National

Rep. Ilhan Omar was removed on Thursday from the Foreign Affairs Committee. Congressional Black Caucus members visited the White House while the House Republicans kicked off their investigations.

Plus, the state of paid — and unpaid — leave for American workers.

Guests: Axios' Stef Kight, Eugene Scott and Emily Peck.

Credits: Axios Today is produced by Niala Boodhoo, Alexandra Botti, Naomi Shavin, Robin Linn, Fonda Mwangi and Alex Sugiura. Music is composed by Evan Viola. You can reach us at podcasts@axios.com. You can text questions, comments and story ideas to Niala as a text or voice memo to 202-918-4893.

House votes to remove Ilhan Omar from Foreign Affairs Committee

Paid family leave still out of reach for most American workers

The coldest air in the Northern Hemisphere will freeze New England this weekend

NIALA: Good morning! Welcome to Axios Today! 

Here’s what you need to know today: the state of paid - and unpaid leave for American workers. Plus, winter bears down across the U.S. But first, partisan rancor in the House - that’s today’s One Big Thing.

NIALA: Ilhan Omar is removed from her committee assignments, Congressional Black Caucus members visit the White House and House Republicans kick off their investigation – all part of this first week in February in Washington. Here for our Friday politics state of play conversation are Axios reporters Eugene Scott and Stef Kight. Hey guys.

NIALA: Eugene, let's start with the President's meeting yesterday with members of the Congressional Black Caucus to talk about police reform the day after the funeral of Tyre Nichols. We've been hearing a lot about the George Floyd Policing Act has resurfaced this week. Can we expect any new legislation out of the capitol?

EUGENE: So there were some conversations earlier this week about perhaps reintroducing the George Floyd Act after the President’s State of the Union speech, but as of Thursday evening, Black lawmakers were still in conversations with the President about the best strategy moving forward. Senator Tim Scott, the only Black Republican in the Senate has been very vocal this week about how the act as-is is a non-starter. Uh, but he certainly believes that somehow the two sides can negotiate and figure out some bipartisan legislation that will get all sides to where they want to be.

NIALA: Stef, the House voted yesterday to remove Minnesota representative Ilhan Omar from the Foreign Affairs Committee. Here she is on the floor. 

ILHAN OMAR: This debate today, it's about who gets to be an American. What opinions do we get to have, do we have to have to be counted as Americans, this is what this debate is about. 

NIALA: Stef, is that what this debate is about?

STEF: This has been a very contentious issue, and it was actually unclear whether Republicans had the votes to remove Omar initially, but they did end up having those votes to remove her from the committee. And of course, Democrats say that this is just, you know, a reaction to the fact that Democrats removed Marjorie Taylor Green and Paul Gosar from committees in the last Congress. But of course, Republicans have claimed that this isn't a tit for tat and have noted six comments that Congressman Omar made in the past that some have been angered about and called Anti-Semitic.

NIALA: And Stef, all of this comes as the first wave of House Republican investigations into the Biden administration began this week. There's a lot of different investigations going on here, right?

STEF: Yes. It has been a busy week where we've seen a lot of the committees really start their investigations in earnest. Of course, we've been hearing from Republicans for a while now  that there are several issues that they were eager to investigate the Biden administration. This week we had the first two hearings, one on the border and another on alleged fraud and abuse of Covid assistance. We're seeing letters come out of the Judiciary committee as well as the oversight committee, and hearings being scheduled over all sorts of issues, including, you know, what they call the weaponization of the federal government, the use of Twitter to silence conservatives. It really is so many different topics we're starting to see Republicans dig into.

NIALA: To both of you, what do you think this week says about what we can expect for the rest of the year about this congress?

STEF: I mean, I think we are going to continue to see the hyper-partisanship we've already seen over the past few years. We have a Republican controlled House and a Democratic controlled Senate, and of course, Joe Biden, a Democrat in the White House. And we're gonna see Republicans continue to use their power in the House, their investigative power, their subpoena power to investigate the Biden administration. And that's going to lead to hyperpartisan debates.

EUGENE: I think, uh, this week has revealed just how different each respective party's basis are when it comes to what needs to be prioritized most. This is not something that has changed significantly with 2023, but ranging from issues as varied as police violence against Black people to concerns about Hunter Biden and his business relationships, really do shed some light on just how much daylight exists between, uh, the GOP and the Democratic Party right now.

NIALA: Eugene Scott covers Congress for Axios. Stef Kight is also part of the Axios politics team. Stef, Eugene, thank you for being with me.

NIALA: In a moment, what paid - and unpaid leave - for workers in America looks like, on the 30th anniversary of FMLA.

The state of paid - and unpaid- leave for American workers

NIALA: Welcome back to Axios Today. I'm Niala Boodhoo.

KAMALA HARRIS: 30 years ago, just outside in the Rose Garden, our nation took a long overdue step.

