Axios

Baltimore will no longer prosecute drug possession, prostitution, trespassing and other low-level offenses, Baltimore State's Attorney Marilyn Mosby announced on Friday.

Why it matters: The decision to stop prosecuting certain crimes last year was implemented as a way to keep people out of jail during the coronavirus pandemic. It resulted in a decrease in arrests and crime, so the city is making the decision permanent.

Former White House coronavirus coordinator Deborah Birx told CNN that she believes that the U.S. coronavirus deaths that occurred after the first surge of cases "could have been mitigated or decreased substantially."

What she's saying: "I look at it this way: There were about 100,000 deaths that came from that original surge," said Birx, who served under the Trump administration. "All of the rest of them, in my mind, could have been mitigated or decreased substantially."

The recent surge in anti-Asian racism and violence in the United States is the fruit of centuries of government policy. 

Why it matters: One thread throughout American history is a “racialized notion of who is an insider, who’s an outsider, who is American and who is an unassimilable foreigner,” says Karthick Ramakrishnan, a University of California Riverside professor and founder of AAPI Data.

The Biden administration has concluded that China "is flirting with the idea of seizing control of Taiwan as President Xi Jinping becomes more willing to take risks to boost his legacy," the Financial Times reports.                     

Why it matters: An invasion of Taiwan, the self-governed island claimed by Beijing, would force the U.S. to decide whether to go to war with China to defend an implicit ally.

Two people were killed and at least eight injured in several shooting incidents in Virginia Beach, police said on Saturday morning.

Details: Eight people were shot during a single incident, and while police were investigating the first incident, shots were fired about a block away. Police response to the second incident resulted in a fatal "police intervention shooting." The third shooting was unrelated to the others and resulted in a second person killed.

The first family and soccer stars Megan Rapinoe and Margaret Purce are drawing attention to the issue of unequal pay for women in the latest weekly conversational video with President Biden.

Why it matters: During a speech earlier this week, the president laid out the stakes: "In nearly every job — more than 90 percent of the occupations — women still earn less than men: 82 cents on the dollar on average."

The Minnesota Supreme Court on Wednesday ruled that a man who had sex with a woman while she was passed out on his couch cannot be found guilty of felony rape because the victim got herself drunk beforehand.

The big picture: Minnesota is one of the many states that says that for a victim to be too mentally incapacitated to give consent, they must have become intoxicated against their will, such as if a person secretly drugged someone's drink, The Washington Post reports.

The influx of migrants to the U.S. southern border has taken over the news — and climate change, among other factors, ensures it won't be going away.

Why it matters: The migration of tens of millions of people, exacerbated by a changing climate, will be one of the mega-trends of the 21st century. For both humanitarian and political reasons, wealthy countries like the U.S. will need to figure out a way to handle a flow of people that may never stop.

Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson (R) signed legislation on Friday that will allow doctors to turn away some patients due to religious or moral objections.

Why it matters: It's a move opponents say will enable service providers to discriminate against patients, including LGBTQ people and others, AP writes.

A 9-year-old migrant girl drowned as her family attempted to cross the Rio Grande into Texas on March 20, U.S. Customs and Border Protection announced Thursday.

The big picture: U.S. Border Patrol agents found a mother and two children unconscious on an island in the river that serves as the natural border between the U.S. and Mexico in the state of Texas.

President Biden condemned Georgia's voter restrictions Friday, calling the newly-signed law "Jim Crow in the 21st century."

The big picture: Georgia is the first battleground state to pass such a law in the aftermath of the 2020 election. The law imposes new ID requirements, limits the use of ballot drop boxes and bans non-poll workers from giving food and water to voters in line, among other restrictions.

President Biden has invited Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian leader Vladimir Putin to join other world leaders at a virtual White House climate summit April 22-23.

Why it matters: The White House intends to showcase its climate policies and spur more ambitious actions from other nations as the world remains off course to achieve the global warming goals of the Paris climate agreement.

26 governors and more than 60 former officials denounced bias and discrimination against Asian people Friday, saying, "hate will not divide our states, territories, and communities."

Driving the news: The statements come amid a nationwide day of action following March 16's deadly shooting in Atlanta, in which eight people including six Asian women were killed, and a yearlong surge of anti-Asian hate crimes fueled by the coronavirus pandemic.

The Biden administration is calling for volunteers from across the federal government to help care for the growing number of unaccompanied minors crossing the U.S.-Mexico border, according to a memo sent to federal agencies by the Office of Personnel Management, obtained by Axios.

Why it matters: The request underscores just how overwhelmed government resources have become with more than 17,000 migrant minors in its custody, including over 5,000 in border patrol facilities unfit for minors. The number keeps rising.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) on Friday appointed Gen. William J. Walker to serve as the next House sergeant-at-arms, making him the first African American to hold the position.

