National

Southern California's San Bernardino County will let voters decide on a measure that could allow it to secede from the rest of the state. 

Driving the news: The county’s Board of Supervisors voted unanimously Tuesday to add a measure to the November ballot that asks voters to decide whether officials should "pursue all options, up to and including seeking approval to form a new state, so that San Bernardino County can obtain its fair share of state and federal resources."

Details: Tuesday's vote, which was the second one in favor of the measure, was required for the county to move forward with adding the question to the Nov. 8 ballot.

What they're saying: While all five supervisors on the board voted in favor of the measure, they're not all necessarily calling for secession.

Supervisor Joe Baca Jr. said he’s against splitting from the state but is interested in studying whether the county and its residents are owed more state and federal funds than they currently get, according to the AP.

“I do think we have to look at anything we can do to enhance services for our residents,” he said. “I’m not in favor of seceding. I’m proud to be from California. I love California.”

But, but, but: Seceding from the state would require approval from the California Legislature and the U.S. Congress.

By the numbers: San Bernardino County ranks 36th out of 56 counties for per-capita revenue received from the state and federal governments, county spokesperson David Wert told the AP.

The county is home to 2.1 million people.

It's California's 5th most populous county and is the largest in the nation by area.

Southern California county to let voters decide on secession measure

Voters will be asked if the county should pursue all options to obtain a fair share of resources.

A remote desert road to Joshua Tree National Park in San Bernardino County is seen. Photo: Joe Sohm/Visions of America/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

California

Southern California&#x27;s San Bernardino County will let voters decide on a measure that could allow it to secede from the rest of the state. Driving the news: The county’s Board of Supervisors voted unanimously Tuesday to <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="add a measure to the November ballot" data-vars-click-url="https://sanbernardino.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&amp;ID=11114149&amp;GUID=7672D4CC-FD75-4144-BA31-52839623709E" data-vars-content-id="392716ed-4cf6-4c40-8ddf-4bfd052be396" data-vars-headline="Southern California county to let voters decide on secession measure" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://sanbernardino.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&amp;ID=11114149&amp;GUID=7672D4CC-FD75-4144-BA31-52839623709E" target="_blank">add a measure to the November ballot</a> that asks voters to decide whether officials should &quot;pursue all options, up to and including seeking approval to form a new state, so that San Bernardino County can obtain its fair share of state and federal resources.&quot;

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

Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts (R) was unable to garner enough votes Monday to convene a special legislative session for the state to consider stricter abortion laws.

Driving the news: Ricketts said previously that he would take action against abortion if Roe v. Wade were overturned. But his plan to prohibit abortions starting at 12 weeks fell three votes short, according to a statement from his office.

By the numbers: Of 49 senators in the state legislature, 30 supported amending Nebraska’s abortion laws to prohibit abortions starting at 12 weeks.

The legislation required 33 votes to pass.

There are 32 Republicans and 17 Democrats in the Nebraska's unicameral state legislature

What he's saying: "It is deeply saddening that only 30 Nebraska state senators are willing to come back to Lincoln this fall in order to protect innocent life," Ricketts said in a statement Monday.  

"The proposal to change Nebraska’s state law that prohibits abortions starting at 20 weeks and reduce that to 12 weeks is a measured, reasonable step to protect more preborn babies in our state," he added.

Context: Ricketts had announced in May that he would convene the special session in the state legislature to introduce anti-abortion legislation if Roe were overturned.

Ricketts had also said that he'd push for measures that do not include exceptions for rape and incest.

Zoom in: Nebraska does not have a trigger law that would've been required to make abortion illegal in the state after Roe v. Wade were overturned in June. 

An attempt to create a trigger law failed in the state's legislature in April, according to AP.

Abortion is currently legal through the 20th week of pregnancy in Nebraska.

Nebraska Republicans lack votes to amend state's abortion laws

The governor sought to amend Nebraska’s abortion laws to prohibit abortions starting at 12 weeks.

Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts speaks in Maryland on June 21, 2018. Picture: Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Nebraska

