Axios

President Biden rolled back former President Trump's suspension of certain forms of legal immigration because of the coronavirus pandemic, saying it "does not advance the interests of the United States." 

Why it matters: Business groups, including the technology industry, had repeatedly called on the Trump administration to rescind the suspensions on work visas because they complicated recruiting and retaining foreign professionals seeking to work in the U.S.

President Biden on Wednesday nominated a former postal union lawyer, a vote-by-mail advocate, and a former deputy postmaster general to sit on the Postal Services' Board of Governors.

Why it matters: The nominations, which require Senate confirmation, come as some Democrats call for Postmaster General Louis DeJoy's ouster and others push for Biden to nominate board members to name a new postmaster general.

Big corporations and top CEOs are putting pressure on Congress and the White House to pass economic stimulus measures, as the political debate drags on.

Axios Re:Cap goes deeper with Heather Higginbottom, a former Obama administration official and president of the JPMorgan Chase Policy Center, about why her organization just published its first-ever set of policy recommendations.

The Architect of the Capitol Brett Blanton on Wednesday said that repairs and security expenses related to the Jan. 6 insurrection have already cost more than $30 million.

The state of play: Congressional appropriations committees have allocated the $30 million for repairs and perimeter fencing around the Capitol building through March 31, per NPR.

Multiple states have passed or are considering economic relief bills as the Biden administration’s $1.9 trillion coronavirus stimulus plan makes its way through Congress, AP reports.

Why it matters: The state aid packages aim to help jobless residents and struggling small businesses devastated by the pandemic. But the individual action also bolsters arguments against another major cash infusion from the federal government.

Donald Trump Jr. was deposed on Feb. 11 as part of a lawsuit by D.C. Attorney General Karl Racine, who alleged last year that former President Trump's inaugural committee coordinated with the Trump Organization to "grossly overpay" for event space at its D.C. hotel.

Details: Racine alleges that in the course of his investigation, he uncovered a second instance in which the inaugural committee improperly spent funds — on a contract the Trump Organization signed with the Loews Madison Hotel for a block of rooms during the 2017 inauguration.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced Wednesday the U.S. will seek election to the United Nations Human Rights Council next year after the country left the body during the Trump administration.

Why it matters: The council is a body of 47 countries and is responsible for promoting and protecting human rights around the globe.

Ben Shapiro, the Daily Wire conservative commentator known best for his popular podcast "The Ben Shapiro Show," is launching a new show called "Debunked," Axios has learned.

Why it matters: Shapiro has made a brand for himself with his viral attempts to dissect left-wing arguments on his podcast. Now he'll take that format to video, where he'll air videos of left-wing figures making claims that he will confront.

The Senate Homeland Security Committee is postponing a confirmation hearing scheduled Wednesday for Neera Tanden, Axios has learned, a potential death knell for President Biden's nominee to lead the Office of Management and Budget.

The latest: Asked Wednesday afternoon whether Tanden has offered to withdraw her nomination, Psaki told reporters, "That’s not the stage we’re in." She noted that it's a "numbers game" and a "matter of getting one Republican" to support the nomination.

Acting U.S. Capitol Police Chief Yogananda Pittman wrote in prepared remarks for a House hearing on Thursday that officers in her department were "unsure of when to use lethal force" during the Jan. 6 insurrection.

Why it matters: Capitol Police did deploy lethal force on Jan. 6 — shooting and killing 35-year-old Ashli Babbit — but have faced questions over why officers appeared to be less forceful against pro-Trump rioters than participants in previous demonstrations, including those over Black Lives Matter and now-Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh.

60% of Republicans surveyed in a new Morning Consult/Politico poll either strongly support or somewhat support President Biden's $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package.

Why it matters: The poll suggests GOP lawmakers' criticisms of the plan have failed to gain traction with their voters, as the massive proposal has gained bipartisan support amid enduringly high unemployment and economic pain.

Last week’s stunning indictment of three North Korean hackers laid bare both the advantages and drawbacks of the U.S. government’s evolving strategy of using high-profile prosecutions to publicize hostile nation-state cyber activities.

