A Senate committee has voted along party lines to hold Dr. Anthony Fauci in contempt of Congress over his refusal to answer questions at a hearing on his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. The vote Thursday sets up a referral to the Department of Justice for potential investigation over whether the country’s longtime top infectious disease official properly exercised his constitutional rights. That would leave it up to the U.S. attorney in Washington to decide whether to investigate or potentially attempt to prosecute Fauci for contempt. A referral from Congress doesn't compel prosecutors to act. Democrats are questioning whether the referral would be valid if the full Senate was bypassed.

Democrats have selected South Carolina to hold the first presidential nominating contest in 2028. The decision Friday most likely cements a Democratic primary calendar that moves away from Iowa and New Hampshire in favor of more racially diverse states. The Democratic National Committee’s Rules and Bylaws Committee weighed competing bids led by South Carolina and Nevada for the first spot. The choice will need to be approved by the full Democratic National Committee, which is scheduled to meet in August.

President Donald Trump has ousted members of a bipartisan federal election commission charged with assisting state and local elections officials. The White House confirmed Friday that Trump is taking executive action to change the makeup of the Election Assistance Commission. That agency distributes federal grants to states, tests voting systems and maintains the national voter registration forms. It is the latest move in Trump's effort to expand White House influence over how U.S. elections are conducted, and it comes after a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling that gave the president new personnel authority to fire members of independent agency boards.

President Donald Trump has chosen not to sign a sweeping housing affordability bill on Friday, in protest of Congress not approving a strict voter ID bill that does not have enough support to pass. Still, the housing measure could become law on Friday without Trump’s signature, as he had 10 days to issue a veto and stop the measure. Trump’s post simply says that he will not sign it.