Nebraska <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Gov. Pete Ricketts" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2022/05/11/nebraska-governor-republican-results" data-vars-content-id="4cb1b7dd-a63a-4061-806d-2dc085377fa4" data-vars-headline="Nebraska Republicans lack votes to amend state&#x27;s abortion laws" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2022/05/11/nebraska-governor-republican-results" target="_self">Gov. Pete Ricketts</a> (R) was unable to garner enough votes Monday to convene a special legislative session for the state to consider stricter abortion laws.Driving the news: <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Ricketts said" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2022/05/15/nebraska-governor-abortion-ban" data-vars-content-id="4cb1b7dd-a63a-4061-806d-2dc085377fa4" data-vars-headline="Nebraska Republicans lack votes to amend state&#x27;s abortion laws" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2022/05/15/nebraska-governor-abortion-ban" target="_self">Ricketts said</a> previously that he would take action against abortion if Roe v. Wade were overturned. But his plan to prohibit abortions starting at 12 weeks fell three votes short, according to <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="a statement" data-vars-click-url="https://governor.nebraska.gov/press/gov-ricketts-releases-statement-potential-special-session-amend-nebraska%E2%80%99s-abortion-laws" data-vars-content-id="4cb1b7dd-a63a-4061-806d-2dc085377fa4" data-vars-headline="Nebraska Republicans lack votes to amend state&#x27;s abortion laws" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://governor.nebraska.gov/press/gov-ricketts-releases-statement-potential-special-session-amend-nebraska%E2%80%99s-abortion-laws" target="_blank">a statement</a> from his office.

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

A commercial real estate firm said Monday that it has turned over to the New York Attorney General's office some 36,000 documents on its appraisal of Trump Organization properties.

Driving the news: Cushman & Wakefield was held in contempt last month and ordered to pay a fine of $10,000 a day after it failed to turn over documents subpoenaed by Attorney General Letitia James in an investigation into former President Trump's business. 

The attorney general's office said it discovered "serious problems" with some of Cushman & Wakefield appraisals for the Trump Organization, including for 40 Wall Street, his Seven Springs property in New York, and his Los Angeles golf club, according to NBC News, which first reported the story.

What they're saying: "Cushman has fully responded to the OAG subpoena that was recently at issue, and Cushman is pleased that OAG has fulfilled our agreement by asking the Court to dissolve its previous Contempt Order," a company spokesperson said in an email to Axios on Monday.

"Standing by the work of our appraisers, Cushman has gone to great expense and effort to identify, collect, review and produce the massive set of documents requested by the OAG," the statement reads. "We will continue to work in good faith with the OAG.”

In a letter to the judge last Friday, James wrote that her office had received the documents. The attorney general requested the court "dissolve the Contempt Order and hold any contempt purged, without any fines due or owing."

The big picture: James has been investigating Trump's business practices for over three years.

Trump was held in contempt of court in April and was fined $10,000 each day he refused to turn over documents, as required by another subpoena issued by James' office. That order was lifted in late June.

Representatives for the attorney general's office and the Trump Organization did not immediately respond to Axios' requests for comment.

Real estate firm turns over documents in Trump civil probe

Cushman & Wakefield was held in contempt of court last month.

Former President Trump in Texas on Aug. 6, 2022. Picture: Brandon Bell/Getty Images

Trump Organization

A commercial real estate firm said Monday that it has turned over to the New York Attorney General&#x27;s office some 36,000 documents on its appraisal of <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Trump Organization" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2022/06/15/trump-new-york-investigation-business" data-vars-content-id="6bdee4d5-538e-4b4f-b3c2-04e4981e5e20" data-vars-headline="Real estate firm turns over documents in Trump civil probe" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2022/06/15/trump-new-york-investigation-business" target="_self">Trump Organization</a> properties.Driving the news: Cushman &amp; Wakefield was held in contempt last month and ordered to pay a fine of $10,000 a day after it failed to turn over documents subpoenaed by Attorney General Letitia James in an investigation into <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="former President Trump&#x27;s business" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2022/01/19/new-york-ag-alleges-significant-evidence-of-trump-organization-fraud" data-vars-content-id="6bdee4d5-538e-4b4f-b3c2-04e4981e5e20" data-vars-headline="Real estate firm turns over documents in Trump civil probe" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2022/01/19/new-york-ag-alleges-significant-evidence-of-trump-organization-fraud" target="_self">former President Trump&#x27;s business</a>.

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

The Ramsey County Board of Commissioners agreed to a $1.455 million settlement with corrections officers who sued after they were prevented from guarding former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin due to their race.

Driving the news: The board agreed to resolve the discrimination claims and formally apologized to the eight current and former correctional officers of the Ramsey County Adult Detention Facility.

Details: The officers filed claims in February 2021 when they were segregated from other officers as Chauvin was processed and held at the jail for killing George Floyd, according to a press release from their lawyers. 

The officers — who identify as Black, Hispanic, Pacific Islander American and multiracial — asserted claims of discrimination and hostile work environment based on their race and the color of their skin, as well as retaliation.

Prior to Chauvin’s arrival at the detention center on May 29, 2020, the facilities superintendent, Steve Lydon, "issued a segregation order, prohibiting all correctional officers of color from interacting with or guarding Chauvin," or going anywhere on the fifth floor, where Chauvin was to be held, the complaint alleged.

Later that day, when an emergency call occurred within the jail and multiple officers of color responded, they were prohibited from completing the emergency protocol until white officers arrived, according to the suit.

What they're saying: Board chair Trista MatasCastillo expressed profound apologies to the eight officers, according to MPR News.

