Voting law fights | Trumpworld probes | Gaza cease-fire

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VIEW IN BROWSER | SUBSCRIBE FRI, MAY 21, 2021 CNBC POLITICS EDITOR'S NOTE Hello,   Happy Friday, everyone. It was a big week for domestic and international politics in Washington. Here are some of the stories we've been tracking. Behind-the-scenes battles: Several corporations spoke up earlier this year to condemn a new, GOP-supported law in Georgia that critics say will hurt minority voters. Republicans and conservatives quickly criticized these companies, creating a lot of headaches. Corporate leaders, as a result, took their campaign against the Georgia law and ones like it in other states behind the scenes, in a bid to avoid public confrontations. Brian Schwartz reports. Cease-fire in the Middle East: Israel and Hamas agreed to halt their latest conflict after several days of violence that killed more than 200 people in the Gaza Strip and about a dozen in Israel. Israeli forces pounded Gaza with airstrikes, while Hamas militants launched thousands of rockets into Israel. U.S. diplomats played a key role in bringing about the agreement. "I believe the Palestinians and Israelis equally deserve to live safely and securely and are to enjoy equal measures of freedom, prosperity, and democracy," President Biden said Thursday. Legal pressure in Trumpworld: Two key figures in former President Trump's inner circle are feeling the heat from prosecutors. State authorities in New York are investigating the Trump Organization's CFO, Allen Weisselberg, who is also a longtime Trump family accountant. The feds, meanwhile, are probing Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani for his dealings in Ukraine. On Friday, in response to Giuliani's defense and claims of privilege, prosecutors said the former New York mayor is not above the law, even if he had represented a president. Read more here. Be sure to keep following CNBC Politics' coverage. Next week, we are looking forward to  news on whether Republicans and Biden will reach a deal on infrastructure, while lawmakers face a Biden-imposed deadline on police reform as the one-year anniversary of George Floyd's death approaches.   Have a great weekend, and thanks for reading.   Thoughts? Email us at CNBCPolitics@nbcuni.com.   Have friends or colleagues who might like this newsletter? They can sign up here.    Subscribe to CNBC's daily new podcast The News with Shepard Smith, which provides deep, non-partisan coverage and perspective on the day's most important stories. Mike Calia @Michael_Calia KEY STORIES  Business leaders take their election law fights behind the scenes after attacks from Republicans Corporate leaders are now fighting behind the scenes against Republican-supported voting laws following repeated attacks from GOP leaders. Israel and Hamas agree to cease-fire over Gaza conflict Israel and Hamas agreed to a cease-fire Thursday after 11 days of fighting that has left more than 200 people dead in the Gaza Strip and 12 dead in Israel. DNC had $56 million on hand heading into May, a record for this point in any year The DNC raised $15.6. million in April, according to figures first shared with CNBC by a committee spokesperson. Rudy Giuliani is not 'above the law' or immune to criminal probes despite acting as Trump attorney, Feds say Former New York mayor Rudy Giuliiani is under criminal investigation for a period when he served as lawyer to then-President Donald Trump. Trump CFO Allen Weisselberg under criminal tax investigation by New York attorney general Longtime Trump Organization CFO Allen Weisselberg is under criminal investigation, as is former President Donald Trump. Blinken and Russia's Lavrov tread carefully in first face-to-face meeting under Biden administration The meeting between Blinken and Lavrov was the highest-level in-person discussion between Washington and Moscow under the Biden administration. House passes $1.9 billion Capitol security bill that faces Senate roadblocks The House passed the security funding bill in response to the Jan. 6 insurrection, but it faces potential Republican opposition in the Senate. U.S. Treasury calls for stricter cryptocurrency compliance with IRS, says they pose tax evasion risk The Treasury Department announced that it will require any transfer worth $10,000 or more to be reported to the IRS. Biden orders federal strategy to curb climate change risk to economy The federal government will develop and publish an assessment of its climate change risk exposure to help guide the president's budget projections. CNN anchor Chris Cuomo advised brother, NY Gov. Andrew Cuomo, on sexual misconduct claims, report says Chris Cuomo advised N.Y. Gov. Andrew Cuomo and encouraged him to take a defiant stance against the allegations, The Washington Post reported.     Unsubscribe Manage Newsletters Terms of Service Join the CNBC Panel Digital Products Feedback Privacy Policy   © 2021 CNBC LLC. All rights reserved. A property of NBCUniversal. 900 Sylvan Avenue, Englewood Cliffs, NJ 07632 Data is a real-time snapshot *Data is delayed at least 15 minutes. Global Business and Financial News, Stock Quotes and Market Data and Analysis. Data also provided by THOMSON REUTERS