Axios

The U.S. and Canada have struck a new agreement that will allow them to divert some asylum-seekers amid a surge in entries at the northern border.

Driving the news: The deal closes a legal loophole that allowed migrants traveling from the U.S. to Canada to apply for asylum if they used unofficial crossings — and vice versa.

President Biden on Friday said the U.S. will "act forcefully" to protect its troops and other personnel in Syria after a drone strike by suspected Iranian proxies in the northeast part of the country killed an American contractor and wounded five American service members and another U.S. contractor.

Details: A U.S. intelligence assessment determined that the "one-way unmanned aerial vehicle" that struck a maintenance facility on a coalition base near Hasakah on Thursday was "of Iranian origin," per a U.S. Defense Department statement issued late Thursday.

Asian Americans' psychological state over the last few years has been one of hypervigilance and pretending — constantly having to act as if everything is "business as usual" even amid high-profile anti-Asian attacks and the aftereffects of collective trauma, health advocates and experts tell Axios.

Driving the news: Though Asian Americans have always faced racism in the U.S., the spike in anti-Asian hate of the last few years has brought on a crisis of its own.

Two freshman House Democrats will be part of a congressional delegation led by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) to the D.C. jail — where Jan. 6 riot defendants are being held.

Driving the news: A spokesperson for House Oversight Democrats said progressive Reps. Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas) and Robert Garcia (D-Calif.) "will cut through Republicans’ attempts to whitewash the dangerous realities of Jan. 6."

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) suggested in a new interview that he's more interested in being president than being vice president to former President Trump if asked.

Why it matters: The rising GOP star has been in an escalating war of words with Trump, as they are likely to face off for their party's '24 presidential nomination.

TikTok's future in the U.S. is most likely to be determined by the courts, rather than by politicians, executives or influencers.

Driving the news: Congress gave the social media company no quarter yesterday, in a four-hour hearing that mostly vacillated between moral panic and red scare.

A Pennsylvania woman who was accused of helping rioters steal a laptop from then-Speaker Nancy Pelosi's office during the U.S. Capitol riot was sentenced on Thursday to 36 months in prison, the Department of Justice announced.

Driving the news: Riley June Williams, 23, of Harrisburg, was sentenced in Washington, D.C., for "interfering with law enforcement officers during a civil disorder, and resisting or impeding law enforcement officers, both felonies, as well as four related misdemeanor offenses," per a DOJ statement.

Utah became on Thursday the first state to enact legislation that restricts children and teens from using social media without their parents' consent.

Driving the news: Gov. Spencer Cox (R) signed two bills into law aimed at limiting when and where anyone younger than 18 years old can interact online, and to stop companies from luring minors to certain websites.

The Senate Ethics Committee admonished Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) on Thursday for using interviews at the Capitol to solicit campaign donations.

Why it matters: It's an uncommon move by the panel, which is less active than its House counterpart. The last senator to receive an admonishment was Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) in 2018.

Some of Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell's (R-Ky.) Republican colleagues say his absence from the Senate could be a problem if he doesn't return in the coming weeks.

• McConnell was treated for a concussion and a minor rib fracture after falling at a fundraising dinner this month. After he was discharged from the hospital last week, his office said he would undergo physical therapy at a separate facility before returning home.

TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew joined the illustrious club of Big Tech CEOs paraded before Congress for a public flogging, producing a viral spectacle that has hardened lawmakers' animus toward the Chinese-owned app.

Why it matters: The Singapore-born, Harvard-educated Chew faced a near-impossible task as he was grilled by the House Energy and Commerce Committee on TikTok's ties to the Chinese government, data practices and harmful effects on children.

The World Athletics Council voted Thursday to ban athletes who are transgender women "or who have Differences of Sexual Development" from competing in elite track and field competitions.

The big picture: The new rule follows similar bans on transgender athletes competing in elite women's competitions, including swimming.

