America is headed full-steam into an election soaked with an unprecedented mix of scandal, high-stakes court cases and possible impeachment hearings.
Why it matters: The two most likely finalists for president in 2024, former President Trump and President Biden, both will be burdened by politically fraught legal cases that together involve a trio of special counsels.
The Biden administration is asking Congress to approve a temporary housing program for migrant families that illegally cross the southern border — a plan that would give them more freedom than traditional detention, Axios has learned.
Why it matters: The government has struggled to balance humanitarian concerns about detaining migrant children while enforcing immigration laws amid a rise in families illegally crossing the border to seek asylum.
After nearly wrapping up his legal problems without prison, Hunter Biden now faces the threat of a trial during the heat of his father's reelection campaign.
Driving the news: The surprise appointment of U.S. Attorney David Weiss as a special counsel in the Hunter Biden inquiry was followed by the news that Hunter's plea agreement had reached an impasse.
Why it matters: Weiss' designation creates the possibility that former President Trump won't be the only 2024 candidate whose campaign must contend with the specter of a criminal trial, as President Biden faces the fallout of the investigation into his son.
Attorney General Merrick Garland's appointment of a special counsel to investigate Hunter Biden did little to mollify GOP lawmakers scrutinizing the Justice Department probe.
Why it matters: Top House Republicans have signaled in recent weeks that their Hunter Biden investigation will eventually escalate to an impeachment inquiry into President Biden.
Attorney General Merrick Garland announced Friday that he is appointing U.S. Attorney for Delaware David Weiss as special counsel to lead the investigation into Hunter Biden.
Driving the news: Garland said that the announcement comes after the investigation into the president's son had "reached the stage" where the powers of a special counsel were necessary.
The federal judge overseeing the case involving former President Trump's alleged efforts to subvert 2020 election results agreed Friday to the defense's proposal for a more limited scope of the protective order, but argued that Trump's right to free speech is "not absolute," according to multiplereports.
Why it matters: Trump's lawyers have made a First Amendment argument central to their defense in the Jan. 6 case, saying that the former president's actions surrounding the 2020 election were protected political speech.
National Democratic operatives are looking to the decisive defeat of Ohio's Issue 1 this week as a green light for abortion-focused message going into the 2024 campaign.
Why it matters: Such information has proven useful to journalists and other researchers — but some plane owners, including Musk, have argued that it can pose a security risk.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has cast himself as a Trump-like conservative who's better at getting things done, but many of the state laws DeSantis touts as his biggest accomplishments are on hold, mired in court challenges.
The big picture: DeSantis and his state are facing a swarm of lawsuits challenging his policies aimed at abortion, trans rights, drag shows, voting by felons, discussion of racial issues in schools and more.
