy.

Nearly 30% of educators in red states that limit discussions of Black history say they've altered their curriculum, according to a new survey of teachers.

Why it matters: Conservative-led states' and school districts' bans on so-called critical race theory have led some teachers to scrap once-noncontroversial Black history lessons for fear of being fired or shamed on and social media.

Nine Republican-led states asked a federal judge in Texas Tuesday to strike down a Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program rule that protects undocumented immigrants who were brought to the U.S. as children.

Driving the news: The latest lawsuit challenging the Obama-era policy seeks to halt protections for renewing deportation protections and work permits for the immigrants, known as "Dreamers," and phase out the program over two years, arguing that the rule which affects some 800,000 people is unlawful.

New York Attorney General Letitia James' office asked a judge to sanction former President Trump and related parties on Tuesday, accusing them of making "demonstrably false" denials in response to the state's civil fraud lawsuit.

Why it matters: The attorney general's office is seeking the sanctions against the former president, his three elder children, the Trump Organization and their attorneys to prevent delays in the lawsuit, according to a letter to the judge from Kevin Wallace, attorney for James, accusing the defendants of "frivolous conduct."

Some Democrats are looking past a divided Washington for action on police reform in light of the killing of Tyre Nichols, choosing instead to put their hopes in state and local officials.

Why it matters: Activists and lawmakers have little hope that D.C. will deliver meaningful legislation — especially after Democrats couldn't pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act while they had the majority.

Four men were extradited to the U.S. and charged for their alleged involvement in the assassination of former Haitian President Jovenel Moïse, the Department of Justice announced on Tuesday.

Driving the news: Two Haitian-American citizens, James Solages, 37, and Joseph Vincent, 57, and one Colombian citizen, German Alejandro Rivera Garcia, 44, were each charged with conspiring to commit murder or kidnapping outside the U.S.

An overwhelming majority of voters in Rep. George Santos' (R-N.Y.) district say the embattled lawmaker should resign as he continues to take heat for allegedly making sweeping fabrications on the campaign trail, according to a Newsday/Siena College poll.

Why it matters: Santos, the target of several investigations, temporarily recused himself from his committee assignments on Tuesday. The new polling shows his constituents — both Democratic and Republican — want him to step down entirely.