Axios

Vice President Mike Pence said in an interview with Fox News on Tuesday that he does not "recall" being told to be on standby to assume the powers of the presidency if President Trump was put under anesthesia during his sudden visit to Walter Reed Medical Center last November.

Why it matters: The White House has never fully explained Trump's visit to Walter Reed amid the impeachment fight, describing it only as a "routine, planned interim checkup." New York Times reporter Michael Schmidt reports in his new book that "word went out in the West Wing for the vice president to be on standby," but that Pence never assumed office.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention plans to issue an order temporarily halting residential evictions until Dec. 31 to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, the White House announced on Tuesday.

Why it matters: One estimate last month found that 23 million Americans are at risk of eviction. The CDC's order marks another example of the administration circumventing Congress, where coronavirus stimulus talks have stalled, to deal with the economic impact of the pandemic.

Asked during his visit to Kenosha, Wisconsin, Tuesday whether "systemic racism is a problem" in the U.S., President Trump told a reporter: "Well you know, you just keep getting back to the opposite subject. We should talk about the kind of violence that we’ve seen in Portland and here and other places."

The big picture: Trump used his trip to Kenosha, where violent protests had erupted in the wake of the police shooting of Jacob Blake, to stress his support for law enforcement and denunciation of riots by people he called "domestic terrorists."

Top Democrats in a letter on Tuesday demanded that Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe resume in-person congressional briefings on election security, which he abruptly halted last week, citing leaks of classified material.

Why it matters: Democrats, outraged over Ratcliffe's suspension of the briefings less than three months before the election, threatened to "consider the full range of tools available to compel compliance," which would likely include a subpoena and the withholding of funds to the top intelligence chief's office.

At the request of President Trump, White House physician Sean Conley issued a statement Tuesday saying that the president "has not experienced nor been evaluated for" a stroke or mini-stroke, in response to "recent public comments regarding his health."

The intrigue: The statement comes after a book by New York Times reporter Michael Schmidt out Tuesday reported that Vice President Pence was "on standby to take over the powers of the presidency temporarily" during Trump's sudden visit to Walter Reed last November. The book does not provide a reason for the visit, which the White House has said was part of a "routine" checkup, and does not say anything about a stroke.

A federal appeals panel on Tuesday temporarily blocked a lower court ruling that would have forced President Trump to comply with a subpoena from Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance for eight years of his financial records.

What to watch: The panel set oral arguments for Trump's appeal for Sept. 25. Trump's lawyers have already signaled their intention to appeal to the Supreme Court if they lose, further extending the legal fight that began last September.

Jaime Harrison, the Democrat running against Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, told Alexi McCammond for "Axios on HBO" that he's driven partly by the pain that Black people have long felt, but that now is getting more attention.

• "This pain is not new," Harrison said. "That's why I'm working so hard, so that the next generation doesn't have to work hard like this."

The Justice Department on Tuesday announced a series of reforms to ensure oversight and accountability over the FBI's process for applying for warrants to conduct surveillance on elected officials and political campaigns.

The big picture: The changes come months after the DOJ inspector general flagged "significant inaccuracies and omissions" in Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) applications used for 2016 Trump campaign official Carter Page during the FBI's Russia investigation.

New York City is delaying the reopening of its schools by 10 days, Mayor Bill de Blasio (D) announced Tuesday, as part of a deal to avert a teachers' strike.

Why it matters: The deal comes after the unions, representing teachers, staff and administrators in the country's largest school district, demanded more time for schools to adequately prepare for in-person learning amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The White House will resume public tours at limited capacity on Sept. 12 with all guests required to wear face coverings and practice social distancing, the Office of the First Lady announced Tuesday.

The big picture: The tours, handled by the National Park Service, will be limited to Fridays and Saturdays. The number of guests will be capped at 18% of normal capacity, and "social distancing dots" will designate where guests should stand during the check-in process. The White House did not say whether they will conduct temperature checks or rapid testing.

Snapchat is rolling out new products and partnerships to drive poll worker sign-ups, sources tell Axios. The rollout is occurring in conjunction with National Poll Worker Recruitment Day.

What's happening: Snapchat is adding several new features to get its users, the vast majority of which are under 30, to boost the effort.

