Axios

Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) and Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.) had a "little back-and-forth" Tuesday over the merits of a vote this week on holding Attorney General Merrick Garland in contempt.

Why it matters: Johnson argued for letting Democrats, who are embroiled in an intra-party meltdown over whether President Biden should stay on the ballot, "implode without any interference" from Republicans.

President Biden awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom to NATO Secretary Jens Stoltenberg Tuesday in a surprise announcement during the conclusion of his remarks at the alliance's summit.

Why it matters: The flagship award is the highest civilian honor in the U.S. and comes as Stoltenberg has led NATO through a turbulent period amid Russia's ongoing war on Ukraine.

Former President Trump now has an edge over President Biden in the three key swing states of Arizona, Georgia and Nevada, per new ratings from the nonpartisan Cook Political Report with Amy Walter.

Why it matters: The new ratings underscore that even if Biden survives the calls for him to step down, the Democratic Party still faces a bigger challenge ahead: Winning in November.

The World Boxing Council has expelled former WBC interim lightweight champion Ryan Garcia following his use of racial slurs against Black people and anti-Muslim remarks on social media.

The big picture: The expulsion announced last week comes after Garcia was suspended for a year by the New York State Athletic Commission following a positive test for performance-enhancing drugs.

Meta will start taking down more content "attacking 'Zionists' when it is not explicitly about the political movement" across its platforms like Facebook and Instagram, the company announced Tuesday.

Why it matters: The move comes as antisemitic incidents have skyrocketed since the start of the Israel-Hamas war.

Some Republican senators are not happy about the Republican National Committee's decision to leave a national abortion ban off of the party platform for the first time in 40 years.

Why it matters: Abortion is one of the most contentious and vulnerable issues for Republicans this election cycle. They've suffered a string of losses at the ballot box since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade two years ago.

In the 2000s, a so-called China shock swept through the U.S. economy, lowering consumer prices while causing massive losses of manufacturing jobs. Former President Trump's proposed tariff regime would be, in effect, an audacious attempt to reverse it.

The big picture: Trade experts believe that the price of imported manufactured goods would rise significantly if Trump returns to the White House and enacts the aggressive program he has described on the campaign trail. They are not persuaded that a manufacturing renaissance would follow.

A U.S. sailor attempted to access President Biden's restricted medical records in February via a government database, the Pentagon said on Tuesday.

Why it matters: The sailor searched Biden's name three times in the Military Health System's electronic health record out of "curiosity" but did not access the president's records, ABC News reported.

Republican senators were shown new internal polling during a private Tuesday lunch that has former Gov. Larry Hogan besting Democrat Angela Alsobrooks in that state's race for a U.S. Senate seat, Axios has learned.

Why it matters: Behind closed doors, Republicans are drooling over seats that once would have been considered far out of reach, while Democrats hash out concerns about President Biden's ability to beat former President Trump in November.

U.S. Rep. John Garamendi (D-CA) announced Monday he will begin treatment for blood cancer.

The big picture: The California Democrat, 79, is the latest member of Congress to face health issues amid a re-election campaign as President Biden faces questions about his age and health.

President Biden's biggest supporters and skeptics in the Senate remained at odds after a closed-door meeting on Tuesday afternoon, Axios has learned.

Why it matters: Senate Democrats didn't reach a consensus about how the party should move forward at the top of the ticket in November, as concerns fester about whether Biden can beat former President Trump.

A testy exchange between reporters and White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre Monday highlighted growing tensions between the press corps and the White House over coverage of Joe Biden's age.

Why it matters: Biden's debate performance amplified reporters' existing frustrations about a lack of transparency and access to the president.

1. Latin America's largest trade bloc, the Mercosur, held a summit yesterday in Paraguay that yielded agreements, including on a plan to invest more in making movies — but a marked absence has some worried about the bloc's future.

• President Javier Milei of Argentina, one of Mercosur's founding members, attended a conservative conference in Brazil instead.
• Paraguayan President Santiago Peña acknowledged the danger of "setbacks" if there are divisions in the bloc.

