Axios

President Biden honored U.S. Olympic and Paralympic athletes at the White House on Wednesday, praising Team USA for uniting the nation in a time of deep political divisions.

Why it matters: The gathering is the first time the White House has hosted Olympians and Paralympians since the pandemic started, and included almost 600 athletes, more than 200 of whom medaled at the Tokyo and Beijing Games.

Col. Gail Curley, the current Marshal of the Supreme Court, has been tasked with investigating the source of the court's leaked draft decision overturning Roe v. Wade.

Driving the news: Late Monday, Politico posted a story reporting that the court has voted to overturn Roe v. Wade — and published a leaked draft of that majority opinion, written by Justice Samuel Alito.

Almost half of LGBTQ youth seriously considered attempting suicide in the past year, according to survey results published Wednesday by The Trevor Project, an organization that runs crisis intervention and suicide prevention services for LGBTQ people under 25.

The big picture: In the last year, the U.S. has seen a record number of anti-trans bills in state legislatures — many specifically focused on trans youth. With a wave of recent legislation seeking to restrict discussions of sexuality and gender in schools, experts have increasingly warned about a rash of new mental health crises.

The south Texas progressive challenging U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar in a hotly contested Democratic runoff called on party leaders Wednesday to withdraw their support for him over his anti-abortion rights stance.

Driving the news: Jessica Cisneros, who is up against Cuellar in a May 24 runoff election for the Democratic nomination for his seat, said in a video that Cuellar "has stood in opposition to the Democratic party agenda," including with his views on abortion.

If the Supreme Court does overturn Roe v. Wade and send decisions on abortion rights back to the states, it would usher in a new era of power, influence and visibility for statewide politicians across the county.

Why it matters: We're in the midst of a political moment that could jumpstart the national profiles of Democratic politicians, especially women.

A speech on U.S.-China relations that Secretary of State Antony Blinken was set to give on Thursday will be rescheduled in light of Blinken's positive COVID-19 diagnosis, State Department spokesperson Ned Price said Wednesday.

Driving the news: Blinken, who is fully vaccinated and boosted against the virus, tested positive for COVID-19 earlier Wednesday, but is experiencing only "mild symptoms," Price said in a press release.

The judge presiding over former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin's federal civil rights case in the killing of George Floyd said Wednesday that he has accepted Chauvin's plea agreement and will sentence him to 20 to 25 years in prison, the Star Tribune reports.

Why it matters: Chauvin pleaded guilty in December to violating Floyd's civil rights. It was the first time he admitted that in keeping his knee on Floyd's neck for almost nine minutes, he used unreasonable and excessive force that posed significant risks to Floyd's life.

Americans continue to wrongly blame people of Asian descent for the coronavirus, and a greater percentage are harboring distrust of their loyalties, according to a new report out this morning.

Why it matters: Asian Americans, who make up 7% of the U.S. population, feel increasingly isolated and discriminated against amid sustained anti-Asian violence and increasing anti-China political rhetoric.

Executives at telehealth startup Cerebral told their clinicians that the company will stop prescribing Adderall and other controlled substances to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, the company announced Wednesday.

Driving the news: The decision comes after Cerebral's preferred pharmacy, Truepill, said it would halt prescriptions for Adderall and other controlled substances, the Wall Street Journal reported last week.

The recent attack on Dave Chappelle isn't the first time a performer has been targeted onstage.

The big picture: Chappelle was tackled onstage late Tuesday by a man with a replica gun at a Los Angeles comedy festival. He was uninjured in the attack.

President Biden on Wednesday said the "MAGA crowd is really the most extreme political organization that's existed in American history," while speculating on how conservative state legislatures could respond to a potential Supreme Court ruling that would drastically curtail abortion access.

Why it matters: Biden, answering questions from reporters on a recent Politico leak of draft opinion indicating the Supreme Court has voted to overturn Roe v. Wade, suggested the draft goes against Supreme Court precedent that established a right to privacy.

TurboTax owner Intuit agreed to pay $141 million to settle a claim from all 50 states and the District of Columbia that it deceived nearly 4.4 million Americans into paying for tax services that should have been free, New York Attorney General Letitia James announced Wednesday.

Why it matters: The states alleged that TurboTax deliberately steered qualifying customers away from free federally supported tax filing products and toward its aggressively advertised and paid filing services.