Why it matters: Criminal charges can help the U.S. establish clear norms in a murky and rapidly changing environment, but they may not deter future bad behavior and could even invite retaliation against U.S. intelligence officials.

Postmaster General Louis DeJoy apologized before the House Oversight Committee on Wednesday for the persistent delays in the U.S. Postal Service’s mail delivery amid the peak holiday season.

Why it matters: The U.S. Postal Service, which came under fire last year for its handling of mail-in ballot delivery for the 2020 election, is in crisis as it deals with pre-existing financial concerns that have only been exacerbated by the pandemic.

A federal judge in Texas on Tuesday indefinitely halted President Biden's 100-day ban on deportations, Politico reports.

Why it matters: This is another blow from the courts to Biden's immigration agenda, preventing him from acting on a campaign promise to stop deportations during his first 100 days in office.

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) and Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) publicly contradicted one another at a press conference Wednesday over whether former President Trump should speak at the upcoming Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC).

Why it matters: The divergence between the No. 1 and No. 3 House Republicans shows the stark divide in the leadership ranks of the Republican Party in a post-Trump era.

The Biden administration announced Wednesday it will send more than 25 million masks to more than 1,300 community health centers and 60,000 food pantries and soup kitchens in order to reach some Americans most vulnerable to COVID-19.

Why it matters: Many studies show wearing tightly fit masks, and even double-masking, is effective to curb the spread of COVID-19 when social distancing is not possible.

A new analysis shows lots of potential for regions with a high share of fossil fuel jobs to benefit from wind and solar development — with the right policies in place.

Why it matters: The idea of a "just transition" in the energy sector is discussed a lot in climate policy plans, including President Biden's recent executive order.

There was one key message from Tuesday's Senate Intelligence Committee hearing into the big SolarWinds hack: Too many are suffering being hacked in silence.

The big picture: Intelligence sharing on malicious actors is a key component of fighting the bad guys, with both Microsoft and FireEye calling for the government to consider mandatory disclosure of significant breaches.

150 top executives from companies like Goldman Sachs, Google, IBM, Blackstone and United Airlines sent a letter to Congress endorsing President Biden's $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief plan.

Why it matters: Republicans in Congress have argued that the plan, which has enjoyed bipartisan support in polls, could lead to faster inflation, expand the federal deficit, and discourage Americans from looking for work by providing enhanced unemployment benefits.

Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) said Tuesday that he believes former President Trump would win the Republican presidential nomination "in a landslide" if he decided to run again in 2024.

Why it matters: Romney, the 2012 GOP presidential nominee, has been one of the Republican Party's staunchest critics of Trump, voting to convict him in both of his impeachment trials. But even he acknowledged the vise-grip the former president has over the party's base.

President Biden is expected to sign an executive order on Wednesday to review the supply chains for a slew of American goods, including semiconductor chips and large-capacity batteries in the auto-making industry, AP reports.

Why it matters: Automakers across the country have been facing a semiconductor chip shortage that has led them to halt some car production and furlough workers.

Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) is jumping on the minimum wage bandwagon and will introduce an alternative to Democrats' proposal on Wednesday that would use federal dollars to increase low-earning workers' income, Axios has learned.

Why it matters: Hawley, a Trump-style Republican who's considered a likely 2024 presidential contender, is breaking with the mainstream GOP orthodoxy in suggesting that he believes the federal minimum wage is too low.

States are considering proposals and plans that would exclude, or bolster, lessons on slavery and Native American removal in public schools.

Why it matters: Conservatives continue to attack The New York Times Magazine's "The 1619 Project" for confronting the U.S. legacy of slavery. Black, Latino, and Native American advocates are using the nation's current racial reckoning to push for more diverse history lessons to combat systemic racism.

The first COVID-19 vaccine doses distributed by the World Health Organization’s global sharing scheme COVAX arrived in Ghana, West Africa, on Wednesday.

Why it matters: The shipments represent the "beginning of what should be the largest vaccine procurement and supply operation in history," per a joint statement from the WHO and UNICEF hailing the arrival as a "momentous occasion."

