Axios

The House Ethics Committee said Thursday it is ending its investigation into Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-N.Y.) for pulling a House office building fire alarm last September.

Why it matters: The announcement was accompanied by a 16-page report from the Office of Congressional Ethics disputing allegations from some Republicans that Bowman intentionally triggered the alarm to delay a vote.

Senate Republicans this week are getting their own taste of the confusion and disarray that has plagued their House counterparts for the past year.

Why it matters: Lawmakers are trying to navigate internal division, external political pressure and ambiguous signals from leadership in pursuit of what many of them see as a critical national security package.

The United States needs more workers and tradespeople to fill all the jobs tied to massive, newly announced infrastructure investments, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg tells Axios.

Where is stands: "We need to be a country that puts the right level of focus and respect toward those educational tracks that may not have anything to do with a college degree but that do require a lot of talent and skill, and lead to great pay as well," Buttigieg says.

Florida's House passed a bill that would limit youth access to social media by banning new and existing accounts of users younger than 16 years old.

Why it matters: The Republican-backed bill, which hones in on social media's addictive features, would be one of the strictest social media restrictions in the country, if passed by the Senate and signed into law by Gov. Ron DeSantis.

Lawyers for former President Trump asked a judge on Thursday to disqualify Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis from Georgia's 2020 election interference case against Trump.

Why it matters: The claims, which are based on unsubstantiated allegations, were made by one of Trump's former staffers and a co-defendant in the case and have injected uncertainty into its future.

Former President Trump testified briefly Thursday in his defense in the ongoing E. Jean Carroll defamation trial, according to multiple reports.

Why it matters: The short courtroom spectacle came two days after his victory in the New Hampshire primary that cemented his status as the Republican frontrunner.

President Biden announced $5 billion in funding for major transportation projects during a visit Thursday to Superior, Wisconsin — part of an effort to tout his administration's investments in long-overdue infrastructure projects.

Why it matters: With an all-but-certain rematch between Biden and former President Trump in the November election, the president is eager to demonstrate his commitment to fixing America's crumbling roads and bridges — something that Trump promised but didn't deliver.

Former Trump adviser Peter Navarro was sentenced to four months in prison on Thursday for defying a 2022 congressional subpoena from the House committee that investigated the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.

Why it matters: Navarro is now the second Trump adviser to receive a prison sentence for refusing to testify before the panel and provide it documents related to attempts to overturn the 2020 election.

The U.S. economy expanded at a 3.3% annualized pace in the final quarter of 2023, the Commerce Department said on Thursday.

Why it matters: It's much stronger growth than economists expected and caps a year of economic resilience as the nation avoided a projected recession.

The Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at CUNY is going tuition-free, its namesake Craig Newmark and the school's dean, Graciela Mochkofsky, told Axios.

Why it matters: It will be the first journalism graduate school to offer a tuition-free program — a move intended to help widen opportunities for journalists from more diverse backgrounds.

Something shocking — and telling — has unfolded beyond Donald Trump's onstage, online and courtroom theatrics: He's running a professional, well-managed, disciplined presidential campaign.

• His 2024 operation is more sophisticated — dare we say traditional — than the slapdash improvisation of his White House and two previous runs.

Former President Trump said Wednesday evening anyone who donates to the campaign of his only 2024 Republican rival, Nikki Haley, "will be permanently barred from the MAGA camp."

Why it matters: His post targeting the former Trump administration ambassador to the UN is the latest indication that he's angry that Haley won't drop out of the 2024 primary race and suggests he may be seeking to apply pressure by attempting to block donations to her campaign.

Sixty years after Kennedy vs. Nixon made presidential debates a television sensation, voters can no longer take them for granted.

Why it matters: There have been general election debates during every presidential cycle since 1976, but the debates' status as a hallmark of the election process may be in trouble.

Former President Trump's 11-point victory in New Hampshire has been upstaged not just by Nikki Haley's refusal to drop out, but by a set of flashing red alarms about his weaknesses with independents and moderate voters.

Why it matters: Trump, like any candidate, will need a broad coalition to win in November — one that casts a far wider net than the core MAGA base responsible for his dominant victories in Iowa and New Hampshire.