Comedian Dave Chappelle was tackled onstage late Tuesday by a man with a replica gun at a Los Angeles comedy festival. He was reportedly uninjured.

The big picture: Posted videos showed the man climbing onto the the Hollywood Bowl stage and rushing toward Chappelle, per The Hollywood Reporter.

If J.D. Vance follows his Tuesday night victory in Ohio's Senate primary with a general election win in November, he'll arrive in a Washington filled with enemies and be seen as arguably the hardest-edged populist nationalist in the Senate GOP.

Why it matters: The Republican establishment privately regards Vance with the same disgust many felt toward Donald Trump when he entered the White House on Jan. 20, 2017.

President Biden committed in an Oval Office meeting on Monday to engage directly with the Assad regime to find a solution that will bring Austin Tice home, the parents of the American journalist abducted in Syria in 2012 tell Axios.

Why it matters: The Tices believe that the president's personal involvement will signal to Syria that the U.S. government views their son's freedom as a priority and will negotiate in good faith after years of sanctions and isolation.

The number of U.S. women who get abortions has decreased dramatically in recent decades, with typical patients now tending to be in their 20s and living in blue states.

Why it matters: Abortion access is likely to be drastically curtailed in red states should a leaked draft of a U.S. Supreme Court decision hold, gutting the federal right to an abortion. But the profile of abortion patients has trended older since that right was established, and the vast majority of procedures tend to be early in pregnancies.

Thousands of protesters are rallying across the U.S. over abortion rights after a draft of a Supreme Court ruling that would see Roe v. Wade overturned was leaked this week.

The big picture: Most demonstrations passed without incident, but tensions were running high on both sides of the abortion debate in Los Angeles, per the Los Angeles Times. The L.A. Police Department said it issued a dispersal order after some protesters threw rocks at officers following a peaceful march.

Chad Wolf twice delayed an intelligence report on Russian interference in the 2020 U.S. presidential election when he was acting Department of Homeland Security secretary, according to the DHS Office of Inspector General.

Why it matters: The OIG report found the decision and altering of the report seemed to be "based in part on political considerations," after a staffer said it was held because it "made President Trump look bad and hurt President Trump's campaign." Wolf told the OIG it was delayed due to concerns about quality, including that it "was not well written."

Rep. Tim Ryan won the Ohio Democratic Senate primary on Tuesday night, AP projects.

The big picture: The former 2020 presidential candidate was favored to win, and beat out Morgan Harper and Traci Johnson. Ryan, a 10-term congressman, won 72.1% of the votes to Harper's 15.9% and Johnson's 12%, AP reports.

What to watch: Ryan will face Trump-endorsed J.D. Vance, who won the crowded Republican primary, in the race to replace retiring Sen. Rob Portman.

Editor's note: This article has been updated to reflect that Vance won the Republican primary.

J.D. Vance emerged victorious in Ohio's crowded Republican Senate primary Tuesday, beating out a field of contenders to replace retiring Sen. Rob Portman after receiving Trump's endorsement, per AP.

Why it matters: Once a vocal critic of the former president, Vance now stands to become the MAGA standard-bearer in a state Trump won handily in 2016 and 2020.

World leaders are voicing their support for the right to an abortion after a draft of a Supreme Court ruling overturning Roe v. Wade was leaked.

Why it matters: The leak has rocked the United States, setting into motion an abortion fight that could define the midterms. Abortion would immediately become illegal in at least 13 states if Roe v. Wade was struck down, and more would likely follow.

The surprise prisoner exchange that led to Trevor Reed's release from Russia is emboldening the families of other hostages to apply new pressure on the Biden administration to make deals for their loved ones.

Driving the news: More than a dozen families of American hostages and wrongful detainees will appear in front of the White House on Wednesday morning — some remotely and others in person — to demand to meet with President Biden and share their proposals.

President Biden and Democrats will try to use their base's new nightmare scenario — a repeal of federal abortion rights — to salvage midterm elections in which inflation, crime and COVID-19 malaise have made losing control of Congress all but a foregone conclusion.

Why it matters: One big question is whether they can have that impact between now and November, or have to wait for 2024.

A leaked draft Supreme Court opinion showing the justices are poised to overturn Roe v. Wade has injected new urgency into midterm races across the country.

Why it matters: Removing federal protection for abortion rights is likely to jumpstart voters of both parties, and bring heightened scrutiny to some previously sleepy races.