A federal judge on Tuesday approved a plan for Puerto Rico to get out of bankruptcy five years after the island said it would not be able to repay its creditors.
Why it matters: The restructuring plan will cut Puerto Rico's outstanding debt by 80% and save the government over $50 billion in payments amid the island's struggle to recover from multiple hurricanes, earthquakes and COVID-19, Puerto Rico's financial oversight board said.
The House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol riot released its latest round of subpoenas on Tuesday evening, this time focusing on several of former President Trump's lawyers, including Rudy Giuliani and Sidney Powell, and former adviser Boris Epshteyn.
Why it matters: The panel said the four individuals subpoenaed were involved in efforts publicly promote Trump's unfounded claims of election fraud as well as efforts to "disrupt or delay" the certification of the election's results.
The Biden administration will defer any rule changes around lawmakers trading stocks to congressional leadership, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said Tuesday.
The big picture: Psaki's remarks come as momentum is building among some progressive Democrats and MAGA Republicans on a proposal to ban sitting lawmakers from trading individual stocks, Axios' Dan Primack and Sophia Cai report.
The website where Americans can request free, at-home rapid COVID-19 tests from the government launched Tuesday and is now accepting orders.
Driving the news: The website went live in its beta phase and is operating at a limited capacity a day before its official launch. Every home in the U.S. is eligible for up to four COVID tests, according to the website.
The Department of Agriculture on Tuesday unveiled a 10-year plan to combat the kind of catastrophic wildfires that have devastated parts of the West in recent years.
Driving the news: Climate change, as well as overgrown forests and an increasing number of homes in areas where nature and urban life meet, have led to a "full-blown wildfire and forest health crisis," the strategy document notes.
The city of Houston and the family of a Mexican American Vietnam War veteran beaten to death by police in May 1977 — a killing that sparked a deadly riot and ushered in police reforms — have agreed on a memorial.
Why it matters: The planned memorial for Joe Campos Torres comes as cities across the U.S. face a reckoning on systemic racism and confront past cases of police violence against communities of color.
Jim Obergefell, the lead plaintiff in the 2015 Supreme Court case that ended state bans against same-sex marriage, announced Tuesday that he will run for a seat in the Ohio legislature.
Why it matters: Obergefell became one of the faces of the movement for marriage equality when his lawsuit against Ohio led to the Supreme Court's landmark decision in 2015 that same-sex couples have a fundamental right to marry.
Two lawmakers are urging the federal government to ensure state governments are not procuring telecommunications equipment from Chinese companies deemed a security risk, according to a letter viewed by Axios.
The big picture: Governments around the world are struggling to determine which Chinese tech companies may pose security risks, and how to extricate those products and services from sensitive telecommunications infrastructure.
America's mayors know their constituents hold them accountable for homelessness, but many don't feel they have the tools or power to fix things, a brand new survey says.
Why it matters: While homelessness has become more acute during the pandemic, city leaders say they lack the money, staff or political support needed to make a meaningful difference.
Gen Xers have always been a swing voting group, but their kids — Gen Z, sometimes called Zoomers — overwhelmingly back Democrats.
What they're saying: "Generational replacement will not be kind to Trump’s Republican Party," John Della Volpe, polling director at the Harvard Kennedy School Institute of Politics, and CEO of SocialSphere, told me.
Trust in government is collapsing, especially in democracies, according to a new global survey.
Why it matters: People also don't think media or business leaders are telling them the truth, and this suspicion of multiple societal institutions is pushing people into smaller, more insular circles of trust.
More than 28.5 million seniors and people with disabilities were enrolled in a private Medicare Advantage plan as of Jan. 1, an 8.8% increase from the same time in 2021, according to new federal data analyzed by Axios.
Why it matters: Enrollment in the controversial MA program continues to grow, and based on prior full-year trends, enrollment in 2022 likely will surpass the federal government's prediction of 29.5 million people.
A U.S. appeals court transferred a challenge to the Texas law banning most abortions after about six weeks of pregnancy to the state Supreme Court in a 2-1 vote on Monday evening.
Why it matters: The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals' decision means the country's most restrictive abortion law can remain in place for the time being.
The CEOs of leading U.S. air cargo and passenger carriers on Monday warned the Biden administration there could be "catastrophic disruption" after AT&T and Verizon deploy a new 5G service this week.
Driving the news: They said in a letter to Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and other top federal officials ahead of the C-Band 5G service's deployment Wednesday that "the nation's commerce will grind to a halt" and "could potentially strand tens of thousands of Americans overseas."
