Axios

A civil rights organization has filed a lawsuit against officials in Lexington, Mississippi, calling for a federal investigation of police brutality on behalf of local Black residents after a white police chief’s racist remarks led to backlash in the town of 1,800 — about 80% of whom are Black.

Why it matters: Former police chief Sam Dobbins was recorded bragging about having shot and killed 13 people in the line of duty while using the n-word repeatedly. The city’s Board of Aldermen fired him in a 3-2 vote, but the lawsuit alleges it’s a pattern of "systemic, condoned racism" in the police and the larger municipal government.

Rep. Liz Cheney's political reign in Congress is likely coming to a close Tuesday in Wyoming, where polls close at 7pm MT (9pm ET).

Why it matters: The former No. 3 House Republican's expected loss to Trump-backed Harriet Hageman underscores how her anti-Trump rhetoric and role as vice chair of the Jan. 6 committee have made her a pariah within her party.

President Biden signed into law Tuesday the Democrats' $740 billion reconciliation bill.

Why it matters: The package, known as the Inflation Reduction Act, includes provisions that increase taxes on large corporations, address climate change and lower prescription drug costs. Biden has emphasized that the bill will help lower the deficit and drive down inflation, though economic models suggest it will affect overall inflation only a little.

Former New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson told ABC News on Tuesday he is "optimistic" about the United States bringing imprisoned Americans Brittney Griner and Paul Whelan back from Russia through a prisoner exchange.

Why it matters: Richardson, also a former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, has been involved in the negotiated releases of several Americans detained abroad through the Richardson Center for Global Engagement.

Former Rep. T.J. Cox was arrested by the FBI in California on Tuesday over multiple fraud schemes, the Department of Justice said.

Driving the news: The former congressman was charged with “15 counts of wire fraud, 11 counts of money laundering, one count of financial institution fraud, and one count of campaign contribution fraud," according to the DOJ.

Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.) on Tuesday warned Americans not to allow Republicans to "pretend" that the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan wasn't "set in motion" by former President Trump and former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

Why it matters: This week marks one year since the Taliban retook control of Afghanistan, an event that kick-started a decline in President Biden's polling numbers and was seized by Republicans as a defining issue.

The National Academy of Sciences has barred Jane Lubchenco, a key White House climate aide, from involvement in NAS publications and activities for five years for violating its code of conduct before joining the administration, the organization said.

Why it matters: The move represents a significant rebuke to Lubchenco, who is deputy director for climate and environment at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy.

Meta on Tuesday said it would no longer permit any edits to political, social or electoral ads that have been previously approved to run within the week leading up to the U.S. midterms.

Why it matters: It's part of a greater set of precautions the company is taking to limit misinformation spreading around the election, especially as it pertains to voting integrity.

Two top House Democrats alleged on Tuesday that the Department of Homeland Security's inspector general has refused to cooperate with, and even hindered, an investigation into deleted U.S. Secret Service messages related to Jan. 6, and called for him to comply with congressional demands.

Why it matters: This is not the first time that the duo, Rep. Carolyn Maloney, who chairs the House oversight panel, and Rep. Bennie Thompson, who chairs the Homeland Security and Jan. 6 select panel, have questioned Inspector General Joseph Cuffari's part in the probe.

The Department of Education is canceling all remaining federal student loans to borrowers that attended ITT Technical Institute from 2005 until it closed in 2016, the department said Tuesday.

Why it matters: The announcement follows a series of actions by the Education Department to wipe out loans for borrowers whose schools defrauded them.

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) on Tuesday again called for the release of the FBI affidavit used as justification for the search at former President Trump's Mar-a-Lago residence, saying that without it, "we're flying blind in the dark."

Why it matters: Graham's remarks come as Republican lawmakers are pressing the Department of Justice and FBI to unseal the affidavit and release additional information related to the search.

The NBA announced Tuesday it will not hold any regular-season games on Election Day this year.

Driving the news: Instead, the NBA said it will promote "nonpartisan civic engagement" and encourage fans to make plans for themselves and their families for voting in the upcoming midterm elections.

A Florida appellate court on Monday blocked a 16-year-old teenager from getting an abortion, saying that she is not "sufficiently mature" to choose to end her pregnancy.

Driving the news: The teenager, who court documents say is "parentless," had sought court approval to bypass a Florida law that requires that a minor get parental consent in order to get an abortion.

First lady Jill Biden tested positive for COVID-19 on Tuesday after experiencing cold-like symptoms Monday night, the White House said.

The big picture: The positive test comes less than two weeks after President Biden recovered from a multi-week spell with COVID.

The U.S. said Tuesday that it completed the test of a Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile, which had been delayed due to escalating tensions with China and Russia.

Why it matters: The test demonstrates "the readiness of U.S. nuclear forces and provides confidence in the lethality and effectiveness of the nation’s nuclear deterrent," the military said in a statement.

Democratic Rep. Don McEachin says he's refusing debate invitations until his long-shot GOP opponent acknowledges there was no fraud in the 2020 election.

Context: McEachin, who represents Richmond and Henrico, clobbered conservative activist Leon Benjamin during the 2020 election, winning by a 24-point margin.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese accused predecessor Scott Morrison Tuesday of "an extraordinary and unprecedented trashing of our democracy" after it emerged the former leader quietly took on extra ministerial powers.

Why it matters: Albanese said he's seeking legal advice as Morrison faces calls to resign as a member of Parliament after News Corp. Australia reported that Morrison "secretly swore himself in" as joint minister for the treasury, finance, health, home affairs and resources from March 2020 to May 2021.

The CDC updated its monkeypox guidance on pets after a new study reported that a dog tested positive for the virus in France.

Why it matters: Monkeypox infection among domesticated animals, such as dogs and cats, had never previously been reported, note researchers from Sorbonne University in the study, published in The Lancet medical journal.

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) told Fox News on Monday that Rep. Liz Cheney's Wyoming GOP primary election Tuesday is "going to be a referendum on the Jan. 6 committee."

Driving the news: Trump ally McCarthy has endorsed the top challenger of Cheney, vice chair of the select committee investigating the Capitol insurrection. Her Trump-backed rival Harriet Hageman is polling nearly 30 points ahead, per a recent survey from the University of Wyoming.

Republicans on the House Foreign Affairs Committee are threatening to subpoena the State Department over the Biden administration's flawed withdrawal from Afghanistan in anticipation of taking back the majority in the midterms.

Why it matters: Winning the House would give Republicans subpoena power for the first time since the Taliban took control of Afghanistan one year ago, providing the GOP with new investigative tools to probe a key pain point in Biden's presidency ahead of 2024.

Republicans used the "defund the police" slogan after George Floyd's murder to paint the Democratic Party as radical. But since the FBI's search of Mar-a-Lago, a growing number of GOP candidates and lawmakers are rallying around their own calls to defund or abolish federal law enforcement agencies.

Why it matters: The new demands muddle a narrative embraced by Republicans long before the Black Lives Matter demonstrations of 2020 — that they are the party of law enforcement. They also show how much former President Trump has reshaped his party.

The family of Spc. Vanessa Guillén, the soldier who was sexually harassed and killed on a Texas military base in 2020, sued the U.S. government for $35 million in damages on Friday.

Driving the news: The family is seeking $25 million in personal injury claims and $10 million for Guillen's wrongful death, according to court documents.