National

Jif peanut butter recalled for possible Salmonella amid outbreak

Food and Drug Administration (FDA)

The U.S. faces a range of health care flashpoints — unaffordable drugs, opioids, vaping — as we debate whether to adopt universal care. For now, the Affordable Care Act is the law of the land, but Republicans want to issue it a final death blow.

Health

Russia places travel sanctions on nearly 1,000 Americans

Sanctions

China is becoming the most formidable rival America has faced, and the risk of confrontation with Russia, North Korea or Iran still looms. Authoritarians are rising, the chaotic Afghanistan exit revealed the limits of U.S. power, and the pandemic, climate change and other critical challenges continue to pose grave threats.

World

North Korea reports over 200k new coronavirus cases

North Korea

New York City confirms first case of monkeypox

New York City

Extreme weather plagues U.S., from Colorado snowstorm to East Coast heat

extreme weather

Ominous forecasts about the impact of climate change serve as the backdrop for the world — led by U.S. lawmakers and companies — to debate big action on the problem, which could upend energy systems and our way of life.

Energy & Environment

A look at the scientific breakthroughs changing the world, explorations in space and in worlds beyond our own and the threats posed to us by our own planet, both out of our control and of our own making.

Science

Polling shows America in the middle on abortion

Axios Explains: Abortion

President Biden has made the COVID-19 crisis and a post-Trump return to national unity and traditional democratic ideals his top priorities. From vaccinations to stimulus to schools, Biden is seeking bipartisan compromise while showing a willingness to use executive authority and bare Democratic majorities in the U.S. House and Senate to implement his policies. Republican leaders are navigating deep party divisions over if and how to move beyond former President Trump.

Politics & Policy

U.S., South Korea to consider expanded military exercises

South Korea

U.S. Forest Service halts prescribed fires amid extreme fire danger

Wildfires

President Biden and South Korea's new president, Yoon Suk-yeol, signaled Saturday that they will consider enlarged joint military exercises to deter North Korea, which is seeking to expand its nuclear arsenal, AP reports.

Why it matters: North Korea has conducted at least 16 missile launches so far in 2022, including its first intercontinental ballistic missile test since 2017. U.S. officials have also warned that Pyongyang may be on the verge of resuming nuclear weapons tests.

What they're saying: During a press conference after a meeting with Yoon, Biden said the U.S. and South Korea's economic and military relationship shows “our readiness to take on all threats together," according to AP.

Yoon, who was sworn into office last week, said the alliance “was forged in blood on the battlefield of the Korean War." He stressed the partnership would go beyond addressing security concerns and encompass more technological and industrial agreements.

The big picture: White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan warned Wednesday that North Korea may conduct a long-range missile or nuclear weapon test during Biden's visit to South Korea, which is a part of his multi-day trip around Asia.

U.S. officials have warned that Kim Jong Un’s government has been making preparations at North Korea's underground Punggye-ri nuclear test site. The activity indicates North Korea may be on the verge of resuming underground nuclear weapons testing.

Despite heightened tensions from its missile tests and nuclear test preparations, Biden again offered North Korea coronavirus vaccines to help the country control a massive outbreak.

Go deeper: U.S. looks to rejoin Asia trade game

Biden said the U.S. and South Korea's relationship shows “our readiness to take on all threats together."

South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol and President Biden arriving in Seoul on May 21.

South Korean President  Yoon Suk-yeol and President Biden arriving in Seoul on May 21. Photo: Lee Jin-Man/POOL/AFP via Getty Images

Axios Generate

A hazardous weather weekend is shaping up across much of the Lower 48 states, with a potentially historic late May snowstorm cranking up across the Rockies and a heat wave hitting the East Coast.

Why it matters: More than 100 million Americans are experiencing dangerous weather conditions this weekend, as a cold front slams Colorado and southern Wyoming with heavy snow and a potentially record breaking heat wave surges toward the Northeast.

The big picture: A powerful cold front and its associated low-pressure area drove southeastward across the Rockies Friday, bringing heavy snow to parts of Wyoming and Colorado.

Colorado Springs recorded over 9 inches of snow as of Saturday morning, while multiple towns west of Denver had over 10 inches on Friday night, according to the National Weather Service (NWS).

The town of Black Hawk, Colorado, reported 11 inches of snow as of Friday evening.

 The highest snowfall amounts recorded Saturday were in the mountains and foothills west of Denver and Boulder, with up to two feet reported around the Floyd Hill area, according to NWS Boulder.

More than 93,000 customers were without power in Colorado as of Saturday afternoon, according to the tracking service poweroutage.us.

