Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed an executive order on Tuesday that bans state government and some private business from requiring coronavirus vaccine passports to access services.
Why it matters: Texas is the latest state to prohibit coronavirus immunization credentials as Republican governors rally against the proof of vaccination in the name of personal freedom and privacy. Such records could possibly speed international travel and economic reopening plans.
Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms on Tuesday issued an administrative order "to mitigate the impact of new voting restrictions imposed" by Georgia's recently enacted law curbing voting access.
Why it matters: Civil rights groups, Democrats and more than 100 businesses and CEOs have condemned the law.
President Biden said Tuesday he has not spoken with Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell, saying he's "not going to do the kinds of things that have been done in the last administration."
Why it matters: It's an indicator that Biden will respect the independence of the Fed by not publicly commenting on its decisions, and it's a shift from the Trump administration.
The Biden administration is opening a temporary facility for unaccompanied migrant children next to the Texas border patrol processing center where leaked photos and videos have revealed overcrowded holding areas.
Why it matters: The new facility in Donna, Texas, will allow the administration to release kids from border patrol custody faster — even while they remain in a temporary setting on land owned by Customs and Border Protection.
President Biden on Tuesday said he hopes the United States will have ample COVID-19 vaccine supply for domestic use by this summer and enough doses to share the inventory with other countries.
The state of play: Biden on Tuesday ramped up his administration's vaccine timeline, ordering all states to make the shots available to Americans ages 16 and older by April 19. He previously set May 1 as the target date.
Georgia businesses have come under boycott pressure from the right and the left, following last week's passage of a controversial new voting bill. Atlanta also lost Major League Baseball's All-Star Game, which will now take place in Denver.
Axios Re:cap digs into the consequences of this law for Georgia voters and locally-based businesses, and what other states can learn from the situation with Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms.
The Senate and House intelligence committees will hold their annual hearings on worldwide threats on April 14 and 15, respectively, the panels announced Tuesday.
Why it matters: The Senate hearing was shelved last year after intelligence officials pushed for it to be held entirely behind closed doors, reportedly over concerns about contradicting former President Trump in public. The House Intelligence Committee, home to some of the Trump era's most intense partisan battles, has not held such a hearing since 2017.
Arkansas' Republican-controlled House and Senate on Tuesday overrode GOP Gov. Asa Hutchinson's veto of a bill that criminalizes gender-affirming care for transgender children.
Why it matters: The bill, which is among the first of its kind in the U.S. to pass amid a record-breaking number of legislation targeting trans children, was harshly rebuked by the governor as an "extreme" government overreach.
Former reality TV star Caitlyn Jenner is talking with political consultants as she actively explores a run for governor of California, three sources with direct knowledge of her deliberations tell Axios.
Why it matters: Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, is facing a recall election. A challenge from Jenner, a high-profile Republican and previous Trump supporter, would draw heightened attention to the race to lead the nation's most populous state.
A use-of-force instructor at the Minneapolis Police Department (MPD) testified Tuesday that officers have never been trained to use the type of knee-on-neck restraint that Derek Chauvin employed against George Floyd.
Driving the news: Johnny Mercil, a lieutenant who has worked in patrol and on the community response team, said that officers are trained to use the "least amount of force necessary" to subdue a suspect, and that a knee on the neck would not be authorized against a suspect who is "under control and handcuffed."
A former Trump appointee who served as a regional administrator for the Department of Housing and Urban Development was fined $1,000 and barred from federal employment for four years for violating the Hatch Act.
Why it matters: Lynne Patton, who recruited people living in the New York City Housing Authority to participate in a video later shown at the Republican National Convention, is the latest in a long list of Trump officials to violate the Hatch Act, which restricts federal employees from engaging in partisan political activity.
Former President Donald Trump on Tuesday wrote in a statement that it was "too bad" that the GOP-sponsored law restricting voter access in Georgia "didn't go further."
