Why it matters: Hearings, document dumps and deposition transcripts make for good media fodder, but Congress' real power over the other branches of government is its control of the federal purse strings.
In a matter of days, a grand jury in Manhattan could turn the 2024 campaign on its head by making Donald Trump the first former president in U.S. history to face criminal charges.
Why it matters: The state investigation into Trump's alleged hush money payments to porn star Stormy Daniels in 2016 may be the tip of the spear when it comes to the many legal threats bearing down on the former president — the front-runner for the 2024 GOP nomination.
Seven Virginia sheriff’s deputies were charged with second-degree murder Tuesday in connection with the death of a Black man at a state mental hospital, AP reports.
Driving the news: Irvo Otieno, 28, died last week while physically restrained during the intake process at a mental health facility, where he was being transferred to from county jail, Dinwiddie County Commonwealth’s Attorney Ann Cabell Baskervill said per AP.
The Texas Education Agency announced that it will take over the Houston Independent School District, ending a four-year legal battle.
Driving the news: TEA notified HISD of its decision Wednesday morning. TEA Commissioner Mike Morath said the takeover will help the state's largest school district get back on track.
Adult film actress Stormy Daniels met with prosecutors from the Manhattan district attorney's office, which is investigating former President Trump over hush money payments made to Daniels, she and her attorney said on social media on Wednesday.
Driving the news: The lawyer, Clark Brewster, tweeted that the two met with prosecutors at the request of the district attorney's office, and that Daniels "responded to questions and has agreed to make herself available as a witness, or for further inquiry if needed."
The big picture: Biden nominated Garcetti to be ambassador to India in July 2021. The ex-mayor's nomination was stalled over questions about how he handled allegations of harassment by his staff.
The Department of Justice arrested fugitive Chinese billionaire Guo Wengui, an associate of Steve Bannon, on Wednesday over multiple charges stemming from an alleged $1 billion fraud scheme.
Driving the news: Federal prosecutors in Manhattan allege Guo, who is also known as Miles Kwok, promised thousands of his online followers outsized returns if they invested in GTV and his other business entities.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) on Wednesday killed any hope House Republicans may have harbored about their sweeping energy package making its way through the Senate – much less becoming law.
Why it matters: It illustrates a dynamic that will become all too familiar by the end of the 118th Congress, with House Republicans passing party-line bills and the Democratic-led Senate putting up a firewall against them.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) on Wednesday slammed Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) for saying that defending Ukraine against Russia wasn't a "vital" national interest for the U.S.
Driving the news: "I have to wonder what he would’ve thought if he was around in the 1930s," Schumer said on the Senate floor.
First-time Latino voters are outpacing first-time non-Latino voters in Arizona, California, Florida, Nevada, New York, and Texas, according to a report first obtained by Axios.
The big picture: Nonpartisan and unaffiliated Latino voters are on the verge of becoming one of the biggest swing voter groups in the U.S. — raising the stakes for early and regular engagement from both parties.
Driving the news: The coalition alleges that the administration approved the project despite knowing the harm posed to Arctic communities, wildlife and climate, and argues that it will spew toxic emissions and greenhouse gas pollution, undermining President Biden's climate promises.
Both parties are drawing battle linesover the collapses of Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank, while acknowledging regulatory reform faces a steep — if not impossible — climb in Congress.
Why it matters: Democrats are preparing to introduce legislation that would reverse a GOP-led rollback of Dodd-Frank banking regulations in 2018 that many of them, including President Biden, see as a culprit for the bank failures.