Multiple reporting locations in Wyoming's portion of the Medicine Bow-Routt National Forests recorded more than a foot of snow on Friday.

The heavy snow is the result of winds pushing cold, moist air up and over the higher terrain, in a phenomenon known as upsloping.

Importantly, a forecast consensus has come together for more snowfall than previously expected in the urban corridor between Denver and Boulder, Colorado, with about six to eight inches or more possible in these areas, depending on snowfall rates and the exact surface temperature.

Sharply higher amounts will pile up in the foothills, though, and records for late May could be threatened or broken in some locations. Parts of Boulder, for example, could see a foot of snowfall before the event wraps up on Saturday afternoon

Threat level: The heavy snow falling on trees that already have their leaves could yield widespread tree damage and lasting power outages in the Denver and Boulder areas, and in some cases power may not be restored for days, according to the NWS.

The agency is warning residents not to park their cars near a tree, since it might topple onto the vehicle.

To the south of the snowstorm, dry and windy conditions are bringing yet another day of concerning fire weather conditions to parts of Utah, New Mexico and western Texas on Saturday.

Numerous wildfires are already burning throughout this region, including the Calf Canyon-Hermits Peak Fire, the largest in New Mexico's history. Other fires are burning in southern Colorado and west Texas.

Meanwhile... Across the eastern part of the country, an unusually hot weekend is in store as a heat dome that had been parked over Texas shifts eastward. Widespread record-breaking temperatures are expected across the Mid-Atlantic, Carolinas, and Ohio and Tennessee Valleys through Sunday. 

Much of the Northeast is under a heat advisory until 8 p.m. EDT on Saturday, with heat index values of 95 to 99 degrees expected for parts of New York, northwestern Connecticut and southeastern Vermont.

High temperatures will climb to the upper 90s° in Washington, D.C., Saturday, potentially breaking the previous record of 95°F set in 1934. As of Saturday morning, temperatures were already in the low 80s.

More than 100 million people will experience temperatures that are 20 to 30 degrees above average for this time of year.

It is possible that some monthly high-temperature records will fall, especially in the Northeast.

For most people in the East, the heat wave will be the hottest weather they will have experienced since August 2021. The first heat wave of the season can be particularly dangerous, with higher risks of heat-related illness since people are not yet accustomed to such high temperatures.

"The abrupt beginning of hot temperatures early in the season after a relatively cool spring brings an increased risk of heat illnesses unless proper precautions are taken for those working or recreating outdoors," the NWS said in a special weather statement.

"Since many outdoor events are planned this weekend in the region, be aware of the heat, and take extra precautions if you work or spend time outside this weekend. Reschedule strenuous activities to early morning or evening."

Human-caused climate change is making heat waves around the world more intense and more likely to occur and may be expanding their seasonal timing earlier in the spring and later into the fall.

Editor's note: This story has been updated with new details throughout.

From wildfires to heavy snow and a stifling heat wave, this weekend will feature an unusual array of hazards.

Computer model depiction of forecast highs and records along the East Coast for May 21, 2022.

National Weather Service forecast highs for Saturday, May 21, 2022. The boxes indicate record-setting temperatures. (Weatherbell.com)

Extreme weather

Climate change

Data: General Social Survey; Chart: Erin Davis/Axios Visuals

Most Americans in recent polls think Roe v. Wade should be upheld but have no absolute position on abortion, saying it should either be mostly legal or mostly illegal.

The big picture: Years of polling have shown that Americans recognize gray areas in a way that you'd never hear about if you just listened to the politicians and the activists.

The closest thing to a consensus view: "It depends. It's not a simple yes or no answer," said Hannah Hartig, a research associate at Pew Research Center.

Between the lines: Here's what the polls really tell us — and what to remember as emotions rise over the likelihood that the Supreme Court is about to overturn Roe v. Wade.

1) Most Americans are in the middle. In Gallup polling going back to 1975, the most common view has been that abortion should be "legal only under certain circumstances" — not that it should be "legal under any circumstances" or "illegal in all circumstances."

How broad that middle is depends on the wording of the question and how many options are provided. With Gallup, 48% said it should be legal only under certain circumstances as of May 2021.

But in a Pew Research Center survey conducted in March 2022, 71% said abortion should be legal in most cases, illegal in most cases, or legal or illegal with some exceptions.

"Most people kind of live in the gray zone," said Ipsos pollster and senior vice president Chris Jackson. 

2) But majorities still want to uphold Roe v. Wade. When asked about it specifically, 54% in a Washington Post/ABC News poll in April said Roe should be upheld, as did 63% in a Fox News poll April 28-May 1.