Why it matters: The law has garnered widespread condemnation from civil rights activists, Democrats, and more than 100 businesses and CEOs for instituting stricter ID requirements and limiting the use of ballot drop boxes, among other restrictions.
Rep. Alcee Hastings (D-Fla.) passed away on Tuesday, ending his lifelong career fighting for civil rights and his 15th term in Congress, the Orlando Sentinel reports. He was 84.
Why it matters: Hastings was a civil rights lawyer and Florida's first Black federal judge, though he was later impeached due to allegations of bribery and perjury. He was also one of the first Black members of Congress from Florida following Reconstruction, and the dean of the Florida delegation, the Sentinel notes.
Capitol Police officer Billy Evans, who was killed last Friday in a vehicle attack on the Capitol, will lie in honor in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda on April 13, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) announced Tuesday.
What they're saying: "In giving his life to protect our Capitol and our Country, Officer Evans became a martyr for our democracy," Pelosi and Schumer said in a statement.
The Education Department announced Tuesday it plans to host a public hearing to discuss how schools handle sexual misconduct cases as part of a review of Title IX.
Why it matters: It's the Biden administration's first step in overhauling Title IX, after President Biden signed an executive order in March to review the law, including several controversial provisions put in place during the Trump administration.
President Biden will announce Tuesday that he is moving up the deadline for states to make all American adults eligible for a coronavirus vaccine to April 19, CNN first reported and Axios has confirmed.
Why it matters: The announcement means states will be pressured to make all Americans 16 years and older eligible for the vaccine two weeks earlier than the original May 1 deadline, reflecting a growing confidence in the U.S. vaccination campaign.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Trump ally with his eyes on the White House, is dialing up a dispute with "60 Minutes" — seizing on a juicy chance to ingratiate himself with the GOP base by bashing the media.
Why it matters: It's a political gift akin to all the Fox fodder that Sen. Tom Cotton gobbled up after the N.Y. Times revolt over his op-ed.
Just half of U.S. parents plan to get their children vaccinated for COVID-19 as soon as they can, according to the latest installment of the Axios/Ipsos Coronavirus Index.
Why it matters: High vaccination rates are seen as a key to achieving herd immunity, but many parents don't want their kids to be the first in line once pediatric vaccinations become available.
A new Utah law requires biological fathers to pay half of women's pregnancy expenses.
Why it matters: While states like New York and Wisconsin have similar financial provisions for pregnancies, "Utah appears to be the first state to mandate prenatal child support," AP notes.
Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte (R) on Monday tested positive for COVID-19 after experiencing mild symptoms a day earlier, his office said in a statement.
The big picture: Gianforte will be isolating for 10 days as a precaution, his office added. He received his first dose of the Pfizer vaccine last Thursday.
Major League Baseball is moving its 2021 All-Star Game to Denver's Coors Field, home of the Colorado Rockies, on July 13, according to multiple reports Monday night.
Driving the news: After the MLB pulled the event from Atlanta over Georgia's new voting restrictions, a spokesperson for Colorado Gov. Jared Polis (D) said last Friday he would be "burning up the phones" to bring the game to Denver.
Former Rep. Katie Hill (D-Calif.) wrote an op-ed for Vanity Fair Monday that said Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) should resign if there's "a fraction of truth" to sexual misconduct allegations.
Driving the news: Hill said she "forged an unlikely friendship in Congress" with Gaetz, who defended her over claims she had an inappropriate sexual relationship with a staffer that saw her resign amid a House ethics probe. She noted Gatez denied the claims against him, but he needs to be "held responsible" if they're true.
Federal prosecutors are negotiating a plea deal with an Indiana man charged with attacking Capitol police on Jan. 6, a federal court filing disclosed on Monday shows.
Why it matters: The government’s ongoing plea negotiations with Jon Schaffer "are the first and most advanced plea negotiations involving any of the over 300 Capitol Riot defendants," Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ahmed Baset and Louis Manzo wrote in the brief, which was published publicly and then quickly removed from the docket BuzzFeed News reported.