Why it matters: Paul D. Irving, the former sergeant-at-arms, resigned one day after the pro-Trump mob stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan 6.

Escalating the GOP's push against Big Tech, Trump allies are targeting Biden nominees who worked for — or even advised — Apple, Amazon, Google or Facebook.

Driving the news: The Center for American Restoration, a think tank formed by Trump-era Office of Management and Budget director Russ Vought, wrote a letter to Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and Republican senators Friday urging them to reject nominees with Big Tech ties.

The 21-year-old suspect in the Boulder massacre passed a background check before buying a gun at a local store, the store owner told The Denver Post on Friday.

Details: John Mark Eagleton, owner of Eagles Nest Armory, said the suspect, Ahmad Al Aliwi Alissa, passed the background check required by the state and conducted by the Colorado Bureau of Investigation, which ultimately cleared him for the purchase.

President Biden is under pressure to use a key appointment to push for policies to narrow the racial wealth gap, as Congressional Black Caucus members weigh in on the appointment of a powerful bank regulator.

Driving the news: Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-N.Y.) and 33 other members of the caucus penned a letter to Biden Thursday urging him to pick Mehrsa Baradaran, an expert on the wealth gap, to lead the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency.

An African American man who was paralyzed after he was shot in the back by a Kenosha, Wisconsin, police officer is suing the officer after prosecutors declined to seek criminal charges.

Why it matters: The federal lawsuit filed Thursday in U.S. District Court comes during stalling efforts to massively reshape police departments nationwide after last summer's protest over systemic racism and police excessive force.

Several civil rights groups filed a lawsuit against Georgia election officials challenging Republican-crafted voting restrictions signed into law by Republican Gov. Brian Kemp on Thursday.

Why it matters: The lawsuit from New Georgia Project, Black Voters Matter Fund and Rise alleges that the restrictions violate the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and the 14th Amendment by inflicting "unjustifiable burdens" that disproportionately affect people of color and young, poor and disabled citizens.

Former Mexican governor Tomas Yarrington Ruvalcaba told a federal judge in Texas he accepted $3.5 million in bribes in Mexico and used the money to fraudulently purchase property in the U.S.

The state of play: Yarrington on Thursday pleaded guilty to a charge of conspiracy to commit money laundering and said he accepted the money from individuals and private companies to do business with the state of Tamaulipas, which borders Texas, while he was governor.

Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah), whose political career began with a bitter 1994 Senate race in Massachusetts against incumbent Ted Kennedy, was granted the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award on Friday for voting to convict President Trump in his first impeachment trial.

Why it matters: Romney became the first senator to vote to remove a president of his own party after Trump was impeached — and ultimately acquitted — for abuse of power stemming from his campaign to pressure Ukraine to investigate his political rivals.

President Biden on Friday nominated Gayle Conelly Manchin, the wife of Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) and the former president of the West Virginia Board of Education, to serve as co-chair of Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC).

Why it matters: The ARC is an economic development partnership between the federal government and 13 state governments with the goal of investing in Appalachian communities. Sen. Joe Manchin is a critical moderate swing vote that Biden will need in order to pass any of his priorities in the 50-50 Senate.

The plates are shifting when it comes to climate policy on K Street, but whether it's enough to alter the political landscape is another question entirely.

Catch up fast: The American Petroleum Institute yesterday endorsed putting a price on carbon emissions as part of its wider new climate policy platform.

The House Foreign Affairs Committee on Thursday approved a resolution to repeal Congress' 2002 Authorization for the Use of Military Force in Iraq, sending the measure to the full chamber for consideration.

Why it matters: The effort to repeal the AUMF — a longtime priority for members on both sides of the aisle — is expected to have widespread support among lawmakers. And for the first time, it has an amenable president in Joe Biden, according to Politico.

Dominion Voting Systems filed a defamation lawsuit on Friday seeking $1.6 billion in damages against Fox News, arguing that the network knowingly spread misinformation about the company's role in nonexistent voter fraud.

Why it matters: This is the first time Dominion has sued a media company in its efforts to collect billions in damages from pro-Trump figures who have pushed baseless conspiracy theories about its voting machines.

Georgia State Rep. Park Cannon (D) was released on bond late Thursday after being arrested and forcibly removed from the Capitol for attempting to knock on the door of Gov. Brian Kemp (R), who was in the process of signing a sweeping GOP-sponsored bill to curb voting access.

Why it matters: The video of Cannon's arrest went viral Thursday night, as Georgia again became ground zero for the national debate over voting rights.

President Biden revealed in vivid display this week the thinking animating his 100-day plan: Do not allow outside events to take his eye off the make-or-break imperatives of virus eradication and economic growth.

