New York's attorney general sued PepsiCo Wednesday, accusing the food and beverage giant of "endangering" people's health and the ecosystem with pollution from its single-use plastic products and making "misleading statements" about combating the problem.
The big picture: The lawsuit comes as negotiations on a landmark global plastic treaty kick into a new gear with a UN summit in Nairobi, Kenya, this week. PepsiCo was among over 70 brands that last year called for the adoption of the treat to cut production of the material.
Yevgeny "Eugene" Vindman, who along with his twin brother Alexander drew former President Trump's ire during his first impeachment, is running for Democratic Rep. Abigail Spanberger's seat.
The big picture: If he wins the primary, Vindman could help the Democratic party's broader attempt to make the 2024 election a referendum on the former president and GOP presidential frontrunner.
Why it matters: The anti-pollution device located underneath cars — packed with rare precious metals — has been stolen in record numbers over the past few years.
Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) said he would "absolutely" consider running for president in 2024 in an NBC interview on Wednesday, less than a week after he announced that he won't seek re-election to the Senate.
The negotiations between Israel and Hamas over a possible deal to release hostages held in Gaza are focused on how many days Israel would allow for a ceasefire in exchange for Hamas releasing some hostages, three sources with knowledge of the talks tell Axios.
Why it matters: The indirect negotiations — conducted through a mediation effort led by Qatar — represent the most significant diplomatic effort now taking place that could lead to a pause in the fighting that began when Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7.
The House Ethics Committee's highly anticipated report outlining the findings of its investigation into Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.) will not recommend any punishments against the embattled Long Islander, the panel's chair said Wednesday.
Why it matters: That leaves House members to draw their own conclusions as lawmakers in both parties tee up fresh efforts to expel Santos from Congress.
Hunter Biden's lawyers on Wednesday soughtsubpoenas for former President Trump and some of his associates, including ex-Attorney General Bill Barr.
The big picture: Biden's legal team told a judgeit's seeking documents to help prepare his defense in a criminal case related to his alleged illegal possession of a firearm.
The big picture: Trump has repeatedly criticized the trial proceedings as well as the judge presiding over the trial, Arthur Engoron, and Attorney General Letitia James for filing the lawsuit. Wednesday's court filing argues "the evidence of apparent and actual bias is tangible and overwhelming."
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) on Wednesday chided Congressional Republicans for engaging in a series of physical and verbal altercations.
Driving the news: "Yesterday was another episode of Republicans gone wild," Jeffries said in an interview on MSNBC's "Morning Joe." "And unfortunately, it wasn't the season finale, because we're going to continue to see it."
House Republicans are leaving D.C. early for Thanksgiving recess after a group of conservatives brought down a procedural vote on an appropriations bill.
Why it matters: House Republicans have struggled to unify as they attempt to complete their appropriations process, citing frustrations with the approach leadership took in attempting to avert a government shutdown.
Republican presidential candidates criticized former United Nations ambassador Nikki Haley over her callTuesday to require that all social media users be verified by their names online.
Driving the news: Haley backed social media reforms on Tuesday, saying that people posting anonymously is a "national security threat."
The next Republican president could effectively ban most abortions through a simple policy change at the Department of Justice, experts and advocates on both sides of the abortion debate say.
Why it matters: While Republicans disagree about whether to pursue a national abortion ban that would face long odds in Congress, a GOP president may be able to unilaterally curb access to medication abortion across the country using an obscure 19th-century law.
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) told CNBC's "Squawk Box" that he believes the founding fathers intended to keep government out of religion, not the other way around.
Driving the news: "The separation of church and state is a misnomer, people misunderstand it. Of course it comes from a phrase that was in a letter that [Thomas] Jefferson wrote, it's not in the Constitution," Johnson said.
Enrollment in languages other than English at U.S. colleges and universities dropped 16.6% between the fall of 2016 and the fall of 2021, the Modern Language Association (MLA) reports.
The biggest declines were in German (-33.6%), Arabic (-27.4%) and Modern Hebrew (-26%).
The only three languages with enrollment gains were Korean (by a whopping 38.3%), Biblical Hebrew and American Sign Language (ASL).
President Biden on Tuesday condemned former President Trump's use of the term "vermin" to describe his political opponents and compared the language to the kind used in Nazi Germany.
Why it matters: Trump's use of the term "vermin" — the latest example of the GOP frontrunner's increasingly violent rhetoric — drew warnings from historians, who said it echoed the dehumanizing language of fascist dictators such as Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini.
New Jersey first lady Tammy Murphy on Wednesday announced her run for U.S. Senate in 2024.
Why it matters: She's the second high-profile Democrat to jump into the race in the wake of a federal indictment against Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), who hasn't said if he is running for reelection.
President Biden's re-election team has spent more than $50 million on TV and digital ads in swing states this year — and next to nothing on local organizers to begin reaching voters in person.
Why it matters: The ad-heavy strategy — with unprecedented spending by an incumbent this early — is a departure from Barack Obama's 2012 re-election campaign, which invested millions assembling an army of organizers in swing states to contact voters up to 18 months before that election.
President Biden and Chinese leader Xi Jinping are set to meet Wednesday in San Francisco for the first time since the G20 summit in Indonesia last November.
The big picture: Biden has publicly sought to temper expectations for the four-hour meeting in San Francisco, but announcements on fentanyl, military communications and other key issues are expected, according to news reports.
Disney's economic impact on Florida is $40.3 billion and it accounts for some 263,000 jobs in the state, according to a study the corporate giant released Tuesday.
Why it matters: The Disney-commissioned Oxford Economics study that's based on 2022 data comes amid a feud with Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) that includes a legal fight over the state takeover of Reedy Creek, a municipal district that was operated by the company.
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) told reporters Tuesday that passing a short-term government funding bill would allow lawmakers to go home for Thanksgiving and "cool off" — warning that Congress was a "pressure cooker" after being in session for 10 weeks.
Why it matters: Within hours, that pressure cooker exploded — spraying childish insults, violent threats and alleged "kidney punches" all over Capitol Hill.
