Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) on Friday endorsed former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley's longshot GOP primary bid against former President Trump.
Why it matters: It's the second congressional endorsement for Haley as Trump, the GOP frontrunner, consolidates support among GOP lawmakers following consistent primary wins.
A Florida judge weighed the timing of former President Trump's classified documents case during a hearing on Friday, but did not set a new trial start date from the bench.
Why it matters: Trump's legal team has repeatedly tried to delay proceedings concerning his four criminal indictments until after the election, with the hope that a November win could derail the cases.
President Biden said on Friday that the U.S. will begin airdropping humanitarian aid into Gaza in the coming days and "insist" Israel allow more trucks and create more routes to get supplies into the enclave by land. "No excuses," he said.
Why it matters: The announcement underscores the growing concerns within the Biden administration about the worsening humanitarian conditions in Gaza and the difficulties of getting aid into the enclave, where the UN has warned "famine is almost inevitable" if nothing changes.
Walgreens and CVS, two of the largest U.S. pharmacy chains, plan to start offering abortion pills this month, the companies told Axios Friday.
Why it matters: The move will increase availability to mifepristone just as the Supreme Court is set to weigh access to the pill in a high-stakes case that marks the top court's first major abortion issue since Roe v. Wade was overturned.
GOP presidential candidate Nikki Haley said in a new interview thatall of former President Trump's court cases should be "dealt with" before voters go to the polls in November.
Why it matters: The timelines for the Republican frontrunner's cases, which include a historic 91 criminal counts, could extend beyond the election, meaning voters wouldn't know the outcomes before casting ballots.
Nikki Haley says she has ruled out joining No Labels as a third-party presidential candidate because she's not willing to choose a Democratic running mate for vice president.
Why it matters: The former UN ambassador is the lone Republican still challenging former President Trump for the party's nomination — and with her prospects dimming with each primary, there was some speculation she'd try a third-party bid.
Why it matters: The Biden administration watches this figure closely, as reported earlier today by Axios' Hans Nichols, because it's the best gauge of how voters are feeling about the economy.
President Biden's State of the Union address on Thursday will highlight "historic" accomplishments — from infrastructure spending to scrapping junk fees — and make the case for "protecting and implementing" that agenda, a White House official tells Axios.
The big picture: "The president will talk aboutwhose side he is on and the work ahead to make life better for every American," the official said.
Former President Trump said Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) is under consideration to be his running mate on the 2024 GOP ticket.
The big picture: Trump is said to be weighing several contenders. Many have auditioned at his rallies and other events in an effort to prove their loyalty.
MAGA Inc., the main super PAC backing former President Trump, will go on the radio waves in Georgia, Pennsylvania and Michigan on Monday with a three-week campaign aimed at Black voters.
Why it matters: The Trump campaign and its allies see vulnerabilities for President Biden with Black and Hispanic male voters.
Librarians perceive the threat from the book-banning movement as so profound that they're using the more expansive term "intellectual freedom challenges" instead.
Cities like Chicago and Hoboken, New Jersey, are also declaring themselves "Book Sanctuary Cities" where materials that are under attack are circulated and protected.
Former President Trump's delay tactics are paying off in court, but he may be losing one of his most potent venues for his grievance-centered campaign: courthouses.
Why it matters: It now appears likely that just one of Trump's four criminal cases — the one in New York involving hush money paid to an adult film actress — will conclude before the 2024 election.
Republicans are trapped in a political minefield over reproductive rights, paralyzed in fear that their vulnerabilities on abortion and in-vitro fertilization (IVF) could hand Democrats the 2024 election.
Why it matters: Rarely has a political issue proven so salient, so personal and so animating for voters at both the state and national level. The Alabama Supreme Court's ruling on IVF suggests the fallout from the end of Roe v. Wade is far from contained.
For some Biden advisers, the University of Michigan's consumer sentiment survey, which drops Friday morning, is becoming perhaps the most important economic reading of the month.
A transcript of Hunter Biden's closed-door deposition before two Republican-led committees was publicly released on Thursday.
The big picture: He struck a defiant tone as he appeared before the House Oversight and Judiciary committees as part of their impeachment inquiry into his father, President Biden.
Former President Trump will use local police to implement his plan for the mass deportation of undocumented migrants if he's elected, the Republican primary frontrunner said during an interview on Fox News Thursday.
The big picture: Trump, who visited the U.S.-Mexico border on the same day as President Biden Thursday, has vowed to launch the "largest deportation operation in American history" if he's elected president for a second term in November.
An off-duty Tennessee sheriff's deputy who assaulted officers during the Capitol riot was sentenced to 70 months in prison on Thursday, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia announced.
The big picture: Ronald Colton McAbee was on medical leave from his job as a sheriff's deputy in Williamson County, Tennessee, when he went to Washington D.C. for the insurrection, wearing a "SHERIFF" patch, prosecutors said.
House Democrats are carefully watching how House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) handles spending votes next week as they consider their willingness to save his speakership.
Why it matters: As Johnson faces growing anger from his right flank for working with Democrats, the prospect of an ouster attempt looms large.
In a stunning moment today, Joe Biden used his second U.S.-Mexico border visit as president to urge Donald Trump to work with him on passing the toughest immigration law in decades.
Why it matters: Biden campaigned on ending Trump-era border policies. Now he's accusing Republicans of standing in the way of his efforts to halt a historic migrant crisis.