2. Guatemala declared a state of disaster yesterday as forecasts showed the rainy season will be especially severe.

• The declaration, which needs to be ratified by Congress by tomorrow, would facilitate access to emergency funds.
• At least 13 people have died so far during Guatemala's rainy season, which runs from late May to October.

The number of Puerto Ricans living in the continental U.S. has grown since Hurricane Maria in 2017, and they could have an impact in the outcome of certain federal, state and local elections, analysts say.

Why it matters: Puerto Ricans are an important part of the growing Latino electorate, and parties and candidates would be remiss to take that for granted, experts say.

A testy exchange between reporters and White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre Monday highlighted growing tensions between the press corps and the White House over coverage of Joe Biden's age.

Why it matters: Biden's debate performance amplified reporters' existing frustrations about a lack of transparency and access to the president.

Just before House Democrats' Tuesday morning "come-to-Jesus" meeting on President Biden's path forward, a smaller group of swing-district Democrats held what sources described as a despondent gathering with "actual tears."

Why it matters: The bloc of battleground House Democrats is one of the last firm pockets of a rapidly disintegrating movement on Capitol Hill to get Biden off the ticket.

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) has asked agencies for more information about whether the Biden administration relied on technology moguls and their money to help craft their Artificial Intelligence policies, according to letters obtained by Axios.

Why it matters: President Biden's team moved fast to react to the explosion of AI with an executive order last October. Now there's growing scrutiny on those trying to influence that work.

Donald Trump's decision on a running mate could be affected by the fallout from President Biden's dismal performance in their debate, senior GOP sources tell Axios.

Why it matters: Some Democrats' calls for Biden to be replaced as the party's nominee left Trump feeling particularly bullish last week about his chances of winning in November, a senior GOP source familiar with Trump's thinking told Axios — and that might be good news for Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance.

Amid intense coverage of his campaign's fate, President Biden is scheduled to visit Austin next week.

Why it matters: By the time Biden visits Austin, he may very well have pulled out of the race — or he may have doubled down in his re-election effort.

President Biden is spot on: You can ignore nervous Democrats, the media, pundits, rich donors and elites. They hold no sway over his future.

• But a handful of top Democrats, from former President Obama to former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, most certainly do.

Why it matters: They have the credibility and sway to nudge Biden out — or get nervous Democrats to put a sock in it. Most of these deciders are publicly silent or supportive. But all are fielding nonstop calls and texts asking them to take a very public stand, officials tell us.

Former President Trump on Monday night predicted that President Biden wouldn't quit the presidential race, but the presumptive Republican nominee said if that happened he expected Vice President Kamala Harris would replace the Democrat on their ticket.

The big picture: Biden has faced intense scrutiny about his age and health following the 81-year-old's debate performance against 78-year-old Trump, which the president and his aides have attributed to a cold and jet lag.

The White House is pushing back on reports raising questions about President Biden's neurological health that have escalated following his presidential debate performance.

Why it matters: After reporters demanded White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre provide more details on a top Parkinson's disease specialist's meetings with Biden, his physician released a letter late Monday that emphasized the specialist had only conducted routine annual physical examinations.

The right-wing House Freedom Caucus on Monday voted to kick out one of its members — and then immediately saw another resign in response.

Why it matters: Rep. Warren Davidson (R-Ohio) is at least the third lawmaker ejected from the Freedom Caucus in the last year for breaking with the group's leadership.

President Biden was examined by a neurologist who specializes in Parkinson's disease and other movement disorders as part of his annual physical examinations, per a letter from White House physician Kevin O'Connor released late Monday night.

Why it matters: White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters at a testy briefing earlier Monday that she wouldn't identify Dr. Kevin Cannard nor details of any of his visits due to privacy reasons amid concerns about Biden's health.

After a week of bombardment from members from his own party, President Biden is seeing his first sustained groundswell of public support from lawmakers on Capitol Hill.

Why it matters: The Biden campaign is likely to point to that support as it defends his firmly stated position that he will not drop out – and that Democrats should stop asking him to.

President Biden's push to quiet his Democratic critics Monday included a simple and direct message for the doubting donors who've vowed to stop giving until he steps aside: He's in this race to win it.

Why it matters: Donors typically operate behind the scenes and don't make public pronouncements about the candidates they support. But they do vote with their wallets.