Both were conducted before Politico reported on the draft Supreme Court opinion that would overturn Roe.

In Gallup polling going back to 1989, majorities have opposed overturning Roe, and support for overturning it has rarely risen above a third of Americans.

3) It depends on the categories and the questions. As with many polls on other topics, pollsters have found different answers on abortion by combining different groups and wording the questions in different ways.

For example, the anti-abortion group Susan B. Anthony List released a poll of battleground states this week that found that 49% held what it defined as a "pro-life" view: 36% said abortion should be "illegal except in the case of rape, incest or a threat to the mother’s life," and 13% said it "should always be illegal."

Pro-abortion rights groups, however, point to poll findings that suggest many people who are personally against abortion don't want the government to prevent others from getting one. They cite a Washington Post/ABC News question that found 75% agreed that the decision "should be left to the woman and her doctor," compared to 20% who said it should be regulated by law.

The bottom line is "who has power and control over these decisions," said Tresa Undem, a pollster who studies public opinion on abortion.

4) Democrats have moved more than Republicans. In a recent summary of abortion polling, Ipsos noted that there wasn't a lot of difference between Democrats and Republicans in the 1970s — but there's now about a 35-point difference in support for the right to obtain a legal abortion for any reason.

One reason: a big jump in Democratic support in the past few years, according to data from the General Social Survey.

"Democrats have become more liberal in the last decade or so, while Republicans have become a little more conservative," said Jackson.

5) People are weighing multiple questions. One example: nearly half of Americans — 48% — say there are cases where abortion is morally wrong but also should be legal, according to the Pew survey.

"For most people, this isn't just a legal question. It's also a moral question," said Besheer Mohamed, a senior researcher at Pew.

Another sign, according to the Pew survey: One in three agreed that life begins at conception, "so a fetus is a person with rights" — but also said the abortion decision "should belong solely to the pregnant woman."

And in the Fox News poll — the same one that found support for upholding Roe v. Wade — 54% said they'd favor banning abortion in their state after 15 weeks except in medical emergencies. That's a scenario similar to the Mississippi law in the Supreme Court case that could overturn Roe.

"There’s a black hole of what ifs," said Undem. "The clearest sense of opinion I get is that people tend to know every situation is different and want government out of these decisions. They are also reluctant to impose their personal beliefs on other people."

6) It's too early to know the election impact. Democrats have always warned that  overturning Roe would lead to a political earthquake — but while there are some midterm races that are being closely watched, the polling doesn't suggest a huge shift yet.

An Ipsos-Reuters poll taken right after the Supreme Court decision leaked found that two thirds of Americans would be more likely to vote for a candidate who supported a law legalizing abortion if Roe is overturned.

But it also found that only a third said they'd be angry if Roe were overturned — mainly Democrats (51%) rather than independents (25%) or Republicans (24%).

Jackson noted that the actual ruling hasn't come yet and it's still early for most Americans to know what they might do about it in the midterms, or where abortion would rank in comparison to other issues like inflation. "The big question is, is that [anger] sustained ... until the election?"

Bill to protect abortion rights fails to pass Senate

Red states race to enact new abortion restrictions

Americans are conflicted and recognize gray areas, even as most want to protect Roe v. Wade.

As the Supreme Court seems poised to overturn Roe v. Wade, Native American women are sounding the alarm about how it would disproportionately endanger their lives.

Why it matters: Advocates fear overturning Roe would lead to a flood of unsafe abortions, health problems and deaths for Native American women, who suffer some of the highest rates of sexual violence in the U.S. and are two times more likely to die from pregnancy-related complications than white women. 

Context: The vast majority of Native Americans receive health care through the federal Indian Health Service per treaty agreements, but the Hyde Amendment prohibits the use of federal funding for abortions except in cases of rape, incest or when a pregnant person's life is threatened.

The risk of rape or sexual assault is 2.5 times higher for Native women compared to the rest of the U.S., according to the Urban Indian Health Institute. A 2018 study found that one in two Native women will be victims of sexual violence in their lifetime.

Some states have recently enacted abortion bans that do not allow exceptions for rape or incest. "Now that they are denying these services, Indigenous women are out again. There's nowhere to turn," said Lauren van Schilfgaarde, a member of the Cochiti Pueblo, who serves as director of UCLA Law School's tribal legal development clinic. 

State of play: The nonprofit Indigenous Women Rising saw a surge in abortion-related requests for funding after Texas' abortion ban took effect in September. 

