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Scoop: White House considered sending Americans gas cards
Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios
The White House considered giving Americans gas cards to help offset high prices, but faced strong opposition from congressional committees, which questioned the plan's viability and effectiveness.
Why it matters: The Biden administration is feeling political pressure from high energy costs, made worse by Western sanctions against Russia, and Democrats desperately want to offer some kind of policy response.
DOJ: More police departments declining to report hate crimes
Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke testifies before the Senate Judiciary Committee. Photo: Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images
A rising number of law enforcement agencies are opting not to share statistics about hate crimes with the FBI — just as hate crimes are skyrocketing, according to U.S. Justice Department numbers.
The big picture: The decline in reporting hurts efforts to accurately document violence against Asian Americans, Black Americans, and LGBTQ+ people, advocates and DOJ officials say.
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Alaska Rep. Don Young, longest-serving member of Congress, dies at 88
Rep. Don Young (R-Alaska), dean of the House, addresses House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) on the opening day of the 117th Congress at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. on Jan. 3, 2021. Photo: Bill O'Leary / POOL / AFP
Alaska Congressman Don Young (R), the longest-serving member of Congress in either party, has died, according to staffers and his family. He was 88.
Driving the news: “It’s with heavy hearts and deep sadness that we announce Congressman Don Young, the Dean of the House and revered champion for Alaska, passed away today while traveling home to Alaska to be with the state and people that he loved," Young's office said in a statement. "His beloved wife Anne was by his side."
Dashboard: Russian invasion of Ukraine
Apartments and a school in Kyiv are severely damaged after a Russian attack on March 18. Photo: Emin Sansar/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
The latest:
- Kyiv mayor: Russians missiles hit residential neighborhood with preschool
- Ukraine’s ambassador disputes letter asking U.S. for resistance support
- UN warns Ukraine's food supply chain is "falling apart"
- The "kamikaze" drones the U.S. is giving to Ukraine
- UN: 6.5 million people displaced inside Ukraine
- Zelensky says hundreds still trapped under theater bombed by Russia
- NASA head says Russia is still committed to International Space Station
- Burger King business partner refuses to close Russian restaurants
The last masking holdouts
Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios
A dwindling number of places are requiring masks as the U.S. inches towards normalcy — with airplanes, trains and buses the notable holdouts.
The big picture: The TSA's mask mandate stands in stark contrast to virtually every other venue across the U.S., where masks have largely been nixed.
Most medical debt soon to vanish from credit reports
Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios
The country’s major credit-reporting firms will soon remove roughly 70% of medical collection debt from Americans' credit reports.
Why it matters: Medical debt is the most common source of collection-related blackmarks on credit reports. It can lower people’s credit scores, making it harder or more expensive to secure mortgages, auto loans and other credit — and even make it harder to secure a job.
UN warns Ukraine's food supply chain is "falling apart"
Yemenis shop to buy wheat, flour and daily basics in February of 2022. Yemen relies on Ukraine for its wheat, which may lead to further hunger within Yemen due to the ongoing crisis in Ukraine. Photo: Mohammed Hamoud/Getty Images
Ukraine's food supply chain is "falling apart" under stress from Russia's invasion, potentially undermining food security around the world, the United Nations warned on Friday.
Driving the news: The World Food Program said wheat shipments were largely on hold from both Russia and Ukraine, which combined account for 30% of the world's wheat trade.
Biden and Xi hold first call since Russia invaded Ukraine
Biden and Xi hold a virtual summit last November. Photo: Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty
President Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping spoke for nearly two hours on Friday in a video call that came as the U.S. tries to convince Beijing to distance itself from Russia's war in Ukraine.
Why it matters: It was the first call between the leaders since Russia invaded Ukraine. Biden "described the implications and consequences if China provides material support to Russia as it conducts brutal attacks against Ukrainian cities and civilians," according to a White House readout of the call.
Scoop: Confidential memos raise new questions about response to George Floyd protests
Denver Police chief Paul Pazen during a press conference in 2021. Photo: Helen H. Richardson/Denver Post via Getty Images
Denver police suffered a "total leadership failure" amid the George Floyd protests in 2020, and chief Paul Pazen appeared "paralyzed" about how to respond, according to never-before-released documents obtained by Axios Denver.
- The statements from top police commanders are detailed in confidential memos written by directors in the Office of the Independent Monitor. The memos are based on interviews conducted as part of the civilian oversight agency's review of the city's response to the protests.
The "kamikaze" drones the U.S. is giving to Ukraine
Photo illustration: Shoshana Gordon/Axios. Image: AeroVironment
Switchblade drones are among the military support items President Biden announced yesterday in an $800 million package for Ukraine.
