Axios

The Pelosi-aligned House Majority PAC — Democrats’ biggest outside group for congressional campaigns — is flooding the airwaves with a $20 million ad buy across 23 media markets, Axios has learned.

Why it matters: The massive ad campaign, which will tout the party's accomplishments and feature attacks against "extremist" GOP opponents, will provide a major boost to House Democrats in the final stretch of the midterms cycle.

A handful of Republican operatives are quietly mounting a last-ditch effort to rescue Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) from a Trump-backed primary challenge, Axios has learned.

Why it matters: The previously unreported effort shows how some Republicans are trying to surreptitiously undercut the former president's revenge campaign, which has so far claimed the political lives of a significant chunk of GOP critics.

A U.S. House special election this month in upstate New York is drawing big money and attention from both major parties as a testing ground for midterm messaging tactics nationwide.

Why it matters: The Aug. 23 contest in New York's 19th features two evenly matched candidates in a toss-up district, making it an ideal laboratory to road-test policy and political arguments — on offense and defense — with approaches that can be customized for other races around the country.

A jury in Texas has ordered conspiracy theorist Alex Jones to pay more than $4 million in damages to the parents of a 6-year-old boy killed in the 2012 Sandy Hook school shooting, AP reports.

Driving the news: It's the first time Jones has been held financially liable for falsely calling the mass shooting, which killed 20 children and six educators, a hoax.

Attorneys general from 16 states have opposed Florida's controversial Parental Rights in Education Bill, arguing it lacks educational merit and harms students and teachers.

The big picture: The bill, which went into effect July 1, stoked backlash around the U.S., leading to protests among students and educators and criticism from corporate leaders and businesses. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis had championed the legislation.

In a new campaign ad for his daughter Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.), former Vice President Dick Cheney said there is "no greater threat to our republic" than Donald Trump.

Driving the news: Liz Cheney, vice chair of the Jan. 6 committee, is facing a tough election in Wyoming's Republican primary on Aug. 16 against Trump-backed foe Harriet Hageman and faces a likely defeat.

Vice President Kamala Harris joined forces with Massachusetts Republican Gov. Charlie Baker and the state's top Democrats to pitch abortion protections as a bipartisan issue.

Driving the news: Harris met with Baker, Democratic Rep. Ayanna Pressley and other political leaders at the IBEW Local 103 headquarters in Boston on Thursday, ahead of a pair of Democratic National Committee events on Martha's Vineyard.

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.)'s actions surrounding the 2020 election in Georgia "certainly appear" linked to former President Trump's effort to pressure Georgia election officials, prosecutors in Georgia argued in a court filing Thursday seeking the senator's testimony.

Driving the news: The Fulton County district attorney's office pointed to Georgia election officials' account that in November 2020 Graham "implied for us to audit the envelopes and then throw out the ballots for counties who have the highest frequency error of signatures" as grounds to compel Graham to talk to investigators as part of their probe into efforts to overturn the 2020 election.

Former President Trump's political operation is fundraising off of his plan to radically remake the federal workforce.

Why it matters: Fundraising appeals invoking the plan on Thursday indicate the Trump team sees it as a potent messaging device for its grassroots supporters.

The Jan. 6 committee has requested records on Alex Jones’ phone as part of its investigation into the Capitol riot, AP reports.

Driving the news: Attorney Mark Bankston, who is representing the parents of a child killed in the Sandy Hook school shooting in Jones' ongoing trial, revealed Wednesday that Jones’ lawyer accidentally sent him several years’ worth of the conspiracy theorist's texts and emails.

The Air Force filed criminal charges against Tech. Sgt. David Dezwaan over an April explosion at a base in eastern Syria that injured four other U.S. service members, AP reports.

Why it matters: Dezwaan was charged with dereliction of duty, destroying military property, reckless endangerment and aggravated assault after the incident. The Pentagon said it was caused by the "deliberate placement of explosive charges" near an ammunition depot.

President Biden tested positive for COVID-19 again Thursday and is still experiencing "a very occasional cough" which is "improving," his physician said in a letter.

The big picture: Biden had tested negative following his first bout with the virus last week after finishing his five-day course of the treatment Paxlovid. But the president has tested positive for a "rebound" case of COVID since Saturday.

WNBA star Brittney Griner was found guilty on drug charges by a Russian court and sentenced to nine years in prison on Thursday, concluding a trial that has captured national attention and reached the highest levels of U.S. diplomacy.

Why it matters: Griner's conviction comes nearly six months after she was arrested at a Moscow airport in February, when Russian authorities said they found a vape cartridge with hashish oil in her luggage.

The Biden administration is rolling out new policies and committing millions of dollars to help people build wealth and buy homes, Housing and Urban Development Secretary Marcia Fudge told Axios during a live event Thursday.

Why it matters: There is a 30-percentage point gap between Black and white homeownership — that gulf is wider than it was in 1968, when the Fair Housing Act was passed.

The Department of Justice charged four current and former Louisville Metro Police Department (LMPD) officers involved with drafting the "no-knock" search warrant that led to the March 2020 shooting of Breonna Taylor, Attorney General Merrick Garland announced Thursday.

