Pennsylvania swing voters believe Republicans' impeachment inquiry into President Biden is largely in retaliation for Democrats impeaching former President Trump, according to our latest Engagious/Sago focus groups.
Why it matters: Interviews with 11 Pennsylvanians who voted for Trump in 2016 and Biden in 2020 suggest that Republicans' efforts to go after Biden could backfire among voters because of doubts about the GOP's motives.
Top White House officials are keeping a close watch on soaring fuel costs, with regular discussions to explore domestic and international options to lower prices, according to administration officials.
Why it matters: The price of crude oil crossed $90 per barrel on Thursday, its highest level since November 2022. President Biden's political advisers know that there's a direct correlation between high energy prices and low presidential approval ratings.
Former President Trump says it's "very unlikely" he'll pardon himself if he's re-elected in 2024.
Driving the news: "I didn't do anything wrong," Trump said in an interview on NBC's "Meet the Press that's airing Sunday." "You mean because I challenge an election, they want to put me in jail?"
The Republican-led Wisconsin Senate voted to oust its top elections official on Thursday.
The big picture: The move comes amid an ongoing tug-of-war over who leads the battleground state's bipartisan elections agency, with a legal battle likely to spill over into the 2024 primary season.
Businessman Vivek Ramaswamy on Wednesday became the first GOP presidential candidate to join TikTok, a Chinese-owned app he described as "digital fentanyl" as recently as last week.
Why it matters: Republicans largely view China's influence operations as a major national security threat, prompting GOP presidential candidates to voluntarily forfeit access to the 150 million Americans who use TikTok.
A group that includes nearly 80% of the Republicans in the House is ramping up its calls to include border security and spending cuts in a short-term spending bill that would be needed to avert a government shutdown on Sept. 30.
Why it matters: The Republican Study Committee— made up of 176 of the party's 222 House members — wants the provisions included in any continuing resolution (CR) that would be brought to the House floor.
Hunter Biden was indicted on three counts related to his alleged illegal possession of a firearm, according to a court filing on Thursday.
The big picture: The indictment by special counsel David Weiss comes after plea deal negotiations fell apart last monthover two tax misdemeanors and a gun felony against President Biden's son.
Sen. Tommy Tuberville's (R-Ala.) blockade of hundreds of military promotions could take years to recover from, President Biden's nominee for the Navy's top officer said Thursday.
Driving the news: Adm. Lisa Franchetti, whose promotion has also been on hold, said during her confirmation hearing that "just at the three-star level, it would take about three to four months to move all the people around." It would "take years to recover from the promotion delays," she added.
Senators are getting a taste of the appropriations drama plaguing the House after a group of Senate conservatives blocked a package of government spending bills on Thursday.
Why it matters: The Senate had so far been the bright spot in the appropriations process, as the House has struggled to pass bills due to a lack of cooperation from right-wing hardliners.
Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) has responded to recent claims by her successor, fellow Californian Kevin McCarthy (R), that she was to blame for his flip-flop on whether opening an impeachment inquiry requires a full vote in the chamber.
Driving the news: "I say that that's hogwash," Pelosi said in an interview on MSNBC's Morning Joe on Thursday. "I mean, it's ridiculous."
Former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows dropped his bid for an emergency stay in the Georgia 2020 election racketeering case on Thursday.
Why it matters: Meadows abandoned his request to immediately pause Georgia's prosecution after a judge ruled he did not have to go on trial next month alongside lawyers Kenneth Chesebro and Sidney Powell, whose case has been severed from the other defendants.
The U.S. targeted a slew of foreign individuals and companies accused of aiding Russia in a slate of new sanctions announced by theState and Treasury Departments Thursday.
Why it matters: While the U.S. and its allies have already imposed extensive sanctions on Russia since its invasion of Ukraine, the new slate takes aim at individuals and companies that act as transit hubs for the flow of crucial goods into Russia.
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), increasingly vexed with hardliners in his party blocking his efforts to pass government funding bills, is challenging his detractors to make good on their threats to try to remove him.
Why it matters:Tensions are rising in the House GOP conference after yet another appropriations bill was shelved this week as the deadline to avert a government shutdown looms at the end of the month.
A renewed effort is underway in Congress to get the government to cover more infertility treatments for veterans and active duty service members.
Driving the news: U.S. Sen. Patty Murray and Rep. Rick Larsen, Democrats from Washington state, are reintroducing a measure Thursday that would require the Department of Veterans Affairs and Department of Defense to expand their coverage for treatments like in vitro fertilization.
White mainline Protestant clergy are more supportive of LGBTQ rights, abortion rights and racial justice than their congregations, according to a new survey that reflects how political divisions are roiling many American churches.
Why it matters: The survey by the Public Religion Research Institute is the latest indication of why disagreements over social issues have rippled through many congregations — often leading to "political church shopping" and increasingly polarized views of religion.
President Biden initially resisted the term "Bidenomics" — until he embraced it to tout his economic record. Now he's trying to stick a label on Republicans — "MAGAnomics" — to accuse them of plotting an assault on Medicare, Social Security and the middle class.
Why it matters: At a time when the GOP is mired in congressional dysfunction and former President Trump's legal troubles, Biden's team wants to define the Republicans' agenda for them — and rebrand MAGAnomics, a term Trump's White House initially coined.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) told CBS News Wednesday criminalizing women for having abortions "will not happen in Florida," where he signed into law legislation banning the procedure after six weeks earlier this year.
Driving the news: "We have no criminal penalties, the penalties are for the physician," the Republican presidential candidate said when challenged during the interview on the legislation that's pending due to litigation.
A federal judge on Wednesday again deemed illegal the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program that protects undocumented immigrants who were brought to the U.S. as children.
Driving the news: DACA's protections will remain in place for more than half a million beneficiaries. However,no new applications will be allowed.
Why it matters: Biden's comments at a Virginia fund-raiser mark the first time he has responded to House Speaker Kevin McCarthy's decision to start the inquiry into him.
A House vote to advance a bill funding the Department of Defense was scrapped on Wednesday due to opposition from GOP hardliners.
Why it matters: It's another bump in House Republican leadership's precarious path to avoiding a government shutdown as the funding deadline approaches.
