Vivek Ramaswamy and Nikki Haley have reached a critical fundraising threshold to qualify for GOP presidential primary debates well into the fall, Axios has learned.
Why it matters: For candidates who are not former President Trump or Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, the debates are a crucial marker and opportunity to propel themselves further along in the race and expand their fundraising.
Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) said Friday he will run for re-election to his House seat in 2024 rather than running to succeed retiring Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.).
Why it matters: The high-profile ranking member of the House Oversight Committee and former Jan. 6 committee member would have been an instant frontrunner for the seat.
An attorney disciplinary committee has recommended that Rudy Giuliani be disbarred in D.C. over his attempts to help former President Trump overturn the 2020 election results.
Driving the news: In a report filed Friday, the panel said Giuliani's "effort to undermine the integrity of the 2020 presidential election has helped destabilize our democracy."
The Department of Justice and special counsel Jack Smith spent more than $9 million in his first four plus months investigating former President Trump, a financial report released by the department Friday shows.
Driving the news: Smith's office spent about $5.4 million between November — when he was appointed to investigate Trump's handling of classified documents and involvement in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot — and the end of March, per the DOJ.
The last of the United States' chemical weapons were destroyed at a military installation in Kentucky on Friday, President Biden announced.
Why it matters: The country's massive stockpile of deadly Cold War-era chemical warfare agents, which are banned by international law, accrued over generations and took decades and billions of dollars to dismantle.
The U.S. will send cluster munitions to aid Ukraine's war effort for the first time, the Department of Defense announced Friday.
Why it matters: The announcement, which is likely to draw criticism from human rights groups, comes as Ukraine has struggled to make sweeping gains in its counteroffensive against Russia.
Zoom in: One HFC board member said that Freedom Caucus Chair Scott Perry (R-Pa.) unsuccessfully tried to reach out to the Georgia Republican both before and after a vote was held to remove her to discuss her colleagues' grievances with her behavior.
Why it matters: It's the most definitive commitment from the Florida governor, who previously sidestepped questions about whether he would take the stage.
At least 45% of U.S. tap water is estimated to be contaminated with "forever chemicals," according to new U.S. Geological Survey research.
Why it matters: Exposure to certain levels of these synthetic compounds, referred to collectively as PFAS, has been linked to adverse health effects in humans and animals, including an increased risk of cancer.
The latest: Department of Justice attorneys in a court filing Thursday evening called Tuesday's preliminary injunction by a Trump-appointed federal judge "both sweeping in scope and vague in its terms" as it asked for the order to be stayed.