Why it matters: Unlike the large drones the U.S. military uses for reconnaissance and deploying weapons against targets, these tiny Switchblades are themselves the weapon.
UN: 6.5 million people displaced inside Ukraine
A Ukrainian elderly woman is seen on the empty street in Kyiv, Ukraine on March 16, 2022. Photo: Ceng Shou Yi/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Nearly 6.5 million people have been displaced inside Ukraine since Russia's invasion, the UN migration agency wrote in a paper out Friday.
Driving the news: "The group agreed that the figures provided by IOM are a good representation of the scale of internal displacement in Ukraine — calculated to stand at 6.48 million internally displaced persons in Ukraine as of March 16th," the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs wrote.
DHS watchdog calls for removal of ICE detainees due to "egregious" conditions
Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
The Department of Homeland Security inspector general on Friday released a report calling for the "immediate removal" of all detainees from an Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in New Mexico due to "egregious" living conditions.
Driving the news: Inspector General Joseph Cuffari issued a "management alert" directing ICE to address "the critical staffing shortages that have led to safety risks and unsanitary living conditions at the Torrance County Detention Facility."
Zelensky says hundreds still trapped under theater bombed by Russia
A satellite image captured on March 14 of the Donetsk Regional Drama Theatre in Mariupol before it was destroyed on Thursday. Satellite image: 2022 Maxar Technologies
"Saturday Night Live" comedian Pete Davidson will no longer head to space on Blue Origin's next flight, the company announced late Thursday.
The University of Pennsylvania's Lia Thomas became the first transgender athlete to win an NCAA Division I title after finishing first in the women's 500-yard freestyle championship, ESPN reports.
The world's second-oldest profession — overseas shipping — is getting smarter: Nautilus Labs raised $34 million in a Series B driven to support its AI platform for the shipping industry.
Hundreds of people are still trapped underneath a theater in Mariupol, Ukraine, that was being used as a civilian shelter before it was bombed by Russian forces earlier this week, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a televised address on Friday.
Cross River Bank is in the process of raising $600 million in new funding led by Andreessen Horowitz and Eldridge Industries at a valuation of more than $3 billion, per Bloomberg.
The latest: Blue Origin delayed the launch date six days to March 29 and said in a tweet that "Pete Davidson is no longer able to join the NS-20 crew on this mission."
State of play: Thomas finished with a time of 4:33.24, followed by Emma Weyant, who had a time of 4:34.99. Erica Sullivan finished third at 4:35.92.
Why it matters: Nautilus' tool promises to slash shippers' costs by reducing fuel consumption, improving planning — and, not least, lowering emissions.
The latest: Lyudmyla Denisova, Ukraine's top human rights official, said 130 people had been rescued from the destroyed building as of Friday. That would represent only a small fraction of the over 1,000 people, including children, that city officials said were inside shelters beneath the theater at the time of the strike.
- T. Rowe Price and Whale Rock Capital Management are also participating, according to the report.
State regulators eye Barstool-Penn deal
Photo: Slaven Vlasic/Getty Images
Gambling regulators in two states are investigating Penn National Gaming over concerns with Barstool Sports and its founder Dave Portnoy, the Wall Street Journal reported.
Why it matters: Penn's acquisition of Barstool always had brand risk, but now it also has business risk that could result in losing gambling licenses.
Inside the bidding war for Chelsea FC
Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios
First-round bids are due today for Chelsea FC, the Premier League soccer club that's being sold by sanctioned Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich.
Why it matters: This will be the highest-profile, fastest and most complex sports team sale ever.
U.S. drought conditions to persist and expand
In an alarming new outlook, the National Weather Service said Thursday that drought conditions are likely to persist and even expand across a vast stretch of the country.
The big picture: As of March 15, drought extended across about 61% of the country, the greatest drought extent seen since 2013, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Russia crisis spurs push to cut oil use
Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios
The International Energy Agency just unveiled ideas for quickly cutting oil demand at a time when Vladimir Putin's war on Ukraine could bring substantial loss of Russian barrels from global markets.
Why it matters: The 10-point plan comes amid IEA warnings that the war could become the biggest supply crisis in decades as countries look to isolate Russia.
UN: Over 3.2 million refugees have fled Ukraine since Russian invasion began
Refugees who arrived from Ukraine are seen at the main railway station in Krakow, Poland, on March 17, 2022. Photo: Beata Zawrzel/NurPhoto via Getty Images
More than 3.2 million refugees have fled Ukraine since Russia launched its unprovoked invasion, the UN refugee agency said Friday.
The big picture: The UN refugee agency has labeled the exodus the fastest-growing refugee crisis in Europe since World War II.
