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A bipartisan group of senators yesterday announced they've agreed on new legislation to address gun violence. The deal falls short of what many Democrats in Congress had been hoping for, but still represents the most meaningful bipartisan movement on guns in almost 30 years.

Plus, the country’s largest Protestant group reckons with sexual abuse. 

And, as gas prices hit five dollars a gallon, how to find a little relief.

Guests: Axios' Alayna Treene and Christianity Today's Kate Shellnut.

Credits: Axios Today is produced by Niala Boodhoo, Sara Kehaulani Goo, Alexandra Botti, Nuria Marquez Martinez, Lydia McMullen-Laird 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.

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Senators reach a bipartisan gun safety deal

A bipartisan group of senators yesterday announced they've agreed on new legislation to address gun violence.

Gun laws

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Last night was the first prime time public hearing held by the Congressional committee investigating the Jan 6. insurrection. The committee laid out its case to show a conspiracy by former President Trump that led to the violence.

Plus, an update on the solar industry in America.

Guests: Axios' Mike Allen and Ben Geman. 

Credits: Axios Today is produced by Niala Boodhoo, Sara Kehaulani Goo, Alexandra Botti, Nuria Marquez Martinez, 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.

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A "brazen" conspiracy: the Jan. 6 case against Trump

The Jan. 6 committee laid out its case to show a conspiracy by former President Trump that led to the violence.

Jan. 6 select committee

Yesterday, the House of Representatives held hearings on gun violence which included some wrenching testimony from those involved in recent mass shootings in Uvalde and Buffalo. How those voices could affect the gun debate.

Plus, teachers are being pushed to the brink.

Guests: Abby Livingston, D.C. bureau chief for the Texas Tribune, and Axios' Erica Pandey.

Garland announces team to review police response to Uvalde shooting

Uvalde shooting survivor testifies: "I don't want it to happen again"

NIALA: Good morning. Welcome to Axios Today.

Today: teachers are being pushed to the brink.

First, our One Big Thing: graphic, and gut-wrenching gun violence testimony in Washington – and whether it could lead to change.

Yesterday, the House of Representatives held hearings on gun violence which included some wrenching testimony from those involved in recent mass shootings in Uvalde and Buffalo:

11 year old Miah Cerrillo described how she survived the Uvalde shooting by playing dead. 

MIAH CERRILLO: He shot my friend that was next to me and I thought he was going to come back to the room. So I got a little blood and I put it all over me.

NIALA: And Kimberly Rubio, the mother of one of the victims at Robb Elementary School, shared her final encounter with her daughter:

KIMBERLY RUBIO: We promised to get her ice cream that evening. I told her we loved her and we would pick her up after school. I could still see her walking with us toward the exit. In the reel that keeps scrolling across my memories, she turns her head and smiles back at us to acknowledge my promise. And then we left. I left my daughter at that school and that decision will haunt me for the rest of my life.

NIALA: There were pleas to Congress to pass laws that would prevent future mass shootings. Zeneta Everhart’s son Zaire, was injured in the shooting in Buffalo, NY.

ZENETA EVERHART: If after hearing from me and the other people testifying here today does not move you to act on gun laws. I invite you to my home to help me clean Zaire’s's wounds so that you may see up close the damage that has been caused to my son and to my community.

NIALA: Abby Livingston is the DC bureau chief for the Texas Tribune. Hi Abby.

NIALA: Abby, what struck you about yesterday's hearing?

ABBY: I would say it was the language used. And by that, I mean, if you, if you look at Ms. Rubio. She is a journalist. She worked in the newsroom and that's how she first heard about this through the police scanner. And so I think she demonstrates what all the witnesses did, was there was so much detail, so many descriptive words to just express how graphic, how miserable, how disastrous this event, these two events were.

NIALA: Is it fair to say that we heard the same responses we've heard in the past from both parties?

