Across politics, business, education and the economy, many of the seismic shifts of 2020 have proven short-lived, Axios' Neal Rothschild writes.

• Why it matters: The snapbacks reflect a society still struggling to find its footing after a once-in-a-lifetime pandemic, nationwide racial unrest, and one of the most divisive elections in U.S. history.

1. DEI: America's racial justice reckoning after the police murder of George Floyd in 2020 led many organizations to invest heavily in efforts to address racial inequality. Over the past two years, conservatives have waged a remarkably successful war against those initiatives.

2. Policing: Amid the 2020 protests and calls to defund the police, a number of cities cut their law enforcement budgets. The next year, many of those cities — including New York, L.A., Denver and Dallas — restored and even increased police funding in response to surging violent crime.

3. Immigration: During his 2020 campaign, President Biden cast former President Trump's harsh border policies as part of a "battle for the soul of the country" that inspired his decision to run. Amid a record wave of migrants illegally crossing the border over the last several years, Biden is now considering a dramatic executive order that would impose Trump-like restrictions on asylum-seekers.

4. Work from home: Many companies that embraced permanent remote work during the pandemic changed their attitudes, as executives lamented a loss of creativity and collaboration.

5. Standardized testing: Harvard, Yale, Brown and Dartmouth have all reinstated standardized test requirements for admission after dropping them during the pandemic.

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A new Israeli proposal for a possible hostage deal with Hamas includes a willingness to discuss the "restoration of sustainable calm" in Gaza, reports Axios' Barak Ravid, who last night was presented the Aldo Beckman Award for Overall Excellence in White House coverage.

• Why it matters: It's the first time since Hamas' Oct. 7 terrorist attack that Israeli leaders have suggested they're open to discussing an end to the war in Gaza as part of a hostage deal.

Ending the war has been central to Hamas' proposals during hostage deal negotiations in recent months.

🔎 State of play: The new proposal includes a response to many of Hamas' demands — a willingness for the full return of displaced Palestinians to their homes in northern Gaza, and the withdrawal of the IDF from the corridor that divides the enclave.

• The proposal includes a willingness to discuss the establishment of a sustainable ceasefire as part of the second phase of the deal, which would take place after the release of hostages.

Hamas said in a statement Friday night that it received the new proposal, will study it and respond.

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North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum is moving up former President Trump's list of possible vice presidential picks because Trump's team believes he'd be a safe choice who could attract moderate voters, Axios' Sophia Cai and Juliegrace Brufke report.

• Why it matters: Burgum is on a long list of VP contenders, but Trump's rising interest in the North Dakota governor reveals his latest thinking about how his running mate could help him with undecided voters.

State of play: Trump and his wife, Melania, hosted Burgum and his wife, Kathryn, at Mar-a-Lago for Easter Brunch, two people familiar with the matter told Axios.

• In recent weeks, the sources said, Trump frequently has brought up Burgum's name in discussions with allies.
• Spokespeople for Trump and Burgum declined to comment.

👀 The intrigue: Two sources familiar with Trump's thinking said he likes Burgum's measured demeanor and gubernatorial experience — and sees Burgum as reliable and low-drama.

• Those are similar to the traits Trump cited in 2016 when he tapped Mike Pence to be his running mate.

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President Biden joked about his age and jabbed former President Trump — calling him "Sleepy Don" — during last night's White House Correspondents' Association dinner, Axios' Erin Doherty writes.

• "The 2024 election is in full swing and yes, age is an issue. I'm a grown man, running against a 6 year old," Biden said at the Washington Hilton.

"Age is the only thing we have in common. My vice president actually endorses me," Biden continued.

• "I had a great stretch since the State of the Union. But Donald has had a few tough days lately. You might call it 'stormy weather.'"

🗞️ Turning to the press: "Some of you have complained that I don't take enough of your questions," Biden said. "No comment."

• "The New York Times issued a statement blasting me for, quote, 'actively and effectively' avoiding independent journalists. Hey! If that's what it takes to get The New York Times to say I'm active and effective, I'm for it." [Laughter, applause]
• "I have higher standards. I do interviews with strong, independent journalists who millions of people actually listen to. Like Howard Stern."

SNL's Colin Jost, who spoke after Biden, also riffed on age:

• "I'm not saying both candidates are old. But you know Jimmy Carter is out there thinking, 'maybe I can win this thing,'" Jost said. "He's only 99." Watch the video.

⚡ Other Jost quips: "Doug [Emhoff], as you can tell from all the comments about my wife, I'm also used to being the second gentleman."

• "Can we just acknowledge how refreshing it is to see a president of the United States at an event that doesn't begin with a bailiff saying: 'All rise'?"

Zoom in: Protesters jeered administration officials, journalists and celebrities as they arrived, criticizing Biden's handling of the Israel-Hamas war and media coverage of it.

• "Shame on you!" protesters shouted at attendees, AP reports.

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Plummeting fertility rates and major demographic shifts are expected to slow U.S. population growth in the years ahead — and America needs a steady flow of immigrants to offset that hit to the economy, Axios' Courtenay Brown reports.

• Why it matters: It's a fresh collision of two contentious issues — immigration policy and economic growth — that'll continue to shape political debates for decades.

🔎 Zoom in: President Biden is facing widespread voter discontent around the border crisis and the economy. Yet high immigration rates have played a notable role in offsetting inflation.

• Policymakers say the mass immigration of recent years helped heal the labor market imbalance and helped bring inflation down from the 2021-2022 surge.

🔮 What to watch: Beginning in 2040, immigrants will account for all of population growth "in part because fertility rates remain below the rate that would be required for a generation to replace itself in the absence of immigration," the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office projects.

• "There is a sense in which immigration is now offsetting the decline in fertility," CBO director Phillip Swagel told Congress earlier this year.

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"Honesty," "responsibility," "freedom" and "American national parks" are among the country's most unifying words — embraced by 9 in 10 Republicans, Democrats and independents, Axios' Margaret Talev writes from Ipsos findings.

• "MAGA" and "Second Amendment" are two of the most polarizing.

Why it matters: As election season intensifies, it's not just that words matter — but that voter groups perceive the same words differently.

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Buzzy new robotic lawn mowers let you use a smartphone app to boss them around, no perimeter wires required,

💨 Zoom in: The latest wave of autonomous mowers is quieter, battery-powered and gentler on your grass.

• Once they're set up, "these machines run relatively autonomously," says Chris Price of Husqvarna, the leading manufacturer of autonomous mowers.

"They go out, they cut the grass, they dock in a charger, and then they go back out again, depending on when you want them to run," Price tells Axios.

• But they're expensive, prompting some neighbors to team up and share them for round-the-clock community mowing.

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Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) shows off his fit on the red carpet before last night's White House Correspondents' Association dinner.