The big picture: The island country of 22 million is bankrupt. With virtually no foreign currency remaining, the government is unable to import nearly enough fuel. Lines for gasoline can stretch for days, medicine supplies have run short, grocery shelves are bare and inflation has climbed to 50%.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) called on the Senate on Monday to say whether Supreme Court Justices Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh lied under oath about their views on Roe v. Wade.
The big picture: Gorsuch and Kavanaugh both said during their Senate confirmation hearings that they viewed Roe v. Wade as settled precedent. The justices' statements have since come under increased scrutiny after they joined the majority opinion to overturn Roe v. Wade last month.
Wisconsin's Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes, a Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate, is out with a new campaign ad in which his mother shares her personal story of getting an abortion when her health was at risk.
Why it matters: The Supreme Court's ruling overturning Roe v. Wade has brought back an 1849 law in Wisconsin banning abortions, with no exceptions for rape or incest. Exceptions to save a woman's life only exist if it is recommended by multiple doctors.
National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said Monday that the Biden administration believes Iran is planning to deliver Russia "up to several hundred" unmanned aerial vehicles, including weapons-capable drones, for its invasion of Ukraine.
Why it matters: It's the first time the administration has publicly accused Iran of helping Russia's war effort in Ukraine. Sullivan's comments come on the eve of President Biden’s trip to Israel and Saudi Arabia for talks that will also focus on countering Iran.
The father of a Parkland shooting victim interrupted President Biden's speech on gun control Monday, urging the president to "do more," Politico reports.
Driving the news: Manuel Oliver — whose 17-year-old son Joaquin Oliver was killed in the 2018 mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida — shouted at Biden: “You have to do more" as the president spoke from the South Lawn of the White House.
The Department of Justice has opened an investigation into the PGA Tour over possible antitrust violations regarding its competition with LIV Golf, a PGA Tour spokesperson confirmed to Axios.
Driving the news: The PGA Tour suspended the 17 players who took part in Saudi-backed LIV Golf's inaugural event last month, with other players who take part in future events facing the same punishment.
Former Trump White House adviser Steve Bannon's criminal trial for contempt of Congress will continue as planned on July 18, U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols held on Monday.
Driving the news: "I see no reason for extending this case any further," Nichols said.
Why it matters: Dominion is seeking $1.6 billion in damages against Fox News, arguing that the network knowingly spread misinformation about the company's role in nonexistent voter fraud.
The U.S. rejected an Israeli request to allow Israeli government officials to join President Biden’s upcoming visit to the Augusta Victoria Palestinian hospital in East Jerusalem, four Israeli officials told Axios.
Why it matters: Biden’s visit to the hospital is diplomatically sensitive due to the fact it is located in East Jerusalem, which most countries see as the future Palestinian capital.
The editor of the Sarasota Herald-Tribune said Monday that her staff "erred" in publishing a guest column, titled "Attacking Proud Boys does disservice to caring parents," adding that the column "did not meet our standards."
Driving the news: "We strive to provide a broad range of views from our community, including opinions in opposition to those of our editorial board," executive editor Jennifer Orsi wrote Monday.
President Biden hosted an event Monday marking the passage of the most significant federal gun legislation in nearly three decades and called on Congress to do more to reduce firearms violence.
Why it matters: There have been multiple mass shootings since Biden last month signed the gun safety bill that Congress swiftly passed in response to several recent shooting massacres, notably one at a Uvalde, Texas, elementary school and another at a Buffalo, New York, supermarket.
The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court on Monday rejected the state's GOP challenge to a law that makes no-excuse mail voting permanent and expands early voting options.
Driving the news: Monday's ruling allows millions of voters to cast their ballot before the state's Sept. 6 primary with no reason needed and creates more options for voting, among other reforms, per the Boston Globe.
A majority of Democrats say they would prefer a new candidate over President Biden on the ballot in 2024, according to a new New York Times/Siena College poll published Monday.
Pharmaceutical company HRA Pharma submitted an application to the Food and Drug Administration on Monday asking to sell a birth control bill over-the-counter, rather than via prescription.
Why it matters: If approved, it would be the first ever birth control pill to be available over-the-counter in the U.S.
Former President Trump said he has waived executive privilege to allow Steve Bannon to testify before the Jan. 6 committee, according to a letter he sent his former adviser on Saturday.
What's new: The Justice Department said Trump's attorney Justin Clark told the FBI in a June 29 interview "that the former President never invoked executive privilege over any particular information or materials" related to Bannon, per a motion filed in the District Court in D.C. early Monday and obtained by the Guardian's Hugo Lowell.
Uber allegedly attempted to lobby politicians, including Joe Biden and Emmanuel Macron, to help the ride-sharing service in its "bare-knuckled global expansion" from 2013 to 2017, according to a joint media investigation published Sunday.
Why it matters: Uber's history of challenging or ignoring local laws and regulations has long been a matter of record. But these revelations, outlined in the Guardian-led probe, shared with nonprofit the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) and outlets including the Washington Post, add new details and help fill out the portrait.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) has tested positive for COVID-19 and will work remotely this week while in quarantine as the Senate prepares to return from recess, his spokesperson Justin Goodman said Sunday.
What they're saying: The fully vaccinated and double-boosted Schumer "has very mild symptoms," Goodman said in a statement. "Anyone who knows Leader Schumer knows that even if he’s not physically in the Capitol, through virtual meetings and his trademark flip phone he will continue with his robust schedule and remain in near-constant contact with his colleagues," Goodman added.
