A new report — first seen by Axios — lays out what could go wrong in the worlds of geopolitics, business and technology in the coming year, as well as what could go right.
The big picture: Viewed side by side, many of the risks and opportunities of 2021 present a mirror image, where different decisions in the same part of the world can lead to positive outcomes — or another year of catastrophe.
Vice President Mike Pence plans to receive his coronavirus vaccine shot on camera Friday morning at the White House to build "vaccine confidence" among the American people, according to an administration official with direct knowledge of the plans.
Driving the news: Details are still being worked out, but Pence wants the TV networks to carry the moment live in the morning, the source said, to maximize the audience for the vaccination.
Some advisers close to President-elect Joe Biden are frustrated over a Glamour magazine interview in which incoming White House deputy chief of staff Jen O'Malley Dillon referred to Republicans on Capitol Hill as "f--kers."
Why it matters: Biden campaigned for the presidency by promising to "restore the soul of America" and not to question the motives of political opponents, whom he insists aren't enemies. Fighting words from a high-level staffer could give Republicans ammunition to cast doubt on Biden's sincerity.
Aphria and Tilray on Wednesday announced merger plans for what will become the world's largest cannabis company by sales, just weeks after voters in four states approved marijuana legalization.
Axios Re:Cap digs into cannabis consolidation, and the politics surrounding the mergers, with Aphria CEO Irwin Simon and Tilray chief executive Brendan Kennedy.
A former senior Health and Human Services adviser advocated this summer to let young and middle-aged Americans become infected with COVID-19 in order to develop "herd immunity," according to emails released Wednesday by the House committee overseeing the federal government's coronavirus response.
Why it matters: Without a vaccine, achieving herd immunity — in which widespread outbreaks are prevented because enough people in a community are immune to a disease — would result in widespread fatalities and likely overwhelm health systems.
President-elect Joe Biden's inauguration will have limited in-person attendance due to rising coronavirus cases, with a live audience that "resembles a State of the Union" address, the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies said Wednesday.
Congressional leaders are moving closer to striking a compromise on coronavirus relief funding, and could soon announce a roughly $900 billion rescue package with a second round of direct payments as low as $600, sources familiar with the talks tell Axios.
The state of play: Negotiations between House and Senate leaders and the White House are ongoing and the details are not yet finalized, but this is the closest Congress has been to reaching a stimulus deal in months.
The incoming Joe Bidenadministration just filled in some of the biggest blanks on its energy and climate team, and the decisions say plenty about its approach.
Catch up fast: Obama-era EPA boss Gina McCarthy is slated to be named Biden's White House domestic climate policy adviser to lead a government-wide policy push.
President Trump on Wednesday appeared to express indignation at Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), one of his closest political allies, after the Kentucky senator finally congratulated President-elect Joe Biden for winning the election.
Driving the news: The president shared a Daily Mail article headlined, "Trump's allies slam Mitch McConnell for congratulating Biden," in a tweet early Wednesday.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnellis muscling out President Trump as the dominant day-to-day Republican powerbroker on Capitol Hill.
Why it matters: Trump’s power persists, and will live on post-presidency. But McConnell — in his cunningly quiet but methodical way — is flexing his authority. It's a taste of a tension that will help define the next four years.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren will write about "six experiences and perspectives that have influenced her life and advocacy" in "Persist," out April 20 from Metropolitan Books, an imprint of Henry Holt & Co. Shewas repped by Robert Barnett and Daniel Martin of Williams & Connolly.
What they're saying: "I wrote 'Persist' because I remain as committed as ever to fighting for an America that works for everyone," Warren said. "I’ve written a dozen books, but this one is especially personal."
Georgia's on an early path to a huge turnout in the two runoffs to decide control of the U.S. Senate, according to data from the Georgia Secretary of State's Office crunched by Axios.
By the numbers: Voters cast 482,000 ballots in roughly the first day and a half of early voting this week. That’s equivalent to one-third of the total in the last statewide general election runoff, held in 2018, and about one-fourth of the total ballots in the last Senate runoff, held in 2008.
Federal Reserve Chairman Jay Powell holds his final news conference of the year Wednesday — and Congress may get an earful.
What we’re hearing: Powell is likely to plead with Congress to pass more fiscal support for an economy riven by a global pandemic, and to suggest there are limits to what the Fed can do with monetary policy.
President-elect Biden is considering two New Mexicans to be Interior secretary, which could provide an early test to his promise to end new energy drilling on federal land.
Why it matters: New Mexico is a Democratic state where oil and gas production is crucial to the local economy, and the next Interior secretary — with both retiring Sen. Tom Udall and Rep. Deb Haaland in the running — will be charged with implementing Biden’s proposed ban.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell alerted House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy Tuesday morning that he would congratulate President-elect Joe Biden for winning the Electoral College vote.
But, but, but: McCarthy is refusing to do the same, and a group of 26 incoming GOP House members sent House Speaker Nancy Pelosi a letter asking her to investigate alleged voter fraud.
President-elect Joe Biden is considering some well-known Republicans — think Meg Whitman types — for Commerce secretary as a way to signal to red-state Americans he understands their concerns and plans to address them.
The big picture: Biden's team is debating the political upside of an across-the-aisle pick, and it's still very possible the president-elect will settle on an all-Democratic Cabinet, according to people familiar with the matter.
A western Kansas mayor submitted a letter of resignation Tuesday after receiving threats to her wellbeing for her public support of a face mask mandate.
Why it matters: Public officials have received increasing backlash and threats for actions taken to curb the spread of COVID-19.
The Senate on Tuesday confirmed Indiana prosecutor Thomas Kirsch as Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett's replacement to sit on a federal appeals court in Chicago.
Why it matters: He's the latest Trump-appointed district judge the Senate has confirmed since Election Day, breaking with a tradition that's previously seen no nominees appointed when a lame-duck president is in office.
President-elect Joe Biden will tap Gina McCarthy, who led the Environmental Protection Agency under former President Obama, as White House climate czar, according to a person familiar with the news and multiple reports.
Driving the news: McCarthy will manage domestic climate policy alongside her deputy, Ali Zaidi, New York's current deputy secretary for energy and environment, as first reported by the Washington Post.