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D) has signed sweeping criminal justice reform legislation this week that would end cash bail statewide by 2023.

Why it matters: Illinois is the first state to move to eliminate cash bail, which critics say is a "poor people's tax" that benefits the wealthy who can afford to post bail, and disproportionately affects people of color.

Stacey Abrams' voting rights group enacted a multimillion-dollar ad campaign Tuesday, calling out Republican bills it says are designed to suppress voting in Georgia, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution first reported.

Why it matters: Republicans in battleground states like Georgia are "adding barriers to mail-in and early voting" — both of which helped President Biden win the state in November and assisted Sens. Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock in taking the two Ga. seats that gave Democrats balance of power in the Senate, according to AP.

President Biden and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau unveiled a "U.S.-Canada Partnership roadmap," as the pandemic forced their meeting to go virtual on Tuesday.

Why it matters: Biden said he chose to have his first bilateral meeting with Trudeau because the U.S. "has no closer friend" than Canada. Trudeau made clear he was keen on strengthening relations, which had become strained under former President Trump and his "America First" policy.

The JPMorgan Chase Institute — the bank's internal think tank of sorts — and its new policy arm are pushing for policy changes for the first time, the company shared exclusively with Axios.

Why it matters: The institute is sending its recommendations to Washington, as Congress hashes out a pandemic stimulus package.

One of two churches ousted by the Southern Baptist Convention's executive committee on Tuesday for being too inclusive of LGBTQ people is pushing back, saying "it is our commitment to share the love of Jesus."

Driving the news: Senior SBC leaders at a meeting the ouster of Towne View Baptist Church in Kennesaw, Georgia, and St. Matthews Baptist Church in Louisville, Kentucky, warned that the biggest Protestant group in the U.S. was "damaging itself" with disharmony on such issues, per AP.

Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) joined a group of conservatives last week at a training session for activists readying to combat the continued use of the voting technology that propelled Trumpworld's 2020 election-theft conspiracy theories.

Why it matters: Theories about uncounted or overcounted votes have become politically tricky and legally problematic for their most prominent backers. The activist training is part of an effort to put a more respectable and pragmatic face on the trend.

The 117th Congress is the most ethnically and racially diverse Congress yet, but there are no Native Americans nor Asian Republicans in the Senate.

Why it matters: Representation has improved in Congress, but there have been only 33 Black, Hispanic, Asian or Native American U.S. senators. There are 11 in the current Senate, even though those demographic groups make up 39% of the total population, according to census data.

New York Democratic strategists, operatives and progressives are viewing state Attorney General Letitia James as an appealing primary challenger to Gov. Andrew Cuomo, they tell Axios.

Why it matters: The dynamics of New York politics are complex, especially when your last name is Cuomo. But the governor has been criticized recently for his handling of the coronavirus, and James is no stranger to picking big fights.

Senate Democrats are readying to pass President Biden’s infrastructure package through the budget reconciliation process, a recognition they're unlikely to get much Republican support for a potential $2 trillion package.

Driving the news: Sen. Bernie Sanders told Axios on Tuesday he’s consulted with the White House about how to prepare for the next round of spending, and he's ready to do it immediately via reconciliation — a process he controls as chair of the Senate Budget Committee.

President Biden plans to call Saudi Arabia’s King Salman on Wednesday, ahead of the public release of a potentially damning intelligence report about the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, a source briefed on the call told Axios.

Why it matters: The call, if it happens as scheduled, will be Biden’s first conversation as president with the Saudi king. While they are likely to discuss a range of issues, the conversation will be colored by the imminent release of the explosive report expected to involve one of the monarch's sons.

Congress held a candlelight vigil on the steps on the U.S. Capitol Tuesday evening in honor of the Americans who have died from the coronavirus.

Why it matters: The U.S. death toll from the virus passed 500,000 on Monday, just one year after the country's first COVID-19 death was confirmed.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) told Politico Tuesday that he plans to support Judge Merrick Garland's nomination for attorney general.

Why it matters: McConnell blocked Garland's nomination to the Supreme Court following the death of Justice Antonin Scalia in 2016, a move he called the "most consequential thing I've ever done."