National

President Biden on Wednesday invoked the Defense Production Act to address the baby formula shortage that has caused panic for the millions of parents and caregivers in the U.S. who rely on formula to feed their children. 

Driving the news: Invoking the DPA will require "suppliers to direct needed resources to infant formula manufacturers before any other customer who may have ordered that good," the White House said in a fact sheet.  

Biden also directed several government agencies to use Department of Defense commercial planes to pick up formula overseas that meets U.S. standards and bring it back to the U.S. to help restock shelves in what the administration is calling "Operation Fly Formula." 

"Imports of baby formula will serve as a bridge to this ramped up production, therefore, I am requesting you take all appropriate measures available to get additional safe formula into the country immediately," Biden wrote in a letter to HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. 

What he's saying: "I know parents all across the country are worried about finding enough infant formula to feed their babies," Biden said in an address posted on Twitter. "As a parent and as a grandparent, I know just how stressful that is."

"I've directed my team to do everything possible to ensure there's enough safe baby formula and that it is quickly reaching families that need it the most," Biden said.

The shortage turned into a full-blown crisis as retailers across the country have reported about 40% of their baby formula is out of stock, due to supply chain issues and a recent recall of certain products.  

In February, Abbott Nutrition recalled several major brands of its formula and closed its facility in Sturgis, Michigan due to concerns about bacterial contamination. 

The company reached an agreement with the Food and Drug Administration on Monday to reopen the plant in two weeks, but it will take another six to eight weeks for the baby formula to reach store shelves.

Go deeper: Why there is a baby formula crisis and what can be done about it 

Biden invokes Defense Production Act to address baby formula shortage

Biden also directed several government agencies to use Department of Defense commercial planes to pick up formula overseas.

Empty shelves in the baby formula aisle of a store in Albany, California, on Tuesday, May 17, 2022. Photo: David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Defense

Politics & Policy

Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Calif.), who serves as the top Republican on the House Intelligence Committee, will retire at the end of the year and become CEO of Trump's new media organization. 

Why it matters: Nunes, once considered a moderate member of the party, became one of the fiercest defenders of former President Donald Trump throughout both of Trump's impeachments and the Intel committee's Russia investigation.

Trump awarded Nunes the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2021.  

In a letter to his constituents, Nunes said he was "presented with a new opportunity to fight for the most important issues I believe in," CNN reported.  

Driving the news: Nunes will become CEO of "Truth Social" in January.  

He will run the company as regulators are investigating the planned merger between Digital World Acquisition Corporation and Trump's company, according to a recent filing by the SPAC.

California's new congressional districts put Nunes in a district that leans more Democratic, per a draft of the map, SFGate reports. 

Nunes has served in Congress since 2002. 

GOP Rep. Devin Nunes to retire, will be CEO of Trump media org

Nunes will take over the role of CEO in January

Rep. Devin Nunes. Photo: Dylan Hollingsworth/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Devin Nunes

Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Calif.), who serves as the top Republican on the House Intelligence Committee, <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="will retire at the end of the year" data-vars-click-url="https://twitter.com/ryanobles/status/1467977966705594378" data-vars-content-id="51236f4c-e229-4d8b-bc76-c7f73e006cd3" data-vars-headline="GOP Rep. Devin Nunes to retire, will be CEO of Trump media org" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://twitter.com/ryanobles/status/1467977966705594378" target="_blank">will retire at the end of the year</a> and become <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="CEO of Trump&#x27;s new media organization." data-vars-click-url="https://ir.tmtgcorp.com/news-events/press-releases/" data-vars-content-id="51236f4c-e229-4d8b-bc76-c7f73e006cd3" data-vars-headline="GOP Rep. Devin Nunes to retire, will be CEO of Trump media org" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://ir.tmtgcorp.com/news-events/press-releases/" target="_blank">CEO of Trump&#x27;s new media organization.</a> Why it matters: Nunes, once considered a moderate member of the party, became one of the fiercest defenders of former President Donald Trump throughout both of Trump&#x27;s impeachments and the Intel committee&#x27;s Russia investigation.

At a candlelight vigil, students show support for Abby Zwerner, the first-grade teacher shot by a 6-year-old student last week in Newport News, Va. Photo: John C. Clark/AP

The school district in Virginia where a first-grader shot his teacher will become one of the rare spots in the U.S. to have permanent metal detectors at elementary schools. 