The green movement's left flank is stepping up efforts to shape Joe Biden's circle of advisers, releasing an open letter Tuesday calling for a ban on all "fossil fuel executives, lobbyists, and representatives from any advisory or official position on [Biden's] campaign, transition team, cabinet, and administration."

The big picture: It's signed by 145 local and national groups. These are actors that will battle more moderate Democrats for influence if Biden wins and Democrats control Congress, such as Sunrise, Oil Change U.S., Justice Democrats, 350.org, Greenpeace and others.

It's primary day in Sen. Ed Markey's race against Rep. Joe Kennedy in Massachusetts.

Why it matters: Markey is among Capitol Hill's most prominent climate advocates. He co-authored the Green New Deal (GND) resolution, and a decade before that co-wrote the big climate bill that passed the House but went no further.

DoorDash, the restaurant meal delivery company valued at $16 billion, has spent millions of dollars on a California ballot initiative that would prevent gig economy workers like "Dashers" from being categorized as employees.

The state of play: Joe Biden and Kamala Harris both oppose DoorDash's efforts in California, raising the specter of federal legislation should they win in November. "Axios on HBO" asked DoorDash CEO Tony Xu about their position and what comes next.

Donald Trump Jr., out Tuesday with "Liberal Privilege: Joe Biden and the Democrats' Defense of the Indefensible," told Axios he self-published because his massive social channels — 5.5 million Twitter followers, 3.4 million Instagram followers — give him a distribution edge that allows him to keep full control and profits.

Why it matters: "You're not beholden to someone else," Trump said from New York after signing 100 copies at Barnes & Noble on Fifth Avenue. "I'm actually probably at an advantage."

Priscilla Chan and Mark Zuckerberg are putting up $300 million to promote "safe and reliable voting in states and localities" amid the pandemic, the Center for Tech and Civic Life and Center for Election Innovation & Research will announce Tuesday.

What they're saying: "The more I've focused on this election, the more important I've felt it is both to make sure local counties and states have the resources they need to handle these unprecedented conditions, and that people are aware that the infrastructure is in place to make every vote count so they can accept the result of the election as legitimate," Zuckerberg told Axios.

A top Democratic data and analytics firm told "Axios on HBO" it's highly likely that President Trump will appear to have won — potentially in a landslide — on election night, even if he ultimately loses when all the votes are counted. 

Why this matters: Way more Democrats will vote by mail than Republicans, due to fears of the coronavirus, and it will take days if not weeks to tally these. This means Trump, thanks to Republicans doing almost all of their voting in person, could hold big electoral college and popular vote leads on election night.

One in three Americans thinks we'll know who won the presidential election on the night of Nov. 3, and six in 10 expect the winner to be announced within a couple of days, our new poll finds.

Why it matters: The gap between public expectations and what experts are warning — that it may take weeks — shows the risk of a national crisis over trust and acceptance of this year's results, whether President Trump wins a second term or Joe Biden unseats him.

President Trump again denounced Black Lives Matter as a "Marxist organization" and said it was "discriminatory" during an interview with Fox News that aired Monday night.

What he's saying: "The first time I ever heard of Black Lives Matter, I said, 'That’s a terrible name.' It's so discriminatory," Trump told Fox News' Laura Ingraham. "It's bad for Black people. It's bad for everybody."

Jaime Harrison, the Democrat running against Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, told "Axios on HBO" that he's poised to "close the chapter on the old South" if elected in November.

Why it matters: Many people thought this Senate race was a long shot for Democrats, but things are changing quickly as polls show the contest is tightening and it's become the most well-funded race in South Carolina history, per the Post and Courier.

Female office-holders stood on the shoulders of suffragettes at a virtual Rock the Vote event Monday celebrating a century of progress since the 19th Amendment passed, but demanding more action to achieve equality.

Driving the news: That's what House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D) and other speakers noted at Monday night's event. Pelosi also celebrated "the most diverse caucus in history, over 60% women, people of color and LGBTQ."

The New York City Police Department announced new guidelines for disciplining officers that offer a more formal structure than what was previously in place.

Why it matters: NYPD is the largest police department in the country, and the change comes as protests around the country continue over racial injustice and police brutality. The new policy guidelines come nearly a year after the NYPD fired a then-Officer Daniel Pantaleo for using a deadly chokehold on Eric Garner in 2014.

• The officer's union argued there was very little precedent within NYPD's internal disciplinary system, per AP.