ABBY: I think it's mostly fair. Republicans very much went back to their usual points about gun regulation, which is that schools need to be secured. And that's that sort of line of thinking. It was not with the theme of the majority's message, which was looking at this as an epidemic and what the culpability of the gun manufacturers is in this context.

NIALA: To that end House Democrats also voted yesterday on a series of gun laws. They say this vote was necessary, even though it's not likely to create a change in gun laws. Can you explain that, Abby?

ABBY: Well, yes, that's correct. Because of the Senate but I think the House had to do this just because of how much emotion there is behind this. How much many, many liberal members want to do something, even if it is just a vote. At the same time I spent most of the day or, uh, this week on the Senate side. And it's a very different story.

NIALA: Can you tell us what is the latest with this small group of bipartisan senators? Is that where the only possibility for a change in laws lie?

ABBY: I think most likely, and I think Democrats are eager to accept any sort of change Republicans put forward when it comes to regulating guns, but these are not sweeping changes. It will most likely fall along mental health and what are known as red flag laws, which keeps guns out of the hands of people who could be a threat to themselves or others. It's very tenuous, but there's a lot of optimism that in the Senate.

NIALA: Do we have a sense of the timing of when that might be?

ABBY: I think the timing is swift, but swift is a relative term when you talk about the United States Senate. I think it will be before the 4th of July recess if there is a vote. That doesn't mean there will be, or that negotiations are certain, but if it does happen, there's no interest in putting this on a big standalone bill in six months. They want to move now while there's momentum.

NIALA: Abby Livingston is the DC bureau chief for the Texas Tribune. Thanks Abby.

NIALA: In a moment, we’re back with how this moment is testing teachers.

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

The massacre at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas – and other recent mass shootings – come as teachers in America are already overwhelmed and exhausted. And many are now looking for an exit.  

Axios’ Erica Pandey is with us for more. Hi, Erica.

NIALA: Being a teacher has always been underpaid, difficult work in this country, but what exactly makes this such a uniquely hard moment?

ERICA: So in the last two years, these pressures have just been building, right? I mean, the pandemic is a huge one. We asked teachers to completely switch what they knew and, and turn to virtual learning and that was really hard for a lot of teachers. A lot of futures skew older, and they had to come in to class when schools opened again and risk their lives for their jobs. And then we're dealing with a kid mental health crisis right now. And a lot of those kids are turning to their teachers for help. Add to that politics seeping into classrooms and now, you know, we're living in a country where mass shootings in schools happen. It's really straining teachers and either driving them out of the profession or making them reconsider whether they want to be there.

NIALA: Do we know how much this profession is shrinking as people leave?

ERICA: Yeah, the numbers are really scary, Niala. So in the 1970s, the U.S. graduated around 200,000 new teachers a year. That's fallen to below 90,000. And on top of that, a recent National Education Association survey found that 55% of teachers at all different stages of their careers are considering leaving the profession even before their retirement benefits kick in. So it's just got, they've gone to a point where nothing is making this profession seem worth it anymore.

NIALA: And what kind of solutions are there to helping resolve the labor part of this?

ERICA: Superintendents tell us that something that really concerns them is that they've got open roles and the quality of people applying is not great, or they're getting no applications at all. So something some districts are trying, uh, you know, there are districts up in Michigan that are trying, this is up-skilling janitors and bus drivers to become teachers because you know that these people love kids, love working with kids. Let's see if we can, you know, pay for them to go back to school so they can come and work in schools.

Again, something broke somewhere along the way where the best and the brightest in this country no longer want to educate the next generation. And that's a big federal problem to solve as to how do we create incentives or how do we forgive loans or, or what do we do to make people want to teach again?

NIALA: We've been hearing from listeners who are teachers. Here's what one told us.

