Axios

The Black Lives Matter movement co-founder called on Democrats Monday to make "sea changes" to their party platform to more boldly address police brutality and racial injustice, just three weeks before the summer convention starts.

Why it matters: There's growing internal pressure on the DNC and Joe Biden from Democratic activists who want them to enact bold policies and transform the Democratic Party into a political force that they feel meets the political moment.

Joe Biden's campaign is asking staffers to delete TikTok from their phones and forbidding them from trading individual stocks without first getting approval from the campaign's general counsel, according to Bloomberg News.

Why it matters: Biden is seeking to draw a contrast with President Trump and members of his family and administration, whom Democrats have accused of profiting from his presidency.

After days of intense debate, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and other Republican leaders rolled out a roughly $1 trillion proposal for the next round of coronavirus relief funding, which has the White House's seal of approval.

Why it matters: The HEALS Act (health, economic assistance, liability protection, schools) is viewed as a GOP marker for broader negotiations, since both Democrats and some Republicans have expressed dissatisfaction with key aspects of the bill. It's expected to change significantly in the coming days.

The body of civil rights icon Rep. John Lewis arrived at the U.S. Capitol Rotunda on Monday to lie in state, following a series of memorials this weekend that included a final trip across Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama.

The big picture: Lewis is the first Black lawmaker to receive the honor. Because the Capitol is closed to the public due to the coronavirus, Lewis will lie in state for just a few hours after an invitation-only ceremony is held for lawmakers. A public viewing will be held on the Capitol steps.

The Democratic National Committee announced Monday that attendees for its August convention in Milwaukee must agree to daily coronavirus testing and protective self-isolation measures.

The big picture: The DNC is planning a pared-down convention with a smaller venue and remote business for most state delegations, who are advised not to travel to Milwaukee. The Republican National Convention, meanwhile, was forced to cancel its main Jacksonville programming due to coronavirus and security risks.

Senate Republicans on Monday rolled out their proposal for the next federal stimulus, and they have some major disagreements with the Democrats who they'll need to get it passed.

Perhaps no issue will be more contentious than extra unemployment benefits — $600 weekly payments passed in the March CARES Act that are due to expire on Friday. Axios Re:Cap digs in with the Wall Street Journal's Andy Duehren.

The first presidential debate on Sept. 29 will be moved from the University of Notre Dame in Indiana to a Cleveland site co-hosted by Case Western Reserve University and Cleveland Clinic due to coronavirus concerns, organizers announced Monday.

Why it matters: This is another reminder that the coronavirus has changed the presidential election as we know it.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) issued a proclamation on Monday extending the early voting period for Texans casting ballots in the 2020 election and allowing more time for mail-in ballots to be delivered prior to Election Day.

Why it matters: President Trump has railed against the reliability of mail-in voting and claimed, without evidence, that the election will be rigged if widespread mail-in ballots are allowed. Early voting in Texas is scheduled to begin Tuesday, Oct. 13 through Friday, Oct. 30.

Lawmakers attending a memorial service for Rep. John Lewis burst into a standing ovation on Monday after listening to a recorded commencement speech by the late civil rights icon, the first Black lawmaker to lie in state in the Capitol Rotunda.

What he's saying: "One day in 1955, 15 years old in the 10th grade, I heard of Rosa Parks. I heard the words of Martin Luther King Jr. on the radio. 1957, I met Rosa Parks at the age of 17. In 1958, at the age of 18, I met Martin Luther King Jr., and these two individuals inspired me to get in the way, to get in trouble."

Former Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain is still in the hospital undergoing oxygen treatment more than three weeks after first being hospitalized with the coronavirus on July 2, according to an update from his Twitter account on Monday.

The big picture: The 74-year-old Cain, co-chair of Black Voices for Trump, attended President Trump's rally in Tulsa in June and did not wear a mask. Two days after he was said to have tested positive, Cain commented on a July 4 celebration at Mt. Rushmore, tweeting: "Masks will not be mandatory for the event, which will be attended by President Trump. PEOPLE ARE FED UP!"

President Trump told reporters on Monday that he would not be visiting the Capitol Rotunda to pay his respects to the late civil rights icon Rep. John Lewis, but did not offer an explanation for why.

Why it matters: Lewis, one of the organizers and speakers for the historic 1963 March on Washington, is the first Black lawmaker to lie in state at the Rotunda.

