Republican lawmakers blocked a legislative attempt to repeal the state's ban on nearly all abortions, one day after the Arizona Supreme Court ruled that it's the law of the land.
Why it matters: Abortions are likely to become unavailable within two months if the ban isn't repealed. If it is repealed, a 2022 law allowing abortions through 15 weeks of pregnancy would go into effect — though that likely wouldn't be for a few months.
Vice President Kamala Harris tweaked her schedule last Friday to make this week's visit to Arizona an official campaign event, allowing her to lace into the state's Supreme Court abortion ruling, in person and on the ground.
Why it matters: Spicy statements by the president or vice president are one way to ride a news cycle. An actual visit by a principal — in this case, Harris — allows the campaign to create a new one.
House Republicans emerged from a conference meeting on Wednesday afternoon with little clarity on how the House plans to move forward on a key federal surveillance bill that was blocked by right-wing hardliners.
Why it matters: The meeting saw GOP institutionalists call for punishment against Republicans who defect and vote against their party on procedural measures.
For the third day in a row, a New York appeals court on Wednesday denied a request from former President Trump's lawyers to delay his upcoming hush money trial.
Why it matters: The rejection is yet another legal loss for Trump and increases the likelihood that the trial will start as scheduled on April 15.
MILWAUKEE — Well-funded Wisconsin Democrats are waging a tech-infused tell-a-friend campaign for the November elections, while Republicans in the crucial swing state are scrambling to catch up in staffing and fundraising.
Why it matters: The ground campaign in Wisconsin reflects the advantages that Democrats have in some states at a time when Republicans are scrambling to build up or revamp their ground operations.
Democrats in Wisconsin have added to a campaign infrastructure they used in flipping the state Supreme Court last year, which gave them an opportunity to overturn GOP-drawn legislative maps and draw new ones more favorable to Democrats.
It's paying off: From January through March, Wisconsin Democrats outraised Republicans 11 to 1.
Even so, polls in the presidential race indicate President Biden and former President Trump are virtually tied in Wisconsin, and Trump has shown slight leads in other politically divided swing states.
Zoom in: Democrats' paid organizers are holding bracelet-making sessions (think Taylor Swift) on college campuses to reach student voters, and Bingo nights in areas such as Milwaukee's Northside neighborhood, part of an effort to reach Black voters.
To recruit many voters — especially young adults — Biden's campaign has begun using the Reach App, which has library of material for supporters to share with friends on social media, and encourage others to support the president.
The campaign, which is stressing abortion rights, also is targeting suburban women in the "WOW counties" of southeastern Wisconsin: Waukesha, Ozaukee and Washington.
Biden's campaign and the DNC have been closely coordinated on the Wisconsin ground campaign, with 40 offices across the state and several dozen full-time staffers — benchmarks that Republicans hope to be closer to by the Nov. 5 elections.
The other side: Wisconsin Republicans are targeting Biden's base in Milwaukee and Madison, and seeking to turn out voters in the northern and western parts of the state in particular.
They're interviewing candidates for staff positions, trying to catch up to Democrats' year-round operation.
Wisconsin GOP Chair Brian Schimming told Axios he expects his staff to grow to several dozen and is scouting office locations.
What they're saying: "Democrats have had pretty good success the past several years," Ben Voulkel, an adviser to Republican Senate candidate Eric Hovde, told Axios.
"But Republicans are right there in the mix. There's been success recently that speaks to the mood among [Republican] voters," he added, pointing to recent GOP wins on two statewide referenda and a mayoral race in Wausau.
What we're watching: Biden visited Wisconsin this week; Trump was there last week.
Biden used his visit to announce one of his plans to cancel some student debt.
Trump's darker speech speech was from his 2024 playbook: He railed against undocumented immigrants and said the U.S. faces economic ruin unless it elects him.
In a state where conservative radio looms large, Trump gave an interview to radio host Dan O'Donell before the rally.
He later met with and endorsed Hovde, who's running against Wisconsin Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D).
Hovde said he agrees with most of Trump's policies but will not "engage in his politics of personal destruction."