NIALA: That's Vice President Kamala Harris at the White House yesterday celebrating the 30th anniversary of the Family and Medical Leave Act, which provided workers with unpaid time off to care for themselves or family. Former president Bill Clinton, who signed the bill into law, was also there. 

BILL CLINTON: After all these years, I still have more people mention the family leave back to me than any other specific things I did. 

NIALA: And the Biden administration marked this anniversary by announcing a new initiative to support families. Axios’ Emily Peck is here with more. Hey Emily.

NIALA: So it's been 30 years since FMLA. How much have things changed?

EMILY: Things have changed. I mean, back before FMLA, I think only about 1% of working women had paid maternity leave and the percentages for unpaid parental leave or family leave were similarly low. It just was kind of unheard of if you got pregnant, for example, at work. Okay, bye. Like you were fired, you were done. And now, today a lot of companies do offer workers paid leave. You know, it's not public or federal policy, but a lot of employers have done it. But mostly this is a benefit going to higher income workers, and right now

NIALA: So, Emily, What did the Biden administration announce yesterday? A lot of advocates have always talked about having paid leave.

EMILY: So Niala for 30 years, since the FMLA passed paid leave has kind of been the holy grail here for advocates, because while FMLA is great and unpaid leave is is good. People that don't make a lot of money, can't really afford to take 12 weeks off unpaid. So you wind up with this situation, where civil rights policy essentially has had this very unequal impact. You know, yesterday at the White House, the administration announced their support for family and medical leave. But they didn't really announce a new paid leave policy or anything particularly groundbreaking.

EMILY: Yeah, it is up to Congress just this Wednesday, Senator Gillibrand and Representative Rosa DeLauro, they unveiled a legislative package proposing federal paid leave program and some FMLA expansion, so more people would have access to unpaid leave as well. They've introduced legislation like this in the past though, and it hasn't obviously gone through.

NIALA: The New York Times reported that the U.S. is one of six countries in the world that doesn't have a national paid leave policy.

EMILY: Yeah. Isn't that crazy, we don't have anything, and it's pretty standard stuff, just six countries in the world, you know, some people will say, oh, the United States is the only developed nation or the only rich nation, but it's really worth emphasizing. It's one of the only nations. Yes, period.

Paid leave is an economic policy. You know, I think some people see it as sort of this like, individual thing. But if people don't have access to paid leave. They have to leave the workforce. They leave the workforce, they do not make money. And that is not good for the economy or for people. So one imagines that in the future the U.S. would be on the other side of the balance sheet there.

NIALA: Axios’ Emily Peck. Thanks Emily.

NIALA: One more winter headline before we go today: yesterday was Groundhog Day. And Punxsutawney Phil’s annual prediction is that we’ll have six more weeks of winter – which – this week has certainly turned out to be true.

More than 11 million Americans woke up yesterday to ice warnings issued by the National Weather Service across the Southern United States, with sleet, freezing rain and snow causing at least nine deaths. Officials urged caution from Texas to Tennessee as roads start to thaw out. 

Even as that storm comes to an end - the weather service is warning about potentially record-breaking cold expected this weekend in New England and parts of the midwest. The forecast is calling for wind chills to reach 10 below zero in New York City, 40 below in North Dakota and as low as 60 below zero in northern Maine tomorrow morning - so if you’re up north, please be careful!

NIALA: That’s it for us for this week. Axios Today is produced by Fonda Mwangi, Naomi Shavin and Lydia McMullen-Laird. Our sound engineer is Alex Sugiura. Alexandra Botti is our supervising producer. Thanks to Robin Linn for her help on today’s episode! Sara Kehaulani Goo is Axios’ editor in chief. And special thanks as always to Axios co-founder Mike Allen.

I’m Niala Boodhoo. Stay safe, enjoy your weekend and we’ll see you back here on Monday.

Ilhan Omar voted out of a House committee

Ilhan Omar voted out of a House committee.

Congress

Axios Today

Podcasts

President Biden's plan to scale up domestic battery manufacturing for electric vehicles is proving to be popular. But the new incentives may end up costing the government much more than originally thought.

Plus, Tyre Nichols is laid to rest in Memphis.

Guests: Axios' Joann Muller and Jeremy Duda.

Credits: Axios Today is produced by Niala Boodhoo, Alexandra Botti, Naomi Shavin, Lydia McMullen-Laird, Fonda Mwangi and Alex Sugiura. Music is composed by Evan Viola. You can reach us at podcasts@axios.com. You can text questions, comments and story ideas to Niala as a text or voice memo to 202-918-4893.

VP Harris at Tyre Nichols' funeral: He "should have been safe"

Feds could take cues on water cuts from proposal

NIALA: Good morning! Welcome to Axios Today.

Here’s what we’re covering today: Tyre Nichols is laid to rest in Memphis. Plus, the West’s fight over water. But first, jump starting the domestic supply chain for electric vehicles. That’s today’s One Big Thing.

