Axios

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in a 5-4 decision issued Tuesday evening to leave the national moratorium on evictions imposed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention intact through July 31.

Driving the news: The Biden administration issued a 30-day extension to the temporary halt in residential evictions, the CDC announced last week, after its original deadline was set to expire on June 30.

The House voted 285-120 on Tuesday evening to remove statues honoring people who defended the Confederacy from public displays in Capitol Hill, and to replace a bust of former Chief Justice Roger Taney, who authored the 1857 Dred Scott decision, with one of Thurgood Marshall, the first Black Supreme Court justice.

The big picture: The House previously passed the measure during nationwide anti-racism protests spurred by George Floyd's death, but the bill stalled in the then Republican-controlled Senate.

The death toll in last week's Surfside condo collapse has risen to 12, with 149 people still unaccounted for, officials said Tuesday evening.

The latest: Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle said she would ask a grand jury to "look at what steps we can take to safeguard our residents without jeopardizing any scientific, public safety, or potential criminal investigations."

Randy Moore has been named chief of the U.S. Forest Service, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced Tuesday. Moore will be the first African American to lead the agency in its 116-year history.

The big picture: The Forest Service oversees 600 million acres of forestland. Moore is slated to begin after current Forest Service head Vicki Christiansen steps down on July 26.

The Department of Transportation issued an order Tuesday proposing restrictions on the sale of passenger airline tickets between the U.S. and Belarus.

Why it matters: The move follows Belarus' decision last month to divert a commercial Ryanair flight in order to detain journalist and opposition leader Raman Pratasevich.

A Tennessee billionaire and high-dollar Republican donor is funding the deployment of South Dakota National Guard troops to the U.S. Mexico border.

Driving the news: South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, who's gaining attention as a possible 2024 presidential contender, made a splash on Tuesday with an announcement that she was deploying an unspecified number of National Guard troops to the border in Texas. A news release said the deployment "will be paid for by a private donation."

Venezuelan migrants are crossing the southern border along the Rio Grande into Texas in record numbers as they look to escape the political, social and economic crisis in their home country, AP reports.

By the numbers: A total of 7,484 Venezuelans were approached by U.S. Border Patrol agents in May at the southern border — "more than all 14 years for which records exist," AP writes.

Rep. Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.) appeared to defend himself against criticism that erupted on Tuesday after reports that he's scheduled to hold a fundraiser with Nick Fuentes, who has been labeled a "white supremacist" by the Justice Department.

The big picture: Fuentes' channel on the social media platform Telegram posted a flyer Monday night advertising the fundraiser between the congressman and America First PAC, a group run by Fuentes.

South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem (R) announced Tuesday that up to 50 of her state's National Guard troops are being deployed to the U.S.-Mexico border in Texas at the request of Texas Gov. Greg Abbott.

The big picture: The deployment to the border is slated to last 30–60 days and will be paid for by a private donation, Noem's office said. The details of the mission have yet to be finalized.

Andrew Giuliani, the son of former New York City Mayor and Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani, received no support from state Republicans for his bid to be the next governor of New York during a secret straw poll held Monday.

Driving the news: Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-N.Y.) got about 85% of the vote, and around 10% chose to abstain, New York Republicans said. The results bode well for Zeldin's chances of becoming the Republican nominee to challenge Gov. Andrew Cuomo in the upcoming election.

The White House is trying to build support for clean energy and climate pieces of the $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure outline at a time when activists are calling the plan far too modest.

Why it matters: The White House faces growing urgency to corral progressive lawmakers now that President Biden has abandoned threats to veto the plan unless a much larger, Democrats-only package moves too.

President Biden will use his visit to La Crosse, Wisconsin, to "cut through the noise in Washington," aides told Axios, enlisting voters to help him hold together a fragile $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure deal.

Why it matters: This is Biden's first sales pitch since a weekend of damage control after he tied the deal to a Democrats-only push for more spending.

In the months since former President Donald Trump left office, media companies’ readership numbers are plunging — and publishers that rely on partisan, ideological warfare have taken an especially big hit.

Why it matters: Outlets most dependent on controversy to stir up resentments have struggled to find a foothold in the Biden era, according to an Axios analysis of publishers’ readership and engagement trends.

Just four in 10 Americans say attending a Fourth of July celebration this year feels risky — about half as many as a year ago, according to the latest installment of the Axios/Ipsos Coronavirus Index.

The big picture: Our weekly national survey finds broad awareness and concern around the emerging Delta variant. But people's behaviors really aren't changing in the face of that threat.

The search for survivors among the rubble of a Surfside, Florida, condo entered a sixth day Tuesday, with 11 bodies recovered from the partial collapse of the 12-story building and 150 people still unaccounted for.

The latest: Rescue specialists from Israel and Mexico joined American crews in the search for life using "cranes, dogs and infrared scanners," but hope was beginning to diminish Reuters notes.

Abu Dhabi will soon only allow adults vaccinated against COVID-19 in public places including schools, universities, shopping centers and gyms — banning anyone who hasn't been inoculated against the virus unless they've a valid reason.

The big picture: United Arab Emirates authorities said in a Twitter post Monday they're taking the action, effective Aug. 20, to "preserve public health" after vaccinating 93% of "target groups." Anyone in the UAE capital under 16 will be exempt from the rule, which doesn't apply to retailers selling essential goods, such as supermarkets and pharmacies.

American troops in northeast Syria came under fire from "multiple rockets" Monday evening, a spokesperson for the U.S.-led coalition said.

What's happening: Col. Wayne Marotto said in a statement there were no injuries to U.S. troops in the attack, an apparent retaliation for Sunday's U.S. air strikes against Iran-backed militias in Syria and Iraq.

The House passed two bills on Monday that would bolster scientific research in an effort to give the U.S. a competitive edge over China.

Why it matters: There have been concerns among lawmakers that the U.S. is being left behind in science and technology innovation as the Chinese Communist Party gains ground — something President Biden noted in his statement welcoming the House legislation Monday.

President Biden in an op-ed published by Yahoo! News Monday pledged to do more to tackle climate change as he touted the $1.2 trillion infrastructure deal he reached with a group of bipartisan senators.

Why it matters: Biden has faced criticism from progressives over the agreement for not doing enough to address issues such as climate change. Reps. Cori Bush (D-Mo.) and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) joined hundreds of protesters outside the White House Monday to demand the president act on the matter.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) is trying to blunt momentum for the bipartisan infrastructure bill by focusing on process before policy.

Why it matters: The author of "The Long Game" is once again trying to dictate the terms of congressional action by demanding Democratic leaders delink President Biden's second infrastructure plan from his first. The strategy lets McConnell gain some control of the debate, even if he ultimately supports the package.

Women of color are a rapidly growing voter bloc, and they turned out in force during the 2020 general election, according to Democratic data firm TargetSmart.

By the numbers: Hispanic, Asian and other ethnic/racial groups of female voters spiked by more than 20% in 2020 compared to 2016. Turnout by white women increased by just 6.4%.

Allies who spent tens of millions to get Joe Biden elected are now launching a nonprofit advocacy group aimed at promoting the president's legislative agenda, Axios has learned.

Why it matters: Unite the Country Now will swell an already formidable stable of independent pro-Biden outfits trying to get his top policy goals past recalcitrant congressional Republicans and some tough-to-wrangle Democrats.