Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis raised $2 million for his presidential run in 48 hours this week, his campaign told Axios.
Why it matters: While former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley has been making inroads among big GOP donors, DeSantis continues to raise significant cash in the final weeks before the Iowa caucuses.
Three members of Congress had their district offices vandalized with pro-Palestinian graffiti in just over a week amid an uptick in threats and disruptive protests.
Why it matters: It's part of a sharp rise in political tensions over the Israel-Hamas war, with lawmakers beginning to speak out about aggressive protest tactics targeting them.
SAN FRANCISCO — Onthe first day of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) CEO Summit this week, two dozen global business leaders and heads of state urged unity and collaboration from the stage.
Why it matters: In anyother year, the message might have bordered on platitudinal. But it was delivered to an audience distracted by phones, laptops, calls, meetings, coffee and selfies.
Why it matters: The move meets a key demand of the Republicans' right flank as conservatives simmer at Johnson for passing a stopgap spending bill along bipartisan lines.
Former first lady Rosalynn Carter has entered hospice care at home in Georgia, per a statement via The Carter Center Friday.
The big picture: Rosalynn, who is 96, was diagnosed with dementia in May. Her husband, former President Jimmy Carter, 99, entered hospice care earlier this year.
Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador on Friday pledged to stop fentanyl and ingredients used in the deadly drug from passing through his country and into the U.S.
Driving the news: Speaking ata bilateral meeting with President Biden in San Francisco, López Obrador said Mexico was "sincerely committed" to assisting in their "fullest capacity to prevent drug trafficking, namely the entrance of fentanyl and other chemical precursors."
Vivek Ramaswamy's campaign seems to be losing steam, but folks in the crypto industry are psyched about him. So here's a rundown of the Republican presidential contender's crypto policy paper, which he released Thursday.
Why it matters: It's notable that a presidential candidate is making cryptocurrency a part of his platform and its users a part of his coalition.
The number of U.S. seniors who report using cannabis has climbed in recent years, according to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health.
Driving the news: In 2022, 8.4% people age 65 or older said they used marijuana in the past year, a significant increase from about 0.4% of seniors who reported using it in the past year when polled in 2007.
The chair of the House Ethics Committee on Friday introduced a measure to expel Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.) from Congress after a report from his panel outlined "uncharged and unlawful conduct" by the embattled Long Islander.
Why it matters: It may actually result in Santos' ouster if he doesn't resign first, with dozens of House members who previously voted against expulsion now saying they will support the move.
Driving the news: "It is unacceptable to repeat the hideous lie behind the most fatal act of Antisemitism in American history at any time, let alone one month after the deadliest day for the Jewish people since the Holocaust," White House spokesperson Andrew Bates said in a statement.
The Department of Education has launched new investigations into 6 colleges and a K-12 school district over alleged incidents of antisemitism and Islamophobia.
Why it matters: The probes, announced Thursday, come as the Biden administration has pledged to "take aggressive action" to counter the surge in antisemitic, anti-Muslim and anti-Arab incidents reported across the country since the start of the Israel-Hamas war.
Driving the news: Trump on Thursday singled out Judge Arthur Engoron's clerk as a "Trump Hating Clerk, who is sinking him and his Court to new levels of LOW" in a post on his Truth Social account.
Chris Christie's presidential campaign sent a lengthy memo to donors on Friday, arguing that he has a path to the GOP nomination and signaling Christie will stay in the race through the Jan. 23 primary in New Hampshire — and potentially well afterward.
Why it matters: Despite pressure from some GOP leaders for lower-polling candidates like Christie to drop out, narrow the field and boost the chances of someone overtaking frontrunner Donald Trump, Christie argues that he's the most electable Republican in a one-on-one match-up with Trump.
Dozens of House Democrats led by their Jewish colleagues are calling for the Biden administration to press Israel to allow fuel shipments to Gaza, Axios has learned.
President Biden's re-election campaign privately has been weighing whether to join the social media platform TikTok to try to reach more young voters, according to two people familiar with the conversations.
Why it matters: Most Republicans have avoided TikTok over data security concerns because it's owned by Beijing-based ByteDance, but Democrats are increasingly split about using the popular app for short-form videos.
Twenty years ago today,Arnold Schwarzenegger was sworn in as California's unlikely 38th governor. He spoke with Axios earlier this week to promote a new audiobook on the legacy of that recall election.
Driving the news: As he lit a cigar outdoors, under a yellow sun umbrella, he reflected on two terms in office and work since as chairman of a USC institute bearing his name and the motto, "Advancing policy, not politics."
A Utah man who claimed he was acting as a citizen journalist when he joined Jan. 6 rioters and filmed scenes inside the U.S. Capitol, including the fatal shooting of Ashli Babbitt, was convicted Thursday.
The big picture: John Earle Sullivan, who prosecutors said earned more than $90,000 from selling his video footage of the Capitol breach, was convicted of all charges, including felony obstruction of an official proceeding and civil disorder, per a Justice Department statement Thursday.
Why it matters: The House is expected to vote on expulsion shortly after they return from their Thanksgiving recess — meaning the embattled Long Islander's days in Congress are likely numbered.
Members of Congress in both parties are grappling with an increase in threats, disruptive protests and unnerving security incidents spurred by the Israel-Hamas war.
Why it matters: The recent tumult comes against the backdrop of lingering security fears among lawmakers after the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol and a general rise in threats toward congressional offices.
The extraordinary taleof Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.), one of the most prolific fabulists of the modern political era, is set to end in dramatic but predictable fashion following the release of a scathing ethics report today.
Why it matters: Santos — who responded to the report by announcing he would not seek re-election — could become just the sixth person in U.S. history to be expelled from the House of Representatives unless he chooses to preemptively resign.