Jump starting the domestic supply chain for electric vehicles

NIALA: President Biden's plan to scale up domestic battery manufacturing for electric vehicles is proving to be popular. But the new incentives may end up costing the government more than originally planned. Axios’ Joann Muller has to scoop. Hi Joann.

NIALA: So when we say popular, what exactly are we talking about?

JOANN: Well, these particular tax credits are for manufacturers who open factories to produce electric vehicle batteries in the United States. But this was part of a big pot of incentives that were approved by Congress, and the one that a lot of people have heard about is the $7,500 tax credit for buying an electric vehicle. But this other tax credit just for manufacturers is the real sleeper in the bill I think. Because it really, is gonna add up to a lot of money going back to manufacturers, carmakers, battery companies, those kinds of companies.

JOANN: Right now, most of the batteries for electric vehicles are made in China, and the Biden administration and Congress really want to build a domestic supply chain. So what they've done is they've offered a tax credit to car makers for every battery that they produce in the U.S. And basically the way this credit works is it shaves about one third of the cost of the battery off of the price. And so if that is passed onto consumers, that also helps to make electric vehicles more affordable.

NIALA: So what is the cost then to taxpayers for this if these are government incentives?

JOANN: When this bill was being debated, the Congressional Budget Office estimated that it was gonna cost about $30 billion over 10 years. But, there have been so many companies that have announced new battery factories and the amount of batteries that they plan to produce is so large that they will qualify for a lot more than $30 billion. And in fact, we worked with a consultant to figure this out and estimate that these battery rebates are gonna cost taxpayers $136 billion over 10 years, which is, you know, more than four times what Congress estimated. 

NIALA: Joann, even if more people start buying electric vehicles, there is still the issue of accessibility of charging stations. Where are cities and towns across the country on having stations available?

JOANN: Well, charging is still kind of spotty. They are, tend to be in wealthier neighborhoods, whiter neighborhoods. But, this is another big government policy right now under the Infrastructure Act from 2021. $7.5 billion being spent to put chargers all across the highways. And then after the highway, get all the chargers then they'll start filling in to neighborhoods, disadvantaged communities, rural areas, apartment buildings. So there's a lot of work to do in charging for sure.

NIALA: Joann Muller covers the Future of Transportation for Axios joining us from Detroit. Thanks, Joann.

KAMALA HARRIS: We mourn with you (clapping)

NIALA: Vice President Kamala Harris joined the family and friends of Tyre Nichols and national civil rights leaders, for Nichols’ funeral in Memphis, Tennessee yesterday. Nichols was brutally beaten by police officers during a traffic stop…and died three days later. 

KAMALA HARRIS: This is a family that lost their son and their brother through an act of violence at the hands and the feet of people who had been charged with keeping them safe.

NIALA: His family remembered him as polite and peaceful. Here’s Nichols’ sister Keyana Dixon.

KEYANA DIXON: You know, being the oldest of three boys, I had to watch my brothers take them places that I probably didn't want to take them. Watch them at times when I didn't want to watch them. But with Ty, I didn't mind. He never wanted anything but to watch cartoons in a big bowl of cereal, so it was pretty easy to watch him. 

NIALA: George Floyd’s family was also at the funeral. Tyre Nichols’ mother, RowVaughn Wells – and VP Harris – called for passage of the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, a bill which would reform policing nationally - including by banning techniques such as chokeholds.

ROWVAUGH WELLS: We need to get that bill passed. Amen. Because if we don't, that blood, the next child that died, that blood is going to be on their hands.

NIALA: In a moment – states at a stalemate on the Colorado River.

The Colorado River Basin is dealing with a massive 23-year drought that's the worst the region’s seen in more than 1000 years. The surrounding seven states are struggling to figure out an agreement in California's the lone holdout on a proposed framework that's been months in the making. Here with the story is Axios’ Phoenix Reporter Jeremy Duda. 

Jeremy, before we get into the details can you give us the big picture here? What's going on with this drought?

JEREMY DUDA: Well, because the drought has, uh, been going on for so long and it's continually getting worse. What we're seeing is lower and lower water levels in Lake Powell and Lake Mead, which are the major reservoirs that pool that water from the river. And Lake Mead in particular is what Arizona and California, Nevada are especially reliant on. And so as they drop to a certain level, then Hoover Dam and Glen Canyon Dam reach what's known as deadpool status and can no longer generate electricity. So that's a very critical tipping point that everyone needs to avoid. And so as that gets closer and closer, conserving that water in those two lakes becomes more and more critical.

NIALA: So Tuesday was the deadline for seven river basin states, Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming to reach an agreement on this, what happened?