DYLAN: This is Dylan from Portland, Oregon. I'm a high school math teacher. I believe that teachers, in addition to higher pay, smaller class sizes, more resources and support at all levels from the classroom to the hallways, to the school-wide community, they also need someone to process the trauma and how they're doing in the work each and every day. This would go so, so far to help with the enormous burnout rate that they face, especially in years like this year, teachers are dropping like flies left and right. They need this now.

NIALA: Erica, are you hearing this from teachers? What about mental health resources to help with trauma? 

ERICA: A lot of districts have provided teachers with the mental health resources to help their kids, but not a lot have given those resources to teachers themselves. And when we talk to superintendents and teachers, they all say we need this, but no one really has a plan of how to get it, how to pay for it and how to implement it. 

NIALA: On the other hand, superintendents are sharing with you the small ways they're trying to show teachers how appreciated they are?

ERICA: Right, I mean, a lot of this comes down to money, right? Raising wages, providing resources. We can't do that overnight. So superintendents are telling us what is something we can do today? And that is, let's postpone this professional development seminar that we don't need to do right now so teachers don't have to give up their weekends. Let's try to recruit volunteers from the community to become substitutes And then just a simple thank you. So many teachers that we spoke to said they rarely hear just a simple message of thanks from parents or community members or kids and we just have to remember that that's so important and that can go so far.

NIALA: I come from a whole family of teachers. So this is a good time to remind everybody to thank a teacher in their life today. Axios’ Erica Pandey. Thanks Erica.

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

Gut-wrenching gun violence testimony in Washington

Yesterday, the House of Representatives heard testimony from those involved in recent mass shootings in Uvalde and Buffalo.

Gun violence

Yesterday was primary day in California, Iowa, Mississippi, Montana, New Jersey, New Mexico, and South Dakota. Two of the night’s most-watched results came out of California, where homelessness and crime have been top of mind for voters. 

Plus, why scientists are calling summer the “danger season”

And, a temporary memorial for the 45,000 people lost to gun violence each year

Guests: Dan Walters, columnist at CalMatters, and Axios' Andrew Freedman 

America is staring down a summer of disasters

NIALA BOODHOO: Good morning! Welcome to Axios Today! 

It’s Wednesday, June 8th. I’m Niala Boodhoo. 

Here’s what you need to know today:summer becomes the “danger season.” Plus, a temporary memorial for the 45,000 people lost to gun violence each year. 

But first, today’s One Big Thing: crime drives California voters in yesterday’s primary.

It was primary day again yesterday in California, Iowa, Mississippi, Montana, New Jersey, New Mexico and South Dakota. Two of the night’s most watched results were in California where homelessness and crime have been top of mind for voters. So we wanted to hone in on two races there this morning - The race for LA mayor is now headed to a run-off between representative Karen Bass and billionaire developer, Rick Caruso, and in San Francisco, the progressive district attorney Chesa Boudin has been recalled. Dan Walters is a columnist for CalMatters based in Sacramento. Good morning, Dan.

NIALA: Dan, let's start with the DA's race in San Francisco. What does it say that in one of the most liberal cities in America, a progressive district attorney was recalled?

DAN: Well, it says that San Francisco's had a terrific crime problem lately, mostly petty crime, car break-ins, car burglars, smash and grabs in stores and everything. San Francisco is a liberal city. It's a progressive city, but you know, what's the old saying a conservative is a progressive who’s been mugged? Something like that. And this is kind of a bit of mugging for San Francisco in a sense. And Boudin probably isn't responsible for that in a sense, but he's a convenient target because he is the prosecutor and he is a self-declared criminal justice reformer, who wants to go easier on people. Don't send them to jail if you don't have to, don't prosecute heavily handed, go light. And so he's become a lightning rod.

And it's an interesting thing this issue of crime could resonate around the country, but that doesn't make California necessarily a bellwether because California is still a deeply blue state. This issue might be a bellwether, but not California as a whole. 

NIALA: When we're thinking about LA, how much did crime and the homeless population play a role in that mayor's race?

