It's been two years since a draft ruling of the Supreme Court'sintent to overturn Roe v. Wade was leaked, and Vice President Kamala Harris used the timing on Thursday to lay blame for the decision's impacts squarely at former President Trump's feet.
A bipartisan group of senators held a virtual meeting on Wednesday with senior officials at the International Criminal Court to express their concern about possible arrest warrants being issued for Israeli leaders over the war in Gaza, according to three sources who were in the meetingor briefed about it.
Why it matters: Israeli officials have grown increasingly worried over the last two weeks that the ICC is preparing to issue arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi.
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) took aim Thursday at President Biden's handling of the protests against the Israel-Hamas war, telling Axios "the administration has been MIA for too long."
Why it matters: Johnson pushed back on Biden's reluctance to utilize the National Guard as a means to intervene in the protests which have led to some Jewish students to say they fear for their safety.
President Biden has brought in a new senior adviser to tackle the unprecedented levels of migration throughout the Americas, two people familiar with the matter tell Axios.
Why it matters: Marcela Escobari, who has spent much of her career working on Latin America and international development, is now running point on the issue at the National Security Council as immigration grows as a concern among voters ahead of November.
Authorities on Wednesday recovered and identified a fifth body from the site of the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse.
The big picture: The victim was identified as Miguel Angel Luna Gonzalez, 49, one of the six Baltimore construction workers who went missing in the collapse, the Key Bridge Response Unified Command said in a press release.
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) said this week that the FBI has his phone after someone impersonating Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) reached out to him.
The big picture: "The Sergeant at Arms is investigating a possible hack of Senator Graham's phone," Graham's spokesperson, Taylor Reidy, confirmed to Axios Thursday.
President Biden's antisemitism task force convened Wednesday to discuss how the administration can improve campus safety for Jewish students and provide new resources to local law enforcement to protect Jewish individuals and communities, according to administration officials.
Why it matters: The White House is working to do more to address the college protests roiling the country.
President Biden defended students' right to protest peacefully during a speech Thursday, but condemned the "chaos" that has broken out on campuses nationwide amid protests against the Israel-Hamas war.
Why it matters: Biden is under tremendous political pressure as young Democrats and primary voters across key swing states have signaled opposition to his stance on Israel's war in Gaza.
More than 132 people were arrested at a pro-Palestinian encampment at the University of California, Los Angeles, in a tense altercationthat stretched into the early morning hours Thursday.
Why it matters: It's the latest in a series of escalations at pro-Palestinian protests that have swept college campuses across the country.
Rep. David Trone (D-Md.) has cut the use of the phrase "training wheels" from an attack ad against his Senate primary opponent, Axios has learned.
Why it matters: Maryland has the largest share of Black voters in the country, a key bloc for Democrats as the party tries to protect the Senate seat from a popular former Republican governor.
Democrats will try to leverage their success with abortion-related ballot measures in down-ballot races in November, according to a memo shared with Axios.
Why it matters: The battle over reproductive freedoms is playing out in the states — and the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee seeks to seize on the party's repeated ballot measure wins to create fresh state-level power.
A bipartisan group of House members is launching a "Dog Lovers Caucus" in a clear swipe at South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, a GOP vice presidential contender.
A new ad campaign that targets antisemitism and disinformation online features Holocaust survivors who are visibly shaken as they read a series of social media posts denying the massacre of Jews.
Why it matters: The online videos arrive at a time when antisemitic incidents in the U.S. surged last year amid the Israel-Hamas war — and as pro-Palestinian protests on some college campuses have left some Jewish students feeling threatened and harassed.
After years of calling voting by mail "corrupt" and "crooked," Donald Trump and GOP committees are scrambling to convince their voters that it's safe and secure ahead of the Nov. 5 elections.
Why it matters: Democrats have built a large mail-in voting advantage over the GOP in swing states that could decide the election, as many Republican voters have bought into Trump's stated distrust of voting by mail.
Canvassers trying to register new voters are staring down unprecedented hostility and navigating a minefield of new laws ahead of November's election.
Why it matters: Many advocates say somestate governments have made it harder to cast a ballot over the past few years amid rising public distrust of the election process.
Columbia is making all classes and final exams remote due to concerns over "an evolving campus environment," the university said in letter on Wednesday.
The big picture: The shift in the final days of the semester comes after more than 100 pro-Palestinian protesters were arrested at the university on Tuesday in the biggest escalation yet of the Ivy League school's response to demonstrations over the Israel-Hamas war.
Senate leadership is scrambling to figure out how to quickly pass Federal Aviation Administration reauthorization — a largely uncontroversial, nuts-and-bolts bill to keep U.S. aviation safe and operating smoothly.
Why it matters: This will be one of the last must-pass bills the Senate gets before November's elections. Republicans and Democrats alike are making plays to get their pet pieces of legislation tacked on through amendments — and it's a headache for leadership up against a May 10 deadline.
Vice President Kamala Harris slammed the "Trump abortion ban" during a speech Wednesday in Florida, while hundreds of miles away in Wisconsin, former President Trump focused his fire on President Biden's handling of the economy.
Why it matters: The dueling speeches underscore the split screen that's likely to play out over the next six months.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has qualified for the 2024 presidential ballot in fourstatesand the campaign says he has passed the signature threshold in at least half a dozen others, including some crucial swing states.
Why it matters: Kennedy's long-shot independent presidential bid has built a robust plan to try to get on the ballot in all 50 states.
