Axios

💥 House conservatives are pressuring Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) for a vote on legislation aimed at showing their allegiance to former President Trump after his historic criminal conviction, Axios' Stephen Neukam has learned.

• Conservatives want a floor vote on a bill that would allow current or former presidents to move any state case brought against them to federal court, multiple House GOP sources say.
• That would apply to cases such as the one in New York that resulted in Trump's conviction.

It's part of an aggressive defense of Trump by House Republicans that could include going after the Justice Department — a move that could put the GOP's vulnerable members in a tough spot.

U.S. lawmakers are crafting legislation aimed at stopping the Maldives from banning Israeli passport holders from entering the country, Axios has learned.

Why it matters: The tiny, Muslim-majority archipelago and luxury tourist destination this week became the first country since the Oct. 7 attack to announce plans to institute such a passport ban in response to the war in Gaza.

Rep. Garret Graves (R-La.) — once one of former Speaker Kevin McCarthy's top lieutenants — is increasingly persona non grata in the GOP for threatening to challenge other Louisiana Republicans in November.

Why it matters: Graves is the latest McCarthy confidante to lose influence or retire after McCarthy's ouster last October.

The Sunrise Movement, a national organization of young progressives that helped President Biden shape his 2020 climate agenda, is withholding its endorsement of him in 2024, Axios has learned.

Why it matters: Young voters were central to Biden's winning coalition in 2020.

House conservatives are pressuring Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) for a vote on legislation aimed at showing their allegiance to former President Trump after his historic criminal conviction, Axios has learned.

Why it matters: Trump's House allies are prepping a full-throttled defense of the ex-president, including going after the Justice Department — a move that could put the party's vulnerable members in a difficult spot.

Former President Trump's legal team asked the judge who presided over the New York hush money trial to lift a gag order following his guilty verdict, according to a letter made public on Tuesday.

The big picture: Trump has repeatedly sought to get rid of the order instated by Judge Juan Merchan to limit the former president's ability to speak publicly about people involved in the case.

The National Republican Senatorial Committee directed candidates Tuesday to clearly outline their support for policies that increase access to birth control, Axios has learned.

Why it matters: The marching order from the Senate Republicans' campaign arm is meant to defuse a Senate Democratic offensive aimed at forcing Republicans to take politically challenging votes on reproductive rights.

The House passed legislation Tuesday that would sanction International Criminal Court officials for seeking arrest warrants against senior Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Why it matters: The White House opposes sanctions, and the bill is likely to stall in the Senate, but 42 pro-Israel House Democrats broke with their party and voted for it.

Personal information about former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen's family members was released online after a New York jury found the former president guilty of 34 felony counts last week.

Why it matters: Cohen was a central witness in Trump's trial, as he organized the hush money scheme to buy adult film actress Stormy Daniels' silence and received reimbursements Trump falsified as legal expenses.

The identities of the 12 New York jurors who found former President Trump guilty on Thursday have so far remained unknown to the public because of court protections.

Why it matters: With the high-profile and politically charged trial over, the court protections have ended, too, potentially exposing the jurors to harassment or worse if they identify themselves publicly or are doxed online.

Attorney General Merrick Garland said Tuesday that the Justice Department is "worried" about the possibility of a terrorist attack in the U.S. after Hamas' Oct. 7 attack in Israel.

The big picture: Garland has previously said that the Justice Department is monitoring threats following the Oct. 7 attack, "with particular attention to threats to faith communities," he said during a news conference in October.

Editor's note: This is part of a monthly series spotlighting Latinos who are making a mark in their communities.

Maria Lopez Rosas is a 26-year-old impact investor for Illumen Capital, a Black-owned and led fund manager dedicated to achieving racial and gender equity in investing. Maria lives Oakland, California.

Why do you do what you do? I come from an Indigenous community in Mexico and generations of resilient women. My great-grandmother was an entrepreneur who did not know how to read. Still, she knew how to manage
money and understood the importance of financial freedom. I stand for her and all women who have been silenced when making financial decisions. 

1. Puerto Rican Gov. Pedro Pierluisi lost his party's primaries for re-election on Sunday, with voters choosing Jenniffer González-Colón to run in November instead.

• González-Colón, the current Puerto Rico non-voting delegate in the U.S. Congress, will face off against Jesús Manuel Ortiz of the Popular Democratic Party.

2. An abortion rights bill will be introduced by Chile's government in the second half of the year, President Gabriel Boric said this weekend.

• Polls show 15% of Chileans are completely against abortion rights, while about 53% support having it in cases of rape, danger to the pregnant person's health or a nonviable fetus.
• Boric's government said details about the bill are forthcoming, and will be decided through "social dialogue."

Charlie Angulo with a life-size Hot Wheels model, and one of his toy car size designs. Source: via Noticias Telemundo

A Peruvian American artist is making a career out of child's play, designing toy cars and inspiring life-size versions.

Zoom in: Charlie Angulo works at Mattel, where he makes car designs that honor parts of his roots, like one painted with Nasca lines.

• He's also responsible for helping design toy cars inspired by cartoon, TV and movie characters.
• Angulo was drawn to work on this because he was obsessed with collecting Hot Wheels as a kid, he tells Noticias Telemundo.

Expectations are high that Claudia Sheinbaum, Mexico's first woman president-elect, will tackle violence in the country — particularly against women.

Why it matters: On average, 10 women are killed every day in Mexico.