Driving the news: Newport News School Board Chair Lisa Surles-Law said this week detectors would go into every school, starting at Richneck Elementary School, the site of the shooting, AP reports.

Metal detectors in schools are still rare. But they've become more popular in public schools, especially in middle and high school, as threats of school shootings and violence have increased. 

Fewer than 2% of public elementary schools had "random metal detector checks" in the 2019-2020 school year, according to the National Center for Education statistics. 

Daily detector checks didn't even register in the data for primary schools. 

Data: NCES; Chart: Tory Lysik/Axios Visuals

The debate over whether to submit grade school children to metal detector checks could heat up after the shooting. A 6-year-old boy brought a gun to school and shot his 25-year-old teacher, Abigail Zwerner, in the chest. She is reported to be in stable condition. 

Police described the shooting as "intentional." 

"This is a real game changer," Mo Canady, executive director of the National Association of School Resource Officers, told AP. “How do we begin to approach the idea of protecting students and staff from an armed 6-year-old?”

The latest: School officials now believe at least one administrator knew the child may have had the gun in his backpack, WAVY-TV reported. The superintendent said the bag was searched and nothing was found. 

Metal detector to be installed at elementary school where 6-year-old shot teacher

The school district where a first-grader shot his teacher will soon have permanent metal detectors at elementary schools.

School shooting

<figure><img alt="" height="3456" id="339ac518-6ac2-438e-afb8-fa5ca47b921a" src="https://images.axios.com/1hAsu_VOLGiYtjXkxmop6bzpp-I=/2023/01/13/1673644451479.jpg" width="5184"/><figcaption>At a candlelight vigil, students show support for Abby Zwerner, the first-grade teacher shot by a 6-year-old student last week in Newport News, Va. Photo: John C. Clark/AP</figcaption></figure>The school district in Virginia where a first-grader shot his teacher will become one of the rare spots in the U.S. to have permanent metal detectors at elementary schools. Driving the news: Newport News School Board Chair Lisa Surles-Law said this week detectors would go into every school, starting at Richneck Elementary School, the site of the shooting, <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="AP reports" data-vars-click-url="https://apnews.com/article/teaching-education-virginia-newport-news-943c4b0ec79c5c7a7c0ebd6acd2f04ec?taid=63c17c92b8f97d00015bb3c6&amp;utm_campaign=TrueAnthem&amp;utm_medium=AP&amp;utm_source=Twitter" data-vars-content-id="aeb0861e-0835-4867-82f5-7ad3adc2a334" data-vars-headline="Metal detector to be installed at elementary school where 6-year-old shot teacher" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://apnews.com/article/teaching-education-virginia-newport-news-943c4b0ec79c5c7a7c0ebd6acd2f04ec?taid=63c17c92b8f97d00015bb3c6&amp;utm_campaign=TrueAnthem&amp;utm_medium=AP&amp;utm_source=Twitter" target="_blank">AP reports</a>.

This Valentine's Day, guard your heart and your wallet.

Driving the news: The Federal Trade Commission reports that in 2022, 70,000 people reported losses from so-called "romance scammers," losing a whopping total of $1.3 billion, with a median reported loss of $4,400.

That's way up from the 56,000 Americans reporting $547 million in love-ploy losses in 2021.

The FTC says 40% of romance scam victims say contact first began on social media and 19% began on dating websites or apps.

The scammers often tell elaborate lies tied to a fake identity. The most popular lie used in these scams is saying someone is "sick, hurt or in jail" and therefore they need money ASAP.

One popular and long-running romance-based crypto scam is getting more sophisticated, per Axios Codebook author Sam Sabin.

Known as "pig-butchering," the scam typically begins with someone either starting a conversation on a dating app or sending a text to a random phone number.

Once trust is established the scammer will start to encourage the victim to invest in a fake crypto app.

Spot a scammer: If they don't want to meet in real life and claim they live on an oil rig, it's probably not your soulmate. And no one looking for love will ask you to invest in their cryptocurrency app.