DAN: Number one and number two, take your pick. They were the only issues virtually, Rick Caruso, who, the wealthy businessman, who is running for mayor made that his issue, spent millions of dollars on ads to drive home the idea that the crime was going, running amuck in Los Angeles, and they're having many of the same problems in Los Angeles that they have in San Francisco. A lot of smash and grab robberies, a lot of homicides, a lot of car burglaries, the same kind of things that have been plaguing San Francisco. And that's going to be the issue in Los Angeles, in the runoff - homelessness and crime. And the two are largely intertwined in the minds of the public.

NIALA: Now we didn't see particularly high turnout in either of these races, but what is your key takeaway about progressives and crime and where we might be going as we head into the fall midterms?

DAN: I wrote a column earlier this year saying that I thought crime would be the sleeper issue of this year's elections in California. And it’s been - The whole idea of this crime wave or concerned about crime has kind of been poo-pooed by the state's main politicians, but it was out there. It's been out there for the last about two years now and people are just getting kind of disgusted with it. That's something that Democrats should worry about because in close races, the Republicans will use the crime issue. They think that's a winning issue this year in some close congressional elections. And it could, you know, in a close congressional race, it could be this thing that tips the ballots.

NIALA: Dan Walters is a columnist for CalMatters based in Sacramento. Thanks, Dan.

NIALA: After the break, preparing for another summer of extreme weather.

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

From ferocious wildfires on the west coast to the busiest hurricane season on record in 2020, the past two summers have been especially devastating for Americans when it comes to natural disasters. And Axios’ climate and energy reporter Andrew Freedman says, this is becoming the status quo. As we head into another summer of climate disasters. He's here with details of what that could look like.

Andrew, we're certainly not trying to be alarmist, but groups like the Union of Concerned Scientists are now referring to the summer as the danger season. Can you explain why?

ANDREW FREEDMAN: Yeah. You know, summer is the time period when natural climate variability combines with the climate change signal to push things in one direction. So an ordinary heat wave with climate change becomes a much bigger threat.

When I was little, you know, summer was synonymous with fun and freedom and summer now for a lot of people in the U.S. and around the world is associated with natural disasters and threats. It's associated with huge floods and huge storms and wildfires. And, you know, we have to kind of adapt to our changing reality and see what we can do to better accommodate these new conditions because they're not exactly going away.

NIALA: So you mentioned wildfires, we're thinking about hurricane season, there's a wildfire in New Mexico. That's still burning. It's the largest on record this year. Can you just go through the signs of what we need to be watching for the summer?

ANDREW: Yeah, so right now we have a huge drought footprint in the West. we're going to see, uh, escalating heat waves in the Southwest, in Texas to Colorado, to California, Nevada. And we're looking at the wildfire risk in different parts of the West at different points this summer. So don't think just Southern California, think Northern California as well, especially at the beginning.

And then, we're looking at the hurricane season, which every sign that scientists look for water temperatures, air circulation patterns, all of these that set up a hurricane season in the Atlantic are pointing in the direction of a much above average season. That doesn't guarantee a record disaster, worst case scenario, but it does mean that there's a signal here that's kind of flashing red for elevated risk.

NIALA: What should all of us be thinking about across the country to be prepared for this?

ANDREW: So if you live along the coast, uh, if you live in a coastal region that is at all vulnerable or sees hurricanes on occasion, you should definitely be watching out for the season. Plan to try to bolster your property, but plan also, what you would do in the event of an evacuation and think about where you might go. In wildfire country, you know, people are urging people to try to take defensive action around their property and clear brush and clear vegetation. There's also efforts to educate people about evacuation routes, and get people to have to-go bags. It's interesting how this is becoming a routine, in planning for one season or another. Just like you'd plan for winter, you'd plan for fall, seasonal activities in the West now include HEPA filters for the wildfire smoke.

NIALA: Andrew Freedman covers climate and energy for Axios. Thanks, Andrew.

