Illustration: Axios Visuals/Aïda Amer
Former Sen. Kay Hagan (D-N.C.) has died after a 3-year battle with encephalitis, an inflammatory brain condition, the Charlotte Observer reports.
The big picture: Hagen climbed from being a Capitol Hill intern to her state's first female Democratic senator. She was elected in 2008, beating Republican Sen. Elizabeth Dole, but was defeated by Republican Sen. Thom Tillis in 2014.
Sen. Ben Sasse walks to the Senate from the subway to vote in June. Photo: Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call via Getty Images
Sen. Ben Sasse (R-Neb.) has dialed up his spicy slams of President Trump, including this swipe at yesterday's signing ceremony: "The pen-and-phone theory of executive lawmaking is unconstitutional slop."
Why it matters: Trump increasingly looks — to business and to fellow Republicans — like a loser in November. So they're more likely to create distance to save their own skins. Sasse also won his May primary, further freeing him.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi claimed on "Fox News Sunday" that states don't have the funds to comply with the executive order President Trump signed on Friday, which requires them to cover 25% of an additional $400 in weekly unemployment benefits.
Why it matters: Many state and local governments have had their budgets devastated by the economic impacts of the coronavirus, which have caused expenses to soar and revenues to plunge.
White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow said on CNN's "State of the Union" Sunday that he regrets suggesting this week that unemployment benefits can only be extended by Congress.
Why it matters: President Trump's decision to bypass Congress to sign four executive actions, including one that provides $400 per week in extra unemployment benefits, has prompted outcry from Democrats and even some Republicans who believe he is overstepping his constitutional authority.