Axios

Americans' confidence in the Supreme Court is at an all-time low, according to a Gallup poll released Thursday.

Why it matters: The results of the poll come as the Supreme Court is expected to overturn the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision on abortion rights. A leaked draft opinion suggested five judges were ready to overturn the ruling.

A series of former Trump Justice Department officials revealed on Thursday the extent of the former president's campaign to pressure them to find evidence of election fraud and overturn the 2020 election results, and later, to reorganize the department when they refused.

The big picture: The officials recounted a series of instances in which they repeatedly told former President Trump he was spewing conspiracy theories and that his claims of election fraud were not true. But Trump found new ways — and brought in new people such as former assistant attorney general Jeffrey Clark — to help push his false narrative.

Former Acting Secretary of Defense Christopher Miller called a high-ranking official in Rome to look into the unfounded "Italygate" conspiracy theory at the request of the Trump White House, the Jan. 6 committee revealed on Thursday.

Driving the news: The committee said at its fifth public hearing that it confirmed that Miller placed a call to a defense attaché in Italy to investigate the disproven claim that an Italian defense contractor uploaded software to a satellite to switch votes from Donald Trump to Joe Biden.

Former senior Justice Department officials testified Thursday that they told former President Trump he'd have mass resignations on hand if he installed former assistant attorney general Jeffrey Clark to run the DOJ.

Why it matters: Trump had considered naming Clark to replace then-Acting Attorney General Jeff Rosen after Rosen refused to investigate baseless election fraud claims. Clark, an environmental attorney, pushed a plan to overturn the election which former DOJ leaders called "nuts" and a "murder-suicide pact" at the Jan. 6 select committee's fifth hearing.

Former Trump White House aides testified to the Jan. 6 select committee that six House Republicans sought presidential pardons in the aftermath of the Capitol riot.

Why it matters: The testimony was played at the end of a hearing that included new details about lawmakers' involvement in former President Trump's efforts to pressure the Justice Department to probe his voter fraud claims.

Former President Trump asked the Justice Department to seize voting machines from state governments as part of his campaign to overturn the 2020 election, former senior DOJ officials testified at the Jan. 6 select committee's fifth hearing on Thursday.

Why it matters: Trump had repeatedly asked the DOJ to investigate election conspiracy theories, using various avenues to pressure them into doing his bidding. After senior officials refused to budge, he threatened to remove them from their positions.

The Jan. 6 select committee on Thursday unveiled new information about House Republicans' involvement in former President Trump's efforts to shake up the Department of Justice and force them to investigate his false election fraud claims.

Why it matters: The panel revealed how one member in particular, Rep. Scott Perry (R-Pa.), served as a go-between for DOJ official Jeffrey Clark and the White House.

Former acting Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen said that former President Donald Trump called him or met with him "virtually every day" to pressure the Justice Department to take action on his false election fraud claims.

Driving the news: Rosen said during the Jan. 6 committee's fifth public hearing that the Justice Department declined all of Trump's requests because "we did not think that they were appropriate based on the facts and the law as we understood them."

Former Trump officials testified Thursday that Jeffrey Clark, former assistant attorney general, wanted to investigate election fraud and have former President Trump install him as attorney general with a plan they called "nuts" and a "murder-suicide pact."

Driving the news: Trump considered naming Clark, an environmental attorney, to replace acting Attorney General Jeff Rosen after Rosen refuted claims of fraud.

Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) is urging Wyoming Democrats to switch parties to vote for her during the state's upcoming Republican primary, the New York Times reports.

Why it matters: Cheney, who serves as vice chair of the select committee investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, is significantly polling behind her Trump-endorsed primary opponent for the state's at-large House seat.

A judge has approved a $1 billion settlement for victims of the Surfside condo collapse last year, NBC News reports.

Why it matters: The move comes one day before the one-year anniversary of the collapse, which killed 98 people near Miami on June 24.

As the Supreme Court considers potentially overturning Roe v. Wade, abortion rights activists are heralding abortion pills as a potential option in places where clinics may have to close — but several red states are already cracking down on the pills.

The big picture: Almost half of U.S. states have banned or tightly restricted abortion pills — two medicines named mifepristone and misoprostol — and more could soon follow suit.

Federal investigators on Wednesday searched the home of former Department of Justice official Jeffrey Clark, people familiar with the matter told multiple media outlets, including ABC News, the New York Times and CNN.

Driving the news: The law enforcement presence at Clark's Virginia home came a day before the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 riot was set to hold a public hearing on former President Trump's efforts to pressure the Justice Department into falsely discrediting the results of the 2020 election.