NIALA: For the second year in a row, tens of thousands of flowers were placed in the shadow of the Washington Monument in our nation’s capitol in a temporary memorial for Americans who have died because of gun violence.

There are more than 45,000 white and orange flowers to represent the lives lost to guns each year. In 2020, 45,222 people died by guns – that includes mass shootings, homicides and suicide. That’s the largest yearly number in history.

Actor Matthew McConaughy - whose hometown is Uvalde, Texas - later spoke at the White House about why this moment could be different. 

MATTHEW MCCONAUGHY: The American people will continue to drive forward the idea of keeping our children safe. Because it’s more than our right to do - it’s our responsibility.

NIALA: A bipartisan group of Senators is working to negotiate a deal on gun control before the end of the week. 

That’s all we’ve got for you today! Text me your feedback and story ideas: I’m at (202) 918-4893.

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

Crime drives primary voters in California

Two of primary night’s most-watched results came out of California, where homelessness and crime are top of mind for voters.

Climate change

After 10 months of investigation into the capitol insurrection, the January 6th committee is having its first prime time public hearing on Thursday night.

Plus, more police are banned from marching in this month’s pride parades.

Guests: Andrea Bernstein, co-host of the podcast Will Be Wild; Axios' Russell Contreras.

More Pride events banning police from parades

Here’s what you need to know today: more police banned from marching in this month’s Pride parades.

But first, today’s One Big Thing: the January 6th committee goes prime time.

After 10 months of investigation into the Capitol insurrection, the January 6th committee is having its first prime time public hearing on Thursday night. Andrea Bernstein is with us with what to expect. She's co-host of the podcast Will Be Wild, which looks at the forces that led to January 6th. Hi Andrea.

ANDREA BERNSTEIN: Good morning. It's great talking to you.

NIALA: You know, we've had sort of a drip, drip, drip of information about the committee's work over the last year. What's the latest that we've learned ahead of these hearings?

ANDREA: I think that, the sort of biggest information that we've learned most recently is the extent to which the former president pressured his vice president, Mike Pence. And that in fact, Mike Pence's staff warned the secret service of potential violence that they were so concerned prior to January 6. But let me emphasize how important it is to look beyond the drips. And I think this is what the hearing is going to give us the opportunity to do, which is to say, what is the story of what happened? People saw the event on TV or processed it in real time via social media and then since then have gotten news bulletins, have read bits and pieces of stories, but have not really had a chance to immerse themselves in the story. That's what we've tried to do with our podcast and that is what I hope the committee is going to do a lot more of with this subpoena power that they've had.

NIALA: So what do you think will be the central focus, the central story of these hearings?

ANDREA: So I think initially what we're going to really be learning about is more about what the former president was doing on January 6 and in the run up to January 6. That's what they hinted very strongly, that we will understand the seven hour gap in his schedule. We've learned bits of breadcrumbs on the story from court documents that the committee has filed where they've upended bits of testimony from senior White House aides, not the top, top ones, but people who were in the room when decisions were being made. So we expect that we will be learning information that we'll be hearing from witness interviews that we have not heard thus far.

NIALA: My colleague, Jonathan Swan has been reporting this week that the January 6th committee has been split behind the scenes over what actions to take after the public hearings. Do we know what the intent of the end result of this hearing is meant to be?

ANDREA: So I think we've seen it somewhat of a range of what will happen after this that's been out in public view. There's been some indication that some members of the committee are more inclined to press the Justice Department to bring criminal charges while others feel more compelled to tell the story of what happened on January 6th. We don't know for sure. 

And I think one of the things that's really extraordinary about this committee is to the extent that even though bits and pieces of information have come out, the construction of this committee is so different from anything that we've seen. It has seven Democrats. It has two Republicans who are renegade Republicans. So they're all committed to telling the story. The disagreements that we hear seem to me smaller than the unity of purpose with which this committee has really been trying to dig out the truth of what happened in the run-up to January 6th and on the day itself.