JEREMY: Well, everyone's been negotiating, you know, since last year when the Bureau of Reclamation announced the agency wanted  to see some information from the states for what's known as an environmental impact statement. It is analyzing what different outcomes may look like based on, you know, whether no changes are made, whether the feds impose their solution, which none of the states know what that'll be, and then whatever the states propose. The six of the states all agreed, but California would not sign onto that framework. And I don't want to call it an agreement. There is no hard and fast agreement there. But this is a framework that these six states proposed to conserve just under 2 million, additional acre feet of water. And an acre foot of water, by the way, is about 326,000 gallons. It's enough to serve, you know, two to three houses for a year. And so, you have to remember that the states are negotiating, but every state has a lot of users within the state. You know, here in Arizona we have the Central Arizona project, which, uh, pipes in water from the Colorado River. You have a lot of tribes, cities. In California you have major agriculture districts, you have the Metropolitan Water District that serves the Los Angeles area. Under the current situation, California's water rights are very high priority, and so they are very resistant, I think, to the notion of, uh, agreeing to more severe cuts than they feel like they have to.

NIALA: So you said that six states have an agreement, even if California is the holdout, what does that mean going forward then?

JEREMY: It's hard to say. There's still maybe time from what one expert tells me that, you know, she feels like there's still time simply because whatever final resolution happens simply can't look too much different than what the six states have already proposed. Cause there's only so many ways to get to, keep that water on the river, there's only so many ways those cuts can be apportioned. But the clock is, uh, very much ticking here.

NIALA: Jeremy Duda is a reporter for Axios Phoenix. Thanks, Jeremy. 

NIALA: That’s it for us today! I’m Niala Boodhoo - thanks for listening - stay safe and we’ll see you back here tomorrow morning

“In the Bubble” is a comforting and informative podcast from Lemonada Media. Every week, host Andy Slavitt is here to help you make sense of tough issues, from COVID to the student loan crisis, to climate change and beyond. “In the Bubble” has new episodes out Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. Listen wherever you get your podcasts.

Jump-starting the domestic supply chain for EVs

Jump-starting the domestic supply chain for electric vehicles.

Electric vehicles

Florida last month rejected an Advanced Placement African American Studies Class for its schools. As Black History Month begins, we're digging into this fight and Florida's own history.

Plus, a new survey takes the pulse of educator anxiety.

And, missing monkeys are just the latest in a series of strange events at the Dallas Zoo.

Guests: Axios' Russell Contreras, Michael Mooney and Florida International University's Dr. Marvin Dunn.

Credits: Axios Today is produced by Niala Boodhoo, Alexandra Botti, Naomi Shavin, Fonda Mwangi and Alex Sugiura. Music is composed by Evan Viola. You can reach us at podcasts@axios.com. You can text questions, comments and story ideas to Niala as a text or voice memo to 202-918-4893.

A Black professor defies DeSantis law restricting lessons on race

Black History Month arrives as teachers' fears mount

Missing monkeys latest in a string of strange events at Dallas Zoo

Statement from Gov. Ron DeSantis' office to Axios Today:

Here’s why the Stop WOKE Act (Bill name Individual Freedom Act) doesn’t prohibit speech or ideas from free exchange, but actually protects the open exchange of ideas:

The concepts cannot be forced on employees as a condition of employment, etc. meaning there is no choice but for the employee to be subjected to these concepts. Though we greatly disagree with the concepts above, no employer, etc. is prohibited from holding voluntary workshops, seminars, or trainings on them. Nor is the employer prohibited from communicating these concepts to the public.  The employer simply cannot subject employees to mandatory training on these concepts where the employer attempts to impose the concepts on the employee.

The concepts are designed to force individuals to believe something. As we have seen so regularly in schools and workplaces tainted with DEI and CRT, these concepts are specifically designed and taught in a manner to convince people to adopt a certain proscribed ideology -- not to think critically about them (as they are certainly not presented with alternatives.) They are designed to influence an individual’s thoughts about themselves and society and delivered by individuals with authority or influence over others (employers over employees, teachers over students). That means this isn’t a peer-to-peer discussion or public discourse, but it is coming from someone with power over another and all of the associated leverages of their position. That said, the law does not prohibit training where the concepts are merely discussed, as opposed to espoused and inculcated.  The law specifically provides that it “may not be construed to prohibit discussion of the concepts listed therein as part of a course of training or instruction, provided such training or instruction is given in an objective manner without endorsement of the concepts.”

Finally, the law is designed to prohibit forced indoctrination in these concepts because doing so is discriminatory.  This is racial harassment, which is likewise prohibited both by the Florida Civil Rights Act and Title VII. Consider a scenario wherein an employer cannot take adverse employment action against an employee because of his or her race but could inundate its employee with racially hostile indoctrination.  If the former conduct is prohibited, the latter should be as well.

Finally, keeping employees or students from being forced to think a certain way upon condition of employment and as directed by those with authority or influence over others (employers over employees, teachers over students) protects freedom of thought. And the concepts as specified in the bill in particular are discriminatory concepts that, if ultimately forcibly adopted by society, will inevitably invite the speech-hating collateral consequences of unbridled, hatred-fueled collectivism.

It’s Wednesday, the first day of February and of Black History Month.

Today on the show: Florida’s fight over African American history. And, why educators across the country are rethinking their approach to race. Teaching Black History – that’s our One Big Thing.

