Axios

Live music venues were among the first businesses to close during the COVID-19 pandemic and will be among the last to reopen. In the meantime, many are facing financial ruin.

Axios Re:Cap digs in with Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), who alongside Sen. John Cornyn (R-Tex) is sponsoring a bailout bill aimed at independent operators.

CNN host Jake Tapper demanded Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) apologize on Tuesday for playing an edited montage at the House Judiciary Committee's hearing with Attorney General Bill Barr that misleadingly suggested reporters were calling violent protests "peaceful."

The big picture: In the full clips played by Tapper, the CNN reporters that Jordan had clipped were noting that the protests tended to remain peaceful during the day and turn violent at night. Jordan's video was part of an effort to show that violent mobs have been attacking law enforcement and causing destruction in American cities, and that the Trump administration's response has been warranted.

President Trump questioned at a briefing on Tuesday why Anthony Fauci has a much higher approval rating than him, despite the fact that Fauci serves on the White House coronavirus task force and has helped shape the administration's policies.

The big picture: 62% of voters in a recent Morning Consult/Politico poll rated Fauci’s handling of the coronavirus "excellent” or "good," compared to 36% who say the same about Trump.

Sen. Ben Sasse (R-Neb.) sharply criticized stimulus negotiations between House Democrats and the Trump administration on Tuesday, dismissing Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin as "two big government Democrats."

Why it matters: Sasse is one of a number of Senate Republicans who have expressed frustration with key provisions in the White House-backed bill released by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) on Monday — underscoring how far Congress is from striking a deal on a coronavirus relief package.

Joe Biden summoned the spirit of John Lewis, the congressman and civil rights hero, as he unveiled his own economic plan to address structural inequalities in America.

The big picture: At a speech in Wilmington, Delaware, Biden said Lewis told him on his deathbed that Americans should "stay focused on the work left undone to heal this nation and to remain undaunted by the public health crisis and economic crisis."

Attorney General Bill Barr finally testified Tuesday before the raucous House Judiciary Committee, where grandstanding and bomb-throwing tactics by lawmakers have become a staple of oversight hearings in the Trump era.

Why it matters: Less than 100 days out from the election, Democrats on the committee have little recourse for changing the behavior of an official they've accused of embodying the president's most corrupt impulses.

Former Vice President Joe Biden said Tuesday that he'll announce his running mate "the first week in August."

The big picture: Last week, Biden seemed to back away from his timeline of early August, but he recommitted to it Tuesday at a speech in Delaware announcing his plans for fighting systemic racism.

Multiple Republicans made clear on Tuesday that they are not on board with several key provisions in the $1 trillion stimulus bill released by Senate GOP leadership Monday. Many said they find the process confusing, messy and not reflective of the Republican conference. 

Why it matters: For a Senate Republican bill, it’s remarkable how many Senate Republicans hate it.

The Trump administration is allowing Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients to renew their protections under the program for one year as officials begin a review of DACA and how the administration attempted to end it, a senior administration official announced Tuesday.

Between the lines: Despite the Supreme Court ruling that Trump illegally ended the Obama-era program in June and a federal judge ruling earlier this month that it must be restored to its full status, the administration will continue to reject new applications, according to the official.

Attorney General Bill Barr told the House Judiciary Committee on Tuesday that he does not read President Trump's tweets after being grilled by Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) about the president's praise for Roger Stone for not testifying against him.

Why it matters: Barr has previously said that Trump's "constant background commentary" about the Justice Department can "make it impossible" for him to do his job. Stone was convicted of lying to Congress about his efforts to find out more about the timing of WikiLeaks' email dumps and recently had his sentence commuted by Trump.

Attorney General Bill Barr told the House Judiciary Committee on Tuesday that he has "no reason to think" the 2020 presidential election will be rigged.

Why it matters: President Trump has claimed, without evidence, that widespread mail-in voting amid the coronavirus pandemic would rig the election against him. Barr did add that he believes there is a "high risk" of voter fraud due to "the wholesale conversion of election to mail-in voting."

Attorney General Bill Barr told the House Judiciary Committee on Tuesday that the topic of President Trump's re-election has come up during Cabinet meetings, but he declined to elaborate on what he and Trump have specifically discussed.

The big picture: The hearing is focused on the Justice Department's alleged politicization under Barr. House Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.) questioned Barr on whether he's discussed Trump's re-election in the context of deploying federal law enforcement to Democratic-run cities.

House Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.) painted the integrity of the Justice Department as "more at risk than at any time in modern history" in opening remarks at a hearing for Attorney General Bill Barr Tuesday, accusing him of shielding President Trump from responsibility and eroding democratic norms.

Why it matters: The hearing, which focuses on the DOJ's alleged politicization under Barr, is the attorney general's first time appearing before the committee. Barr in his own remarks accused the committee's Democrats of trying to discredit him over his investigations into the origins of the FBI's Russia probe.

There have been over 546 total press freedom incidents in the U.S. in the past few months, with roughly 137 — over 25% — coming from law enforcement, according to new data from the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker.

The state of play: Of the 125 physical attacks on the press during the recent protests, 77 have come from law enforcement.

Twitter temporarily prevented Donald Trump Jr. from tweeting and retweeting on Tuesday after the president's son shared coronavirus-related misinformation.

Why it matters: The 12-hour hold — set off by a video touting hydroxychloroquine — is one of the toughest moves yet against a member of the Trump inner circle by the social media platform.

Former FBI agent Peter Strozk will release a book about his concerns that President Trump could be compromised, AP reports.

Why it matters: Strzok was removed from his role in Robert Mueller's investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential campaign and became a frequent target for Trump after the Justice Department flagged derogatory text messages he sent and received about the president in 2016.

The EPA's internal watchdog is opening a probe into how the agency wrote controversial rules that weakened Obama-era carbon emissions standards for cars and light trucks.

Why it matters: The Obama-era emissions and mileage standards that extended into the mid-2020s were a pillar of the former president's climate change agenda.

Anthony Fauci told ABC's "Good Morning America" on Tuesday that he has "not been misleading the American public" after President Trump retweeted critical comments about him Monday night.

What he's saying: "I don't tweet, I don't even read them. So I don't really want to go there. I just will continue to do my job no matter what comes out, because I think it's very important," Fauci told George Stephanopoulos.

Dan Senor — who advised Mitt Romney's presidential campaign, served President George W. Bush and now works in finance — argues in the Financial Times that President Trump should take aim at "cancel culture" to bolster his re-election chances.

Why it matters: This is Senor's effort to calm the GOP donor world, which is currently in panic mode. He writes, "This cause was launched by young progressives who call out or boycott public figures for objectionable behavior. But many other Americans worry that the movement is getting out of hand."

House Judiciary Committee Democrats plan to press Attorney General Bill Barr at a hearing today on what they'll argue is his politicization of the Justice Department to serve President Trump's personal agenda.

Why it matters: Democrats have a lot of pent up frustration over a series of recent policies put forth by the DOJ, and have been preparing months for this moment.

Thousands of people held protests in at least a dozen American cities this weekend, days after the Trump administration announced it would send more federal agents to Chicago and Albuquerque in an extension of Operation Legend. A month ago protests over the killing of George Floyd had begun to dwindle — now, they’re back.

The first volunteer in a late-stage trial for a coronavirus vaccine developed by Moderna and the National Institutes of Health received a shot in Savannah, Georgia, at 6:45 am on Monday, NIAID Director Anthony Fauci told CNN's Wolf Blitzer.

Catch up quick: Fauci said President Trump was briefed Monday that 89 sites around the country will be enrolling individuals in the phase three trial.

Attorney General Bill Barr is set to accuse House Judiciary Committee Democrats of trying to discredit him over his investigations into the origins of the FBI's Russia probe when he appears before the panel Tuesday.

Details: In prepared remarks released Monday, Barr states that since he announced his investigation into what he calls "the grave abuses involved in the bogus 'Russiagate' scandal, many of the Democrats on this Committee have attempted to discredit" him by "conjuring up a narrative" that he's simply President Trump's "factotum who disposes of criminal cases according to his instructions."

Democratic mayors in Portland, Seattle, Washington, D.C., Chicago, Kansas City and Albuquerque urged congressional leaders in a letter Monday to make it illegal for the federal government to deploy militarized federal agents to cities that oppose such action.

Driving the news: The Trump administration is looking at deploying more federal agents to Portland, Oregon, following unrest during protests over the weekend, according to multiple reports.

NIAID Director Anthony Fauci set an all-time print run record with his baseball card from leading manufacturer Topps, the company announced Monday.

Catch up quick: Fauci kept his ceremonial first pitch socially distanced from home plate last week, which did not deter fans from buying over 50,000 of his limited edition trading cards.

Go deeper: In photos: Opening Day 2020