Axios

A bipartisan group of senators is making an eleventh-hour push to shield President Biden’s billion-dollar broadband investment from being diluted by new taxes.

Why it matters: The new legislation, co-sponsored by Sens. Mark Warner (D-Va.) and Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), will give Congress another reason to push for a lame-duck tax package that addresses problems some lawmakers have been warning about all year.

The Department of Homeland Security said Wednesday that immigration enforcement activities will not be conducted at sites that provide emergency response and relief in light of Hurricane Ian's landfall as a high-end Category 4 storm.

The big picture: A total of nearly 1.5 million undocumented immigrants live in Florida, Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina — with Florida home to the largest population, at roughly 772,000, according to the Migrant Policy Institute.

The House is soon expected to pass a bill that would require small business programs to do background checks on companies seeking support that have ties to foreign nations deemed a national security risk.

Why it matters: The changes aim to further prevent Chinese and Russian shell companies from accessing national security-related technology, and follow a Department of Defense review that found China was stealing technology developed in the U.S. by exploiting these programs.

Around 5,000 Florida National Guard members are on standby to help residents as Hurricane Ian nears the state.

Driving the news: Hurricane Ian is on the verge of becoming a Category 5 storm ahead of its expected landfall along Florida's west coast on Wednesday. Weather officials predict catastrophic storm surges, rain and flooding.

American citizens in Russia should seek to depart the country "immediately" amid Russia's push to conscript 300,000 more men to help bolster its war effort in Ukraine, the U.S. Embassy in Moscow warned in a security alert Wednesday.

Why it matters: While this is not the first time the U.S. embassy has warned citizens in Russia to leave the country since the start of Russia's war in Ukraine, the alert warns that dual U.S.-Russian citizens may be subject to the new draft.

Hamilton Place Strategies, one of D.C.'s top public-affairs consulting firms, at 5 a.m. Wednesday became Penta, "the world's first comprehensive stakeholder solutions firm."

Driving the news: Penta, which wraps in several other firms, will be led by president Matt McDonald, a partner at Hamilton Place for over a decade.

Americans' satisfaction with the way things are going is back to where it was in April, before gas prices pushed the measure to near-record lows this summer, Gallup reports.

Why it matters: That helps President Biden and Democrats ahead of midterms, 41 days away. A Washington Post headline on Sept. 11, noting easing inflation, said: 'Economic despair starts to fade."

White House officials are quietly preparing for the potential departure of Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen after the midterms, the first and most consequential exit in what could be a broad reorganization of President Biden's economic team, according to people familiar with the matter.

Why it matters: While her potential departure would give Biden an opportunity to respond to public concern over his handling of the economy, it would also create an immediate political headache: finding a successor who can be confirmed by the Senate.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) claimed Tuesday that he fled a man serving a subpoena to him because he "perceived this person to be a threat."

Driving the news: A judge granted Paxton's request to quash the subpoena on Tuesday after the process server alleged that Paxton ran away from him and avoided him for more than an hour inside his house before leaving in a truck driven by his wife.

The Senate’s bill to reform how Congress certifies presidential elections is on track to pass the chamber by a comfortable margin after advancing out of committee on Tuesday.

Why it matters: The bill would significantly raise the threshold for members of Congress to object to Electoral College votes and clarify the vice president’s role in the process as purely ceremonial as a remedy for the events of Jan. 6, 2021.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) continued his pledge to protect abortion access for people both in and outside of California with a new slate of bills signed into law Tuesday.

The big picture: California is one of several blue states that have rushed to expand abortion access and prepare for an influx in patients following the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade.

A man was sentenced to 86 months in prison for assaulting a law enforcement officer during the U.S. Capitol riot, the Department of Justice announced Tuesday.

The big picture: Kyle Young, 38, of Redfield, Iowa, was among a group participating in the assault of officers in the Lower West Terrace of the Capitol, the site of some of the heaviest violence during the riot on Jan. 6, 2021, per court documents.

Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said Tuesday that he will support the bipartisan bill that would reform and modernize the Electoral Count Act of 1887.

Why it matters: McConnell's endorsement of the bill, sponsored by Sens. Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), bolsters the measure's chances of clearing the Senate.

