Axios

The Department of State ordered non-essential diplomats and their families to depart Myanmar in a Tuesday statement, according to AP.

Why it matters: The military junta that overthrew the country's democratically elected government in February has killed hundreds of non-violent protesters during anti-coup demonstrations, and the State Department expects the civil unrest and violence to continue.

An off-duty Minneapolis firefighter and certified EMT testified Tuesday that she was "desperate" to help George Floyd but "the officers didn't let me into the scene."

Driving the news: Genevieve Hansen, who witnessed former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin kneel on Floyd's neck last May, was among the first witnesses to testify in the trial of Chauvin, who faces murder and manslaughter charges.

Despite some progress, it will take women in North America approximately 61.5 years to have economic parity with men according to the World Economic Forum's Global Gender Gap Report for 2021.

Why it matters: Women in the U.S. have made strides in political representation, but they still lag behind men in job market participation and income, according to the report.

Arizona has adopted a new state holiday to honor Navajo Nation members who used their language to pass on coded messages during World War II.

Driving the news: Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey signed legislation on Monday that designates Aug. 14 "Navajo Code Talkers Day."

The U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency on Tuesday allowed journalists inside its main border detention facility in Donna, Texas, which contained over 4,100 children and families, AP reports.

Why it matters: AP reporters said that the facility has a capacity for 250 people, but more than 4,000 people are being housed inside. Children are being put in 3,200 square feet pods , some that currently hold over 500 children.

The Department of Education on Tuesday expanded relief, including a pause on student loan interest accrual and collections, to more than 1.14 million borrowers in default.

Why it matters: Defaulted loans under the Federal Family Education Loan program, which are guaranteed by the U.S. government but held by private entities, had been ineligible for the COVID-related relief.

Authorities remain on the lookout for an individual suspected of attacking a 65-year-old Asian woman in New York City on Monday, including shoving her to the ground, kicking her and stomping on her face in New York City on Monday.

The big picture: The lone offender is also suspected of hurling anti-Asian slurs at the victim, who was reportedly on her way to church. ABC 7 writes that the assailant fled the scene and pulled a knife once nearby workers tried to confront him.

A 2020 Republican congressional candidate who accused her consultants of extracting huge sums while she bombed at the polls is now leaning on them to finance her new political venture.

Why it matters: Maryland's Kim Klacik raised millions last year but lost her race by more than 40 points. It was a cautionary tale for donors lured by polished fundraising appeals into backing dead-end candidates. But her renewed work with one of those vendors shows how lucrative such fundraising practices can be.

The New York State Court of Appeals on Tuesday ruled that former "Apprentice" contestant Summer Zervos' defamation lawsuit against former President Trump could proceed.

Why it matters: The case could be the first time Trump will have to answer questions in court under oath since he took office in 2017, the New York Times reports.

Darnella Frazier, the teenager who videotaped former Minneapolis officer Derek Chauvin kneeling on George Floyd's neck, said at Chauvin's murder trial Tuesday that she stays up at night "apologizing and apologizing to George Floyd for not doing more."

The big picture: Her cellphone footage went viral online, resulting in nationwide outrage and protests. Prosecutors are now seeking Chauvin's conviction on murder and manslaughter charges.

President Biden announced a slate of new actions Tuesday aimed at addressing the nation's rise in anti-Asian violence.

Why it matters: The move comes nearly two weeks after deadly shootings that left eight dead, including six Asian women, and after a year of Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities' calls for help from the government.

New Mexico Sen. Ben Ray Luján (D) said at an Axios event Tuesday that diversifying New Mexico's economy will create "homegrown" opportunities, providing a different type of job security for workers who rely on oil and gas industries.

Why it matters: Politicians have sparred over environmental justice and its impact on workers in the oil and gas industries. But even major oil and gas producers across the U.S. are making changes now, Luján said, which means New Mexico needs to move fast about planning for the future.

Prominent labor activist Dolores Huerta said "we cannot really rest ... until we can really end the slayings of people of color," emphasizing the importance of coalition-building at an Axios event on Tuesday.

Why it matters: Hate crimes against people of color are on the rise, especially after a yearlong spike in anti-Asian hate incidents. Huerta pointed to the "constant murdering of Black people" as well as the mass shootings in El Paso, Pittsburgh and most recently Georgia, saying that "this has to end."

Civil rights groups filed a federal lawsuit on Tuesday against Georgia's new election law, stating that the law restricts voting rights, "particularly voters of color, new citizens, and religious communities."

Why it matters: The legislation was signed into law by Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (R) last Thursday, making Georgia the first battleground state to pass such a law following the 2020 election.

Former Alaska commissioner Kelly Tshibaka, who announced on Monday that she will challenge Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) in next year's Republican primary, has enlisted former Trump associates onto her effort, per Politico.

Why it matters: The hirings — which include Former Trump campaign manager Bill Stepien — are a sign of the intense opposition to Murkowski from much of Trump's base. Trump has vowed to support any competitor to the Alaska senator, and pledged he will travel to the state to campaign against her.

Donald Williams, who witnessed former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin kneeling on George Floyd last May, testified at Chauvin's trial Tuesday that he called 911 on the officers at the scene because he believed he "witnessed a murder."

The big picture: Williams took the stand for the second day in the nationally televised trial as prosecutors seek to win a conviction against Chauvin on murder and manslaughter charges.

Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) has privately told confidants he's seriously considering not seeking re-election and possibly leaving Congress early for a job at Newsmax, three sources with direct knowledge of the talks tell Axios.