NIALA: What does the committee, what has the committee then indicated its hopes are for public engagement with what they're doing?

ANDREA: What we know from what committee members have said is that they are hoping that this information will be revelatory enough that it will change people's views of what to do about democracy. The forces that have been at play, that were at play in the run up to January 6th, those forces haven't gone away. If anything, they've just intensified. So the question of what that means is an existential question for democracy. And I would be alarmed if there wasn't some kind of debate and disagreement and discussion about what to do.

What we know now is that there will be these hearings. Uh, it's our understanding there'll be six of them, two of them in prime time, that there will be a report coming up sometime later this year, that there may be further hearings. And then beyond that, what they do? Do they press the Justice Department to move forward? We shall see. I mean, there's been very little tactically that the committee has done to tilt its hand prior to when it actually does things.

NIALA: Andrea Bernstein is co-host of the podcast Will Be Wild and Trump Inc. Thanks, Andrea.

ANDREA: Thank you so much. Great talking to you. 

NIALA: In a moment: Pride events are telling police to stay away.

NIALA: Welcome back to Axios Today. I'm Niala Boodhoo. As LGBTQ+ groups March in Pride parades around the country this month, organizers in some cities are banning police departments from marching with them. Axios’ Russell Contreras has been reporting on how these cities are responding. Hey Russ.

NIALA: Russ, what role have police departments played in the past in Pride parades?

RUSSELL: Well, traditionally Pride events were a chance for police to engage with gay and lesbian communities. They've marched officially in parades. But in recent years, Pride organizers have pulled back and asked police not to officially participate or march in uniform. And this is a result of some members who support the Black Lives Matter movements saying it's creating tensions between Black LGBTQ members and the tensions around police violence. So in recent years, there has been a push to remove police from officially participating and relegating them to patrolling.

NIALA: And how were police departments responding to that?

RUSSELL: Police across the country, they’re responding differently. Some like in Albuquerque say they’re hurt. They said this was a chance for them to engage with the gay and lesbian community. Others are saying, like say the San Francisco Police Officer Pride Alliance, that this is kind of a slap in the face. They say that you wouldn't do this to other groups. And just because they're police officers should not disqualify them, especially if they agree with the mission of the Pride events. So it's definitely creating a division amongst Pride organizers and some members of the community.

NIALA: What about cities that are still inviting police? Is that still happening too?

RUSSELL: Yes, there's a division, say like in Seattle - Seattle Pride will still allow officers to participate in the parade. Salt Lake City, the police will be marching and the Des Moines police are welcome to participate in this year's Capital City Pride Parade, but it's still unknown whether officers will accept this offer. What's interesting, Niala is that the discussion about police - We're actually going back to the origins of Pride events. You remember Pride came out of the 1969 Stonewall riots also known as the Stonewall Uprising in New York. This happened after police raided a gay club and gay and transgender people fought back.

The uprising sparked what we call now the modern gay rights movement. The day after this riot or uprising members of the Black Panther Party came to join gay protests and they said, “Look, we find ourselves in solidarity with our gay and lesbian brothers and sisters who are protesting this over-policing. And it's interesting how things are coming back around.

NIALA: The bigger picture here also, Russ, is we're seeing a number of anti-LGBTQ legislation happening in various states across the country. Has that also changed the tone of these events?

RUSSELL: That's right. If you remember, when the George Floyd protests were hitting the streets in the summer of 2020, many people were expressing concern that employers weren't letting workers participate in the George Floyd protests. They knew it was too political, but yet they could participate in Pride events or attend Pride events. People saw them as nonpolitical. That division is now gone. Because of these anti-trans laws that are being proposed and passed in various states, now Pride events, Pride parades are recapturing some of the political overtones. They are seen now as we're going to hold this Pride parade not just to commemorate Stonewall, but also to fight back against these anti-trans bills.