Why it matters: The charges, coming over two years after Taylor's death, were in response to alleged crimes that included civil rights offenses, unlawful conspiracies, unconstitutional use of force and obstruction offenses, Garland said.

Private equity investors were stunned last week when Sens. Joe Manchin and Chuck Schumer agreed to a giant reconciliation bill. Not only that Manchin got to yes on anything, but that he adopted very convoluted language on changing the tax treatment of carried interest.

The big picture: This could become a full employment act for private equity fund accountants.

The leader of the Minnesota DFL shot down calls from two prominent lawmakers within his party to replace President Biden with a new nominee in 2024, saying "most Democrats in the state don't agree with them."

Driving the news: U.S. Reps. Dean Phillips and Angie Craig both recently called for a new generation of leaders when asked if the president should seek another term.

The current Supreme Court is the most pro-business of all time. That's the clear message from an important new paper looking at court decisions between 1921 and 2020.

Why it matters: The past 70 years have seen the government broadly — not only the judiciary but also both the Democratic and Republican parties — embrace an increasingly business-friendly agenda.

A resounding victory for abortion rights in Kansas is bolstering Democrats' confidence that the issue will help them win close midterm races in several key states.

The big picture: Tuesday night’s results — an 18-point loss for a proposal to strip abortion rights out of the state's constitution — yielded new evidence that abortion can push swing voters toward Democrats and mobilize the liberal base.

The Chinese military began live ammunition drills near Taiwan on Thursday in a days-long apparent show of force after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit to the self-governing island.

The latest: Taiwan's Ministry of Defense said it activated its defense systems after China's military launched 11 ballistic missiles into waters near Taiwan's northern, southern and eastern coasts. "We condemn such irrational action that has jeopardized regional peace," the ministry said.

National security adviser Jake Sullivan expressed concern to Iranian American journalist and activist Masih Alinejad on Wednesday over her safety "following the arrest of an armed individual" outside her New York home, the White House said.

The big picture: Alinejad was allegedly the target of a kidnapping plot by Iranian intelligence operatives last year. Police say they arrested a suspect who turned up at her Brooklyn home last week and was found with an AK-47 assault rifle in a car nearby, per CBS News. A 23-year-old man is facing federal charges in the case.

Australia's House of Representatives has passed the federal government's bill by 89 votes to 55 to cut the country's emissions by 43% below 2005 levels by 2030.

Why it matters: The landmark bill enshrines into law the Labor government's election pledge for the world's driest inhabited continent, where fossil-fuel exports have been in high demand in recent years as Australians faced a series of climate-change related extreme weather events — from deadly wildfires to flooding.

The Department of Justice is suing former White House adviser Peter Navarro for emails from a private account he used while working for former President Trump and for allegedly "wrongfully retaining” those communications, according to court documents.

Why it matters: The lawsuit is an unusual move by the DOJ's Federal Programs Branch — which typically pursues civil matters — targeting alleged sloppy federal records maintenance from the previous administration, per CNN.

The Homeland Security inspector general overseeing a probe into deleted Jan. 6 Secret Service messages was previously accused of misleading investigators, according to a 2013 report released Wednesday.

Why it matters: Joseph Cuffari, a Trump appointee, has been facing calls to step aside amid allegations of a cover-up in his office's investigation into the deleted messages. The report raises new questions about his conduct in one of the most critical oversight roles in the federal government.

The Department of Transportation on Wednesday proposed new protections for travelers, including requiring airlines to provide vouchers that don't expire to passengers unable to fly for pandemic-related reasons.

Why it matters: If enacted, the change would be one of the most extensive overhauls of travelers' rights and airline refund rules.

A federal judge has ruled that West Virginia's Medicaid program cannot exclude coverage for gender-affirming surgeries.

Driving the news: District Judge Robert C. Chambers wrote in a 30-page ruling that the exclusion "discriminates on the basis of sex and transgender status," and certified the lawsuit, filed by Lambda Legal, as a class action covering all trans people who rely on West Virginia's Medicaid.

Three of the House's highest-ranking Democrats — Reps. Jerry Nadler, Carolyn Maloney, and Sean Patrick Maloney of New York — are fending off progressive insurgents hoping to force the generational change that party leadership has promised.

Why it matters: The 2022 midterms could become the third cycle in a row that a powerful party elder in New York is upset by a younger challenger running to their left.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) and three members of the Jan. 6 committee added the most social media followers across four platforms in July, according to a tally by Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.).

Why it matters: The thirteenth annual "Member Online All-Star Competition" reveals how Democratic leadership is prioritizing social media messaging as a way to communicate achievements ahead of the midterms.

The Republican National Convention is poised to take place in Milwaukee ahead of the 2024 presidential election, drawing GOP candidates, operatives and a flood of attention to a state that former President Trump lost just two years ago.

Why it matters: Republicans are laser-focused on flipping Wisconsin red after Joe Biden eked out a 20,000-vote victory in a key battleground state that had helped propel Trump to the presidency in 2016.

A growing number of Republican candidates this cycle are refusing to concede elections they indisputably lost, promoting conspiracy theories about the results and engaging in local battles over certification.

Why it matters: The undercurrent of election denialism pervading the 2022 midterms is bubbling to the surface as more Trump-inspired candidates are tested in primaries.