The father of a Parkland shooting victim was arrested Thursday after disrupting a congressional hearing on gun regulations in Washington, D.C.

Driving the news: While Rep. Pat Fallon (R-Tex.) was speaking about gun regulations, Manuel Oliver, whose 17-year-old son Joaquin Oliver was killed in the 2018 mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, yelled "you're full of s--t, all of you," video footage shows.

TikTok's CEO Shou Zi Chew defended the company Thursday from charges that it poses a national security threat in a hearing before lawmakers who fiercely advocated for banning the popular short-video app.

Why it matters: The White House and TikTok's critics in Congress say the app, which has 150 million U.S. users, puts their data at risk because TikTok is owned by ByteDance, a Chinese company.

It was a near-perfect split screen: As lawmakers ripped TikTok in a congressional hearing with the company's CEO on Thursday, the app’s users took to the platform to defend it.

Driving the news: A hashtag — #tiktokhearing — garnered 2.8 million views as of 3:30 pm.

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office on Thursday rebuffed a request from top House Republicans for testimony and documents about his investigation into former President Trump.

Why it matters: Bragg’s response leaves Republicans with little room to maneuver in their effort to dent the probe’s credibility — forcing them to decide whether to venture into the uncharted territory of subpoenaing a local prosecutor.

Attempted book bans in 2022 nearly doubled from 2021, hitting an "unparalleled" 20-year record, according to new data from the American Library Association (ALA).

Why it matters: There were more than 1,250 book challenges at school and public libraries in 2022, suggesting that the recent surge in attempted book bans is not abating.

The White House is accusing House Republicans of wanting to "defund or abolish" law enforcement, according to a statement first obtained by Axios.

Why it matters: It's the latest example of the White House's new aggressive strategy to counter Republicans' sprawling investigations and attacks on Democrats over the issue of crime.

The Biden administration has a simple response to the army of TikTok influencers who swarmed Capitol Hill yesterday: The app can stay — if ByteDance agrees to sell it.

Why it matters: The White House is under intense pressure from Republicans — and President Biden's fellow Democrats — to protect the nation from potential security threats posed by the Chinese ownership of TikTok, the wildly popular app with 150 million active users in the U.S.

Antisemitic incidents in the U.S. jumped to a record level in 2022, up 36% from the year before, an annual audit by the Anti-Defamation League shows.

Why it matters: It's the third time in five years that reported episodes of antisemitism — from the distribution of hate propaganda to threats, slurs, vandalism and assault — were the most on record since the ADL began tracking such incidents in 1979.

A U.S. District Court judge in Wyoming on Wednesday temporarily blocked a statewide abortion ban that came into effect over the weekend, according to multiple reports.

Driving the news: Judge Melissa Owens granted a restraining order due to a wider lawsuit challenging the state's new law that prohibits abortion at all stages of pregnancy except in cases of rape or incest, or to save a pregnant person's life, and another banning abortion pills that's due to take effect in July, per the New York Times.

House Republicans are expanding their investigation into Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's probe of former President Trump by seeking testimony from two prosecutors who resigned from the D.A.'s office last year.

Why it matters: It demonstrates a sustained effort by Republicans to undermine Bragg's case amid reports that an indictment over hush money payments Trump allegedly paid to adult film actress Stormy Daniels could be imminent.

Armed Russian jets have flown over a U.S. military base in Syria almost daily this month, a top American general told NBC News on Wednesday.

Why it matters: The move by Russia could violate a 4-year-old agreement with the U.S. and lead to escalation between the two countries.

Schools across the U.S. are increasingly moving to recognize Ramadan — a month on the Islamic calendar dedicated to fasting, prayer and community — and bolster support for Muslim students.

Driving the news: Muslim students in dozens of cities have in recent years pushed schools to recognize the holy month of Ramadan the same way other religious holidays are recognized. Those calls have increased as the Muslim population in the U.S. continues to grow — Pew Research Center projected in 2018 that Islam could be the U.S.'s second-largest religion by 2040.