Axios

The Democratic National Committee is hiring campaign veterans for its communications team as Democrats work to sell the American people on the party and the president's agenda.

Why it matters: They won the White House, retained the House and regained the Senate by slim majorities during the 2020 election, and they'll need to overcome history to maintain their lead in both chambers of Congress during the midterms.

The House voted 350-71 Wednesday evening to pass legislation that would limit U.S. arms sales to Saudi Arabia as a consequence of the 2018 killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi by Saudi forces.

Why it matters: President Biden came into office promising a "recalibration" of the U.S.' relationship with the Kingdom, as some critics say the U.S. hasn't gone far enough to punish Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) declared an emergency executive order for two counties Wednesday, in order to accelerate the response to drought conditions affecting the northern part of the state.

Why it matters: California is in the second year of drought conditions, and the state is bracing for another potentially devastating fire season.

Columbus police on Wednesday identified the officer who fatally shot Ma’Khia Bryant, a 16-year-old Black girl, saying officer Nicholas Reardon fired his weapon after Bryant threatened two other girls with a knife.

The big picture: The new details came as members of the community "challenged official accounts of [Tuesday's] incident and demanded to know why the officer used lethal force against a young girl," the Washington Post noted.

The House voted 218-208 on Wednesday in favor of curbing presidential power to institute broad international travel bans on the basis of religion.

Why it matters: The legislation was first introduced last year after former President Trump issued a travel ban covering several Muslim-majority countries.

Top progressives in Congress, including Sen. Bernie Sanders, (I-Vt.), introduced a bill Wednesday that would make college free for most Americans.

How it works: Higher education would be subsidized through taxes on many Wall Street transactions, NPR reports.

After former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin was found guilty on three counts in the murder of George Floyd, many are asking what the success of the prosecution’s case against Chauvin may mean for future prosecutions.

Axios Re:Cap is joined by Damon Hewitt, acting president of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, to discuss the prosecution’s case and whether this could mark a turning point in how other police brutality cases are handled.

Americans largely approve of the verdict in Tuesday's murder trial of Derek Chauvin, with 71% agreeing the ex-police officer was guilty, according to a USA Today/Ipsos snap poll published Wednesday.

Why it matters: "With most Americans saying they have followed the trial at least somewhat, the verdict presents a rare moment when majorities of both Democrats and Republicans believe the outcome is correct," Ipsos said in a release.

The Senate voted 51-49 on Wednesday to confirm Vanita Gupta as associate attorney general, the third-highest ranking official at the Justice Department.

Why it matters: Most Republicans strongly opposed her nomination, which faced procedural hurdles after the Senate Judiciary Committee split 11-11 along party lines on whether to approve her.

Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin is being held in solitary confinement for 23 hours a day after a jury found him guilty of second-degree murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter in George Floyd's death on Tuesday, according to the New York Times.

Why it matters: Chauvin, who is still awaiting sentencing, is being held in the isolation wing of Minnesota’s only maximum-security prison because the state's prison system fears for his safety.

Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) told reporters Wednesday he plans to reintroduce his police reform bill or a similar proposal in the coming weeks and that he has discussed a potential compromise with Rep. Karen Bass (D-Calif.) and Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.).

Why it matters: Eyes have again turned to Washington to take steps to address police reform in the wake of Derek Chauvin's guilty verdict Tuesday, after efforts stalled in Congress last year.

President Biden on Wednesday called on all employers to provide workers paid time off to get vaccinated or recover from COVID side effects, and said he'll include a paid tax credit for small businesses that do so.

Why it matters: The Biden administration sees workplaces as highly influential in making shots more convenient for working adults who are in high-risk industries.

Manhattan district attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. announced on Wednesday that his office would stop prosecuting prostitution, the New York Times reports.

Why it matters: The movement to decriminalize sex work has been gaining steam for the past couple of years.

Norfolk, Virginia has fired police Lt. William K. Kelly III after he donated $25 to Kenosha shooter Kyle Rittenhouse's legal defense and told Rittenhouse that he'd "done nothing wrong," the Virginian-Pilot reports.

Why it matters: Rittenhouse, who was then 17 years old, shot and killed two protestors in Kenosha, Wisconsin, during Black Lives Matter protests. He now faces multiple criminal charges including reckless homicide, reckless endangerment and a misdemeanor charge for underage possession of a gun.

The Biden administration offered new details this morning about the big, virtual climate summit Thursday and Friday and signaled they expect new emissions reduction and climate finance commitments from multiple countries.

Driving the news: The administration said 40 heads of state would attend, including Russian President Vladimir Putin and President Jair Bolsonaro of Brazil.

Attorney General Merrick Garland on Wednesday announced that the Justice Department will open a sweeping investigation into whether the Minneapolis Police Department has a "pattern or practice" of discriminatory policing practices.

Why it matters: The federal probe, which will also examine MPD's handling of misconduct allegations against officers, could result in significant changes to policing in Minneapolis in the wake of George Floyd's murder.

Pope Francis is set to speak during the first day of President Biden's virtual climate summit this week, according to a schedule of the event released by the Department of State on Wednesday.

Why it matters: Francis will be among dozens of world leaders to speak at the summit, which is meant to spur more ambitious emissions cuts from nations as the world remains off-course to achieve the global warming goals of the Paris climate agreement, Axios' Andrew Freedman reports.

