A New Jersey man was arrested Tuesday for his alleged actions during the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot after a beanie he wore in a Facebook photo helped identify him.
State of play: Lee Giobbie of Eastampton, New Jersey, was charged in a criminal complaint with felony offenses of civil disorder and obstruction of an official proceeding, per the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia.
Why it matters: The dangerous hoax calls — targeting judges, lawmakers and election officials — are among a rising tide of political threats in the U.S., where roughly a quarter of Americans say they are open to resorting to violence to "save our country."
About half of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders say the U.S. is not "supportive enough" of Palestinians in the current Israeli-Hamas war, a new survey of AAPI adults shows.
Why It Matters: The broad poll of AAPI adults may indicate a crucial voting bloc of President Biden's election coalition disagrees with how the president is handling the Israeli-Hamas war.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) on Wednesday declined to say whether he would hold a Senate trial into Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas if he is impeached by the House.
Why it matters: Legislators spent nearly four hours grilling Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg along with the CEOs of TikTok, X, Snap and Discord on the sexual exploitation of children on their platforms — but outrage directed at social media from both sides of the aisle has yet to produce new laws to solve the problem.
Students waiting to hear back on how much financial aid they'll receive before enrolling at a college may have to wait longer than usual this year.
The big picture: The delay comes after the Department of Education announced changes earlier this month to fix how it calculates federal student aid due to a math error in this year's FAFSA application.
Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (I-Ariz.) heatedly defended the bipartisan border deal on Wednesday, calling a key criticism from conservatives "factually false."
Why it matters: The Senate deal has been in hot water for days, with no final text and predetermined opposition from many conservatives egged on by former President Trump. "A deal's a deal," Sinema told reporters Wednesday. "We have a border deal."
Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis and the prosecutor she hired to lead Georgia's 2020 election interference case against former President Trump were subpoenaed on Wednesday to testify regarding accusations of an improper romantic relationship, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.
Why it matters: The unsubstantiated allegations from a Trump co-defendant Mike Roman have cast uncertainty around the high-profile case.
U.S. senators during a Judiciary Committee hearing Wednesday admonished the CEOs of large tech and social media companies including Meta and TikTok for harming young users.
Why it matters: Social media giants have been under pressure to address concerns about what kids are seeing on their platforms, as well as the risks associated with adolescent social media usage.
Some top China experts from former President Trump's administration don't plan to work for him again, leaving the field wide open for newcomers.
Why it matters: The U.S. and China are maintaining stability in their relationship despite being at odds over Taiwan, allegations of espionage, technology controls, import bans and regional maritime disputes. The people Trump surrounds himself in a second presidency would shape the direction of its China policy during this critical time.
The lead prosecutor in Georgia's 2020 election interference case against former President Trump dodged a hearing Wednesday where he likely would have had to testify about an alleged improper relationship with Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis.
Why it matters: Unsubstantiated allegations that special prosecutor Nathan Wade had a relationship with Willis have jeopardized the high-profile case against the former president, who is seeking to have Willis and Wade disqualified and the charges tossed.
The House's top security official is taking notice of a series of recent swatting incidents targeting member of Congress, offering new guidance to their families and offices on how to address them, Axios has learned.
Why it matters: Letters like this are rare – several aides and members of Congress told Axios they have never seen a communication from the sergeant at arms to a congressional spouse — reflecting heightened fears around member safety.
President Biden is being urged by members of Congress to "leverage" the U.S. alliance with Qatar to help free the remaining hostages from the Oct. 7 attack, Axios has learned.
Why it matters: Qatar has played a key role in negotiations between Israel and Hamas, but has also been the subject of grassroots protests in the U.S. in recent weeks for its financial ties to Hamas.
President Biden looks increasingly vulnerable on the issue that has been the focus of former President Trump's entire political career.
Why it matters: The percentage of voters who said immigration was the "single most important issue" to them in November went up in six of the seven swing states polled in a new Bloomberg News/Morning Consult survey.
Proposals aimed at dismantling diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs on college campuses have been introduced in 21 states since 2021 — and nine of the states have approved such laws, an Axios analysis finds.
Why it matters: The wave of anti-DEI bills in state legislatures has come amid an ongoing conservative backlash against initiatives aimed at fighting systemic racism.
Nikki Haley is seeking a complex — and unlikely — path to the GOP presidential nomination by relying on independent and Democratic voters in 13 states with primaries that are open to non-Republicans.
Why it matters: It's a long shot, but Haley's Hail Mary strategy might help her chip away at GOP front-runner Donald Trump as he faces legal challenges that could complicate his campaign.
House Homeland Security Committee Republicans approved two articles of impeachment against Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas just after midnight Wednesday, sending the vote to the House floor.
Why it matters: If the historic vote succeeds, Mayorkas would be the first Cabinet member to be impeached since 1876.
An Ohio man was sentenced to 18 years in federal prison for firebombing a church in an attempt to burn it down after it planned to host drag events last year, the Department of Justice announced Tuesday.
The big picture: Federal prosecutors said Aimenn D. Penny, 20, of Alliance, was a member of a "White Lives Matter" group in the state that held "racist, pro-Nazi, and homophobic views" when he threw two Molotov cocktails that he'd made earlier at the Community Church of Chesterland in Chesterland, Ohio, on March 25.
Utah Gov. Spencer Cox signed a bill on Tuesday that would ban transgender people's access to public restrooms and locker rooms.
What he's saying: "We want public facilities that are safe and accommodating for everyone and this bill increases privacy protections for all," said Cox, who is running for re-election this year, in a statement.
A group of Jewish House Democrats on Tuesday discussed possible alternatives to the U.N. Relief and Works Agency for delivering aid to Gaza in a meeting with the Israeli military's liaison with Palestinian civilians, Axios has learned.
Why it matters: The meeting comes after the U.S. and eight other countries paused funding for the Palestinian refugee agency after Israel accused a dozen UNRWA employees of involvement in the Oct. 7 Hamas attack.
The second-ever impeachmentof a Cabinet secretary — and the first since 1876 — is likely to hinge on the votes of a few still-undecided House Republican holdouts.
Why it matters: Two storylines have largely dominated the House GOP's time in the majority: its remarkable unity on the border crisis, and its chaotic divisions on just about everything else.
