The Department of Homeland Security is scrambling to fill billions of dollars in shortfalls across its various agencies — the vast majority driven by its efforts to maintain order at the U.S.-Mexico border, Axios has learned.
Why it matters: The gaping deficit is a reminder of the extensive resources the border has demanded of the federal government in recent years, especially as Congress has balked at any significant funding increases.
White House chief of staff Jeff Zients invited all the former occupants of his office — Democrats and Republicans — to the White House this month for a wide-ranging conversation on the presidency, followed by a casual dinner at his D.C. home, according to participants.
Why it matters: The July 13 meetings gave Zients an opportunity to soak in the collective wisdom of his predecessors, as the White House gears up for a Rose Garden re-election campaign.
Former President Trump was charged Thursday with a new count of retaining classified material stemming from a taped conversation about a Pentagon "plan of attack" he shared at his Bedminster golf club in New Jersey.
Why it matters: Trump explicitly denied that he had any classified documents with him after CNN published the explosive recording of the July 2021 incident last month. Prosecutors now allege he did, in fact, illegally possess a "presentation concerning military activity in a foreign country."
Former President Trump is facing fresh federal charges over allegations that he and two aides asked a Mar-a-Lago worker to delete video footage at his Florida home in an effort to obstruct the classified documents case.
The big picture: Trump, aide Walt Nauta and Carlos De Oliveira, who was charged in the case Thursday, asked the worker in summer 2022 to "delete security camera footage at the Mar-a-Lago Club to prevent the footage from being provided to a federal grand jury," per a new superseding indictment.
The House is kick-starting its August recess early amid a feud within the GOP over language related to abortion that's attached to the food and agriculture spending bill.
The White House said Thursday that there is no possibility that President Biden would end up pardoning his son, Hunter Biden.
The big picture: A federal judge on Wednesday rejected Hunter Biden's plea deal on tax charges and said that she wasn't ready to accept the terms of a revised deal.
The Department of Justice is investigating the Memphis Police Department (MPD) to determine if it has a pattern or practice of committing systemic violations of the Constitution or federal law, it announced Thursday.
Why it matters: The new investigation is separate but related to the DOJ's investigation into the MPD's use-of-force and de-escalation policies after the death of Tyre Nichols, a 29-year-old Black man who was fatally beaten by former MPD officers.
Hispanic ranchers and farmers in northern New Mexico whose families have been in the region for centuries say they are losing confidencein Democrats over policies they say hurt their way of life.
The 1848 Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo — which ended the U.S.-Mexico War — still looms over northern New Mexico and southern Colorado.
The big picture: The treaty greatly expanded U.S. territory and made promises to its new citizens.But 175 years later, many of those promises have been broken, leading to years of litigation between the government and the Hispanic descendants who say their land was taken.
The Department of Labor will boost efforts to protect workers from extreme heat as temperature records fall in the Southwest and elsewhere, President Biden announced on Thursday.
Why it matters: Biden presented the new protection efforts as 180 million people — over half of the U.S. population — were under heat alerts.
Lawyers for former President Trump metThursdaywith prosecutors about another possible criminal indictment by special counsel Jack Smith's office, Trump confirmed on his Truth Social account.
Why it matters: Such gatherings can signal that an indictment could be near and are often an opportunity for defense lawyers to make their last case against potential charges.
The U.S. economy expanded at a 2.4% annual rate in the second quarter, a stronger pace of growth than economists anticipated, the Commerce Department said on Thursday.
Why it matters: The data points to a resilient economy that continues to surprise to the upside, despite aggressive attempts by the Fed to cool off activity.
Black Americans born in the early 1960s typically have more than 300 African and 50 European ancestors dating back to when captive Africans arrived in North America in 1619, according to a new study using computational analysis of genetic data.
Why it matters: Many Black Americans who are descended from enslaved Africans have lacked ancestral information spanning several centuries. In a broad sense, the new research by USC and Stanford University could help shed light on their lineage.
WILMINGTON, Del. — Hunter Biden's legal team was angry and dejected late Wednesday after a plea deal to help the president's son avoid prison blew up in a chaotic, three-hour court hearing.
Why it matters: Judge Maryellen Noreika's rejection of Biden's plea deal on tax charges ensures that legal issues will continue to shadow Biden just as Republicans on Capitol Hill are turning up the heat in investigating him and his father.
The Department of Justice asked a federal judge Wednesday evening to order Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) to have a floating barrier removed at the southern border that's designed to prevent migrants crossing the Rio Grande River.
Driving the news: The string of buoys along the river have "caused significant and ongoing harm to the United States' foreign relations with Mexico," the DOJ argued in a court filing that asked for the removal of the barrier and supporting infrastructure within 10 days.
The Securities and Exchange Commission announced Wednesday proposed new rules that SEC chair Gary Gensler says will address potential conflicts of interest in the use of artificial intelligence on Wall Street.
Driving the news: The move is part of wider proposed reforms relating to investment advisers operating exclusively through the internet, including restrictions for brokerages, per a commission statement Wednesday.
A man who was part of a U.S. Capitol riot mob that broke windows to the House Speaker's Lobby that Ashli Babbitt attempted to climb through before being fatally shot was convicted Wednesday.
Driving the news: Chad Barrett Jones, 44, of Mount Washington, Kentucky, was found guilty of all nine charges against him after prosecutors alleged that he struck the glass panels of a barricaded doorway to the Speaker's Lobby with a wooden flagpole of his rolled-up Trump flag.
