Vermont Gov. Phil Scott (R) signed a bill Monday that expands voting rights in a move that bucks the current GOP trend.
Why it matters: Republican governors in states like Georgia and Florida have signed laws that restrict voting access in recent months. Over 100 voting restriction bills have been introduced in state legislatures this year.
A driver ran his pickup truck into a Muslim family on Sunday, killing four and seriously injuring the fifth person in a targeted attack in London, Ontario, Canadian police said Monday.
In an act of retaliation, Russia announced Monday it is indefinitely barring nine Canadian officials from entering Russian territory, Reuters reports.
Why it matters: Back in March, Canada imposed sanctions on nine Russian officials due to the "gross and systematic human rights violations" committed in the country, highlighting the attack on opposition leader Alexei Navalny, which the Canadians called "trend of deepening authoritarianism" in Russia.
The U.S. will create a "smuggling and human trafficking task force" to crack down on human smuggling in Central America, the Biden administration said Monday as Vice President Harris visited Guatemala.
Why it matters: Harris discussed the task force on her first foreign trip as vice president. The trip is part of the administration's efforts to shore up diplomatic ties with Latin America and continue to address the surge of migration into the U.S. from the Southern border.
West Virginia’s senators, Democrat Joe Manchin and Republican Shelley Moore Capito, each have disproportionate power to determine America's legislative future, including on voting rights and infrastructure.
Axios Re:cap digs into West Virginia’s moment at the center of the U.S. political world with Axios political reporter Alayna Treene.
In an effort to curb gun violence, the Justice Department on Monday proposed new restrictions on gun modifications and advised states on how to craft legislation enabling temporary seizure "red flag" laws.
Why it matters: Mass shootings rose sharply during the pandemic — although they were reported less frequently — and the violence has only grown, with 12 mass shootings seen over just one weekend last month.
President Biden told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in a phone call Monday that he looks forward to welcoming him to the White House this summer after returning from his trip to Europe, according to national security adviser Jake Sullivan.
Why it matters: In an hour-long interview with Axios on Friday, Zelensky urged Biden to meet with him face to face before a June 16 summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin — offering to join him "at any moment and at any spot on the planet."
The Supreme Court ruled unanimously Monday that immigrants who acquired a temporary stay in the U.S. for humanitarian reasons are ineligible to become permanent residents if they entered the country illegally, CNN reports.
Why it matters: About 400,000 people from 12 countries live in the United States under Temporary Protected Status. The designation shields people who have come from countries ravaged by war or disaster from being removed from the country.
The Supreme Court on Monday said it would not review a case challenging the constitutionality of only requiring men to register for the draft, noting that the policy is being considered by Congress.
Why it matters: Although the impact of such a decision from the court would have little real-world impact — the U.S. military has been volunteer-only since the Vietnam War — the draft is one of the last remaining sex-based distinctions codified in federal law, per the New York Times.
Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-N.Y.) on Monday blasted Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) as an obstructionist "doing everything in his power to stop democracy" after the moderate Democrat said he would not support H.R. 1, the expansive election and anti-corruption bill.
Why it matters: House progressives are getting fed up with the White House's efforts to accommodate Republicans and Manchin, writes Axios' Jonathan Swan. Democrats believe they have a narrow window to change voting rules at the national level.
In a podcast episode released Monday, Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) likened former President Trump's rhetoric about U.S. democracy and elections to that of the Chinese Communist Party, the Washington Post reports.
State of play: Cheney was ousted from her position as the No. 3 House Republican after publicly criticizing the former president’s baseless claims of election fraud.
The infrastructure drama enveloping Capitol Hill could spill onto the global climate stage.
Why it matters: Major new U.S. investments and policies could help spur other nations to take more aggressive and tangible steps to cut emissions. But failure to steer major new initiatives through Congress could hinder the White House diplomatic posture as the U.N. conference looms.
Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm will on Monday unveil new efforts aimed at massively cutting the cost of producing hydrogen with climate-friendly processes, according to an agency official.
Driving the news: The department will announce the "Hydrogen Shot" program to breathe life into the DOE's goal, first announced in April, to drive the costs of clean hydrogen down from about $5 per kilogram today to $1 per kilogram by 2030.
Amateur internet sleuths have launched a massive online manhunt for Capitol rioters, Bloomberg reports.
State of play: After the Jan. 6 riots, the FBI saw a 750% increase in daily call and electronic tips to its main hotline and have brought charges against more than 400 rioters.
Former President Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama name two new top staffers for their personal office:
Driving the news: Hannah Hankins, President Obama's new communications director,served for 5+ years in the Obama White House Communications Department, including as communications director and senior policy adviser for the Domestic Policy Council.
Secretary of State Tony Blinken told me during an "Axios on HBO" interview that President Biden is meeting with Vladimir Putin nine days from now "not in spite of" the cyberattacks that disrupted U.S. meat and gas supplies: "It's because of them."
Why it matters: Biden will tell Putin "directly and clearly what he can expect from the United States if aggressive, reckless actions toward us continue," Blinken told me in the grand Benjamin Franklin State Dining Room.
Lisa Hone, a longtime Federal Communications Commission attorney with deep expertise in broadband policy, has joined the National Economic Council team to steer the Biden administration's broadband expansion efforts.
Why it matters: Expanding broadband internet service to all Americans is a top priority for the Biden White House. Hone's primary focus is ensuring that money Congress allocated through the American Rescue Plan Act is spent appropriately.
Representatives of Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) have finally served a lawsuit on Rep. Mo Brooks (R-Ala.) alleging that he and other pro-Trump allies bear responsibility for the Capitol riot, the Republican congressman said Sunday.
Why it matters: Swalwell had been trying since March to serve the suit on Brooks. Attorneys for the Democrat said last Wednesday they'd hired a private investigator to locate Brooks.
Senate Sergeant-at-Arms Karen Gibson told CNN in an interview broadcast Sunday there's been an increase in threats against lawmakers in the past year, and "political rhetoric is a key driver" of anger toward elected officials.
Driving the news: CNN's Pamela Brown asked Gibson if the threats stem from the Jan. 6 Capitol riot that led to her predecessor Michael Stenger resigning. Gibson replied: "I would not say since the insurrection, but certainly in 2020 it began to go up considerably and it has remained heightened for a number of members."
Dmitry Gudkov, a prominent Russian opposition politician who was held in police custody for two days last week, announced Sunday that he's left the country for Ukraine because he fears he'll be arrested.
Why it matters: Authorities are moving to stamp out dissent before Russia's parliamentary elections in September, per AP — which notes leading opposition figure Andrei Pivovarov was last week jailed for two months pending an investigation into the pro-democracy Open Russia group.
Vice President Kamala Harris arrived in Guatemala Sunday, after a technical issue forced her first plane to return to Joint Base Andrews some 30 minutes into her first international trip since taking office, per White House pool reports.
Why it matters: Harris is touring Guatemala and Mexico as part of the Biden administration's efforts to address the surge of migration into the U.S. from the Southern border.
