A federal judge ruled Tuesday that former President Trump cannot shield his tax returns from congressional Democrats.
Why it matters: Trump's tax returns are the subject of an inquiry by the House Committee on Ways and Means. He has fought the release to the panel for over two years.
Axios Re:Cap is revisiting some of this year’s biggest stories and what they say about where technology, business, politics and more are headed in 2022.
Alayna Treene, political reporter and co-author of Axios Sneak Peek, joins Axios Re:Cap senior producer Naomi Shavin to talk about her experience covering Congress in 2021 and where things stand heading into next year's midterms.
A man who traveled to D.C. for the Stop the Steal rally that preceded the Capitol riot and texted people about "putting a bullet" in Speaker Nancy Pelosi's head has been sentenced to 28 months in prison, BuzzFeed reports.
Why it matters: Cleveland Meredith Jr. drove from Colorado to Washington, D.C., with two guns and 2,500 rounds of ammunition, though he arrived late on Jan. 6 due to car trouble, court filings show. Meredith pleaded guilty in September to sending threatening communications.
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) will travel to Battle Creek, Michigan on Friday to rally with striking Kellogg Company workers after the company said it would replace workers who rejected a tentative settlement.
Former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) will be required to give back money from his $5.1 million book deal, Politico reports.
Why it matters: The decision from the state's Joint Commission on Public Ethics comes one month after it revoked authorization for Cuomo to profit from his memoir, which was published in October last year. State employees were revealed to have helped write the book even though initial approval did not allow for the use of state resources, per Politico.
President Biden in a video statement Tuesday commemorated the ninth anniversary of the Sandy Hook shooting and urged the Senate to pass stricter gun control legislation.
Driving the news: "In Parkland, Florida, and Oxford, Michigan, in countless communities across the country, there's these horrific shootings that make national headlines and embarrass us as a nation," Biden said. "As a nation, we owe all of these families more than our prayers, we owe them action."
A group of more than 200 Jewish organizations, rabbis and synagogues have sent a letter to President Biden and top U.S. officials urging them to do more to oppose the Chinese government's genocide of ethnic Uyghurs, according to a copy of the letter viewed by Axios.
What they're saying: "The horror stories we are hearing of Uyghurs taken in the night, separated from their families, and put on trains to forced labor camps are all too familiar to the Jewish community," the letter's signatories state.
D.C. Attorney General Karl Racine (D) announced Tuesday that he has filed a lawsuit against the Proud Boys and the Oath Keepers over the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection.
Why it matters: Racine said the lawsuit is the first to be filed "by a state or municipal government to hold accountable the Proud Boys, the Oath Keepers and more than 30 of their leaders and members for conspiring to terrorize the District of Columbia and for unlawfully interfering with our country’s peaceful transition of power."
Latinos are using cartoons to combat the coronavirus-related misinformation that is prominent in their communities.
Why it matters: The project, "COVID Latino," aims to disseminate COVID-related information to U.S. Latinos through art and social media posts that prominently feature visual staples of Latino culture, with an emphasis on the U.S. Southwest.
House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.) told "Axios on HBO" that the Republican Party must "step away from cult worship" and not hand over the organization to just one person.
The big picture: Clyburn said the fate of the country lies not only on Democrats attempting to pass sweeping voting reform and other major legislation, but also on Republicans and independents: "It's high time that we ... think about what's best for this country. If you want to think about what's best for one person, you are teetering on one-person rule. That's an autocracy."
House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer on Tuesday asked the Capitol's top security officials for a briefing clarifying rules around lawmakers carrying firearms in the Capitol complex.
Why it matters: The request comes at the close of a tense and violent year for Congress, which was most recently rocked by last week's arrest of an aide who allegedly carried an unlicensed handgun into a House office building.
Half of Americans say it should be illegal for companies to deny service or employment to the unvaccinated, according to the latest installment of the Axios/Ipsos Coronavirus Index.
Why it matters: This carries real political risk for Democrats as President Biden's mandates on federal workers and large employers meet legal challenges across the country and Republicans use try to use the implementation of mandates as a wedge issue.
Mark Meadows defended his and former President's Trump's actions around the Jan. 6 insurrection, telling Fox News' Sean Hannity they did nothing "nefarious" and wanted to make sure "everything was safe and secure."
The state of play: “This is not about me, holding me in contempt. It’s not even about making the Capitol safer,” Meadows told Hannity, hours after the House select committee investigating Jan. 6 unanimously approved a resolution to recommend that he be held in contempt of Congress. “This is about Donald Trump and about actually going after him once again.”
Democratic Senate candidates across the board are campaigning on a message to reform the filibuster as they seek to increase their party's majority next year.
Why it matters: Candidates have traditionally run by telling voters what policies they'll enact in office. Now, they're highlighting the tool they want to use to pass such things as voting rights legislation, a minimum wage increase and abortion access safeguards.
Both parties are ramping up fundraising for secretary of state races, which in just a couple of years have gone from obscure down-ballot contests to high-profile races that could reshape American democracy.
Why it matters: Secretaries of state are many states' chief election administrators, making them crucial to efforts to alter election rules. Former President Trump is working to game the rules in his favor — and Democrats are trying to impede him.
Georgia Senate candidate Herschel Walker told Axios on Monday that he’s “accountable” for past violent behavior toward his ex-wife and people shouldn’t feel “ashamed” about confronting mental health issues.
Why it matters: The former college and pro football star is confronting his history of mental illness head-on during his campaign for the Republican Party's nomination, after the airing of some concerns among GOP leadership and voters.
Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) is telling colleagues the expanded child tax credit is both the most underpriced item — and biggest inflation-driver — in President Biden’s $1.75 trillion Build Back Better plan, people familiar with the matter tell Axios.
Why it matters: While Manchin’s concern over the CTC could trigger elimination of a program Democrats believe is crucial to address child poverty, it’s also an indication he's engaging with the White House about how to reduce the plan's price tag to a level he can support.
The House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 insurrection unanimously approved a resolution Monday to recommend that former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows be held in contempt of Congress for refusing to comply with a subpoena.
Why it matters: The committee's focus on the former White House chief of staff brings them one step closer to the former president. Texts read aloud during the briefing hearing showed Donald Trump Jr. pleading with Meadows to have his father urge an end to the Capitol assault.
