Axios

President Biden on Wednesday visited tornado-ravaged Kentucky, calling what affected families in hard-hit Mayfield and other areas are going through "a God-awful mess."

The big picture: During his visit, Biden amended the federal disaster declaration he previously approved, making federal funds for debris removal and emergency protective measures, including direct federal assistance, available to cover 100% of the total "eligible costs" for for 30 days, the White House said.

Outcomes around maternal health are linked to climate change, Rep. Lauren Underwood (D-Ill.) said at an Axios event on Wednesday.

Driving the news: Human caused climate change is also a public health crisis, as extreme weather events such as heat waves turn deadly, per Axios' Andrew Freedman. There is also the potential for vector-borne infectious diseases to spread outside their traditional range as the world warms.

White House COVID-19 response coordinator Jeff Zients said Wednesday that there will be "no need" to shut down the U.S. economy "in any way," adding that the country has the tools necessary to fight the Omicron variant.

The big picture: There is an increase of coronavirus cases, driven by the Delta variant, across the country, and CDC director Rochelle Walensky has said that the number of Omicron cases is "likely to rise."

The Senate voted 88-11 on Wednesday to approve the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), sending the $770 billion, must-pass legislation to President Biden's desk after weeks of delay.

• The original tally was 89-10 but Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) later went to the floor and changed his vote from a "yes" to a "no."

Why it matters: The annual bill provides funding and sets policy for the Pentagon. It's been passed by Congress on a bipartisan basis every year for the past six decades.

In a hearing Wednesday, the Senate's judiciary committee will attempt to examine the impact of large and dominant companies on "American innovation" — that is, startups — and their ability to acquire smaller ones.

Why it matters: Whether Big Tech is preventing startups from realizing their full potential remains a key debate within the tech industry.

Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin pleaded guilty on Wednesday to two federal civil rights charges, including the use of excessive force against George Floyd last year by pressing his knee into Floyd's neck for more than nine minutes.

Why it matters: Chauvin previously pleaded not guilty to the charges stemming from Floyd's murder, which were issued by a federal grand jury in May.

Congress passed legislation Tuesday that will allow the Capitol Police chief to "unilaterally" request assistance from the D.C. National Guard or federal law enforcement agencies in emergencies.

Why it matters: Lawmakers have previously said the lack of authority to directly request assistance delayed the National Guard's response to the Jan. 6 Capitol riot and left Capitol Police officers stranded and outnumbered during most of the attack.

The Biden administration and allied climate activists are hoping to transform today's relatively high energy costs from a political risk into an asset as they push for passage of sweeping climate legislation.

Driving the news: Axios got the first look at a new ad buy premiering in the D.C. media market today from the group Evergreen Action.

The family of Martin Luther King Jr. is urging the public not to celebrate his legacy as a civil and voting rights activist on MLK Day next month if Congress hasn't passed new national voting rights protections, Axios has learned.

Why it matters: This no-celebration-without-legislation approach is a unique form of protest, and puts pressure not just on Republicans, but also Democrats, who've been reluctant to eliminate the filibuster to pass pending bills.

Two Fox News prime-time hosts tore into the House's 1/6 investigative committee last night as they spoke about their own texts during the siege.

Driving the news: Sean Hannity and Laura Ingraham's texts had been turned over to the committee by former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows. The hosts spoke 24 hours after committee Vice Chair Liz Cheney read the texts aloud during a hearing on holding Meadows in contempt.

The House voted early Wednesday 221-209 to raise the debt ceiling by $2.5 trillion, which will extend it beyond the 2022 midterms.

Driving the news: The measure, advanced by Senate Democrats earlier on Tuesday, now heads to the president's desk for a signature.

The House on Tuesday passed Rep. Ilhan Omar’s (D-Minn.) bill, 219-212, to combat Islamophobia amid controversy over how to handle Rep. Lauren Boebert's (R-Colo.) anti-Muslim rhetoric toward Omar.

Why it matters: The move has been interpreted as an effort by Democratic leaders to address Boebert’s inflammatory remarks while stopping short of punishing her.

The House voted late Tuesday to hold former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows in contempt of Congress for refusing to comply with a subpoena from the Jan. 6 select committee.