Army National Guard commander Adam DeMarco will testify on Tuesday that Park Police's use of force in the clearing of Lafayette Square last month was an "unnecessary" and "unprovoked" escalation that he and his fellow National Guardsmen viewed as "deeply disturbing."

Why it matters: DeMarco's testimony, previewed in a written statement released by the House Natural Resources Committee on Monday, contradicts statements made by Attorney General Bill Barr and the Trump administration about the controversial clearing of protesters, which preceded President Trump's visit to St. John's Church for a photo op.

Senate Republicans' coronavirus relief proposal will include a provision to cut federal weekly unemployment benefits from $600 to $200, the Washington Post reports, citing two people familiar with the plan.

How it works: The reduction would be a temporary measure in place until states implement a more targeted system that pays individuals 70% of their lost weekly wages, which they would be given two months to do. The federal benefits are supplemental to existing unemployment insurance, which varies by state.

President Trump's national security adviser Robert O'Brien tested positive for the coronavirus, Bloomberg first reported.

Why it matters: O'Brien, who is isolating at home and working remotely, is the closest official to Trump to test positive thus far.

After reading Axios' 10 myths about the racial wealth gap, BET co-founder and entrepreneur Robert L. Johnson is issuing a challenge to politicians, civic leaders and Black organizations across the country: Refute the findings or lay out a set of actionable solutions.

What he's saying: And if they can't, "they need to have the courage to stand up to Black people and say, 'You are perpetually a second-class economic population in America,'" Johnson said during an hourlong one-on-one interview Sunday.

Some swing voters in Warren, Mich., question Joe Biden's ability to lead the country — calling him a "puppet" who's not "mentally capable of being president" — while admitting they haven't paid much attention to his events, platforms or speeches.

Why it matters: President Trump's branding of Biden is defining him with these voters, particularly Trump's insinuations about senility (though the cognitive swipes have gone both ways between these rivals).

Several right-leaning TV networks have been forced to walk back or acknowledge reports they've aired touting conspiracy theories in the past few weeks.

Why it matters: There's been a lot of focus over the past few years on misinformation spreading online via big platforms like YouTube and Facebook, yet some of the most damaging falsities have come from broadcast networks that reach millions of Americans daily.

Immigration could resurface as a potent issue in the presidential election, with millions open to shifting from President Trump to Joe Biden or vice versa depending on how the issue is framed, according to data from Civis Analytics for Immigration Hub shared exclusively with Axios.

Driving the news: Immigration Hub, an advocacy group, commissioned a survey of more than 9,000 voters in Wisconsin, Michigan, Colorado and Pennsylvania to see if a voting bloc existed that could be moved toward Democrats with pro-immigration content.

Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) defended on Twitter comments he made in an interview with the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, published Sunday, on the enslavement of Black people in the U.S.

Driving the news: "We have to study the history of slavery and its role and impact on the development of our country because otherwise we can’t understand our country," Cotton told the paper. "As the Founding Fathers said, it was the necessary evil upon which the union was built, but the union was built in a way, as Lincoln said, to put slavery on the course to its ultimate extinction."

The life of the late Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.) is being celebrated in a series of memorials this weekend across Alabama, the state in which he was born.

The big picture: Six days of remembrance for the giant of the civil rights movement, who died on July 17 at age 80, began Saturday morning with a service celebrating "The Boy from Troy" at Trojan Arena, Troy University, per a schedule provided by his family.

"Axios on HBO" returns Monday, Aug. 3, at 11pm ET/PT for the second half of Season 3 with revealing interviews and can't-miss reporting on how the collision of tech, business, media, politics and science is shaping our future.

Tune in on Monday, Aug. 3, at 11pm ET/PT on all HBO platforms. 

Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) told the Washington Post Sunday he wouldn't vote for a Supreme Court nominee unless they went "on the record" in speaking out against the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that provides federal protection for abortion.

What he's saying: "I will vote only for those Supreme Court nominees who have explicitly acknowledged that Roe v. Wade is wrongly decided," the Senate Judiciary Committee member said. "By explicitly acknowledged, I mean on the record and before they were nominated."

The Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute has asked the Trump campaign and Republican National Committee to stop using Ronald Reagan's name, image and likeness to raise money for President Trump's 2020 re-election, the Washington Post first reported.

The state of play: The request came after the Trump campaign and RNC began selling two commemorative coins — one with Reagan's image and the other with Trump's — for anyone who donated $45 or more to Trump's campaign.