Co-founder Nicole Martin, who is Laguna and Diné, said the leaked ruling has only heightened the increase in "frantic and panicked callers." 

Most need money to cover transportation, child care and hotel costs while traveling out of state. Native American women make roughly $0.60 to the dollar of white men as of 2019, according to the Institute for Women's Policy Research. 

With high maternal mortality rates among Native Americans, many also worry that bans similar to Texas' will hurt doctors' abilities to treat people who suffer miscarriages.

What they’re saying: Without Roe, the U.S. would see disparities widen when it comes to maternal mortality, poverty and mental health issues — especially among Indigenous folks who are forced to carry pregnancies after being raped, said Abigail Echo-Hawk, a member of the Pawnee Nation and the chief research officer of the Seattle Indian Health Board. 

"This is going to impact detrimentally the current crisis of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls," she added, pointing to the role abortion plays for survivors.

Some anti-abortion Indigenous women have argued that the procedure hurts "unborn Native Americans" who are among the most vulnerable in the U.S., but Echo-Hawk rejected that line of thinking.

"It is our responsibility to carry on the future for the next generations, and that includes being able to make autonomous choices on when we birth and when we don't."

Reproductive autonomy is especially important for Native Americans, who are still suffering in the aftermath of mass forced sterilizations in the 20th century, Martin said. 

"The possibility of Roe being overturned is another tool of conquest," she said. "That's what colonizers knew worked best: Eliminate women and you eliminate the community." 

"We shouldn't have to plan for creating abortion funds to get women into specific states to ensure that they can get safe and legal abortions ... And we shouldn't have been and shouldn't have to be dependent on states but we know the federal government isn't going to uphold our right and so we're going to have to do whatever it takes," Echo-Hawk added.

Indigenous women fear for their safety in a post-Roe America

"The possibility of Roe being overturned is another tool of conquest."

Photo of a person holding up a sign that says "Reproductive rights are human rights" at a protest 

Abortion rights activists at the "Bans Off Our Bodies" Reproductive Rights rally on May 14 in Los Angeles. Photo: Araya Doheny/FilmMagic via Getty Images

Abortion

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Twitter unveils "crisis misinformation policy" to slow down viral tweets 

The Institute for the Study of War with AEI’s Critical Threats Project; Map: Axios Visuals

The crisis in eastern Ukraine escalated drastically on Feb. 21 when Putin recognized two pro-Russian separatist "republics" and sent Russian "peacekeepers" to the territories.

Ukraine has been battling Russian-backed separatists in the east since 2014, when Russia also occupied and annexed the Crimean Peninsula. U.S. officials began warning in November that Putin could be planning another incursion, possibly to topple the pro-Western government in Kyiv.

The U.S. and its European allies had met with Russian officials in a variety of settings to try to build a diplomatic off-ramp, while also warning that an invasion could be imminent.

Russia had issued a series of demands, including a legal guarantee that Ukraine will never join NATO. At the same time, Putin amassed more than 150,000 troops along Ukraine's borders and conducted unprecedented military drills — preparing the option to take military action if Russia didn't secure the concessions it was seeking.

What counts as a war crime and why they're so hard to prosecute

Why Ukraine wants a no-fly zone — but is unlikely to get one

The "kamikaze" drones the U.S. is giving to Ukraine

What Russia's war in Ukraine means for global economic growth

What global companies are abandoning Russia, and why

Divesting from Russia is easier said than done

How Russia's invasion of Ukraine is changing air travel

What to know about Ukraine's wartime president

Here are the Russian oligarchs speaking out against invading Ukraine

Why gas prices are so high and what Biden can do about it

Dashboard: Russian invasion of Ukraine

People driving back into Kyiv stop to take photographs of a destroyed Russian main battle tank on the main highway into the city on May 20, 2022 in Kyiv, Ukraine. Photo by Christopher Furlong/Getty Images

Russian invasion of Ukraine

Axios Explains: Ukraine

Russia

Why the stakes of this fight are so high — through the eyes of two Ukrainians, a soldier and a journalist.

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U.S., South Korea to consider expanded military exercises

Extreme weather plagues U.S., from Colorado snowstorm to East Coast heat

Polling shows America in the middle on abortion

Indigenous women fear for their safety in a post-Roe America

Dashboard: Russian invasion of Ukraine

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U.S., South Korea to consider expanded military exercises

1 🎧 thing

Extreme weather plagues U.S., from Colorado snowstorm to East Coast heat

Polling shows America in the middle on abortion

Indigenous women fear for their safety in a post-Roe America

Dashboard: Russian invasion of Ukraine