House Republicans' internal tensions reignited on Wednesday after a group of right-wing hardliners blocked a key federal surveillance bill from coming to a vote.
Why it matters: It marks more than a half-dozen times this Congress that Republicans' right flank ran the party's legislative agenda aground by revolting on a standard party-line procedural vote.
The United Steelworkers on Wednesday reaffirmed its opposition to Japan-based Nippon Steel's $14.9 billion proposed takeover of U.S. Steel.
Why it matters: The politics here are awkward — the statement is out on the same day President Biden is hosting Japanese prime minister Fumio Kishida at the White House.
A majority of U.S. voters consider the criminal charges in New York related to a hush money payment against former President Trump to be serious, per new polling.
Why it matters: Trump is days away from the start of the first trial out of thefour criminal cases against him, while electioneering for the presidency.
A group of conservatives defeated a procedural vote on a bill to reauthorize FISA after House Republican leadership dared them to vote no amid GOP infighting over the controversial spy bill.
Why it matters: Congress is facing an April 19 deadline to re-up the government's authority to conduct surveillance on noncitizens abroad, with national security and privacy hawks fiercely divided on key language.
Former President Trump voiced opposition Wednesday to Arizona' near-total abortion ban and said he wouldn't sign a national abortion ban if it was approved by Congress.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene said Wednesday that Speaker Mike Johnson's talk of starting a "kitchen cabinet group" group of advisers did little to sway her from potentially forcing a motion to vacate vote to oust him.
Why it matters: The Georgia Republican told reporters she warned Johnson that she is "watching what happens" on Ukraine funding and the reauthorization of FISA, a key spying law.
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) will hold a joint press conference on "election integrity" with former President Trump on Friday at Mar-a-Lago, a source familiar with the matter confirmed to Axios.
Why it matters: Johnson is brandishing his ties to Trump – and hammering on a pet issue for the right-wing grassroots – as one of the ex-president's closest allies Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) is threatening to try to topple the speaker.
Long-shot presidential candidate Cornel West said Wednesday that he is selecting Melina Abdullah, a professor and one of the co-founders of Black Lives Matter,as his running mate for his independent bid.
Why it matters: West's announcement allows him to increase his ballot access efforts in a number of states that require third-party candidates to choose their vice presidential pick.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in an interview with Axel Springer media outlets on Tuesday that he has urged former President Trump to visit the country to hear Trump's ideas to end Russia's invasion.
Why it matters: The invitation comes amid reports that Trump has privately said he could end Russia's ongoing assault on Ukraine by pressuring Kyiv into ceding territory to Moscow.
President Biden has done "probably too many" events focused on infrastructure and shines best when he is focusing on "kitchen table concerns," former White House chief of staff Ron Klain told Axios Wednesday.
Why it matters: Klain's comments come after audio obtained by Politico revealed Klain questioning Biden's election year priorities at an event Tuesday evening.
FormerRep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Ca.) on Tuesday pinned his House speakership ouster on Rep. Matt Gaetz's desire for him to end a congressional ethics investigation after the Florida Republican "slept with a 17 year old."
Why it matters: About six months after his ejectiondriven by Gaetz's motion to vacate, House Republicans remain embroiled in dysfunction as another effort to drive out its speaker has bubbled up.
Threats to remove House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) are struggling to gain traction as his Republican colleagues fear the oblivion that would follow.
Why it matters: HouseRepublicans are vocal about not wanting to repeat last fall's chaotic, protracted speaker vacancy, with many acknowledging there may be no alternative to the current speaker.
House Speaker Mike Johnson's final sales pitch to his members on reauthorizing a key spy bill urged them to "get the classified briefing" to understand his urgency in not letting it lapse, sources in the room told Axios.
Why it matters: The speaker is looking to assure GOP critics of FISA reauthorization — which permits spying on noncitizens abroad — as he faces threats from conservatives to tank a procedural vote on the legislation unless language on warrant requirements is included.
Former Trump Organization CFO Allen Weisselberg was sentenced Wednesday to five months in jail for lying under oath during the New York civil fraud investigation involving former President Trump and others, multiple outlets reported.
