Axios

President Biden nominated Damian Williams to be the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, among a slate of names he picked to some of the nation's most powerful law enforcement posts Tuesday.

Why it matters: Williams would be the first Black person to land one of the most coveted positions in prosecution. The powerful Manhattan-based office has had purview over some of the nation's most high-profile cases, like several inquiries into associates of former President Trump.

Zalmay Khalilzad, the United States' special representative on Afghanistan reconciliation, warned the Taliban in Doha, Qatar, Tuesday that any government formed by force will not be recognized internationally, according to AP.

Why it matters: Nine out of 34 Afghan provincial capitals have fallen to the Taliban in recent days as the U.S. military withdraws, raising fears that the Afghan military will be unable to hold off the insurgent group.

Rep. Ron Kind (D-Wisc.) will announce Tuesday that he will not seek reelection to represent Wisconsin's 3rd Congressional District after serving since 1997, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

Why it matters: Kind's retirement creates a wide-open race in one of the most competitive districts in Wisconsin and damages Democrats' chances at holding their U.S. House majority.

The California attorney general’s office announced Monday that it filed manslaughter and assault charges against a former Los Angeles police officer who shot and killed a man with an intellectual disability at a Costco in 2019.

Driving the news: Although the officer, Salvador Sanchez, was fired from the LAPD in 2019, a grand jury at the time chose not to criminally indict him, the Washington Post reports.

President Joe Biden praised the Senate's passage of the bipartisan infrastructure package Tuesday, calling it "long overdue, much-needed investments in basic, hard infrastructure."

Why it matters: The legislation's passage is a major victory for the Biden administration and would deliver hundreds of billions of dollars for roads, bridges, waterways and other "hard infrastructure" items.

The Department of Justice announced Tuesday that it has reached an agreement to reform a facility in New Jersey where it claims authorities failed to protect prisoners from sexual abuse from staff, in violation of the Constitution.

The big picture: If approved by a federal judge, the proposed settlement would require the state of New Jersey and its corrections department to reform the Edna Mahan Correctional Facility for Women near the town of Clinton to protect its prisoners and hold staff accountable for sexual misconduct.

The United States will send 8.5 million more doses of the coronavirus vaccine to Mexico as the country experiences a third wave of infections, AP reports.

Why it matters: The announcement by Mexican Foreign Affairs Secretary Marcelo Ebrard comes as the Delta variant drives up the number of infections in the country.

New York Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) will be sworn in as governor once Andrew Cuomo's resignation goes into effect in 14 days.

Why it matters: Hochul will become the first woman to serve as governor of New York and will serve out the rest of Cuomo's term until the 2022 midterms.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced on Tuesday that he will resign from his post, effective in 14 days, after an independent investigation found that he sexually harassed multiple women in violation of federal and state law.

What he's saying: "I would never want to be unhelpful in any way. And I think that given the circumstances, the best way I can help now is if I step aside and let government get back to government. And therefore that's what I'll do, because I work for you, and doing the right thing is doing the right thing for you," Cuomo said in televised remarks.

The Senate voted 69-30 on Tuesday to pass the $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure package, handing a major victory to President Biden and a group of senators that spent months negotiating on the agreement.

Why it matters: The monster bill would deliver hundreds of billions of dollars for roads, bridges, waterways and other "hard infrastructure" items. It is widely seen as a victory for both parties and the reputation of the Senate, especially given the current level of polarization in Congress.

The National Security Agency's inspector general announced Tuesday that it is investigating allegations that the NSA "improperly targeted the communications of a member of the U.S. news media."

Why it matters: Fox News host Tucker Carlson claimed in June that a whistleblower had informed him NSA was monitoring his electronic communications "in an attempt to take this show off the air." The agency issued a statement at the time saying Carlson "has never been an intelligence target."

Wisconsin's Democratic Gov. Tony Evers on Tuesday vetoed several bills passed by the Republican-controlled state legislature that would impose new restrictions on absentee ballots.

Driving the news: The bills seek to prevent election workers from filling in missing information on absentee ballots — making it punishable by up to a $10,000 fine and three years in prison — and require disabled and older voters to show ID to be able to vote via absentee ballot.

An eight-story condo building in Miami was evacuated this week after city officials deemed the building "unsafe," AP reports.

The big picture: The evacuation follows the tragic collapse of the Champlain Towers in nearby Surfside, which killed 98 people. Since the Surfside collapse, officials in southern Florida have evacuated several buildings due to structural issues, according to the Miami Herald.