The big picture: He dispatched Vice President Harris to handle the brewing crisis at the border. And, in yesterday's press conference, he made plain gun control and other topics may need to wait.

Asian Americans make up only about 2% of the nation's law enforcement officers — an underrepresentation that ripples through small towns and major cities.

Why it matters: The consequences have been amplified over the past year, as violence and acts of racism grew against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. Now, law enforcement agencies are facing criticism for not adequately reporting hate crimes and not having enough Asian American officers on staff to to adequately investigate cases.

Lawmakers at Thursday's hearing on misinformation were less interested in getting answers from the CEOs of Facebook, Twitter and Google than in warning the social media giants that a legislative hammer is about to land on them.

Driving the news: In a gruelingly long session conducted entirely by videoconference, members of the House Energy & Commerce Committee told the CEOs their businesses prioritize ad revenue and engagement over rooting out misinformation and content that harms users, especially children.

Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson (R) signed a law Thursday barring transgender women and girls from participating in school sports that align with their gender identity.

Why it matters: Republicans in at least 25 states have introduced more than 60 bills targeting trans youth since January. Arkansas is the latest state to pursue school sports as a vehicle for anti-trans legislation.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) are planning to put forward “the boldest legislation possible” for gun reform that can still receive Republican support, a source briefed on the meeting told Axios.

Why it matters: A big concern among many Democrats is that, as history has shown, the more time that elapses after a mass shooting, the harder it is to maintain momentum for meaningful political change.

New York state lawmakers and Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) struck a deal Thursday to legalize recreational marijuana, the New York Times reported.

Why it matters: If approved, the legislation could pave "the way for a potential $4.2 billion industry" and would reinvest millions of dollars in tax revenue from marijuana sales into minority communities each year, according to the Times.

The University of Southern California agreed to shell out $852 million to settle lawsuits with hundreds of women who alleged the school failed to adequately address students' reports of a gynecologist's sexual abuse.

Why it matters: The university already agreed to pay more than $200 million in a 2018 settlement also involving sexual abuse allegations against former USC gynecologist George Tyndall. The payments altogether exceed $1 billion — a "landmark case for higher education," Washington Post writes.

Progressive Democrats in the House are privately discussing how they can push President Biden for a second spending package substantially bigger than the $3 trillion over a decade floated in various news outlets this week.

Why it matters: These members are attuned to the climate group Sunrise Movement's argument that "the crises we face demand at least $1 trillion per year over the next decade," two sources familiar with the conversation told Axios.

The U.S. military conducted more than two dozen cyber operations before the 2020 election to prevent foreign threats from affecting the election, U.S. Cyber Command Commander Gen. Paul Nakasone told the Senate Armed Services Committee on Thursday.

Why it matters: Nakasone could not describe the nature of the operations in detail but said they were conducted "to get ahead of foreign threats before they interfered with or influenced our elections."

White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain met quietly with Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Jamaal Bowman and other progressive lawmakers this week to discuss the filibuster, minimum wage and other issues, people familiar with the matter told Axios.

Why it matters: The private, in-person meeting demonstrates the White House’s commitment to staying in close contact with some of the House’s most outspoken members, even if the parties don’t always share the same strategy to achieve common goals.

Senate Republicans are warning companies that cut off donations to the GOP after the U.S. Capitol attack that their standing on the Hill may suffer if they don't now speak out about Democrats' efforts to overturn a Republican House victory in Iowa.

Why it matters: Democrats are trying to expand their narrow margin in the chamber, a vital consideration heading into midterm elections, in which the party in power historically loses roughly two dozen seats.

Former Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens' U.S. Senate bid looks like an official reentry into politics. In reality, the Republican has been campaigning for over a year, records show.

The big picture: Greitens resigned in 2018 amid corruption and sexual misconduct allegations. But a state ethics panel cleared him of wrongdoing last year, and he's spent the months since tapping a six-figure reserve of campaign contributions to rehabilitate his image.

The post-Trump Republican Party cares most about issues in seven key categories, with most prioritizing economic issues like job creation and limited government, according to a new survey conducted by former President Trump's chief 2016 and 2020 pollster.

Why it matters: The survey of 1,264 GOP voters comes as Republican lawmakers are struggling to navigate the future of the party amid a Democratic administration. It could help guide key messaging areas ahead of the 2022 midterms.

Seven House committees sent letters on Thursday to 16 agencies throughout the Executive Branch and Congress requesting documents on the deadly Jan. 6 Capitol riots.

Why it matters: The committees are seeking communications from before, during and after the mob, fueled by President Trump, violently breached the building, signaling the launch of a sweeping investigation into the federal government's response to the attack.