Why it matters: The sentencing comes just over a month after Weisselberg pleaded guilty to two perjury counts. He will now serve a second stint in jail.
Latina civil rights icon Dolores Huerta, who strongly backed Sen. Robert F. Kennedy's 1968 presidential run and stood next to him moments before he was shot, is urging RFK Jr. to drop out of the 2024 presidential race.
Driving the news: Huerta tells Axios that the namesake son should "come to his senses" since he'll only give former President Donald Trump a better shot of returning to the White House.
The big picture: A measure to enshrine abortion rights in the Arizona Constitution is likely to be on the ballot. Democrats believe Tuesday's bombshell decision will help them not only pass the abortion initiative, but also take control of the legislature and win races up and down the ballot.
President Biden used an interview with Spanish-language broadcaster Univision that aired Tuesday to send a massive signal that he plans to issue an executive order to dramatically limit the number of asylum-seekers who can cross the southern border.
Axios is told that while it's not final, such an executive order is likely by the end of April.
Even as Miami-Dade Countyhas shifted right in recent years, support for abortion rights has remained resilient among its majority Latino population, despite the group's strong religious views and typically conservative politics.
Why it matters: Where South Florida's Latino population stands on the issue could be vital to the outcome of November's referendum that would enshrine a person's right to an abortion in the state constitution.
U.S. Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel called to tell us a simple truth he discovered in 2019 during an epic bike ride around Lake Michigan (four states, 13 days, 984 miles):
"The worse the cellphone coverage is, the nicer people are. It's just that simple," said Emanuel — former Chicago mayor, Democratic congressman and White House chief of staff. "If it's spotty, people are actually decent."
Rep. Summer Lee (D-Pa.) is responding to attack ads against her with her own ad highlighting a GOP megadonor's connections to the PAC behind the spots, Axios has learned.
Why it matters: Lee is one of a handful of progressive "Squad" members facing credible primary threats from more moderate, pro-Israel opponents seizing on their criticism of Israel's government over the war in Gaza.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is making targeted appeals to Donald Trump supporters, pledging to "seal the border" from undocumented migrants and investigate the prosecutions of pro-Trump rioters who attacked the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
Why it matters: Kennedy's long-shot independent campaign so far appears to be hurting President Biden more than Trump in polls, but Kennedy's latest moves could flip that equation.
Republican lawmakers' reactions to Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene's (R-Ga.) latest screed against House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) on Tuesday ranged from exasperation to outright hostility.
Why it matters: The antagonistic responses offer a glimpse at the internal headwinds pushing back against Greene as she threatens to force a vote to remove Johnson as speaker.
Two right-wing operatives have agreed to pay up to $1.25 million over a robocall campaign aimed at preventing Black New Yorkers from voting by mail in the 2020 election, New York Attorney General Letitia James announced Tuesday.
The big picture: The settlement agreement comes afterJacob Wohl and Jack Burkman were found liable by a federal judge in New York in March 2023 for targeting some 5,500 Black voters and transmitting "false and threatening" messages intended to discourage voting.
President Biden said that his administration is exploring whether he has the authority to shut down the southern border without authorization from Congress.
Why it matters: Taking executive action on the border has been described internally as the nuclear option. But it's clearly still on the table.
Republican lawmakers and candidates for Congress are scrambling to create distance between themselves and an Arizona Supreme Court ruling on Tuesday upholding a near-total ban on abortion in the state.
Why it matters: It's part of the difficult political balancing act Republicans have had to perform since Roe v. Wade was overturned in 2022.
House Rules Committee Chair Tom Cole (R-Okla.) was tapped to serve as the House Appropriations Committee chair on Tuesday, replacing Rep. Kay Granger (R-Texas) who recently announced she is relinquishing her gavel early.
Why it matters: Colewill be tasked with leading the powerful panel that oversees crafting government funding bills.
The big picture: The decision resolves a long dispute over revealing the identities of potential witnesses in the case, and will allow more records to become public.
