Axios

Some House Republicans are fretting about whether they'd be able to pass a watered-down version of their debt ceiling bill once the terms are negotiated with Senate Democrats and the White House, Axios has learned.

Why it matters: House moderates say House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) and GOP leadership aren't doing enough to tamp down expectations with the right-wing Freedom Caucus — harming the chances for any compromise bill.

The Biden administration announced Friday a plan to allow Afghan refugees who fled their homes for safety to temporarily extend their time in the U.S. as they face uncertainty about their future.

Why it matters: Thousands of refugees, many of whom served alongside American troops as interpreters during the decades-long war, faced the prospect of soon having to return to Afghanistan — now in the Taliban’s draconian grip.

The Department of Defense on Friday signed a long-awaited policy to make it easier for service members to access mental health care.

The big picture: The policy implements the Brandon Act, signed into law by President Biden in 2021, as the military continues to grapple with mental health issues and suicide within its ranks.

President Biden is attempting to capitalize on the unpopularity of GOP-led book bans, pushing them alongside abortion rights and Social Security as key issues for his fledgling re-election campaign.

Why it matters: Biden's camp sees the restrictions as a window to counter what he's framed as MAGA extremism, per Democratic strategists.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) signed a bill Friday that gives the board he appointed the power to nullify an agreement that the Walt Disney Co. had made to retain authority over developments in its Orlando resort.

The big picture: It's the latest move in an ongoing feud between the governor and Disney, which was sparked by the entertainment giant's opposition to the state's controversial Parental Rights in Education Law — dubbed by critics the "Don't Say Gay" bill.

The White House announced Friday that Rochelle Walensky will be stepping down as director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Driving the news: Walensky, who has served as CDC director since the beginning of the Biden presidency in 2021, "has saved lives with her steadfast and unwavering focus on the health of every American," President Biden said in a statement.

Neera Tanden will replace Susan Rice as the head of the Domestic Policy Council, according to Biden officials familiar with the move.

• Stef Feldman, senior adviser to Rice and a longtime Biden aide, will replace Tanden as staff secretary, the important post that controls the flow of paper into the Oval Office.

Why it matters: It further boosts Tanden in the Biden White House after she started the administration with a failed confirmation battle to lead the Office of Management and Budget.

Between the lines: Tanden's portfolio will include economic mobility, racial equity, health care, immigration and education, according to the White House.

• Feldman, a Biden loyalist who was policy director on his presidential campaign and worked for him during the Obama administration, now will help oversee the presidential decision-making process for the economic, national security and domestic policy teams.

What they're saying: "While growing up, Neera relied on some of the critical programs that she will oversee as Domestic Policy Advisor, and I know those insights will serve my administration and the American people well," President Biden said in a statement.

• "I look forward to continuing to work closely with Neera in her new role."
• On Feldman's new position, Biden said: "Stef is one of my longest-serving and most trusted advisors....I have now asked her to serve as staff secretary because I know I can trust her to ensure that I am equipped with the best advice and counsel.”

A bipartisan group of House members on Friday reintroduced major police funding legislation that last Congress fell just short of becoming law, Axios has learned.

Why it matters: The bill offers vulnerable lawmakers in both parties an opportunity to distance themselves from political attacks over calls from the right and left to "defund" certain law enforcement agencies.

Top aides to President Biden have clashed with Hunter Biden's team over strategies for dealing with the legal battles and Republican attacks that surround the president's son.

Why it matters: The tensions led Hunter — without involving the president's top aides — to hire prominent lawyer Abbe Lowell in December, as part of a plan to take a more combative approach than the White House and Hunter's previous lawyer had taken.

Republicans focused on the 2024 elections are trying to cast House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries as a far-left liberal — much as they did with Nancy Pelosi and Barack Obama — but they're struggling to make the label stick.

Why it matters: Portraying Jeffries as a leftist bogeyman is a stretch, given his 10-year record in the House as a moderate. But with Pelosi no longer the House's most powerful Democrat, Republicans are zeroing in on the Brooklyn Democrat.

A drive-by shooting in Serbia late Thursday left at least eight people dead and 10 others wounded, state media report.

The big picture: The attack near the town of Mladenovac, south of the Serbian capital, Belgrade, was the second mass shooting in two days in a country that the BBC notes has 39.1 firearms per 100 people due to the Balkan wars of the 1990s, but where mass shootings are rare.

New York and California officials are jointly investigating the NFL over allegations of workplace discrimination and a "hostile work environment" at football league offices, the states' attorneys general announced Thursday.

Driving the news: New York Attorney General Letitia James and California A.G. Rob Bonta are investigating potential violations of federal and state pay equity laws and anti-discrimination laws, as the NFL faces several pending lawsuits filed by women who used to work for the league.

Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra said Thursday "gun violence is tearing the American family apart" as he confirmed a CDC employee died in this week's mass shooting in Atlanta.

Driving the news: Becerra said in a statement that officials were "still trying to process this heart-breaking news" of Wednesday's shooting that killed CDC worker Amy St. Pierre and injured four other women, per The Hill.

The Free Speech Coalition, a trade association for the adult entertainment industry, filed a federal lawsuit Wednesday challenging Utah's new age verification law.

How it works: The state law, which took effect Wednesday, requires adult websites to verify the age of their users in order to access their platforms.