The Biden administration said Thursday that it is canceling $6 billion in federal loans for roughly 200,000 borrowers who claim they were defrauded by their schools.

Why it matters: The announcement comes as the Education Department has made moves in recent months to provide defrauded borrowers with debt relief and as the Biden administration weighs broader plans to cancel student debt.

New York politicians expressed outrage Thursday over the Supreme Court's decision to strike down a state law that limited who can carry guns in public and set a constitutional right to carry weapons outside of the home for self-defense purposes.

Driving the news: Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) said that it is "outrageous" for the Supreme Court to "recklessly" declare the law unconstitutional during "a moment of national reckoning on gun violence."

The leader of the world's largest Hispanic evangelical organization tells Axios that he believes U.S. Latinos are moving away from the Democratic Party as more of them embrace evangelical churches and conservative beliefs.

Why it matters: Latino evangelicals are among the fastest-growing segments within an increasingly powerful voting bloc.

The Department of Education proposed new changes to Title IX on Thursday that would prohibit schools, colleges and universities from discriminating against transgender students.

Why it matters: The amendments would mark a major extension of protections provided by the landmark anti-discrimination legislation, which turned 50 years old on Thursday.

A New York law that requires people applying to get a license to carry a concealed weapon to show that they have "proper cause" to carry a gun violates the Constitution, the Supreme Court ruled Thursday.

Driving the news: The majority opinion, written by Justice Clarence Thomas, says that it is a constitutional right to carry a weapon in public for self-defense purposes.

The barrage of books published by ex-President Trump aides and administration officials after he lost the 2020 election promised "receipts" and revelations into the Trump White House.

Why it matters: But the boon in books — written by high-profile administration officials, including Mark Meadows and Stephanie Grisham — have lagged in readership and largely struggled to stand out, Politico first reported.

Crack spreads — a proxy for the profits oil refiners pocket — have soared this year as gasoline demand outstrips supply,

The big picture: These spreads measure the gap between the cost of crude oil and the prices of refined products like gasoline — and are a key contributor to both profits at oil refiners and to the prices we pay at the pump.

Title IX, the landmark 1972 legislation that barred sex discrimination in education and paved the way for a decadeslong women's sports boom, turns 50 today.

Why it matters: Before Title IX, 294,000 girls were participating in high school sports nationwide and just 15% of NCAA athletes were women. Today, those numbers are roughly 3.4 million and 44%, respectively.

They crave work-life balance and mental health support. They dread getting stuck in a dull job. And they fault today's decision-makers for downplaying the issues that move them, like school shootings and racism. Meet Gen Z, as depicted by a new report.

Why it matters: Gen Zers — those born between 1997 and 2012 — will soon be the biggest U.S. voting cohort, and they vote in record numbers.

The Jan. 6 committee's fifth public hearing will convene at 3 p.m. ET on Thursday for another day of testimony from key witnesses, as the panel continues to lay out its case for former President Trump's culpability in the attack on the Capitol.

Why it matters: Thursday's hearing will showcase Trump's attempts to pressure the Justice Department into supporting his plan to overturn the 2020 election.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a video post Thursday that Russian forces "want to destroy the whole Donbas step by step," as officials reported airstrikes raining down on the twin cities of Severodonetsk and Lysychansk.

The big picture: Russian forces have been trying to take the two key eastern Ukrainian cities in the Luhansk region of the Donbas for weeks. Now the battle is "entering a sort of fearsome climax," Ukrainian presidential adviser Oleksiy Arestovych said, per Reuters.

The ex-West Virginia legislator who filmed himself storming the U.S. Capitol during the insurrection on Jan. 6, 2021, was sentenced to three months in prison on Wednesday.

The big picture: Derrick Evans is one of more than 800 people charged in connection with the Jan. 6 insurrection, and among over 300 to have pleaded guilty. Hundreds more cases are still to come.

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced Wednesday that it has begun shipping monkeypox tests to five commercial laboratory companies in a bid to boost access to testing for the disease.

Why it matters: A lack of testing has kept public health officials in the dark about the scope of the outbreak in the U.S.

The Jan. 6 select committee is re-issuing its subpoena for Rep. Mo Brooks (R-Ala.) after process servers failed to track down the Republican congressman for nearly a month and a half, the panel's chair said Wednesday.

Why it matters: The committee has honed in on Brooks' allegation in March that former President Trump asked him to "rescind the 2020 elections" and "hold a new special election for the presidency."