Go deeper: China's Xi accepts invitation to Biden's climate summit

South Korean President Moon Jae-in criticized former President Trump's attempts to denuclearize the Korean Peninsula, telling the New York Times he "beat around the bush" with North Korea and "failed to pull it through."

Why it matters: Moon, now in his final year in office, called denuclearization a "matter of survival" for South Korea and urged President Biden to resume negotiations with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un after a standstill of nearly two years.

Newspapers around the country and world led their front pages on Wednesday morning with news of the conviction of Derek Chauvin in the murder of George Floyd.

Why it matters: It underscores the global nature of the movement that Floyd's tragic killing last year inspired, with newspapers in Mexico, Jamaica and the United Kingdom among those that covered the high-stakes proceedings at a Minneapolis courthouse.

GM plans to start taking orders in September for the 2023 Cadillac Lyriq, a striking electric SUV coming early next year at a starting price of $59,900.

Why it matters: The production version of the Lyriq, which debuted Wednesday, marks the beginning of the luxury brand's phaseout of gasoline-powered vehicles by 2030.

A Minneapolis Police Department press release from the day of George Floyd's death last year went viral Tuesday in the wake of Derek Chauvin's conviction on murder charges.

The big picture: MPD's initial description of the tragedy, which set off a massive global movement that culminated in the jury's guilty verdict on all charges, claimed that Floyd "physically resisted officers" and "appeared to be suffering medical distress" after being handcuffed. It made no mention of the kind of force Chauvin used on the 46-year-old Black man.

Celebration and catharsis filled the streets of Minneapolis yesterday. After weeks on edge, many breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing Judge Peter Cahill read the sweep of guilty verdicts against Derek Chauvin.

What they're saying: "George Floyd isn't coming back to life, but this is the justice we were looking for," Jaqui Howard, who joined the crowds outside the courthouse yesterday, told The Star Tribune.

Derek Chauvin was whisked away to prison after after two weeks of testimony and about 10 hours of jury deliberations, but his sentencing will move much slower — about eight weeks.

What's next: There's still plenty of wrangling left over how much time the former Minneapolis cop will spend behind bars.

Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie is seriously considering running for president in 2024, three people familiar with his thinking tell Axios.

Driving the news: While Christie isn't saying anything publicly about his thinking — besides telling radio host Hugh Hewitt he's not ruling it out — people close to him have an early sense of the rationale and outlines of a potential candidacy.

A day after a raft of glossy product debuts, Apple will move into a harsher spotlight as it defends its business practices before a Senate antitrust committee Wednesday.

Why it matters: Google, Amazon and Facebook have received more of Washington's regulatory attention in recent months. Now it's Apple's turn.

Hawaii will from next month allow residents who've been fully inoculated against COVID-19 to bypass the state's pre-travel tests and quarantine for inter-island flights.

Why it matters: Hawaii is the second U.S. state to launch a "vaccination verification" scheme after New York, AP notes. Many businesses view such "vaccine passports" as key to returning to normal, but some Republican governors have taken steps to block them.

People across the U.S. rallied into the night Tuesday, cheering, hugging and crying tears of relief after a jury found former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin guilty in the murder of George Floyd.

Driving the news: After Chauvin was found guilty of second-degree murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter, Floyd family lawyer Ben Crump tweeted, "GUILTY! Painfully earned justice has finally arrived for George Floyd’s family. ... Justice for Black America is justice for all of America!"

The European Super League announced in a statement Tuesday night it's "proposing a new competition" and considering the next steps after all six English soccer clubs pulled out of the breakaway tournament.

Why it matters: The announcement that 12 of the richest clubs in England, Spain and Italy would start a new league was met with backlash from fans, soccer stars and politicians. The British government had threatened to pass legislation to stop it from going ahead.

Colorado has strengthened its gun regulations on the eve of the 22nd anniversary of the Columbine High School massacre.

For the record: The two measures were introduced in the state legislature before last month's fatal shooting at a grocery store that left 10 people dead. One bill is named for a 21-year-old woman who was fatally shot by a gunman with a stolen weapon.

The unanimous guilty verdicts against Derek Chauvin are a huge relief for Washington’s political establishment but seem unlikely to rush in the systemic overhauls George Floyd’s family and civil rights and progressive leaders seek.

The big picture: An acquittal or mistrial involving the former police officer would have unleashed violence and days more of protests — and added bipartisan pressure to act on criminal and police reform.

Corporate America is finding it can get messy when it steps into politics.

Why it matters: Urged on by shareholders, employees and its own company creeds, Big Business is taking increasing stands on controversial political issues during recent months — and now it's beginning to see the fallout.

Despite the separation between church and state, the federal government depends upon religious shelters to help it cope with migration at the U.S.-Mexico border.

Why it matters: The network supports the U.S. in times of crisis, but now some shelter leaders are complaining about expelling families to Mexico when they have capacity — and feel a higher calling — to accommodate them.

Members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus urged President Biden on Tuesday to appoint two defeated members of the House to positions in his administration, Axios has learned.

Why it matters: The president has promised an administration reflecting the country's diversity, and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, Congressional Black Caucus and Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus have each offered their candidates.

President Biden addressed the country on Tuesday, saying "we must not turn away" in the fight for racial justice after a jury found former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin guilty on all charges.

Driving the news: Chauvin was convicted late Tuesday afternoon on charges of second-degree and third-degree murder, as well as second-degree manslaughter in the death of George Floyd.