President Biden said in an extensive interview with Time magazine published on Tuesday he deserves more credit for domestic and foreign policy gains throughout his administration.

Why it matters: Biden's appeal for recognition in the interview comes five months before the 2024 election and as recent polls show him either tying with or slightly trailing former President Trump.

The American Civil Liberties Union announced plans to sue the White House over President Biden's new executive order that would close off access to asylum when border numbers surge.

Why it matters: The organization signaled its plans to sue even before Biden signed the order, demonstrating how fierce opposition to the move will be.

CIA director Bill Burns and Brett McGurk, President Biden's top Middle East adviser, are traveling to the Middle East to push for a Gaza hostage and ceasefire deal, according to a U.S. official and two other sources with direct knowledge of the matter.

Why it matters: The trip is part of a full-court press by the Biden administration to get a breakthrough toward a deal, the sources said.

President Biden announced an executive order today that will allow him to dramatically limit asylum claims at the Southwest border, granting himself the power that congressional Republicans twice have denied him.

Why it matters: Five months before the election — and in a crucial month for the campaign — Biden is determined to neutralize what could be his biggest political vulnerability against former President Trump: immigration.

House Democrats are launching a discharge petition on Tuesday aimed at forcing a vote on legislation to protect access to contraception, according to multiple sources familiar with the plans.

Why it matters: It's part of a broader push by Democrats to put abortion rights, contraception and fertility services at the political fore as the 2024 election heats up.

Migrants arriving at the U.S.-Mexico border will be largely cut off from accessing the U.S. asylum system starting Tuesday afternoon.

Why it matters: President Biden's long-anticipated executive order designed to respond to border surges once signed will go into effect immediately because of the current levels of illegal border crossings — triggering the administration's most aggressive border action to date.

A Delaware judge declined requests on Tuesday from Hunter Biden's legal team to remove pieces of evidence from the record in his federal gun trial, multiple outlets reported.

Why it matters: The judge's decision will allow messages, videos and photos that show President Biden's son with drugs or discussing them around the time of a 2018 gun purchase to be included in the trial, which is a win for prosecutors from the Department of Justice.

Russia's military has been "freaking decimated" throughout Moscow's unprovoked invasion of Ukraine, President Biden said in a wide-ranging interview with Time magazine published on Tuesday.

Why it matters: Biden's comments on Russia's invasion come after he and other leaders recently gave Ukraine permission to strike Russian military targets on Russian territory using advanced Western weapons.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and leaders of independent political movements will headline an Independent National Convention this September in Denver as counter-programming to the major party gatherings.

Why it matters: Led by United Independents, the event is designed to boost Kennedy's campaign and build on the trend of voters moving away from the Democratic and Republican parties at a time of heightened polarization.

Attorney General Merrick Garland condemned Republican attacks on the Department of Justice (DOJ) as "unprecedented" and "unfounded" during his opening remarks Tuesday before the House Judiciary Committee.

Why it matters: Garland forcefully defended himself and the DOJ from the attacks and addressed GOP threats to hold him in contempt, saying that he "will not be intimidated."

Former Trump campaign attorney Kenneth Chesebro was charged in Wisconsin on Tuesday with one count of forgery in connection to the 2020 fake electors scheme in the state.

The big picture: The charges come as officials in several swing states including Arizona, Michigan and Georgia have pursued investigations into efforts to overturn the 2020 election.

President Biden sounded off on what he characterized as the declining might and global influence of China's economy in a new interview with Time magazine published Tuesday.

Why it matters: China is one of the main U.S. rivals on the world stage. The two countries' relationship is fraught with geopolitical and economic tensions that could impact the global economy.

House Democrats have found themselves facing familiar divisions this week with a vote to sanction the International Criminal Court for seeking arrest warrants against senior Israeli officials.

Why it matters: The White House on Monday announced its formal opposition to the GOP legislation, but it is likely to get votes from pro-Israel Democrats anyway.

President Biden said Monday the U.S. presidential campaign was in "unchartered territory" following former President Trump's historic hush money case conviction as he denounced the presumptive GOP nominee's criticism of the justice system.

Why it matters: Biden's scathing criticism builds on comments he made last week about Trump following his guilty verdict that marked a departure from the president's earlier, more cautious approach.

Anthony Fauci said death threats spike against him when conservatives publicly criticize his COVID pandemic response — singling out Fox News and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), with whom he clashed during testimony on Capitol Hill Monday.

Why it matters: The former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and chief medical adviser to President Biden appeared emotional as he told a Republican-led House panel that the repeated threats he and his family have faced since the pandemic began were "very troublesome."

A federal appeals court suspended venture firm Fearless Fund's grant program for Black women business owners in a 2-1 decision on Monday.

Why it matters: The lawsuit, filed by the conservative group whose case led to affirmative action in higher education being struck down by the Supreme Court, has been closely watched as a bellwether of what could happen to efforts to close the financing racial gap.

Democrats are anticipating a large chunk of their caucus to sit out Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's address to a joint session Congress.

Why it matters: It would represent a significant repudiation of the Israeli prime minister amid persistent Democratic objections to how he has conducted the war in Gaza.

House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) proposed appropriations reforms on Monday that include "defunding politicized prosecutions."

Why it matters: The move targets prosecutors overseeing cases against former President Trump — including Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis and New York Attorney General Letitia James, Fox News first reported.