NIALA: Florida last month rejected an advanced placement African-American studies classified schools, a course that some high schools nationwide had been piloting. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis says the course violates the quote Stop W.O.K.E Act, which he signed into law late last year.

It aims to restrict how educators handle topics like racism, slavery, and the nation's history of anti-black violence. Educators and historians have come out against the law and drove saying it infringes on their ability to do their jobs. Part of the law has already been blocked by a judge, and other lawsuits are in progress.

Marvin Dunn is a former college professor, public school principal, author and founder of Teach The Truth Tours aimed at discussing what happens when we restrict how educators teach history. He's also a plaintiff in one of the lawsuits over the new law. 

As Black History Month begins, we're digging into this fight and into the history of Florida in particular. Professor Dunn, welcome to Axios Today. Thanks for being with us. 

DR. MARVIN DUNN: Thank you for having me. 

NIALA: As an educator first, can you give us some examples of what the Stop Woke Act practically means for Florida teachers and how it can actually change what's being allowed in the classroom?

DR. DUNN: You can talk about slavery, but you must discuss it objectively. I don't know how to objectively describe an enslaved woman having a baby ripped from her bosom and sold into slavery. 

NIALA: I am a product of Miami-Dade County public schools. I didn't get a complete education about Florida's history. For example, I never learned about the Rosewood Massacre, where the town of Rosewood was burned to the ground and its Black residents terrorized by deadly violence for days in the 1920s. I learned about that as an adult. So you founded these Teach the Truth tours, which take people all over Florida to learn about the history of specific sites. What motivated you to do that?

DR. DUNN: These tours are for high school students with a parent or a grandparent. All expenses paid by us. And we go to places in Florida where the blood was shed. We go to places where people died at the hands of white mobs. And it's important, in my view, to take the kids and the parents and grandparents because the stories get passed down at the Thanksgiving table around the Christmas tree. These are very, very difficult tours, and they should be. So I, we wanted to create an experience that they would never forget. And when you take someone to Rosewood and you walk that ground, uh, you'll never forget that.

NIALA: Is this meant to be an alternative to public education then in Florida? 

DR. DUNN: It is an alternative to public education in Florida. I can't imagine particularly under this government, school districts taking high school kids to places where these terrible things happen. Right now in Florida, the movement is away from teaching this history away from taking people to these, these places. So, uh, I, I fear that these stories will be lost. I fear that Rosewood will be lost. There's only one building standing in Rosewood today, The JW Wright house, the white man's home who protected some of the Blacks at that time, that house is endangered, and once it goes, we'll have no building in Rosewood that speaks back to 1923.

NIALA: Dr. Dunn, one aspect of the Stop W.O.K.E Act is a provision stating that students and employees should not be made to feel uncomfortable or guilty about actions done by other members of their race or ethnicity or gender. What is your response to that, when it comes to teaching history in this country?

DR. DUNN: They should not feel guilty. There's no reason to try to lay guilt on anybody. I don't see that happening. I've been in classrooms in Florida for 40 years. I've never in my life seen a teacher tell a student to feel guilty about something that happened 200 years ago. That is not happening in our schools.

NIALA: Dr. Marvin Dunn is an author, historian, and educator. He's a professor emeritus at Florida International University, one of my alma maters. Thanks, Dr. Dunn for being with us. 

DR. DUNN: You're quite welcome. Thank you for having me. 

NIALA: We also asked Gov. DeSantis's office for a comment on this conversation. Spokesman Bryan Griffith emailed us last night to say that the Stop Woke Act doesn't prohibit speech or ideas from free exchange.  But what it does do is prohibit what he called forcing individuals to believe something. The statement said, quote "As we have seen so regularly in schools and workplaces tainted with DEI and CRT, these concepts are specifically designed and taught in a manner to convince people to adopt a certain proscribed ideology."  We’ll put the full statement from the Governor’s office in our show notes.

In a moment - a new national survey takes the pulse of how educators are feeling.

A new survey takes the pulse of educator anxiety

Teachers nationwide say they're feeling pressure to change how they teach gender and race. In a new RAND Corporation survey, a quarter of all teachers reported they're shifting their lessons and materials based on restrictions. Teachers are increasingly facing, even if they themselves are not facing restrictive laws in their state. Axios’ Russell Contreras has been covering the story. Hey, Russ.

NIALA: So Russ, teachers are changing how they teach, not just because of laws like Florida Stop Woke Act, but because of anxiety. What is the fear?

RUSS: Well, teachers are concerned about a number of things. They're concerned about, one, losing their job. They're concerned about possibly, eh, getting a fine imposed on them or their district. They're also concerned about something else being shamed on social media and being shamed on social media can affect your reputation as an educator. It can also pose a risk to your life. A lot of teachers have been harassed at school board meetings. You've had college professors tell us they've had their lives threatened. You see a number of things while this debate is spreading since 2021 and to today.

