House Republicans are growing increasingly sour on the prospect of an impeachment vote against President Biden.
Why it matters: With the presidential election heating up, many GOP lawmakers think their most politically opportune route is to try to ding Biden politically without taking a risky, politically charged vote.
Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), facing federal bribery charges, announced Thursday that he will not run for re-election as a Democrat — but left the door open to running as an independent.
Why it matters: Menendez has faced widespread calls from within his own party to resign. His decision to forgo re-election clears the way for two Democrats in the state who are vying for his seat.
Why it matters: Buck is the first Republican to sign onto that discharge petition – or any Democratic discharge petition this Congress – amid GOP concerns about surrendering the House floor to Democrats.
ByteDance investor Jeff Yass is the biggest donor so far to outside spending groups in the 2024 election cycle, donating more than $46 million to conservative causes and PACs.
Why it matters: Yass beat out the second-highest donor by what Open Secrets reported is more than $11 million, while TikTok, owned by ByteDance, is currently at the center of a heated effort in Congress to crack down on the popular app.
China's government can use TikTok to spy on American users and push propaganda at alarming levels, senators who received a classified briefing on the social media app told Axios.
Why it matters: The senators were hesitant to give details about Wednesday's briefing, but said Americans would be frightened by TikTok's ability to access and track their personal data.
One senator said national security officials described how China can harvest user data and weaponize it through propaganda and misinformation.
Another lawmaker said they were told TikTok is able to spy on the microphone on users' devices, track keystrokes and determine what the users are doing on other apps.
The big picture: Senate leaders are weighing what to do with a bill that would force China-based ByteDance to sell TikTok or face a ban in the U.S. The House passed the bill overwhelmingly last week after its members received a similar security briefing.
It's unclear whether the briefing from the FBI, Justice Department and the Director of National Intelligence office was a needle-mover for senators who may be skeptical of the bill.
What they're saying: Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) told Axios the briefing's "level of detail and specificity was extremely impactful."
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) said the briefing was helpful in "bringing some members up to date with the threats that China poses through TikTok."
"Their ability to track, their ability to spy is shocking," Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.) said.
Reality check: Such warnings from federal officials so far haven't been enough for senators to fast-track the bill.
Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.), chair of the Intelligence Committee, said Thursday that it would take longer than the eight days it took for the bill to clear the House because that's "just the way the Senate works."
The legislation has been referred to the Senate Commerce Committee.
Sen. John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.), a member of the committee, said the TikTok legislation is "something we should move faster on, not slower."
The Manhattan district attorney's office said Thursday that the recent production of tens of thousands of new records in former President Trump's hush money case should not result in any additional delays in the trial.
Why it matters: The Manhattan DA's office wrote in the filing that Trump's request for a delay in the case is a "red herring" and "strategic delay."
President Biden and his campaign have begun openlytaunting former President Trump over the massive — and growing — disparity in fundraising between the two parties' presumptive nominees.
Why it matters: Democrats hold a staggering cash advantage over Republicans at virtually every level of national politics. And the money raised by Trump's political operation is increasingly flowing into a black hole of legal expenses.
Former New Jersey Gov. and Republican presidential candidate Chris Christie did not rule out running with the centrist political group No Labels during a podcast with David Axelrod that aired Thursday.
Why it matters: Christie, who made preventing a second Trump administration central to his long-shot bid, could attract some anti-Trump Republicans if he were to run on a No Labels ticket in November.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) on Thursday signaled he won't stand in the way of inviting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to address a joint session of Congress.
Why it matters: House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) said earlier on Thursday he planned to invite Netanyahu to address at least the House — with or without Schumer's go-ahead.
Department of Motor Vehicle facilities nationwide experienced a disruptive network outage on Thursday.
The big picture: DMVs could not conduct driver's license or motor vehicle title transactions during an hours-long loss in cloud connectivity, the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators told Axios.
The right-wing House Freedom Caucus voted to oust Rep. Ken Buck (R-Colo.) on Tuesday, just days before he's set to leave Congress, several sources confirmed to Axios.
Why it matters: It's the second time this congressional session the group has kicked out a member who diverged from them ideologically — the first being Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) last summer.
Why it matters: The latest round of debt forgiveness meansPresident Biden has offered relief to close to four million borrowers, despite the Supreme Court blocking his signature student loan cancellation plan.
Congressional leaders early Thursday morning released the long-awaited text of a $1.2 trillion bill to keep the federal government funded through September.
Why it matters: It gives lawmakers just two days to consider the legislation before the government shutdown deadline on Friday.
Independent presidential hopeful Robert Kennedy Jr. wants to engage Hispanic voters by using a version of his uncle JFK's historic "Viva Kennedy!" platform — a model that gave birth to the modern Latino vote.
Why it matters: RFK Jr. is on the ballot in at least four states and is seeking access in others, such as Georgia and Arizona, where small political shifts among Latinos could swing a tight presidential election.
Allies of President Biden believe that of the six swing states everyone is watching, Nevada — which he won by two points in 2020, and where both U.S. senators are Democrats — could be especially tough.
Why it matters: How Democrats do in Nevada could determine control of both the White House and the Senate, since the Silver State also has one of the nation's tightest Senate races.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Wednesday the U.S. has submitted a draft resolution to the UN Security Council that calls "for an immediate ceasefire" in Gaza that's "tied to the release" of hostages held by Hamas.
Why it matters: Both Israel and Hamas are facing pressure to reach a deal to free the hostages and start a truce in Gaza, where over 30,000 Palestinians have been killed, per Axios' Barak Ravid, who noted this week that the first detailed negotiations in months were underway.
Campbell Soup was hit with a lawsuit from the Department of Justice and another from environmental groups on Wednesday over allegations that its plant in northwestern Ohio pollutes Lake Erie.
The big picture: The DOJ accuses Campbell of since 2018 violating pollution restrictions outlined in permits for the Napoleon factory along the Lake Erie tributary Maumee River by discharging contaminants including phosphorous and bacteria.
Why it matters: The razor-thin margin reflects divisions over how to address the state's chronic homelessness crisis — as well as concerns about forced mental health treatment.
A group of right-wing House Freedom Caucus members on Wednesday sent a letter to the Department of Veterans Affairs opposing the agency's recent expansion of in vitro fertilization access.
Why it matters: It's a rare example of vocal Republican opposition to fertility treatments as the party has tried hard to distance from an Alabama Supreme Court ruling last month that froze IVF services in the state.
