There are no lockdowns this time. But Donald Trump and Joe Biden are both running basement-esque campaigns in 2024 — risk-averse operations favoring friendly media without many public campaign events.
Why it matters: Biden's presidential duties and Trump's legal battles are limiting their ability to campaign — along with the fact that the two men are a combined 157 years old.
President Biden and other G20 leaders announced on Saturday a major international infrastructure project to connect India, the Middle East and Europe with railways, shipping lines, high-speed data cables and energy pipelines.
Why it matters: The project, announced during the G20 Summit in New Delhi, is one of the key initiatives the White House has been pushing internationally to counter Beijing's growing influence and create an alternative to China's Belt and Road vision of which the Middle East is a key part.
South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem endorsed former President Trump on Friday in the 2024 Republican presidential primary at a campaign rally in her home state.
Why it matters: Many Republican governors have not yet offered an endorsement in the crowded primary and Noem's announcement is drawing speculation that Trump is considering her as his running mate.
President Biden is joining other leaders of the world's biggest economies this weekend for the G20 summit, hosted by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi, India.
Why it matters: Deepening divisions over Ukraine, rising China-U.S. tensions and a couple of expected no-shows risk derailing efforts to find a consensus on a joint declaration at the end of the summit. Still, the G20 promises to touch on a number of important issues as it seeks to set the global agenda.
Florida's public universities will now permit the Classic Learning Test in admissions, offering a conservative-backed alternative to the SAT and ACT.
Why it matters: Florida is now the first state university system in the country to allow for the Classic Learning Test (CLT), which has gained recent popularity among the state's Christian and charter schools.
The number of people missing a month afterthe historic Hawai'i wildfires has dropped to 66, DemocraticGov. Josh Green announced Friday.
The big picture: The fire in Augustrazed most of the historic town of Lahaina on Maui and became one of the deadliest wildfires in modern U.S. history, with at least 115 people killed and thousands displaced.
A federal judge on Friday denied former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows' request to move his Georgia racketeering case to a federal court.
Why it matters: U.S. District Judge Steve Jones' denial scuttles Meadows' bid to obtain a more favorable jury pool and signals what may be in store for other defendants, including former President Trump.
Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito on Friday rejected a call by Senate Democrats to recuse himself from a case the court will hear this fall.
Why it matters: SCOTUS justices have faced heightened scrutiny this year from the Senate Judiciary Committee and other prominent Democrats after a series of ethics controversies involving conservative justices, including Alito.
A group of Democratic senators sent a letter to Secretary of State Tony Blinken on Friday asking him not to move forward with admitting Israel into the Visa Waiver Program, claiming the country will not fully meet the criteria for admission by the Sept. 30 deadline, according to a copy of the letter obtained by Axios.
Driving the news: The U.S. and Israel in mid-July signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) setting the conditions for Israel's entry into the U.S. Visa Waiver Program, which allows a country's citizens to travel to the U.S. for 90 days without first obtaining a visa. The MOU was a big step forward for Israel's bid.
Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said Friday she will seek another term in Congress in 2024, her office confirmed to Axios.
Why it matters: The 83-year-old recently indicated she wants to extend her unorthodox post-leadership stint to maintain some of the Bay Area's power in Washington, D.C.
The latest artificial intelligence area of use: tax collection among the nation's wealthiest.
Why it matters: The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) said it will start using AI and other tools to detect tax violations by high-income earners and large business partnerships
A Georgia special grand jury report that helped lead to former President Trump's indictment in the state was released on Friday.
Why it matters: The report provides new insight on the probe into 2020 election interference — and shows that the panel sought to indict more people in the sprawling case.
Former President Trump overstated his net worth by as much as $3.6 billion annually, New York's attorney general said in a new court filing on Friday.
Driving the news: Trump and people working for him allegedly made false entries in business records, falsified financial statements and committed insurance fraud, per the filing by Attorney General Letitia James' office.
Why it matters: The report provides new insight on the probe into 2020 election interference — and shows that the panel sought to indict more people in the sprawling racketeering case.
An appeals court temporarily allowed Texas' floating border barrier blocking migrants crossing from Mexico into the U.S. to remain in place in the Rio Grande on Thursday, per multiple reports.
Driving the news: Attorneys for Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) and the state argued in a filing Thursday opposing a federal judge's preliminary injunction a day earlier to move the barrier to the riverbank that the "buoys have nearly eliminated illegal crossings of people and drugs where they've been placed."
