Donald Trump's rivals are at risk of pleasing no one with their response to his potential third indictment — empowering the GOP front-runner by refusing to condemn him while irking a base that sees no room for nuance on Jan. 6.
Why it matters: Leading GOP candidates have argued in recent days that Trump's actions on Jan. 6 were irresponsible but not criminal. Straddling that line won't make the race any closer — but it could backfire if special counsel Jack Smith unveils an indictment as damning as his last one.
An Arkansas man was sentenced Monday for charges related to beating a downed police officer with a flagpole during the Capitol riot.
Driving the news: Peter Francis Stager, 44, of Conway, Arkansas, was sentenced to more than four years in prison after pleading guilty earlier this year to assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers using a deadly or dangerous weapon, per the Department of Justice.
The Department of Justice sued Texas on Monday over a string of buoys deployed by the state on the Rio Grande River to prevent people from illegally crossing into the U.S. from Mexico, saying it violates federal environmental law and threatens public safety.
Why it matters: In addition to the floating barrier, Texas has set up miles of razor wire barriers along crossing points on the river near Eagle Pass.
CARE USA — one of the world's best-known humanitarian and anti-poverty organizations — will announce Monday that Richard Stengel and Susan Hassan have been elected co-chairs of the board of directors.
Why it matters: Stengel tells Axios that CARE — now with an annual budget of over $900 million and a special focus on working with women and girls — is "on track to be a $1 billion organization, harnessing 21st-century technology to solve enduring problems."
Former President Obamahas taped remarks for a Truman Civil Rights Symposium, to be held in D..C. from Wednesday to Friday to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the desegregation of the U.S. armed forces.
Driving the news: The event is hosted by the Truman Library Institute of Kansas City, Mo. — a nonprofit partner of the Harry S. Truman presidential library.
Ukraine's forces have retaken about 50% of its territory that Russia's invading military initially seized, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Sunday.
Driving the news: "In terms of what Russia sought to achieve, what Putin sought to achieve, they’ve already failed, they've already lost," Blinken said during an interview broadcast Sunday on CNN.
President Biden in a statement to Axios called on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu not to move forward with the planned Israeli Knesset vote on a bill that is part of the government's judicial overhaul, saying he is highly concerned about the legislation and its potential implications.
The big picture: Thousands of Israeli reservists, including fighter pilots and members of the intelligence, cyber and special operations units in the IDF, have said in recent days they will not report to duty if the bill, which would limit the ability of the country's Supreme Court to review government actions, passes in the Knesset. The vote is scheduled for Monday.
One of the defining skills of House Speaker Kevin McCarthy's (R-Calif.) tenure is his ability to identify issues that divide moderate Democrats from their more progressive counterparts.
Why it matters: On issues ranging from crime, immigration, energy policy, COVID-19 mandates and, most recently, Israel, McCarthy has brought bills to the floor that win bipartisan support from Republicans and a sizable number of Democrats — while both marginalizing and raising the profile of polarizing progressives.
A manufacturing boom has swept across the country in President Biden's 2½ years in office, with the South and Mountain West — including several red states — having especially strong growth, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data.
Why it matters: The U.S. economy has added some 800,000 manufacturing jobs nationwide, a figure Biden hopes will boost his claim to have delivered on his promise to be a president — and create jobs — for all Americans.
