Axios

A day after former President Trump thought he'd tamped down the GOP's exposure on abortion, it popped back up in the key 2024 battleground of Arizona.

Why it matters: Trump ushered in the end of Roe vs. Wade and its national protection of abortion rights, and now his party is suffering a massive voter backlash.

Five major TV news networks are preparing a letter urging President Biden and former President Trump to engage in televised debates, a source told Axios.

Why it matters: The two historically unpopular presumptive nominees are headed for a rematch, and it's still unclear whether a debate between them will actually happen.

One day after former President Trump declared that abortion should be left to the states, the Arizona Supreme Court revived an 1864 law that effectively bans all abortions, with exceptions only to save the mother's life.

Why it matters: The swing-state ruling delivered a massive political gift to Democrats, who could not have asked for better timing to highlight the consequences of Trump's abortion position.

A Florida woman was sentenced Tuesday to one month in prison and three months of home confinement for stealing the diary of President Biden's daughter and selling it to a right-wing group.

The big picture: Judge Laura Taylor Swain of the Federal District Court for the Southern District of New York called Aimee Harris' actions "despicable and consequently very serious."

Senate Republicans are launching a last-minute attack against Democrats' plans to quickly dismiss impeachment articles against Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, Axios has learned.

Why it matters: Senators referred to the dismissal plans as "nuking impeachment" during a closed-door lunch on Tuesday, according to a source familiar with what was said. Some discussed their last-ditch pressure campaign to force a trial.

President Biden assailed Arizona's near-total abortion ban passed Tuesday by the state Supreme Court and said that it is a result of Republicans "who are committed to ripping away women's freedom."

Why it matters: Biden and Democrats have sought to tie the strict abortion bans nationwide to former President Trump, who has repeatedly taken credit for the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade in 2022.

The Arizona Supreme Court on Tuesday upheld a near-total abortion ban, with exceptions only to save the mother's life.

Why it matters: The court ruled that the 1864 law supersedes the state's 2022 15-week ban. It reversed a prior decision by the Arizona Court of Appeals siding with the more recent law.

Republican Senate candidate Kari Lake on Tuesday came out against an Arizona state Supreme Court ruling that bans nearly all abortions, with exceptions only to save the mother's life.

Why it matters: Lake's opposition makes clear how painful of an issue abortion has become for Republicans — and her attempt to make herself more palatable to moderates and independents as she runs for Senate.

Forty percent of Latino adults say the U.S. should push for an immediate ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war, per the latest Axios-Ipsos Latino Poll in partnership with Noticias Telemundo.

Why it matters: Latinos are part of a multi-ethnic coalition that President Biden needs to win re-election, and his support of Israel has become a vulnerability.

Ex-Trump White House lawyer Ty Cobb signed onto a brief to the Supreme Court this week arguing that presidential immunity does not shield former President Trump from prosecution over actions while in office.

Why it matters: The former Trump attorney has been a vocal critic of the presumptive GOP presidential nominee, who is asking the nation's highest court to grant him presidential immunity from prosecution.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told a Senate committee Tuesday that the U.S. does not have "any evidence" that Israel is committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza.

Why it matters: Israel has been accused by other nations of carrying out or inciting genocide against Palestinians throughout the war with Hamas — by restricting humanitarian aid to the enclave, displacing millions and killing civilians.

A New York appeals court on Tuesday rejected another request by former President Trump to delay his hush money criminal trial.

Why it matters: It's the second time in less than 24 hours that an appeals court has rejected an 11th-hour attempt by the former president to delay his criminal trial. Jury selection is scheduled to begin in the trial on Monday.

The parents of a convicted Michigan school shooter were sentenced to 10 to 15 years in prison Tuesday on involuntary manslaughter charges.

Why it matters: James and Jennifer Crumbley are the first parents in the U.S. to be held criminally responsible for a mass shooting committed by their child.