Why it matters: Gaetz is a provocative figure on the right who's attracted attention by being a fierce defender of former President Trump. The Republican also represents a politically potent district on the Florida panhandle.

67% of students who plotted school shootings had "potential access to one or more firearms," according to a report from the Secret Service published Tuesday.

Why it matters: The U.S. suffers one of the highest rates of gun violence, with 57 times as many school shootings as the other six G7 countries combined, CNN reports. The issue is a topic of national debate once again after a string of recent shootings.

President Biden on Tuesday announced plans to nominate 11 judges to the federal courts, including D.C. District Court Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to replace former D.C. Circuit Court Judge Merrick Garland, who is now U.S. attorney general.

Why it matters: The nominees include three Black women and, if confirmed, could result in the first Muslim federal judge in the country's history, the first AAPI woman to serve on the D.C. District Court, and the first woman of color as a federal judge in Maryland, according to the White House.

A Nobel Prize-winning economist says he not only endorses President Biden's expected $4 trillion infrastructure spending plan, but expects that it could break the U.S. out of the low-growth, low-inflation environment that has existed for the past 20 years.

Why it matters: The combination of Biden's $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief plan and the expected Build Back Better program, mean the U.S. "may be in a very good position to get back into a more normal economy," Columbia University Professor Joseph Stiglitz told Axios in an exclusive interview.

Nobel Prize-winning economist Joseph Stiglitz says he is unbothered by inflation concerns raised by economists and market participants recently, and thinks former Treasury Secretary Lawrence Summers wasn't thinking when he published his recent op-ed in the Washington Post.

What we're hearing: Summers warned about the potential for "inflationary pressures of a kind we have not seen in a generation, with consequences for the value of the dollar and financial stability," but Stiglitz told Axios that worry about inflation today is "certainly premature" and "totally unnecessary."

President Biden is preparing to go to the mat for four tax increases worth about $1.8 trillion to help pay for his infrastructure and social safety net plans, advisers tell Axios.

Driving the news: Biden will outline an array of tax proposals beginning on Wednesday — an opening bid ahead of months-long negotiations mostly within the Democratic Party — but these are his priorities.

The next month is the most important period for U.S. climate action in more than a decade, and possibly ever, longtime advocates and observers tell Axios.

Why it matters: With scientists issuing more urgent warnings that time is running out to curtail the consequences of global warming, the policy choices proposed through the end of April could reverberate for decades to come.

Top GOP operatives have formed a group to fight President Biden's plans to raise taxes to pay for his expected $3 trillion-plus infrastructure package.

Why it matters: The Coalition to Protect American Workers is the first major conservative group formed exclusively to block Biden's tax agenda. Its leaders include Marc Short, who was former Vice President Pence's chief of staff.

The ship stuck in the Suez Canal brought a change of pace to the news cycle last week, with an estimated 1.8 million social media posts and 25 billion potential impressions, according to data from Keyhole.

Why it matters: After a prolonged period of domestic turmoil — COVID, polarized politics, a racial reckoning, an insurrection and a crisis at the border, the internet rallied around a common cause: freeing the boat.

One in four Asian Americans has experienced a hate incident, while more than two-thirds have been asked "where they're really from," a poll from Survey Monkey and AAPI Data published Tuesday has found.

The big picture: Data about hate crimes is often incomplete, but the Atlanta spa killings of eight people, six of whom were Asian, has provided an intense focus on the issue.

China's government on Tuesday passed a new law overhauling Hong Kong's electoral system, which is designed to ensure only "patriotic" figures can run for positions of power.

Why it matters: Critics argue the law effectively marks the end of democracy in the Asian financial hub as it gives the ruling Chinese Communist Party control of elections, with all opposition removed from the legislature, per the BBC.

Texas joined five other states on Monday in rolling out COVID-19 vaccine eligibility to anyone over the age of 16, "regardless of health conditions," per the New York Times.

Why it matters: Texas is the biggest state to expand this eligibility for coronavirus inoculations. Some 22 million Texans can now get vaccinated against the virus, and health officials told NYT people were lining up for a dose Monday.

Protesters in Myanmar launched a "garbage strike" by throwing discarded items at key road intersections in a new civil disobedience drive Tuesday, as the death toll from the military crackdown surpassed 500, per Reuters.

The big picture: The campaign comes after the junta ordered Yangon residents to "dispose of garbage properly," Reuters notes. Monitoring group AAPP said 510 people had been killed by the military since the Feb. 1 coup. The U.S. on Monday suspended trade engagement with Myanmar over the bloodshed.

Go deeper: A pariah to the West is a friend to Putin

The Biden White House is launching a review of scientific integrity policies across the federal government, following reports of political interference with research during the Trump administration.

Why it matters: The review, to be conducted by the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), could result in an expansion of policies across the government aimed at insulating scientific research and communication from political meddling.

Former President Trump and former first lady Melania Trump announced Monday a new website designed to help supporters stay in touch with them and request personalized greetings or their participation at events.

Our thought bubble, via Axios' Sara Fischer: The website, 45office.com, is part of Trump's efforts to reconstruct his digital presence after essentially being deplatformed after January's Capitol insurrection.

Former President Trump unleashed on his former White House coronavirus task force members Anthony Fauci and Deborah Birx Monday, a day after they opened up to CNN on the pressures of working in his administration.

What he's saying: In a lengthy statement, Trump made a series baseless claims against the respected career scientists — accusing them of being "self-promoters trying to reinvent history to cover for their bad instincts and faulty recommendations, which I fortunately almost always overturned."