Romance scammers cash in

Federal Trade Commission (FTC)

This Valentine&#x27;s Day, guard your heart and your wallet.Driving the news: The Federal Trade Commission <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="reports" data-vars-click-url="https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/data-visualizations/data-spotlight/2023/02/romance-scammers-favorite-lies-exposed#ft1" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/data-visualizations/data-spotlight/2023/02/romance-scammers-favorite-lies-exposed#ft1" target="_blank">reports</a> that in 2022, 70,000 people reported losses from so-called &quot;romance scammers,&quot; losing a whopping total of $1.3 billion, with a median reported loss of $4,400.<ul><li>That&#x27;s way up from the 56,000 Americans reporting $547 million in <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="love-ploy losses in 2021." data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2022/02/14/romance-scams-five-year-high" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2022/02/14/romance-scams-five-year-high" target="_self">love-ploy losses in 2021.</a></li></ul>

After a record economic expansion, the coronavirus pandemic sent the U.S. economy into a recession as unemployment soared to staggering heights. The country now faces urgent questions about how much stimulus is needed for reeling consumers and businesses, and what a recovery might look like.

Economy & Business

Data: United Nations; Chart: Nicki Camberg/Axios 

India is expected to surpass China as the world's most populous country by 2023, according to a new report from the United Nations looking at population trends. 

Why it matters: India, despite democratic backsliding in recent years, is the world's largest democracy and viewed by the West as a key counterweight to China's influence in the region, per Axios' Zachary Basu. 

U.S. administrations have prioritized strengthening economic and strategic ties with India as U.S.-China competition has accelerated and become a defining dynamic of the 21st century.

Driving the news: The world's population will reach 8 billion by Nov. 15, and 9.7 billion in 2050, but the global population is growing at its slowest pace since 1950 due to decreasing fertility rates in many countries. Increasing rates of emigration are also slowing growth in certain parts of the globe.

The COVID-19 pandemic also had an impact on overall population growth, bringing global life expectancy from 72.9 in 2019 to 71 in 2021 (but improvements in medication and health could bring life expectancy to 77.2 years in 2050), according to the report.

What they're saying: The 8 billion milestone is a "reminder of our shared responsibility to care for our planet and a moment to reflect on where we still fall short of our commitments to one another," UN Secretary-General António Guterres said in a statement coinciding with the report's release. 

"In the world we strive to build, 8 billion people means 8 billion opportunities to live dignified and fulfilled lives.” 

There will be massive shifts in where and how countries' populations grow or decline, the report found.  

Most of the population growth projected up to 2050 will be concentrated in eight countries: the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Nigeria, Pakistan, the Philippines and Tanzania. 

Bulgaria, Latvia, Lithuania, Serbia and Ukraine will see the largest relative reductions in population size over the same time period, with losses of 20% or more. 

The populations of 61 countries are expected to drop by 1% due to low levels of fertility. Around two-thirds of the global population lives where fertility is below 2.1 births per woman, which is around the level required for zero growth for a population with low mortality rates. 

Migration will be the sole driver of population growth in high-income countries while birth rates will be the primary driver in low and middle-income countries. 

Editor's note: This story has been corrected to show only decreasing fertility rates have led to the slower pace of population growth, not decreasing fertility rates and increasing rates of emigration. 

India will surpass China in population next year, UN projects

The world's total population will reach 8 billion later this year.

Population

China

India is expected to <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="surpass China" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/world/china" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/world/china" target="_self">surpass China</a> as the world&#x27;s most populous country by 2023, according to a <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="new report from the United Nations" data-vars-click-url="https://www.un.org/development/desa/pd/sites/www.un.org.development.desa.pd/files/wpp2022_summary_of_results.pdf" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.un.org/development/desa/pd/sites/www.un.org.development.desa.pd/files/wpp2022_summary_of_results.pdf" target="_blank">new report from the United Nations</a> looking at population trends. Why it matters: India, despite democratic backsliding in recent years, is the world&#x27;s largest democracy and viewed by the West as a key counterweight to China&#x27;s influence in the region, per Axios&#x27; Zachary Basu.

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.

Kate Nocera

Stories

Romance scammers cash in

Metal detector to be installed at elementary school where 6-year-old shot teacher

India will surpass China in population next year, UN projects

Biden invokes Defense Production Act to address baby formula shortage

GOP Rep. Devin Nunes to retire, will be CEO of Trump media org