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The U.S. Chamber of Commerce called on the White House to end expanded federal unemployment benefits that were implemented during last year’s pandemic relief efforts, saying the extra monthly payments are hurting the economy by keeping workers out of the labor market.

The National Border Patrol Council (NBPC) endorsed Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) to replace Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) for the position of GOP conference chair if she leaves the post next week. “As President Biden’s policies continue to create the worst surge in illegal immigration in our history, it is more important than ever for our leaders to share a unified message in Congress on the importance of border security,” Brandon Judd, the president of the NBPC, told Breitbart.

President Joe Biden’s administration on Friday rescinded a Trump-era plan to collect facial scans and DNA from immigrants when they apply to enter the United States. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said it has “withdrawn a proposed rule that would have expanded department authorities and requirements for collecting biometrics by removing age restrictions; requiring submission of biometrics for every applicant, petitioner, sponsor, beneficiary, or other individual filing for or associated with any immigration or naturalization benefit or request unless DHS waives or exempts the biometrics requirement.”

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said that the entirety of his focus is stopping President Joe Biden’s agenda, which threatens the already small chance of bipartisanship ahead of more negotiations on a potential infrastructure deal.

Psaki made the remarks during an appearance on CNN’s podcast “The Axe Files with David Axelrod.” CNN Senior Political Commentator Axelrod brought up an incident from earlier this year when the president was put on the spot by CNN reporter Kaitlan Collins about whether a provision to raise the minimum wage to $15 would be part of the pandemic relief bill that was signed into law in March.

There are enough votes to remove Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) from her position as House GOP Conference chair, according to a top Republican member. Cheney, the No. 3 GOP member in the lower chamber due to her position, is facing pressure because of her continued attacks on former President Donald Trump.

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) sat down to have dinner with former President Donald Trump at his Florida resort Mar-a-Lago on Tuesday and discussed the Republican Party’s intent of regaining control of Congress, the senator said. “Had a great dinner tonight with President Trump at Mar-a-Lago,” Cruz wrote on Twitter.

The U.S. Space Command is tracking uncontrolled debris from a Chinese rocket that sent part of a planned space station into orbit last week, the White House said on May 5. The debris comes from the Long March 5B rocket launched on April 29 to deliver a new 22.5-tonne module for China’s Tianhe space station. The debris has since reached orbital velocity, meaning it is circling the planet instead of falling back to Earth within a predetermined area as usually happens with the debris from U.S. launches.

Ren Zhengfei, the founder and CEO of Chinese tech giant Huawei, said in an internal speech last month that if parts of the business slowly move to the capital market, the manipulation of finances would be a legal problem. His words have led to speculation that Huawei may go public, as U.S. sanctions against Huawei have made its cash flow a big issue.

NEW YORK—The “extreme and unthinkable” suffering that the Chinese regime has inflicted on members of the faith group Falun Gong typifies Beijing’s totalitarian tactics, which, if left unstopped, could eventually come to the free world, cautioned human rights advocates on April 18. “The Chinese Communist Party thrives on the ignorance and apathy of people around the world,” said Alan Adler, chair of the New York-based Friends of Falun Gong. “While our backs are turned and our eyes closed, they take advantage of our weakness and do their evils unchecked.”

MOSCOW—Two Russian warships transited the Bosphorus en route to the Black Sea on Saturday and 15 smaller vessels completed a transfer to the sea as Moscow beefs up its naval presence at a time of tense relations with the West and Ukraine. The reinforcement coincides with a huge build-up of Russian troops near Ukraine, something Moscow calls a temporary defensive exercise, and follows an escalation in fighting in eastern Ukraine between Russian-backed separatists and Ukrainian government forces.

A group of House Republicans is forming a new caucus that focuses on nationwide election reform, limiting the power of Big Tech, and cutting down on illegal immigration. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) is leading the creation of the America First Caucus (AFC), reported Punchbowl News, which published a seven-page document (pdf) that outlines the caucus’s platform.

WASHINGTON—President Joe Biden on Friday sought to present a united front with Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga to counter an increasingly threatening China as the U.S. leader held his first face-to-face White House summit since taking office. China topped the agenda, underscoring Japan’s central role in U.S. efforts to face down Beijing. The two leaders addressed an array of geopolitical issues, including Taiwan, with Suga saying they reaffirmed “the importance of peace and stability of the Taiwan Strait,” a slap at Beijing’s increased military pressure on the Chinese-claimed, self-ruled island.

A group of House Democrats were expected to announce a bill later in the day that would expand the nation’s top court from nine seats to 13, with members upset that six of the current members were nominated by Republican presidents, including three Trump appointees. Asked if she would commit to bringing the bill to a vote, Pelosi said, “no.”

Eighteen GOP senators are asking FBI Director Christopher Wray to open an investigation into President Biden’s key Pentagon nominee to find out whether he solicited or disclosed classified information after his tenure with the Obama administration.

Americans have come to understand the national security threat posed by China-based telecom companies but they might be surprised to learn that equipment from these telecom firms continue to be used in U.S. networks, according to Brendan Carr, Federal Communication Commission (FCC) commissioner.

Uyghurs fleeing persecution by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) would get priority refugee status under a bipartisan bill introduced by Sens. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) and Chris Coons (D-Del.) on April 13. The Uyghur Humans Rights Protection Act would make it easier for Uyghurs and members of other Turkic or Muslim minority groups to apply for resettlement. The bill also urges U.S. allies to adopt similar measures.

The White House press secretary Jen Psaki said that the Biden administration is looking for creative ways to encourage white conservatives to take COVID-19 vaccines, such as using public service announcements (PSAs) through different popular channels.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), and Reps. Grace Meng (D-N.Y.) and Andy Kim (D-N.J.) held a press conference on the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act on Tuesday. “This week I’m using my power as Majority Leader to make sure the Senate will vote on Senator Hirono’s COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act, which my fellow New Yorker representative Meng has sponsored in the House,” said Schumer.

Buried in the nearly 18,000-word White House Fact Sheet on President Joe Biden’s proposed $2.3 trillion “American Jobs Plan” infrastructure bill is one paragraph that could turn the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) into a zoning commission for suburban America. “For decades, exclusionary zoning laws—like minimum lot sizes, mandatory parking requirements, and prohibitions on multifamily housing—have inflated housing and construction costs and locked families out of areas with more opportunities,” the fact sheet claims.