Axios

Latinas in the U.S. and Latin American women have helped shape history, but their contributions have often been forgotten.

Why it matters: On International Women's Day, Axios Latino is highlighting some of the women who transformed politics, labor, literature, and daily life, both in the U.S. and Latin America.

A jury found Jan. 6 rioter Guy Reffitt guilty of all five charges connected to the Capitol insurrection on Tuesday, CNN reported Tuesday.

Why it matters: Reffitt, 49, carried a gun onto Capitol grounds, interfered with the police line and threatened his son and daughter when he returned to Texas, prosecutors say. He was the first Jan. 6 defendant to go to trial.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) told reporters Tuesday that Congress' aid package for Ukraine now totals $14 billion.

Why it matters: The figure is more than double what was initially floated by the Biden administration last month.

After hours of debate on the Senate floor, The Parental Rights in Education Bill — also known as "Don't Say Gay" — has passed through the Florida Senate. It now heads to Gov. Ron DeSantis' desk.

Driving the news: HB 1557 would ban classroom instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity from kindergarten through 3rd grade. For higher grade levels, the bill says instruction should be "age-appropriate and developmentally appropriate" by state academic standards.

President Biden announced Tuesday that the U.S. will ban all imports of Russian oil, natural gas and coal in response to Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine.

What he's saying: "We will not be part of subsidizing Putin’s war," Biden said. "The American people will deal another powerful blow to Putin's war machine."

Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) will introduce a bill aimed at giving women greater access to the Small Business Administration's venture capital fund, she told Axios at an event on International Women's Day.

Why it matters: Women are less likely to seek small business funding than their counterparts, per the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council. Ernst said the provisions of the Empowering Women in Small Business Act will be "enticing" to members of both parties.

Henry "Enrique" Tarrio, a leader of the right-wing extremist Proud Boys group, was indicted with conspiracy in connection to the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, the Justice Department said Tuesday.

Driving the news: Tarrio is among the most high-profile individuals charged by the Justice Department in connection with the attack.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk asked a federal judge Tuesday to terminate a 2018 settlement with the Securities and Exchange Commission that resolved a federal lawsuit over Musk's allegedly false statements about efforts to take Tesla private.

Why it matters: The settlement, which required Musk to step down as the chair of Tesla, pay a $20 million fine and get pre-approval for all of his tweets about the company, has generated friction between the billionaire and federal regulators.

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer on Tuesday told House Democrats to prepare to potentially return to D.C. from their annual retreat in Philadelphia on Friday to pass a budget bill, aides and members in the room tell Axios.

Why it matters: Democrats are trying to cram major legislation to fund the government and sanction Russia in a window of just a few days, leaving little room for error.

Texas' restrictive abortion law has compelled women to travel out of state for abortions or to seek self-managed abortion medication, per new research out of the University of Texas.

The big picture: Even as in-state abortions have plummeted, the law, known as Senate Bill 8, has not reduced the need for abortion care in Texas.

A bipartisan group of senators is introducing a bill to prevent Russia from liquidating gold to withstand biting sanctions.

Why it matters: The sanctions against Russia have frozen the country's foreign exchange assets, but its stockpile of gold could be a lifeline. A measure to close the loophole is yet another indication Congress is looking to get ahead of the Biden administration on punitive measures against Russia.

Efforts to push the Biden administration into supporting the transfer of Russian-made fighter jets to Ukraine appear doomed for both technical and geopolitical reasons.

Why it matters: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky pleaded for the jets on Saturday during a Zoom call with more than 300 members of Congress, saying they were badly needed if NATO wouldn't establish a "no-fly" zone.

Russia is now the world's most sanctioned country, after other nations responded to its unprovoked invasion of Ukraine with sanctions.

By the numbers: Russia has faced 2,778 new sanctions in just under two weeks, according to the Castellum.AI dashboard, which tracks sanctions against Russia.

A federal judge dismissed an obstruction charge against a man accused of storming the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, opting for a more narrow reading of federal obstruction law.

Why it matters: The decision could affect hundreds of other Jan. 6 defendants facing a similar charge of obstruction.

Congress passed 85 bills and joint resolutions in 2021 out of nearly 10,000 introduced — down from 268 passed during the first year of the prior Congress, according to Quorum data reviewed by Axios.

Why it matters: The current 117th Congress had a rough start, roiled by the Jan. 6 attack, a 50-50 Senate and the pandemic. Its second and final year will be affected by posturing for this fall's midterms.

The House plans to adjourn Wednesday come hell or high water so that Democrats can attend an issues retreat in Philadelphia — putting a personal clock on major public debates about aid to Ukraine and avoiding a government shutdown Friday.

What they're saying: “Short of SMOD [a sweet meteor of death] or the second coming of Christ, there’s nothing that’s going to stop House leaders from going on retreat,” one senior Republican House aide told Axios in a pox on both parties' house.

Denver Mayor Michael Hancock's administration on Monday mounted its most forceful defense to date in support of the city's police officers and their response to the violent George Floyd protests in 2020.

Driving the news: In opening arguments for a federal lawsuit, assistant city attorney Lindsay Jordan acknowledged officers made mistakes.

The Senate voted by unanimous consent on Monday to pass anti-lynching legislation that would designate lynching as a federal hate crime for the first time in U.S. history.

The big picture: Congress had previously failed to pass anti-lynching legislation despite over 200 attempts since 1918. Scholars have written about how lynchings were used as a tool for racial terror to enforce segregation and keep people of color from power.

The U.S. will consider deferring the deportation of children who are facing state court proceedings "related to abuse, neglect, abandonment" or similar circumstances, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced Monday.

Why it matters: The proposed changes that were first put forth more than a decade ago would make it easier for such minors to qualify for green cards, according to Reuters.