Russia strikes aircraft facility in Lviv, shattering city's relative peace
Smokes rises after Russian missiles struck an aircraft repair plant near Lviv's airport on March 18. Photo: Turiy Dyachyshyn/AFP via Getty Images
Russian cruise missiles struck an airplane repair facility west of Lviv's international airport on Friday, Mayor Andriy Sadovy said, according to the New York Times.
Why it matters: Lviv, which is roughly 50 miles east of Poland's border, has served as a safe haven for people fleeing fighting and seen relatively little action before Friday.
Israel urges Biden not to remove Iran's Revolutionary Guards from terror blacklist
Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett speaks at a cabinet meeting in February. Photo: Tsafrir Abayov/Pool/AFP via Getty Images
Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and Foreign Minister Yair Lapid issued a joint statement on Friday urging the Biden administration not to remove the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps from the U.S. blacklist of foreign terrorist organizations.
Why it matters: Bennett and Lapid's statement was unusually strong in its criticism of the Biden administration, calling the proposed move "an insult to the victims."
Chocolate and candy sales hit a record
Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios
Consumers gobbled up a record $36.9 billion in candy, gum, mints, chocolate and other confections in 2021 — and are poised to keep buying more, a new report by the National Confectioners Association says.
Why it matters: When times are tough, people turn to sweets to make themselves feel better. The pandemic not only gave people more license to buy goodies, it got them into the habit of buying them online and consuming them at home — for movie nights, etc.
Hospitals are back in the hot seat for their prices
Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios
Forces in New York City, California and elsewhere are leading a new push to rein in hospital prices, reviving a health cost fight that’s been on hold for most of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Why it matters: Hospital prices vary considerably even in the same market, and rising prices for care are reflected in higher insurance premiums and lost wages.
Ignoring abortion access is getting harder for companies
Illustration: Annelise Capossela/Axios
Companies that never had to deal with abortion rights are now picking a side.
The big picture: After Texas effectively banned the procedure last year, and with the Supreme Court potentially poised to roll back abortion rights, new restrictions could soon put more pressure on big businesses to act.
Leaders call for probe into heavy civilian casualties in Ukraine
The aftermath of a Russian missile attack on a high school in Merefa, in the Kharkiv region of Ukraine, on Thursday. Photo: Andrea Carrubba/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
The United Nations has recorded some 1,900 civilian casualties during Russia's invasion of Ukraine — with 52 children among 726 confirmed dead, a UN official told the Security Council on Thursday.
Driving the news: UN political affairs chief Rosemary DiCarlo said the actual number of civilians killed from Feb. 24 to March 15 was "likely much higher."
U.S. officials say Russian authorities won't let them see Brittney Griner
Team USA's Brittney Griner at the Tokyo Summer Olympic Games last August 4 in Japan. Photo: Tim Clayton/Corbis via Getty Images
U.S. officials have not seen American basketball star Brittney Griner since she was arrested in Moscow last month on drug charges because Russian authorities have repeatedly denied their requests, a State Department spokesperson told Axios Thursday night.
Driving the news: "We have repeatedly asked for consular access to these detainees and have consistently been denied access," the spokesperson said in an emailed statement.
U.S. citizen killed in Russian attack on Chernihiv
An ambulance stands by a damaged residential building after a Russian attack in Chernihiv, Ukraine, on Thursday. Photo: State Emergency Service of Ukraine/Handout/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
An American citizen killed in a Russian attack on the northern Ukrainian city of Chernihiv was identified by his family and Ukrainian officials on Thursday as James Whitney Hill.
Driving the news: The 67-year-old Minnesota native, known as Jimmy or Jim, "was waiting in a bread line with several other people when they were gunned down by Russian military snipers" on Wednesday, wrote his sister Cheryl Hill Gordon on Facebook. "His body was found in the street by the local police," she added.
Moderna asks FDA to authorize additional booster shot for all adults
Moderna vaccine. Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images
Moderna has asked the FDA for an emergency authorization that would allow all adults to receive a second COVID-19 booster, the company announced on Thursday.
Why it matters: The request is likely to intensify an ongoing scientific debate over how long protection from the two most-used vaccines in the U.S. lasts in the face of new variants.
North Carolina investigates Mark Meadows over voter fraud allegations
Mark Meadows, then-White House chief of staff, at the White House in October 2020. Photo: Chris Kleponis/Polaris/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Mark Meadows, who previously served as former President Trump's chief of staff, is under investigation for alleged voter fraud, the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigations (SBI) confirmed to Axios Thursday.
Why it matters: The probe comes after the New Yorker reported that Meadows, also a former U.S. congressman, registered to vote in September 2020 using an address he allegedly never visited.