Dominion Voting Systems on Tuesday sued conservative media networks Newsmax and One America News Network, as well as businessman Patrick Byrne, alleging they defamed the company.

Driving the news: Dominion, one of the largest voting-machine companies in the U.S., accused the media networks of propagating false statements that the voting machines switched votes from former President Trump to President Biden during the 2020 election.

Doug Emhoff, Vice President Kamala Harris' husband, will lead the U.S. delegation to attend the Tokyo Paralympic Games, the White House announced Tuesday.

Why it matters: It will be Emhoff’s first official overseas trip since becoming second gentleman in January.

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) praised and offered to reach out to any flagging Democratic Texas state lawmakers during an hour-long Zoom meeting Monday afternoon, two lawmakers who participated told Axios.

Why it matters: The Texans have been holed up in Washington for weeks to prevent Republicans back home from gaining the minimum number of lawmakers needed to pass legislation. The stalling tactic has helped keep voting rights in the national spotlight, Ocasio-Cortez told them.

The White House-backed infrastructure bill now moving toward Senate approval divvies up $65 billion in broadband funding in ways that largely please the big cable and telecom companies.

The big picture: President Biden's spending blueprints and talking points stoked alarm in the industry over the prospect of price regulation or government-backed networks, but the legislation that's moving forward is much more to its liking.

The Democratic National Committee is trying to pump up President Biden and the party’s political agenda with a nationwide bus tour featuring mayors, governors and members of Congress, Axios has learned.

Why it matters: The tour comes as lawmakers in both parties gear up for a messaging war ahead of the 2022 midterms. It will also coincide with Congress' August recess — when members of the House and Senate will already be back in their districts.

An influential House Republican has endorsed Senate candidate J.D. Vance of Ohio, as internal polls show the author and venture capitalist rising as a contender for the seat vacated by Rob Portman's retirement.

Driving the news: Rep. Jim Banks (R-Ind.), chairman of the conservative Republican Study Committee, the largest bloc of House Republicans, tells Axios that Vance "isn't afraid to stand up to the woke elites and will always put middle- and working-class Ohioans first."

Members of Congress from both parties are trying to turn the massive federal employee pension fund into a tool for their political ends, using its huge financial sway to support or oppose certain industries.

Why it matters: The half-trillion dollar Thrift Savings Plan is the largest defined-contribution retirement plan in the world. But those charged with overseeing it say politicizing any of its investment decisions risks its overall financial health.

Democrats' proposed expansions to health coverage and other patient-friendly policies released Monday are reliant on successfully taking on one of Washington's most powerful industries: pharmaceutical companies.

Between the lines: The way Democrats have set up their reconciliation package likely forces them to pass significant prescription drug pricing reform if they want to also pass other measures designed to make health care more affordable — a key selling point for the entire package.

The first three big post-presidency books about Donald Trump have shot up the bestseller list and are selling out.

Yes, but: The actual sales are nothing like some of the books sold during the blockbuster days when he was in the White House and the nation was obsessed.

The Biden administration axed Trump's proposed rule that would have tied some Medicare drug prices to lower overseas prices, but that regulation in its current form had almost no chance of being enacted.

What to watch: Biden's recent executive order mandates HHS to create a "comprehensive plan ... to combat high prescription drug prices and price gouging" by Aug. 23. That plan will give the clearest picture yet of what Biden will try to do to lower drug prices.

U.S. envoy for Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad will "press the Taliban to stop their military offensive and to negotiate a political settlement" during talks in Qatar's capital, Doha, this week, the State Department said.

Why it matters: As the Biden administration prepares to fully withdraw U.S. forces from Afghanistan on Aug. 31, the Taliban has seized six provincial capitals in the country. The Pentagon said Monday it's up to the Afghan government to defend these cities.

A federal judge asked prosecutors Monday to explain why restitution in Capitol riot cases was limited to $1.5 million for repairs to the building when the total cost to taxpayers was $500 million, per Politico.

Of note: D.C. Chief U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell's comments come about two weeks after she questioned whether it's appropriate for prosecutors to offer defendants misdemeanor plea deals in cases that saw insurrectionists "terrorizing members of Congress."

Lawyers of migrant children held in U.S. custody asked a federal court on Monday for the release of teenagers from two emergency housing sites in Texas, arguing that their conditions violate standards for government facilities that house migrants.

Why it matters: Teens at the facilities have reported "deplorable conditions" and said they've suffered from mental health problems and prolonged stays at the facilities, according to the complaint, which contains testimony from more than a dozen children.