The Jan. 6 committee on Tuesday postponed its next public hearing that was scheduled for Wednesday, citing the rapidly intensifying Hurricane Ian.

Driving the news: "In light of Hurricane Ian bearing down on parts of Florida, we have decided to postpone tomorrow’s proceedings. We’re praying for the safety of all those in the storm’s path," the committee tweeted.

President Biden doubled down on his pledge to lower health care costs on Tuesday, touting a Medicare premium drop for 2023 while slamming Republicans for opposing the Inflation Reduction Act and its drug cost controls.

Driving the news: The Biden administration announced Tuesday that the monthly premium for outpatient care coverage under Medicare will drop roughly 3% in 2023.

• Medicare imposed a steep premium hike this year, in large part due to the high price of an Alzheimer's drug for which it wound up only offering limited coverage.

A public interest lawyer on Tuesday sued the Department of Education in an attempt to block President Biden's student loan forgiveness plan.

Why it matters: The federal lawsuit is the first known major legal challenge to Biden's plan, which has presented new political hurdles for the administration — and has drawn opposition from Republicans and some Democrats in battleground states.

A lack of retirement accounts, rising interest rates and a low housing supply pose risks to the building of long-term Latino wealth in the U.S., a new report warns.

Why it matters: Even as Latinos have made financial and educational gains over the past few decades, they lag behind their non-Hispanic white counterparts in critical indicators of financial wellbeing.

Phil Mickelson and three other golfers dropped out of an antitrust lawsuit against the PGA Tour, according to court documents filed on Tuesday.

Why it matters: The federal lawsuit seeks to challenge golfers' suspensions from the tour after they chose to participate in LIV Golf, a new Saudi-backed series that's lured several top players away from the PGA Tour.

Steve Case, AOL's co-founder, is out today with "The Rise of the Rest" — a hardcover accompaniment to his longtime passion project spotlighting blooming startup hubs outside the coastal giants.

Why it matters: He backs up his beyond-the-Valley thesis with seed + early-stage investments from his Revolution investment firm.

Black Americans are seven times more likely than white people to be falsely convicted of serious crimes, and spend longer in prison before exoneration, a new report shows.

The big picture: The study, from the National Registry of Exonerations, examined defendants who were exonerated after serving at least part of a sentence — sometimes spending decades in prison.

Japan honored its assassinated former prime minister, Shinzo Abe, on Tuesday with a state funeral in Tokyo, attended by scores of dignitaries, including Vice President Kamala Harris.

The big picture: Security was tight at the rare state funeral for the country's longest serving prime minister, who was fatally shot in the city of Nara in July, due to massive protests as multiple opposition lawmakers boycotted the event.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) fled his home on Monday to avoid being served with a subpoena in a lawsuit related to abortion rights funding, according to an affidavit filed in federal court.

Of note: Paxton tweeted that he left with his wife, Republican state Sen. Angela Paxton, in order "to avoid a stranger lingering outside my home and showing concern about the safety and well-being of my family."

The Department of Justice filed a motion Monday asking a judge to order former White House adviser Peter Navarro to return government email communications he allegedly handled through a private account while serving in the Trump administration.

Driving the news: "While serving as a presidential advisor, [Navarro] used at least one non-official email account, namely a ProtonMail account, to send and receive messages in the course of discharging his official duties," the DOJ said in its filing to the U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C.

Between Nov. 3, 2020, and President Biden's inauguration, Mark Meadows' cellphone became a key channel for dozens of elected officials as well private citizens to convey outlandish conspiracy theories and last-ditch ideas to overturn the election, according to a new book by an ex-adviser to the Jan. 6 committee.

The big picture: "The Breach" by former Rep. Denver Riggleman (R-Va.) claims that former President Trump's chief of staff received texts from 39 House members and five U.S. senators. It cites texts from GOP lawmakers to paint a picture of how invested many were in Trump's effort to overturn the election.

Mauricio Claver-Carone has been terminated as president of the Inter-American Development Bank (IADB), its board of governors announced Monday.

Driving the news: His departure will set off a formal process to find a replacement for the bank to help counter China's influence in Latin America.