NIALA: So what did that survey say about what teachers are reporting about how they're changing their methods?

RUSS: Well, the survey was interesting because it asked teachers an open-ended question, so what are you doing? Uh, as a response to that, some teachers said they're very reluctant to reintroduce lessons about, around Frederick Douglass, for example, or teaching the speeches of Martin Luther King. We do know that some states in imposing limitations have targeted books that once were not controversial, like the works of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, his speeches are the play by Lorraine Hansberry “A Raisin in the Sun.” In recent years, these are works that have been targeted to be removed from curriculum or outright banned. These limitations also include discussions around gender and sexuality. There's a number of books that talk about gay and  lesbian issues, trans issues that are being removed. So it's also limitations about race and gender.

NIALA: So Russ, what does this mean for Black History Month in particular?

RUSS: Well, Black History Month, as you know, comes around every February and for many years it was a chance to introduce lessons to students, around people or works they may not be exposed to for the rest of the year. Educators are now reluctant to bring up, say, the March on Washington. They may be reluctant to bring up Jackie Robinson. They may say that he's a baseball player, but, they may not bring up why he was prevented from playing into Major League Baseball because of segregation. It really imposes limitations on how we discuss the truth.

NIALA: Axios’ Senior Race and Justice Reporter, Russell Contreras. Thank you.

Missing monkeys are just the latest in a series of strange events at the Dallas Zoo

NIALA: Now for the strangest news you’ll probably hear today – missing monkeys at the Dallas Zoo. Axios’ Michael Mooney has more.

MICHAEL MOONEY: Two emperor tamarin monkeys that were taken from the Dallas Zoo earlier this week were found in the closet of an empty home in Lancaster, a suburb south of town, according to a Dallas police spokesperson. This is the latest in a string of very strange incidents at the zoo over the last month. 

Two weeks ago, Nova, a clouded leopard escaped the leopard enclosure through a cut in the mesh. Police believe it was intentional. The zoo also found a similar cut at the langur monkey’s enclosure though none of those monkeys escaped the exhibit. And last week, Pin, an endangered lappet-faced vulture was found dead with what police called an unusual wound. 

Other zoos around the country have also experienced thefts over the last couple of months. 12 squirrel monkeys were reportedly stolen from a zoo in Louisiana over the weekend. Last year, two Galapagos tortoises were stolen from a zoo in Florida. And last summer a macaw was stolen from a zoo in New Mexico and later found dead.

NIALA: That’s Axios’ Dallas Reporter Michael Mooney.

NIALA: And that’s it for us today. I’m Niala Boodhoo – and by the way it goes without saying but stealing animals from zoos – is a very bad thing. 

Thanks for listening - stay safe and we’ll see you back here tomorrow morning.

Florida's fight over the teaching of Black history

Black History Month

Secretary of State Antony Blinken was in Jerusalem on Monday, where he weighed in on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s plans for a judicial overhaul.

And, a very rare green comet appears in the night skies.

Guests: Axios' Barak Ravid and Miriam Kramer

Blinken urges Netanyahu to build broad consensus around judicial overhaul plan

Private human spaceflight's future hangs on looming regulation

Green comet zooming our way, last visited 50,000 years ago

Here’s what we’re covering today: the future of private spaceflight. Plus, a very rare green comet appears in the night skies. But first, the U.S. worries over Israel’s democracy. That’s today’s One Big Thing.

The U.S. worries over Israel’s democracy

NIALA: U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken was in Jerusalem yesterday, where he weighed in on Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s plans for a judicial overhaul. Blinken urged the prime minister to build a broad consensus before moving ahead on the plan which has caused mass protests in Israel.

Blinken also stressed the need for calm after days of deadly violence between Israelis and Palestinians. 

For more on what’s unfolding in Israel, and the U.S. role, is Axios’ Barak Ravid – he’s on the road reporting in Jerusalem…Barak, can you remind us what Netanyahu has been doing to the judicial system in Israel.

BARAK RAVID: Hi, Niala. Well, I think that what we've seen here is a blitz of proposed legislation that is basically aimed at weakening the Supreme Court, and the judicial system, more broadly. And it was expected, but I think no one expected that it would happen so fast and in such a strong and brutal way. And even though, those are just proposals for now and the legislation is just being discussed right now in the Knesset in the Israeli parliament. It is very clear that Netanya and his coalition want to push this in a very, very short order. 

NIALA: So can you share what Blinken said and why the U.S. is weighing in?

BARAK: Until three weeks ago, this issue wasn't even on the radar of the Biden administration. I think that many, many U.S. officials wanted to sidestep this issue, not to weigh in, uh, not to get involved, hoping that somehow it'll go away. But I think that as time passed and uh, hundreds of thousands of Israelis went to demonstrate for four weeks in a row, I think the Biden administration realized it can't stay on the fence and National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan came to Israel 10 days ago. He raised this issue in private with Netanyahu, but then I think that maybe the Biden administration thought that the message didn't really go through well enough. And, you know, Anthony Blinken, he's a polite Secretary of State. He speaks very, very softly. But I think that what he did in this statement was to, very politely and very softly, tell Netanyahu listen, this thing cannot continue as it is because we are against it. And if you wanna do it, you will need to get a broad consensus, and soften this very, very brutal judicial overhaul, your planning. 

