Former President Trump and former United Nations ambassador Nikki Haley are scoring Republican donors hoping to alter the trajectory of the 2024 primaries.
Why it matters: Some GOP mega-donors have stayed out of the primary in hopes that a Trump alternative would emerge, but with less than 50 days until the pivotal Iowa caucuses, they're starting to run out of time.
President Biden told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu last Sunday that he is concerned about a possible Israeli military operation in southern Gaza after the current pause in fighting ends, two U.S. officials told Axios.
Driving the news: The Biden administration is extremely worried that an Israeli operation in the southern Gaza Strip — where 2 million Palestinians are concentrated — would lead to significantly more civilian casualties and deepen the humanitarian crisis in the enclave, the officials said.
Former President Trump has spent the last 24 hours on Truth Social unleashing a torrent of grievances, vengeful promises and links to online conspiracy theories about his political rivals.
Why it matters: Trump's online rhetoric has frequently dipped into violent extremism since he left office, escalating as his legal troubles have mounted. Public fatigue and the pro-Trump echo chamber created by Truth Social have at times softened the shock value of the GOP front-runner's daily musings.
AnArizona grand jury indicted two Republican county supervisors for their refusal to certify last year's election results before the state's statutory deadline, Attorney General Kris Mayes announced Wednesday.
Driving the news: Cochise County Supervisors Tom Crosby and Peggy Judd are charged with interference with an election officer and conspiracy.
House Republicans may hold an official vote in the coming weeks on authorizing their impeachment inquiry into President Biden.
Why it matters: Lawmakers and aides say the move would give Congress greater standing to force the Biden administration to comply with their requests for information.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), the highest-ranking Jewish official ever elected in U.S. history,decried antisemitism Wednesday in a major Senate speech.
The big picture: Schumer spoke in the wake of a surge in antisemitic as well as anti-Arab and Islamophobic hate crimes in the U.S. since the Oct. 7 Hamas attack in Israel.
The Department of Education opened new investigations this week into Harvard University and the New York City Department of Education over alleged incidents of discrimination.
Why it matters: The probes add to a growing list of universities and school districts across the U.S. where the federal agency is investigating allegations of antisemitism or Islamophobia.
An Indian national was charged on Wednesday over an alleged plot directed by an Indian government employee to assassinate a U.S. citizen in New York, the Department of Justice announced.
Why it matters: The foiled plot targeted an attorney who advocated for a secession state for Sikhs in India. The allegations follow similar claims made by the Canadian government earlier this year in the killing of a prominent Sikh community leader on Canadian soil.
Several days of tributes to former first lady Rosalynn Carter came to a close on Wednesday where her life began: in her hometown of Plains, Georgia.
Driving the news: Carter's funeral took place at Maranatha Baptist Church, which the Carters attended for four decades and where former president Carter taught Sunday school regularly after leaving the White House.
This story is part of a series supported by the Pulitzer Center.
POHNPEI, Federated States of Micronesia — Beijing is persistently courting one of America's closest partners in the Pacific, giving Micronesia the benefit of two superpower benefactors but prompting fears among local leaders that the island nation could be caught up in a brawl between them.
Why it matters: As U.S.-China competition grows on several fronts and tensions intensify over Taiwan, China is pulling new partners into its Pacific orbit. Beijing's focus on a country with deep ties to the U.S. comes as Washington urgently seeks to upgrade its military footprint in the region and remain the preeminent power.
The vast majority of Jewish college students say they have seen or experienced antisemitism on their campus since the start of the school year, according to a new report by the Anti-Defamation League and Hillel International published Wednesday.
Former President Trump said Wednesday on Truth Social that the charges issued against him have opened a "Pandora's box."
Why it matters: Trump warned that the charges should be dropped "before it is too late," suggesting he could use the Department of Justice if elected in retaliatory ways.
Liz Whitmer Gereghty, a small business owner and school board trustee, on Wednesday dropped out of the Democratic primary for a key U.S. House seat in New York.
Why it matters: The decision clears the field for former Rep. Mondaire Jones to take on Rep. Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.) in what will likely be one of the most closely watched House races in the country.
A U.S. military Osprey aircraft crashed on Wednesday off the coast of Japan's southern Yakushima island, killing at least one person who was aboard, multipleoutletsreported.
Driving the news: The aircraft was carrying eight passengers. The status of the others aboard it at the time of the incident is not yet known, per AP.
Driving the news:Michigan, Virginia, Georgia, Arizona and Pennsylvania all have notable pockets of these populations. There aren't reliable statistics on how many are registered voters — but even tiny shifts of support in any of these super-tight states that Biden won in 2020 could make a difference.
Well-funded groups connected to the conservative Club for Growth have been spending millions this year to attack Donald Trump — while simultaneously running ads touting their endorsed GOP candidates' ties to Trump.
Why it matters: The pro-Trump ads funded by a group that is opposing him are the latest acknowledgement of the former president's deep appeal among some Republican voters before the 2024 presidential primaries begin.
A group of families filed a lawsuit Tuesday in an effort to block a sweeping Iowa law that bans books with sexual content and forbids teachers from discussing or teaching LGBTQ topics.
The Koch political network on Tuesday delivered perhaps the most important endorsement of the GOP primary so far, cementing elite donors' coronation of Nikki Haley as the most viable alternative to former President Trump.
Why it matters: With the backing of Americans for Prosperity Action, the powerful political group founded by billionaires Charles and David Koch, Haley will unlock new access to influential donors, millions in ad spending, and a massive ground operation that rivals that of the RNC.
