Axios

Without scientific evidence, fringe political figures are increasingly blaming the existence of transgender people on environmental pollution.

Why it matters: The gender-chemicals theory may embolden existing biases against an already-marginalized group, medical experts and scientists say.

Democratic voters may not be enthused by the prospect of renominating President Biden in 2024, but preliminary new fundraising figures suggest there's no shortage of grassroots energy for the party's top Senate candidates.

Why it matters: Democrats are facing a historically difficult Senate map next year — playing defense in three states won by former President Trump in 2020 (Ohio, Montana and West Virginia), with minimal pickup opportunities.

Prosecutors say a man arrested near former President Obama's home last week with weapons in his van visited the D.C. neighborhood after former President Trump shared what he claimed was Obama's address on Truth Social.

Driving the news: Prosecutors allege Taylor Taranto, 37, then wrote on Telegram, "'We got these losers surrounded! See you in hell, Podesta's and Obama's (sic)." He allegedly then began livestreaming from his van on his YouTube channel in the Kalorama neighborhood of D.C.

A suspect accused of killing five people in Monday's mass shooting in Southwest Philadelphia left behind a will and had been acting erratically in the weeks before the tragedy, authorities said.

Driving the news: The 40-year-old suspect was held without bail after being arraigned Wednesday on several charges, including murder, in the tragedy that has rocked Kingsessing, a majority Black neighborhood that's home to many West African immigrants.

Special counsel Jack Smith subpoenaed the Arizona secretary of state's office recently over his investigation into former President Trump's efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election leading up to the Capitol insurrection, a spokesperson for the office told Axios Wednesday.

Why it matters: Arizona, which President Biden won by some 10,000 votes, was a focal point of the Trump campaign and its Republican allies, who filed multiple lawsuits against the state or its counties alleging voting errors and fraud.

Former President Trump's campaign and political action committee raised more than $35 million during the second quarter of 2023, a campaign spokesperson tells Axios.

Why it matters: That's nearly double what the former president brought in during the first quarter of 2023 and suggests his indictment in the classified documents case has helped to fuel a fundraising blitz.

The cocaine found Sunday in the West Wing of the White House was in a "heavily traveled area" where many visitors pass through, press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said during a briefing Wednesday.

Driving the news: Jean-Pierre said the Secret Service is investigating how the illegal substance wound up in an area where visitors and staff routinely pass through a security checkpoint.

Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) on Wednesday pressed the Secret Service for information on its ongoing investigation into the reported discovery of cocaine at the White House.

Why it matters: Republican lawmakers are using the development to raise broader questions about security and drug use at the White House.

Yusef Salaam, who was wrongfully convicted in the Central Park Five trial, has won a Democratic primary for a New York City Council seat, the Associated Press called on Wednesday.

Driving the news: He will likely win the seat and represent District 9 in Harlem, the AP writes.

Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) 0n Wednesday announced a massive fundraising haul for his U.S. Senate campaign between April and June.

Why it matters: The already prolific fundraiser used the highly publicized, successful Republican effort to censure him last month as fundraising fodder.

Former Rep. Mondaire Jones (D-N.Y.) on Wednesday announced he is running for his old U.S. House seat in the New York City suburbs.

Why it matters: The Republican-held 17th district, which President Biden won by 10 points in 2020, is a critical component of Democrats' strategy to retake the House majority.

Israel's military launched airstrikes on Gaza and rockets were fired from the coastal Palestinian enclave early Wednesday after Israeli forces began withdrawing from the occupied West Bank city of Jenin.

The big picture: Israel's two-day operation that left at least 12 Palestinians and one Israeli soldier dead was one of the largest assaults on a West Bank city in nearly 20 years.

Texas' suspended Attorney General Ken Paxton won't testify at his September impeachment trial in the state Senate, his lead attorney said.

The big picture: Paxton faces 20 articles of impeachment that include charges of bribery, obstruction of justice and abuse of public trust at his trial, which is due to begin Sept. 5.

Americans turned out across the U.S. Tuesday to mark the 247th anniversary of the United States' Declaration of Independence despite heavy rains and searing heat disrupting celebrations in some cities.

The big picture: Organizers paused Nathan's Famous Fourth of July hot dog eating contest in New York City due to the rains, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution Peachtree Road Race ended early due to severe weather that included thunderstorms and some people at the National Independence Day parade in D.C. carried umbrellas to shield themselves from the sun.