NIALA: Yeah and let’s hear a little of what else Secretary Blinken said…

ANTHONY BLINKEN: The relationship between our countries, what we come back to time and again, is that it is rooted both in shared interests and shared values. That includes our support for core democratic principles and institutions, including respect for human rights, the equal administration of justice, for all the equal rights of minority groups, the rule of law, free press, a robust civil society.

BARAK: You know, I was shocked, frankly, that we reached a point where the Secretary of State of the United States needs to stand with the Prime Minister of Israel and basically give them a civics lesson on what democracy means and what are the shared democratic values of Israel and the U.S. You know, he, he, and he went, you know, he really went to details, you know, freedom of the press. Minority rights, human rights, all those things that I think the Biden administration thinks that if the plan goes through, will be, will be damaged, 

NIALA: Turning to the violence between Israelis and Palestinians in recent days – what is the latest there?

BARAK: Yeah. The problem is that on the Palestinian side, you have a crippled Palestinian authority that is losing its control on more and more parts of its, you know, quasi territory. And you have in Israel, a radical far-right government, uh, that doesn't seem to be, uh, really interested in strengthening the Palestinian authority. And that in its policies could, only, increase the tensions, and it's a very dangerous situation and it doesn't take for this whole thing to explode. We are, we're basically on a regular day, we're on a powder keg and now more than ever.

NIALA: Barak Ravid is Axios’ correspondent in Tel Aviv – joining us from the road in Jerusalem…thanks Barak.

A very rare green comet appears in the night skies

NIALA: Turning to the skies now…where a rare green comet is visible this week – for the first time in 50,000 years.

NASA estimates that the last time this comet passed this close to earth was during the Neanderthal age. The comet looks green because of poisonous gasses near its middle, diatomic carbon and cyanogen gas. 

You can see the comet now, but it will be brightest when it passes closest to the Earth between tomorrow and Thursday, so for those of us in this hemisphere -  heading out Wednesday night may be your best bet. The darkest conditions will make for the clearest view, as will binoculars or a telescope.

NIALA: In a moment: more on space…with the future of private spaceflight.

This year a ban regulating the safety of private rockets is set to expire, which could be a game changer for the human space flight industry. Companies like Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin and Elon Musk's SpaceX are of course already sending private customers into space, but with new protections, how will this change the industry? Here to give us the big picture is Axios’ Miriam Kramer. Hi Miriam

NIALA: First, Miriam, I think we need to understand what exactly this ban is and what happens when it expires?

MIRIAM: Yeah, so this is broadly called the learning period, uh, for the private human space flight industry. Basically starting in 2004, Congress gave the FAA permission to effectively regulate the space flight industry. But they also said you cannot enact regulations to basically protect the safety of the people flying inside of these spacecraft. 

So the folks choosing to fly, they fly under what's called a regime of informed consent, which is basically that these companies have to inform their passengers of all of the risks of flying to space, and then they can decide whether they still wanna do it or not. In October, the moratorium, so this learning period, is set to expire. It's possible Congress could extend it again, but it's looking pretty likely that it will expire. And then the FAA will be granted the authority to regulate the industry for safety as they see fit.

NIALA: So this fall, if the FAA does begin to regulate private space flight, what might that look like?

MIRIAM: It could be anything from more prescriptive regulations, which is something that the industry really doesn't want, that are kind of saying, okay, you must have this button or this lever, or something like that. Or it might be a little bit more of a gentle touch, something to start a framework around in case there is an accident, which in all likelihood, there will be one day. And I think what everybody kind of wants to avoid when it comes to space flight, is a large high profile accident that would lead to effectively the end of the industry.

NIALA: Miriam, as you look at 2023 for private space flight, what are you watching for this year?

MIRIAM: I think that actually this year is gonna be marked by consistency. The past couple of years we've seen splashy big new systems coming online. We've seen like Jeff Bezos fly to space, we've seen, uh, Richard Branson fly to space. And now I think it's time to show that the market demand is there for these systems and that they can fly consistently. It's not just about those big, showy moments that's not what an industry is built off of. An industry is built off going to space consistently, safely, and with the backing of customers effectively.

NIALA: Miriam Kramer covers space for Axios. Thanks, Miriam.

NIALA: That’s it for us today! You can reach our team at podcasts at axios dot com or you can also text me feedback or story ideas at (202) 918-4893.

I’m Niala Boodhoo - thanks for listening - stay safe and we’ll see you back here tomorrow morning.

U.S. worries over Israel's democracy

The U.S. worries over Israel's democracy.