More than half of U.S. Latino adults worry any new mass deportations would target all Latinos regardless of legal status, a new Axios-Ipsos Latino Poll in partnership with Noticias Telemundo finds.

Why it matters: Former President Trump has promised mass deportations if he wins a second term, and past efforts have swept up U.S. citizens, creating generations of trauma.

Congress has just 10 days to renew a key government surveillance program before it expires, and a committee vote on Tuesday will set the course for how lawmakers proceed.

Why it matters: Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) has helped intelligence agencies collect data as part of counterterrorism, cybercrime, drug trafficking and several other types of investigations.

Senate Democrats will move to dismiss the impeachment charges against Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas after they reach the chamber on Wednesday, Axios has learned.

Why it matters: The quick dismissal of the Mayorkas charges and lack of a full trial will snatch an opportunity from Republicans to go on the offensive on the border.

Truth Social is a meme stock, but its investors don't have diamond hands.

By the numbers: Shares of parent company Trump Media & Technology Group fell another 8.4% on Monday, closing at $37.17.

A bipartisan group of House members is introducing legislation to sanction the Gaza-based Popular Resistance Committees for their role in the Oct. 7 attack, Axios has learned.

Why it matters: Despite the group's connections to prominent Palestinian U.S.-designated terror groups such as Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad, it has managed to avoid U.S. sanctions.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) on Tuesday laid out the case for ousting House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) after teeing up a potential removal vote last month.

Why it matters: Republicans hold a razor thin majority, and many on the right are frustrated with Johnson for pushing a bipartisan spending deal — leading even the speaker and his allies to acknowledge the lingering threat.

Here's a wild thought experiment: What if we've been deceived into thinking we're more divided, more dysfunctional and more defeated than we actually are?

Why it matters: Well, there's compelling evidence we've been trapped in a reality distortion bubble — social media, cable TV and tribal political wars — long enough to warp our view of the reality around us.

U.S. Latinos have steadily soured on President Biden while warming to former President Trump — even as they're trending toward Democrats on several key issues, according to the latest Axios-Ipsos Latino Poll in partnership with Noticias Telemundo.

Why it matters: The results point to a troubling gap in support for Biden: Many Latinos — a rapidly growing and crucial voting bloc, particularly in swing states Nevada and Arizona — appear to like Democrats' ideas more than they like Biden.

The judge overseeing former President Trump's hush money trial released on Monday a questionnaire that he plans to use in the New York case's jury selection process.

The big picture: State Judge Juan Merchan outlined in a letter the 42 questions he'll use to select 12 jurors, after an appeals court rejected Trump's latest attempt to delay the trial that's scheduled to start with jury selection on April 15.

Special counsel Jack Smith in a filing asking the U.S. Supreme Court to reject former President Trump's claims that he's immune from prosecution in the 2020 federal election case said "no person is above the law."

The big picture: "The Framers never endorsed criminal immunity for a former President, and all Presidents from the Founding to the modern era have known that after leaving office they faced potential criminal liability for official acts," Smith said in the brief, ahead of the Supreme Court reviewing the case on April 25.

As attempts to ban books surged to record levels in 2023, the titles most targeted continued to be those centered on LGBTQ experiences and people of color.

The big picture: More than 4,200 books were targeted for censorship last year, marking a 65% increase over the previous year, according to the American Library Association (ALA).

With most eyes on whether he'll put Ukraine aid on the floor in the coming days, House Speaker Mike Johnson also faces a tough fight on reauthorizing Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA).

Why it matters: House Republicans have a major split on how much to change the law, which allows the government to spy on noncitizens abroad.

Former President Trump's decision to not back a federal abortion ban provides some cover for Republicans on their most politically vulnerable issue in the middle of a high-stakes election year.

Why it matters: The presumptive GOP nominee's statement effectively ends any serious talk about trying to pass a federal abortion ban — at least for now — and solidifies a stance that the GOP has increasingly been adopting post-Roe.