Axios

Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Richard Burr (R-N.C.) told CNN Tuesday that there were "sound reasons" for judges to issue a Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) warrant on former Trump campaign adviser, Carter Page.

Why it matters: Burr's comments, which come after the Justice Department released redacted documents relating to surveillance of Page, put him at odds — again —with House Intel Committee Chairman Devin Nunes (R-Calif.), who led the charge on the controversial memo outlining FISA abuses earlier this year. Nunes and Burr, both Republicans, have consistently been on opposing sides when discussing how to handle Russian election interference.

A new Pew Research Center survey shows a 16-point drop in favorable views of the FBI among Republicans and Republican-leaning independents since early 2017.

Why it matters: This suggests President Trump's repeated attacks on the FBI are influencing voters. Less than half of Republicans view the FBI positively, which is a stark contrast to the 65% who had positive views of the bureau before President Trump took office.

About 51% of American voters believe "that the Russian government has compromising information about President Trump," according to a Quinnipiac University poll released Tuesday. 

Why it matters: Based on Trump's responses from the Helsinki press conference, lawmakers have expressed criticism as to whether Russian President Vladimir Putin holds damaging information over President Trump.

Former White House press secretary Sean Spicer is back in the spotlight to market his new book, The Briefing: Politics, the Press and the President, which dishes on his time in the White House, saying his job required the skills of a fighter jet pilot, champion boxer and tightrope artist.

What's new: To commemorate the release of his book — out today — he's holding two events in Washington, one of which is at the Trump International Hotel.

Republican House members are almost all white males, according to data compiled by lobbyist Bruce Mehlman, while Democrats have seen their numbers drop.

Why it matters: This year there are a record number of women, black, muslim and LGBTQ candidates running in House races, mostly as Democrats.

The 2020 Republican National Convention is going to be in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Why it matters: "It's the perfect place for our party to re-nominate President Trump," RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel tweeted.

The socialist wing of the Democratic Party is testing its appeal.

Between the lines: Sen. Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez were in Wichita, Kansas, last week campaigning for two Democratic candidates in the state's third district. Their "Unite for America" rally outgrew the original venue in 10 hours, forcing them to move to a different location to accommodate 5,000 people.

Republicans in 14 toss-up races are crushing Democrats on the money front.

Why it matters: You hear a lot about Democratic candidates out-raising their Republican challengers (which matters!), but available cash is important because that can keep up the pressure on opponents with organizing and ads into the final days of the election.

"The GOP has upped the pressure on Democrats in recent weeks to widen their split over whether to 'Abolish ICE,'" NBC News' Ben Kamisar reports.

Why it matters: Democrats might be on the wrong side here. Only 25% of voters think the government should get rid of ICE, per a recent Politico poll.

"Organizations that monitor the health of democracies are converging around a similar idea: On average, the world is becoming less democratic for the first time in several decades," Bloomberg's Lauren Leatherby and Mira Rojanasakul report.

Why it matters: "Would-be autocrats are taking note of the tools other leaders have implemented to tighten their grip on power. Emboldened leaders have contributed to the steep drop in democracy scores in many countries."

President Trump's all-caps war threat against Iran President Hassan Rouhani is a way for Trump to look like a tough guy at a time when that's being questioned because of his handling of Vladimir Putin.

The big picture: But it also builds a Trump comfort zone with Republican lawmakers, who remain publicly supportive of him while privately expressing frustration with his handling of a host of issues. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) — an on-again, off-again critic of Trump — is off-again because of the administration's Iran offensive, especially a tough speech by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

Democrats now have their best shot at winning the House, according to Larry Sabato's Crystal Ball that just shifted 17 races in their favor.

Why it matters: It's the first time this cycle that the analysts at the University of Virginia Center for Politics are giving Democrats better than a 50% chance of winning the House. "[T]he Democrats now look like soft favorites to win a House majority with a little more than 100 days to go."

Without Roe v. Wade, access to abortion would be governed by a patchwork of state laws. Some states have laws that explicitly protect access, while others have an outright ban. About half of the states don't have explicit policy determining access to abortion.

Why it matters: The nomination of Brett Kavanaugh throws the future of Roe v. Wade into uncertainty. During the 2016 campaign, President Trump promised to appoint judges who were pro-life and would overturn the 1973 decision.

President Trump’s legal team has submitted a proposal to Special Counsel Robert Mueller stating that the president would agree to an interview, but only if Mueller's team limits their questions to potential collusion with Russia, Rudy Giuliani told Bloomberg's Shannon Pettypiece.

The details: Giuliani said Mueller’s team has not responded to the proposal yet, but if they do, any interview would bar questions related to obstruction of justice given they could open the door for Trump to perjure himself.