Shane Gillis will host "Saturday Night Live" on Feb. 24, nearly five years after he was fired from "SNL" due to resurfaced clips showing him using racial slurs and homophobic language.
Why it matters: The comedian's removal from the show's cast in 2019 days before he was due to make his debut came as public figures began facing increased accountability for past comments.
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) is facing criticism from both the right flank of his party and Ukraine hawks for the standalone Israel aid package the House plans to vote on this week.
Why it matters: With a razor-thin majority, Johnson will have to make up most GOP defections with Democratic votes – and top Democrats are beginning to take shots at the measure.
Nikki Haley had an eye-popping month of fundraising in January, hauling in almost as much cash as the prior three months combined, Axios has learned.
Why it matters: The Haley campaign has the money to keep her long-shot presidential bid alive, even as many leaders in her party have called for the GOP primary to come to an end.
President Biden's landslide victoryin South Carolina yesterday gave him exactly the visual he wanted — and needed — as the starting gun fires for a marathon general election campaign.
Why it matters: Biden did not face serious competition from Rep. Dean Phillips (D-Minn.) and Marianne Williamson. But with more than 95% of the vote in all 46 of South Carolina's counties, an incumbent president couldn't have asked for a stronger show of force.
Why it matters: The RNC reported this week that it had its worst fundraising year in almost a decade last year — entering 2024 with just $8 million in cash. Trump's comments are a sign of him flexing muscle as the de facto head of the GOP, even though the soonest he could clinch the nomination is March.
Democratic U.S. House members are accusing Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) of inciting violence at the U.S.-Mexico border by using bigoted language about a border "invasion" and encouraging a rightwing convoy to come to the region.
Driving the news: Around 200 vehicles carrying Trump supporters, Christian nationalists and conspiracy theorists have descended on Quemado, Texas for a "Take Our Border Back" rally amid a standoff between Abbott and President Biden over immigration enforcement.
House Democratic leaders on Sunday knocked House Republicans for pursuing a new standalone Israel aid bill over the Senate's comprehensive national security package.
Why it matters: ManyDemocrats are carefully trying to balance their motivation to vote for Israel aid with concerns about the bill's exclusion of humanitarian assistance to Palestinians, Ukraine aid and other key priorities.
Former President Trump name-dropped Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) and South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem (R) Sunday as people he's noticed in the Republican Party when asked about his criteria for picking a vice presidential candidate.
Why it matters: The GOP presidential frontrunner has left room for speculation as to who he will pick as his running mate should he secure the 2024 Republican nomination.
A South Dakota tribe banned Gov. Kristi Noem (R) from the Pine Ridge Reservation on Friday after recent comments she made about the state's efforts at the southern border and a "cartel presence" on the state's reservations.
Why it matters: Noem has stood alongside several other GOP governors in their support for Texas Gov. Greg Abbott's (R) actions regarding the southern border, and deployed South Dakota National Guard troops to Texas multiple times to provide assistance.
President Biden's team is concerned that special counsel Robert Hur's investigation into Biden's handling of classified documents will hurt his re-election campaign.
Why it matters: Biden aides don't expect criminal charges in the case, but they believe Hur's report will include embarrassing details — possibly with photos — on how Biden stored documents.
Donald Trump is virtually assured of winning all 26 of the delegates available in Nevada's GOP caucuses Thursday, but his team is worried that the state's plan to hold a primary two days before the caucuses could wind up embarrassing the former president.
Why it matters: Nevada's confusing combination of a state-run primary and party-run caucuses has set up a scenario in which Trump could get get fewer votes in the caucuses than rival Nikki Haley does in the GOP primary.
Why it matters: Biden was expected to coast to victory in South Carolina, but the contest was a first test of his momentum as polls show him struggling to generate enthusiasm.