She said the decisions made by the leadership of the sheriff’s department were “more than just wrong — they were racist, heinous, highly disrespectful and completely out of line with Ramsey County’s vision and values.” 

The board called on Ramsey County Sheriff Bob Fletcher to take steps to address the incident, but MatasCastillo said that “we’re still waiting,” MPR News reported.

A Sheriff’s Office spokesperson released a statement obtained by MPR News that said the agency “was not a named party in the lawsuit filed against Ramsey County and consequently had no decision-making authority in the settlement with the eight plaintiffs."

The big picture: A federal judge sentenced Chauvin to an additional 21 years in prison last month for charges that included violating the civil rights of George Floyd including the use of excessive force when he kneeled on Floyd's neck for more than nine minutes in May 2020.

That sentence came on top of a separate, 22.5-year sentence for his conviction on state murder and manslaughter charges for the murder of Floyd.

Twin Cities

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Officers win $1.4M in discrimination suit over guarding Derek Chauvin

The officers sued after they were prevented from guarding Chauvin due to their race.

A journalist watches their mobile phone showing Derek Chauvin as the verdict in his trial over the death of George Floyd is announced in Minneapolis on April 20, 2021. Photo: Kerem Yucel/AFP via Getty Images

Derek Chauvin trial

The Ramsey County Board of Commissioners agreed to a $1.455 million settlement with corrections officers who sued after they were prevented from guarding former Minneapolis police officer <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Derek Chauvin" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/twin-cities/2021/06/25/derek-chauvin-sentenced-george-floyd-murder" data-vars-content-id="8b04b884-247d-403b-af90-158f86dc657b" data-vars-headline="Officers win $1.4M in discrimination suit over guarding Derek Chauvin" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/twin-cities/2021/06/25/derek-chauvin-sentenced-george-floyd-murder" target="_self">Derek Chauvin</a> due to their race.Driving the news: The board agreed to resolve the discrimination claims and formally apologized to the eight current and former correctional officers of the Ramsey County Adult Detention Facility.

Two U.S. House Democrats proposed a measure Tuesday that would make it illegal for airlines to offer flights when they know they don't have enough staff.

Why it matters: After two years of pandemic-related travel frustrations and a summer of canceled flights, the measure is the latest push by lawmakers to regulate the aviation industry.

Details: Reps. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.) and David Cicilline (D-R.I.) proposed making it unlawful for airlines to offer flights if they know they don't have sufficient staffing, or to cancel flights close to scheduled departures, Reuters reports.

The two Congress members said the measure would give the Federal Trade Commission and state attorneys general new powers to act.

The measure would repeal an existing exemption that passenger airlines received from under a 1958 law. 

What they're saying: "Stronger enforcement of the airline industry is urgently needed," Schakowsky said, per Reuters.

"The airline industry must be held accountable for the harm they are causing: the missed life events, time separated from family and friends, and the stress of navigating a travel system that isn’t putting consumers first," she added.

Flashback: The Department of Transportation last week proposed new protections for travelers, including requiring airlines to provide vouchers that don't expire to passengers unable to fly for pandemic-related reasons.

The department said it has been flooded with complaints about air travel services since the onset of the pandemic.

In a summer of canceled flights, lawmakers seek to crack down on airlines

It's the latest political push to regulate the aviation industry.

A screen displays Southwest Airlines' extensive flight cancellations at Chicago Midway International Airport. Photo: Phil Velasquez/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service via Getty Images

Airlines

Two U.S. House Democrats proposed a measure Tuesday that would make it illegal for airlines to offer flights when they know they don&#x27;t have enough staff.Why it matters: After two years of <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="pandemic-related" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2020/03/06/coronavirus-travel-fear-airlines" data-vars-content-id="d8dc1c6e-3299-4d45-b60e-9c3ab52cecfd" data-vars-headline="In a summer of canceled flights, lawmakers seek to crack down on airlines" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2020/03/06/coronavirus-travel-fear-airlines" target="_self">pandemic-related</a> travel frustrations and a summer of <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="canceled flights" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2022/06/23/airline-delays-cancellations-united-american" data-vars-content-id="d8dc1c6e-3299-4d45-b60e-9c3ab52cecfd" data-vars-headline="In a summer of canceled flights, lawmakers seek to crack down on airlines" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2022/06/23/airline-delays-cancellations-united-american" target="_self">canceled flights</a>, the measure is the latest push by lawmakers to regulate the aviation industry.

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.

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Stories

In a summer of canceled flights, lawmakers seek to crack down on airlines

Southern California county to let voters decide on secession measure

Officers win $1.4M in discrimination suit over guarding Derek Chauvin

Real estate firm turns over documents in Trump civil probe

Nebraska Republicans lack votes to amend state's abortion laws