Israel

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen traveled to Africa last week to deepen U.S. ties in the continent. That comes as China is working on how to restructure debt in the region after loaning around $700 billion to Africa over the last two decades.

Plus, the end of the Memphis Scorpion police unit.

And, a surge in violence between Israelis and Palestinians.

Guests: Axios' Hans Nichols and Shawna Chen.

Yellen warns of debt ceiling "catastrophe" for U.S. and beyond

China's first African debt rodeo is playing out in Zambia

Why Memphis' specialized police unit is under fire after Tyre Nichols' death

Editor's note: This episode has been corrected to reflect that the roughly $700 billion in outstanding African debt belongs to many countries and institutions, not just China, which has roughly 12%.

Today on the show: the end of the Memphis scorpion police unit. Plus, a surge in violence between Israelis and Palestinians. But first: Secretary Yellen in Africa… and China’s massive debt deal with the continent. That’s today’s One Big Thing.

NIALA: Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen is nervous about what happens if the debt ceiling isn't raised this summer. That's according to what she said to Axios’ Hans Nichols during her trip to Africa a few days ago. Hans is here with us now to tell us more about that interview. Hey, Hans.

NIALA: What did Secretary Yellen say about the status of the debt ceiling besides the fact that she's nervous?

HANS: First of all, there's going to be, if there's a debt default and that is to say, if Congress doesn't extend the debt ceiling and increase the borrowing capacity of the United States government sometime in early June, we don't know exactly when the X date is. There'll be a financial crisis, there'll be a recession, the recession will get worse because there won't be tools to respond to the recession. That's why there's a great deal of concern about this in financial markets. That's why everyone's watching this so closely and that's why everyone's watching it so much further out in advance. Remember, we're five months away, and normally you and I would have this conversation like five weeks away, maybe five days away, but everyone recognizes that this time maybe, and I stress maybe, different.

NIALA: She was also basically front and center in 2011 during the debt ceiling showdown, so she has some experience with this.

HANS: Yeah, she, I mean, she watched it, she was vice chair of the Fed at the time, you know, in the 2011 case, you had a downgrade by the ratings agencies and you sort of saw the beginnings. So she saw how something, a potential meltdown can start to happen. Of course, we pulled back from the brink then. I would just say two things, one, yes, she's the treasury secretary, she's part of an administration and they're trying to put political pressure on Republicans. At the same time, Janet Yellen is also an economist, and my joke about Janet Yellen is she's just like any other economist, only more so, which is to say she really likes numbers, she really likes data. 

And if you listen to her closely, she's really trying to preserve her ability to referee this, because remember, she's keeping the shot clock on just when we hit X date and when I sort of pressed her on who she's talking with among congressional Republicans, how is she gonna negotiate this? She made it very clear that it's up to Congress and the White House and the President to figure this out, she wants to make sure everyone knows where the country is and where the finances are and how close we are to going off the cliff.

NIALA: You were with Secretary Yalllen on this trip to Africa. The purpose of which was to deepen U.S. ties on the continent, and this comes as China is making big strides in the region. What do we need to know about China's relationship with Africa, right now?

HANS: It's facing a big test, right? For the last 20 years, China's been the biggest lender to Africa but they've never really gone through a big default. And in the past when we've had debt restructurings, this happens, wealthy nations have gotten together and figured out how to take a haircut, and that basically means you write down and you restructure the debt. China's never had to do that and they came up with this new sort of program plan of action called the Common Framework. And Zambia, which is, you know, has all kinds of fiscal problems, has been in default. Zambia is really the test case and China is playing pretty hard as a creditor and driving a pretty tough bargain in Zambia because they see it as a precedent. They see it very much as go Zambia goes the rest of Africa. And there will be other debt structure, debt restructuring. Ethiopia's in line, Ghana's in line and that has other countries nervous beyond just Zambia.

NIALA: So we're talking about $700 billion has been loaned to Africa from China over the last two decades. What kind of political power does that give China throughout the continent versus say the U.S.?

HANS: You see China's influence everywhere. I mean, I would distinguish between power versus influence. And just take Zambia, it is Africa's second biggest copper producer. Very rich in that mineral, so Chinese goods come in as the Zambian copper goes out.

Now you see the Zambian government and they really want all the international players, the U.S., the IMF, everyone to come in and convince China to move a little faster to do the debt restructuring because if they don't have a debt restructuring, Zambia's economy continues to spiral downward. And there's really no prospect for growth. It's like going into bankruptcy but not having a bankruptcy court. And there's this new court that's coming up, it's called the Common Framework and China doesn't quite know how it's gonna participate in it, and it's very mindful that anything that it does as relates to Zambia will have implications across the continent where they've got a lot of money that's out there and they don't know if they're gonna get it all paid back.

NIALA: Hans Nichols covers the Biden White House for Axios. Thanks Hans.

A surge in violence between Israelis and Palestinians

China's massive debt deal with Africa

Secretary Yellen in Africa and China's massive debt deal with the continent.

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