NIALA: Axios’ Russell Contreras from Albuquerque. Thanks Russ.

NIALA: Before we go today: we want to hear from teachers. Between the pandemic, school shootings and stagnant wages, how are you doing? Are you or have you considered changing careers? What support do you have…or do you need? Send me a voicememo with your response. We’ll talk about teachers on the show later this week and may use your reply.

The January 6th committee goes prime time

The Jan. 6th committee is having its first prime time public hearing on Thursday night

Jan. 6

Almost all the jobs that were lost at the beginning of the pandemic are back. The question now is what kind of work are we talking about? Two years into the pandemic, we’re seeing more warehouse jobs and health store employees - but fewer waiters and public school teachers. 

Plus, a growing divide among the gun lobby. 

And - a reminder to pack your patience this summer for travel.

Guests: Axios' Courtenay Brown and Lachlan Markay.

Memorial Day airline hell was a painful preview of summer

Here’s what you need to know today: the gun lobby’s growing divide. Plus, don’t forget to pack your patience when traveling this summer.

But first, today’s One Big Thing: America’s new labor market.

Almost all of the jobs that were lost at the beginning of the pandemic are back. But what kind of work are we talking about? Two years into the pandemic, we're seeing more warehouse jobs and health store employees and fewer waiters and public school teachers. Axios’ Courtenay Brown has been reporting out what this new U.S. labor market looks like. Hey Courtenay.

NIALA: We had the latest job numbers out on Friday, which told us that 96% of the jobs lost before the pandemic are back. What else did this report tell you about solidifying trends in our labor money?

COURTENAY: So there's a really striking gap between the public sector jobs that have been recovered and the private sector jobs that have been recovered. Looking under the hood a little bit - the private sector has recovered 99% of all the jobs it lost when the pandemic hit, but the public sector has regained just 58% of the jobs that it lost when the pandemic hit. So that just shows you, kind of this gaping hole we still have in the labor market when it comes to workers in the public sector, teachers and, and the like, you know, just have not recovered the way that the private sector has.

NIALA: And within the private sector, what are we seeing about what industries have recovered faster?

COURTENAY: Well, it's really interesting because it kind of reflects changed behavior that has kind of become the norm during the pandemic. Never before have transportation and warehouse workers made up a bigger share of the labor force than they do now. And that makes sense, right? I mean, how much did you order online when the pandemic hit? A lot more, I presume. And so these sectors are having to hire up to keep up with that kind of demand. On the flip side, the leisure and hospitality sector has really, really lagged behind in terms of its recovery. It has over 1 million fewer workers now than it did before the pandemic hit.

NIALA: Courtenay, how much of this is about how much what workers want also changing because of the pandemic?

COURTENAY: Yeah, I think that we're really seeing workers trade up for different kinds of jobs to better reflect, you know, the quality of life that they want and, and higher pay. There are workers who are deciding, you know, I want more flexibility to work from home. So they’re opting to work in sectors where that can be a reality. And then there are some sectors where wages are really, really rising and so they can - You know, maybe they were a teacher before the pandemic and during the pandemic and decided, well, I can do something else for way better pay and way less stress. And those are the kinds of jobs that they're opting for.

NIALA: Courtenay Brown is an economics reporter for Axios. Thanks Courtenay.

NIALA: In a moment, we’re back with how a split over red flag laws signals a shift in the gun lobby. 

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

There were seven separate mass shootings over the weekend that killed at least eleven people and injured 54 others. So far this year, we've had 246 mass shootings in this country. That's defined by the Gun Violence Archive as attacks where at least four people are killed or injured..

The violence across America has led to even more urgent conversations around federal gun control legislation. But as lawmakers struggle to find common ground, powerful gun lobbies representing manufacturers and individual gun owners are growing more divided.

Axios’ Lachlan Markay has been reporting on how these groups are influencing legislation. Hey Lachlan.