Why it matters: Meadows is the third person to face a recommendation for contempt proceedings from the committee. His place as one of the ex-president‘s top aides on Jan. 6 makes him a key target in the investigation.

President Biden said Tuesday his administration has ordered enough of Pfizer's COVID-19 antiviral pills to treat 10 million Americans, after the company reported the drug reduced the risk of hospitalization or death by 89% in high-risk adults.

Why it matters: Oral antiviral drugs designed to prevent or treat COVID-19 could be key pandemic-fighting tools — something Biden noted in his announcement hours before the coronavirus death toll surpassed 800,000 in the U.S.

Elon Musk called Sen. Elizabeth Warren "Senator Karen" on Tuesday after the Massachusetts Democrat took aim at Time Magazine naming the billionaire Tesla CEO as its 2021 Person of the Year.

Driving the news: Warren tweeted after Musk was announced by Time on Monday, "Let's change the rigged tax code so The Person of the Year will actually pay taxes and stop freeloading off everyone else." Musk retorted in a tweet to Warren saying, "Stop projecting!"

The House on Tuesday evening unanimously voted to pass a bill that would ban all imports from the Chinese region of Xinjiang unless the U.S. government determines that the products were not made with forced labor.

Driving the news: Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) and Rep. Jim McGovern (D-Mass.) reached a compromise agreement earlier on Tuesday on the final legislative text of the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act.

New York City Mayor-elect Eric Adams has selected Keechant Sewell, the Nassau County chief of detectives, to be the new NYPD police commissioner.

Why it matters: Sewell will be the first woman and third Black commissioner in the New York City Police Department's history.

President Biden and Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) are locked in a disagreement over how long programs in the Build Back Better agenda should be funded, people familiar with the matter tell Axios.

Why it matters: The impasse all but guarantees the Senate will delay a vote on the $1.75 trillion spending package until next year. It's also an indication Biden is willing to hold out for a bigger deal, as opposed to a faster one.

Partisan legislators across the country have been busy manipulating district lines to bolster their party's chances of controlling the House next year, according to analysis of maps by the Princeton Gerrymandering Project and RepresentUs.

By the numbers: Nineteen states have now finished the redistricting process, and Georgia, New Mexico and Virginia are awaiting only a final signature on their plans. The Redistricting Report Card project has released grades for seven of these 22 maps. Five received an F.

Mitch McConnell is facing a frontal assault from emboldened pro-Trump Republicans eager to unseat him as the Senate’s GOP leader.

Why it matters: The Kentuckian has long been viewed as the most powerful Republican in Congress, a figure many in the party have feared turning into an enemy. His endurance has allowed him to reshape the Supreme Court and dictate much of the national political agenda for over a decade.

Rep. Ruben Gallego of Arizona, a Democrat who led a congressional delegation to Ukraine this weekend, tells Axios that President Biden is wrong to allow the Nord Stream 2 pipeline to move forward while Russia is threatening to invade Ukraine.

Why it matters: Gallego views Nord Stream 2 as "interlinked" with the security situation in Ukraine. The Putin-backed pipeline would bypass Ukrainian gas infrastructure and deliver Russian energy directly to Germany, eliminating one of Kyiv's last deterrents against an invasion.

A coalition of organizations still working to evacuate people from Afghanistan met Tuesday with top U.S. national security officials to discuss next steps, Axios has learned.

Why it matters: Tens of thousands of Afghans are grappling with a deepening economic and humanitarian crisis following the U.S. military and diplomatic pullout on Aug. 31, with reports of targeted assassinations as the Taliban settle scores.

The Kentucky Division of Occupational Safety and Health Compliance will investigate Mayfield Consumer Products after tornados ravaged Mayfield, Ky., and killed at least eight of its factory workers over the weekend, Gov. Andy Beshear (D) said Tuesday.

Why it matters: An investigation is launched whenever a worker dies on the job, but multiple employees have told news outlets they were warned they'd be fired if they left their shifts early as the tornado approached.

Amtrack is no longer anticipating service reduction in January after it amended its COVID vaccination requirement Tuesday to allow unvaccinated employees to remain working if they submit to regular testing.

Why it matters: About 97% of Amtrack employees have received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine, with fewer than 500 employees remaining unvaccinated, according to a letter from the company obtained by Reuters.