Former Arizona GOP gubernatorial nominee Kari Lake is staffing up for a Senate campaign in anticipation of an October launch, making Arizona ground zero to replay — and relitigate — GOP losses in the last two elections.
Why it matters: A potential three-way battle, with Sen. Kyrsten Sinema running as an independent, will expose deep divisions in both parties on whether to appeal to their bases or independents in a critical 2024 battleground state.
No Labels is trying to wrap itself in the mantle of voting rights as it works to convince House and Senate Democrats to support — or at least stay neutral in — its potential third-party presidential bid.
Why it matters: The latest appeal is another indication that the deep-pocketed bipartisan group is plowing ahead with plans to provide an alternative to a possible Trump vs. Biden rematch.
Former President Trump mocked former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie's weight on Tuesday after Christie said President Biden had done a better job on Ukraine.
Driving the news: Trump told members of the audience not to call Christie a "fat pig," although it wasn't clear if anybody in the audience had.
Ohio's special election on Tuesday could raise the threshold for voters to amend the state Constitution, making it harder for Ohioans to pass an amendment on abortion rights this fall.
Why it matters: Republican state legislators and proponents of Issue 1 have publicly and privately acknowledged that the election was designed to preempt aplanned referendum that would enshrine abortion rights in the state Constitution.
Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey (D) declared a state of emergency on Tuesday over "rapidly rising" numbers of migrants arriving in the state and overwhelming its shelters.
Why it matters: She's the latest Democratic governor to criticize the Biden administration's handling of an increase in migrants entering major cities around the country, calling it a "federal crisis of inaction."
The Supreme Court on Tuesday allowed the Biden administration to enforce its regulation of "ghost guns," or untraceable firearms that are bought in pieces and assembled by the owner.
Why it matters: "Ghost guns" have become more prevalent in the U.S., complicating efforts by law enforcement to track firearms amid a wave of gun violence.
The lawyers for former President Trump on Monday opposed federal prosecutors' proposal for a protective order in the criminal case relating to his alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 election, according to a filing.
Driving the news: Trump's team asked for narrower limits on the protective order, arguing that "the government seeks to restrict First Amendment rights."
Washington, D.C., is on pace to have the deadliest year in two decades after starting the month of August with 16 homicides.
Driving the news: The violence led council member Trayon White, who represents one of the most crime-ravaged parts of town, to suggest "it may be time to call the National Guard to protect the children and innocent people."
Democrats are ramping up their criticisms of Sen. Tommy Tuberville's (R-Ala.) blockade holding up military appointees in an effort to force changes to the Pentagon's abortion policy.
Driving the news: "I think everybody's been hoping that Sen. Tuberville would back down, and I think we have to come to the conclusion that that is not happening and that he is prepared to burn the military down," Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) told reporters on Tuesday.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has replaced campaign manager Generra Peck with James Uthmeier, acampaign spokesperson confirmed to Axios on Tuesday.
Why it matters: It's the latest campaign shakeup from DeSantis, who has purged staff and shaken up his media strategy in recent weeks to try to gain ground on former President Trump.
President Biden on Tuesday will announce the creation of a new national monument near the Grand Canyon, protecting the area from expanded uranium mining.
Why it matters: The creation of the new national monument — called Baaj Nwaavjo I'tah Kukveni — will protect nearly a million acres of land that is sacred to Native American tribes, the White House said.
CNN anchor and chief national security correspondent Jim Sciutto will be out in March with a new book on the "definitive break between the post–Cold War era and an entirely new and uncertain one."
Zoom in: Sciutto tells Axios he's been working on "The Return of Great Powers" since anchoring and reporting from Lviv on the first day of the war in Ukraine, in February 2022.
The public's attention to former President Trump's legal drama has declined with each subsequent indictment, according to new data pulled across television, social media and search activity.
Why it matters: Despite the unprecedented criminal charges against a former president, the shock is starting to wear off — for now.
Mike Pence will be on stage at the first Republican presidential debate after meeting polling and donor requirements, the former vice president's 2024 campaign announced Monday night.
The big picture: This sets him up for a potential showdown with Donald Trump ahead of the former president's Jan. 6 criminal trial on alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 election at which the ex-vice president could be called as a witness.
Attorneys for suspended Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton are seeking to have all the articles of impeachment against him dismissed ahead of his state Senate trial next month.
Why it matters: Paxton faces 20 articles of impeachment. The trial will determine whether he is permanently removed from office.
A federal judge on Monday threw out a counter defamation lawsuit former President Trump filed against writer E. Jean Carroll after she won her sexual abuse suit against him earlier this year.
Why it matters: The ruling at least puts a temporary end to Trump's efforts to get a new trial or a decrease in the $5 million in damages a jury ordered him to pay to Carroll.
