Look for a voluminous final report from the House Jan. 6 committee in mid-December — I'm told to expect around 1,000 pages. Why it matters: The committee has exceeded expectations, hearing by hearing — turning up constant new information about one of American history's most consequential, but also most documented, events. Committee members will hold a presentation event, as they synthesize their findings for history, ahead of the Republican takeover of the House majority in early January. 🔎 The intrigue: Fifteen former and current Jan. 6 committee staffers tell The Washington Post they're ange [...]
Meta, Facebook's parent company , was hit with a $24.7 million fine Wednesday after a Washington judge found the tech giant had intentionally violated the state's campaign finance disclosure laws 822 times. The big picture: The fine that King County Superior Court Judge Douglass issued "represents the largest campaign finance penalty anywhere in the country — ever," per a statement from Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson. A Meta spokesperson said the company is assessing its options and declined to comment further. Editor's note: This is a breaking news story. Please check back for updat [...]
Data: ERA5/ECMWF; Chart: Thomas Oide/Axios The early numbers are in, and 2021 ranks as the fifth warmest year on record, according to the European Union's Copernicus Climate Change Service. Why it matters: The ranking signals that the temporary cooling influence of a moderate La Niña event in the tropical Pacific Ocean cannot do much to dampen the influence of human-caused global warming. Details: The preliminary data from Copernicus confirms projections by U.S. climate agencies such as NOAA, which has forecast that the year is almost certain to rank as the sixth warmest year in its database, [...]
New data from South Africa suggests the Omicron variant spreads more than twice as quickly as the Delta variant, and that immunity from prior infection doesn't appear to protect a person very well against Omicron variant. Why it matters: The findings are extremely preliminary, and there are still many open questions about how well vaccines work against the variant. But these initial breadcrumbs of data are helping the world begin to understand what it's up against. Where it stands: It's going to be a while before we can draw any firm conclusions about Omicron. Until then, scientists will be ra [...]
No one really wants this job, but millions of households may need their own Thanksgiving bouncer. The cover charge is a negative COVID test, done ahead of arrival or outside the front door. Why it matters: Normalizing rapid tests is a practical way to help extended families feel a little more normal around the holiday dinner table. You may have relatives who aren't vaccinated (or won't say) — or babies or immunocompromised guests who are vulnerable to breakthrough infections. How it works: If you're hosting, let your guests know ahead of their arrival that you'll be testing everyone at the doo [...]
Former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows is facing criminal contempt after he failed to appear before the Jan. 6 committee Friday morning. Why it matters : This is the panel's third threat of criminal prosecution made in recent weeks against non-cooperative witnesses — a significant escalation by the panel as it tries to enforce subpoenas against Trump's closest aides. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.), the Jan. 6 panel chair, said in a letter to Meadow's attorney on Thursday that without executive privilege or immunity, "there is no valid legal basis for Mr. Meadows' continued resistance to the [...]
GLASGOW, Scotland — UN Secretary-General António Guterres on Monday pleaded for more aggressive steps to curb climate change, telling the COP26 conference that current plans fall short and "our addiction to fossil fuels is pushing humanity to the brink." Why it matters: Guterres' stark language signals his concern COP26 won't lay the groundwork to put global emissions on a sustainable path. "It’s time to say: enough. Enough of brutalizing biodiversity. Enough of killing ourselves with carbon. Enough of treating nature like a toilet. Enough of burning and drilling and mining our way deeper. We [...]
Data: House Press Gallery; Table: Danielle Alberti/Axios Rep. Anthony Brown (D-Md.) is the latest House lawmaker to announce he won't seek re-election next year , bringing the total number of Democratic retirements to 13, compared to nine Republicans. Why it matters: The increasing number of Democratic retirements — put against the backdrop of President Biden's sagging approval ratings and uncertainty about redistricting — is adding to concerns the party may not be able to keep its slim majority in the House. Driving the news: Axios is tracking the House retirements as the midterm election cyc [...]
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce issued a statement late Monday clarifying its support for the Senate-passed $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill if passed independently. But it rejected President Biden linking it to his broader reconciliation package. Driving the news: The statement came shortly after the Chamber told Axios it opposed passage of the bipartisan infrastructure bill, given Biden linked the measure to his reconciliation proposal during his meeting with House Democrats on Friday. Axios' report came shortly after Punchbowl News reported House Republicans were booting the Chamber from its [...]
Democrats and advocates pushing for big climate investments in reconciliation legislation will likely need to scale down their ambitions even as they emphasize the global stakes of the fluid Capitol Hill talks. The big picture: Democrats and the White House face the tricky task of crafting a social spending and clean energy plan that will be significantly smaller than progressives have envisioned. Democrats will likely need to cut significantly the $3.5 trillion plan crafted in the House as Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) calls for a $1.5 trillion ceiling. But how that affects climate initiatives c [...]
The all-civilian Inspiration4 crew is back on Earth after their three-day mission in orbit. The big picture: The launch and landing of this fully amateur, private space crew marks a changing of the guard from spaceflight being a largely government-led venture to being under the purview of private companies. What's happening: Inspiration4 launched on Wednesday and came back in for a splashdown within their SpaceX Dragon capsule in the Atlantic Ocean off the Florida coast on Saturday. "On behalf of SpaceX, welcome back to planet Earth," a SpaceX mission controller said after splashdown. "Thanks [...]
The First District Court of Appeal on Friday granted Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) approval to uphold an order banning mask mandates in schools, per court documents filed Friday. Why it matters: The move reverses a decision from earlier this week that paused the state's ability to enforce a ban on strict mask mandates in schools. The state will be able to resume punishing school districts that enforce mandates, which up until this point has included withholding funds from schools. Driving the news : "When a public officer or agency seeks appellate review, which is the case here, there is a pr [...]
Global warming is affecting people's health and officials need to urgently address the climate crisis now as it can't wait until the COVID-19 pandemic is over, editors of over 230 medical journals warned Sunday evening. Why it matters: This is the first time so many publications have come together to issue such a joint statement to world leaders, underscoring the severity of the situation — with the Journal of the American Medical Association, the Lancet and the British Medical Journal among those issuing the warning. Ahead of this November's UN general assembly and the Cop26 climate summit in [...]
A law that bans abortions after six weeks, including in cases of rape and incest , went into effect in Texas on Wednesday. Why it matters: The law, one the most restrictive abortion bans in the U.S., prohibits the practice after a fetal heartbeat is detected — before many people know they are pregnant. It also incentivizes individuals to sue anyone suspected of helping a woman obtain an abortion — and awards at least $10,000 to people who do so successfully. Driving the news: The American Civil Rights Union and several abortion rights groups this week asked the Supreme Court to temporarily bl [...]
A growing number of Republican senators — led by Ted Cruz — are set to announce today they also will object to certifying state Electoral College votes on Wednesday, congressional sources familiar with their conversations tell Axios. Why it matters: Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell had hoped to avoid the spectacle of his party leading a last-ditch effort to prevent Joe Biden from being declared the 2020 election winner, but Josh Hawley of Missouri said he would raise a general objection and now other Republican senators plan to air more specific grievances. Driving the news: Cruz, who, l [...]