NIALA: Lachlan, when we say the gun lobby, I think everyone thinks we're talking just about the National Rifle Association.

LACHLAN: Yeah, I mean, they remain the foremost gun rights lobbying organization in the country, and it's not particularly close, you know, both in terms of reputation, in terms of the size of their budgets, But it's also in a very precarious position right now. It's facing a lot of legal battles. There's also a lot of really bitter internal feuding and you're seeing some groups try to sort of step up into the fold. Some of them look to be taking a bit of a softer position and more open to, you know, ongoing negotiations in Congress regarding potential new restrictions on guns.

NIALA: And one of these other groups is the National Sports Shooting Foundation. How are they becoming a rising force when it comes to the gun lobby?

LACHLAN: The major distinction between NRA and NSSF is the NRA represents individual gun owners. Those are its members and it has millions of them that makes it very potent politically. NSSF is the trade association representing the industry. So they represent firearms and ammunition manufacturers, distributors, retailers, basically up and down the entire industry associated with firearms in the United States. And that changes the incentives a little bit when it comes to policy and we're seeing that bear out a little bit in the ongoing debate.

NIALA: Right, and so we're seeing this with red flag laws, where does the NRA stand versus the National Sports Shooting Foundation when it comes to these kinds of policy changes?

LACHLAN: So these are laws that - they're already in place in a number of states - that allow a judge or the government in some form to step in and say, this person is a significant and immediate threat to themselves or to others. And therefore, they are no longer allowed to own firearms. The NRA has come out and said totally off the table. We will not support it. But you've, you have seen the NSSF signal they could support a red flag law, depending on the specifics of how it's structured. Now, they ave flatly opposed other measures that have been discussed that would be a little stricter, things like universal background check legislation or a federal assault weapons ban, but red flag laws are one area where you're potentially seeing some segments of the gun rights movement, the gun rights lobby say, this is potentially something we could get on board with.

NIALA: So then how significant to your mind - It sounds like it's not even fair to describe it as a divide, but how significant is it that the American gun lobby may not be completely united at this time?

LACHLAN: Well, I think it is significant and I think there is a divide that goes a bit deeper than just this one issue. Because the constituencies that the NRA and the NSSF represent are different, the political incentives for those organizations are different. And the NSSF at its core is a business group and so the break that we've identified here, I think is a symptom of a larger trend in corporate America of becoming much more highly attuned to political, cultural, social public pressure on these really divisive issues.

We've seen it on things like racial justice, voting rights, education, corporate government relations departments are extremely sensitive to anything that's going to essentially alienate an entire side of the political divide. I think that's bearing out not just on those other issues I mentioned, but also on the gun issue hence NSSF taking a bit of a softer line on this.

NIALA:  Lachlan Markay covers money and influence in politics for Axios. Thanks, Lachlan.

NIALA: One last thing before we go today - thanks to Erica Pandey for filling in for me while I took a few days off last week. I was in Miami - and ended up traveling back to DC during the first named storm of this hurricane season -  Tropical Storm Alex. I have flown in and out of the Miami International Airport dozens of times - and I have never seen a security line as long as I did on Saturday, as Alex dumped more than a foot of rainfall on some parts of South Florida. 

There were more than 7,000 flights canceled last weekend over the Memorial Day holiday also because of bad weather and labor shortages with the airlines.

I fly alot. My advice is, it turns out, the same as my colleague Joann Muller’s - book direct flights whenever possible, enroll in programs like TSA PreCheck to avoid security lines - and try not to take out your travel frustrations on the people around you. 

We’ll put a link to Joann’s story in our show notes. 

That’s all we’ve got for you today! Text me your tips for summer travel - or other feedback to (202) 918-4893.

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Credits: Axios Today is produced by Niala Boodhoo, Erica Pandey, Sara Kehaulani Goo, Alexandra Botti, Nuria Marquez Martinez, Alex Sugiura, and Lydia McMullen-Laird. 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.

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