Axios

Rep. Hal Rogers (R-Ky.) apologized Tuesday evening to Rep. Joyce Beatty (D-Ohio), the chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, for telling her to "kiss my a--" after she asked him to wear a face mask, CNN reported.

What they're saying: “My words were not acceptable,” Rogers told CNN.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said Tuesday that it is "not the job" of the Republican National Committee to single out Republican members who disagree with the party.

Driving the news: "The issue is whether or not the RNC should be singling out members of our party who may have different views from the majority. That's not the job of the RNC," McConnell said in response to the committee's censure of Reps. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) and Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.).

Five states sued the Biden administration Tuesday over its mandate to increase the minimum wage for federal contractors to $15 an hour.

Why it matters: The states — Arizona, Idaho, Indiana, Nebraska and South Carolina — argue President Biden overstepped his authority when he signed an executive order mandating the minimum wage last April. The order went into effect Jan. 30.

Beth Cameron, the National Security Council's senior director for global health security and biodefense, will be leaving her position this spring, Axios has learned.

Why it matters: Cameron joined the Biden administration to help re-establish the Directorate for Global Health Security and Biodefense, which former Trump national security adviser John Bolton had folded into another office as part of an effort to streamline the NSC.

Vermont state lawmakers on Tuesday voted to advance an amendment that would guarantee the right to get an abortion under the state's constitution.

Why it matters: The amendment will become a ballot measure for state voters to decide whether it actually gets added to the Vermont Constitution. If they support the proposal, it would be the first time that reproductive rights are ingrained in a state constitution.

After a thumbs up from Gov. Ron DeSantis, a bill that would ban conversations about gender and sexual identity in Florida elementary schools is moving forward in the Florida Legislature.

State of play: On Tuesday, the Senate Education Committee approved SB 1834, the "Parental Rights in Education" bill proposed by Sen. Dennis Baxley (R-Ocala) — labeled by critics the "Don't Say Gay" bill.

The U.S. Army released its first climate strategy on Tuesday, outlining plans to cut its greenhouse gas pollution in half by 2030 and achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.

Why it matters: A 2019 report from Brown University estimated that the U.S. military has emitted 1,212 million metric tons of greenhouse gases since 2001. In 2017 alone, its emissions totaled 59 million tons, more than many industrialized nations.

A number of prominent Republicans are vocally supporting former Vice President Mike Pence after his public rebuke of former President Trump.

Catch up quick: Pence said last week that Trump was "wrong" to claim the former vice president could have "overturned" the 2020 presidential election on Jan. 6, 2021, as he presided over the counting of electoral college votes by Congress.

Freshman Rep. Troy Nehls (R-Texas) on Tuesday accused the U.S. Capitol Police of "illegally" entering his office and allegedly taking pictures of "confidential legislative products" in November.

What he's saying: "The [USCP] Intelligence Division investigated my office illegally and one of my staffers caught them in the act," Nehls tweeted.

U.S. law enforcement officials seized bitcoin currently worth over $3.6 billion that was allegedly stolen from virtual currency exchange Bitfinex in 2016, the Department of Justice announced Tuesday.

Driving the news: Police arrested a couple in Manhattan for attempting to launder $4.5 billion worth of bitcoin linked to the 2016 hack, which they were able to track despite a web of transactions in order to conceal their origins, the Justice Department said.

A federal judge on Monday ruled that the Air Force must pay more than $230 million to survivors and victims' families of the 2017 shooting in Sutherland Springs, Texas.

Driving the news: U.S. District Judge Xavier Rodriguez in July ruled that the Air Force holds 60% of the responsibility for the shooting in the Texas church because it failed to enter the shooter's criminal history into a federal background check database used for gun purchases. More than 25 people were killed in the shooting.

The resignation Monday night of White House science adviser Eric Lander means the administration is losing its highest-ranking climate science official.

Why it matters: Lander has turned the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) into a new power center within the government for climate and energy research and policy.

President Biden is still choosing from "a wealth of accomplished and inspiring Black women" for the Supreme Court, the White House says in an update for Capitol Hill and allies.

• The document says Biden "takes the 'advice' part of the process very seriously."
• But Biden also "shares senators' view that a president deserves latitude to have his nominees confirmed as long as they are well-qualified."

Spanish-language misinformation on social media platforms is flourishing, even as tech companies add more moderators, adopt stricter content rules, add context labels and block offending accounts.

Why it matters: Latinos are increasingly turning to social media for news during the pandemic — including important elections where Spanish-language misinformation sometimes sits unchallenged, posing threats to health and democracies.

President Biden will take his Build Back Better roadshow to Rep. Abigail Spanberger's swing district on Thursday, Axios has learned.

Why it matters: The Virginia Democrat was one of the most pointed critics of Biden's sweeping social agenda after their party was thumped in statewide elections in November. By highlighting his proposal to reduce prescription drug prices, the president will focus on one of his solutions to address soaring costs.

One in three Americans expects to catch COVID within the next month — and only one in 10 thinks it will be eradicated by this time next year — according to the latest installment of the Axios/Ipsos Coronavirus Index.

The big picture: The new data shows Americans are coming to terms with living with COVID. But it also reveals an utter lack of consensus on how to live with it.

President Biden announced his intention Monday to appoint John "Jack" McCain, son of the late U.S. Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), to serve on the Board of Visitors to the U.S. Naval Academy.

What he's saying: "I am incredibly honored and, suffice to say, deeply humbled, to have been asked to serve on the Naval Academy Board of Visitors," tweeted McCain, a reserve naval aviator for Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 85 and graduate of the Naval Academy.

Biden science adviser Eric Lander resigned from his position on Monday after an investigation found that he violated the Biden administration's workplace policy, the White House confirmed.

Why it matters: An investigation found that Lander violated the White House's workplace policy and "corrective action" was taken, according to an Office of Science and Technology Policy (OTSP) spokesperson. Investigation recordings and documents obtained by Politico show that Lander bullied his former general counsel, among others.

Nikki Haley told Fox News on Monday she believed Mike Pence "did what he thought was right" when the then-vice president certified the results of the last presidential election.

Yes, but: The former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations took issue with Pence saying last week that former President Trump is "wrong" to claim that he could have overturned the results.

The Biden administration is poised to reshape the way the government tracks undocumented immigrants awaiting court proceedings, Axios has learned.

Why it matters: There are nearly 180,000 undocumented immigrants in the U.S. already being monitored with ankle bracelets and other traceable devices. The administration is planning an expanded home confinement and curfew pilot program — with the aim of curbing for-profit detention spaces.

A leading conservative advocacy group's seven-figure effort to turn an obscure progressive consulting firm into the face of Democratic "dark money" is drawing legal threats from the firm's lawyers, Axios has learned.

Why it matters: The Judicial Crisis Network's $2.5 million ad campaign goes after Arabella Advisors in the context of President Biden's upcoming nomination to the Supreme Court. But it's part of a much larger effort on the right to make Arabella a household name.

As bipartisan negotiations to update the Electoral Count Act of 1887 grow in breadth and intensity, senators from both parties are starting to draw their red lines.

Why it matters: Democrats once fixated on sweeping election reform packages. Republicans were equally committed to opposing wide-ranging federal election changes. New drop-dead conditions can still poison the new negotiations but also indicate movement from these opening positions.