The Biden administration projects the number of unaccompanied children crossing the border could spiral from more than 16,000 this month to as many as 26,000 in September, according to documents leaked to Axios.
Why it matters: Until this month, the record was 11,475 in May 2019. The minimum projections for each of the next six months are thousands higher than that.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken evaded questions about whether the U.S. would seek retaliatory actions against China for its handling of the coronavirus outbreak during an interview on CNN's "State of the Union" Sunday, instead saying that the focus should be on preventing another pandemic in the future.
Why it matters: The diplomat said there should be "accountability for the past," positioning himself in contrast to his predecessor Mike Pompeo, who had called for China to be punished, per CNN.
What they're saying: "I think the issue for us is to make sure that we do everything possible to prevent another pandemic, even as we're working through this one, or at the very least, to make sure that we can mitigate in much more effective ways any damage done if something happens in the future," Blinken said.
A large part of preparing for a future pandemic, Blinken said, would be having "a system in place, including with the World Health Organization that features transparency, that features information sharing, and features access for international experts at the start of something like this."
"[T]hat's going to require a lot of reform, and that's going to require China to do things that it hasn’t done in the past."
Blinken also expressed concern about a forthcoming WHO report on the origins of the coronavirus outbreak because of the Chinese government's role in helping author it.
Flashback: During his confirmation hearing in January, Blinken said the that China had misled the world with regards to the coronavirus outbreak, per the New York Times.
The New Mexico Republican Party has nominated state Sen. Mark Moores, a Hispanic former football star at the University of New Mexico, as its candidate for the U.S. House seat formerly held by Interior Secretary Deb Haaland.
Why it matters: The GOP is seeking to build on the surprising number of Latino voters who supported former President Trump in 2020 by pushing Hispanic candidates. The Democratic Party faces criticism for ignoring Mexican American voters.
Two top Senate Democrats are weighing whether gun reform can be a long shot issue proving they can work with Republicans — and don't have to scrap the filibuster after all.
What we're hearing: Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) have been privately negotiating how to revise H.R. 8, the House Democrats' background checks bill, to gain support from at least 10 Republicans.
Progressives are trying to sell President Biden's infrastructure initiative with new cable TV ads arguing clean energy projects will immediately create thousands of jobs.
Why it matters: White House press secretary Jen Psaki suggested Sunday that Biden will split his potential $3 trillion package in two — investments in infrastructure, followed by billions more for the “caregiving economy.” The first political fight may be over what qualifies as infrastructure.
Rep. Judy Chu (D-Calif.) said in an interview with NBC's "Meet the Press" that she was concerned that the suspect in the Atlanta spa shootings, where six of the eight victims were Asian women, would not be charged with a hate crime.
Why it matters: While Georgia already has hate crimes laws in place, Chu is calling for a federal investigation led by the Department of Justice "to ensure that there are the resources necessary to provide the evidence to declare it a hate crime."
Successful lawsuits waged by parents in three New Jersey school districts have prompted returns to some in-person classes, and invited interest from parents across the state seeking to do the same, the Wall Street Journal reports.
Why it matters: Parents in 30 districts in New Jersey have sought guidance from the plaintiffs in the original suits on how to organize similar efforts, illustrating the frustration of parents who feel virtual schooling has left their children "anxious, lonely and losing their zest for learning" the Journal writes.
Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-AK) told ABC's "This Week" on Sunday that he would support Sen. Lisa Murkowski if she ran again in the 2022 midterms, despite her having been censured by Alaska's Republican Party earlier this month for voting to convict former President Trump in his impeachment trial.
Why it matters: Senate Republicans who have spoken out against Trump or voted against him during the trial have faced intense backlash from their state parties. Trump has already announced he will support any competitor to Murkowski, and pledged to travel to Alaska to campaign against her. Murkowski is slated to be up for re-election in 2022.
Sens. Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) and Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) said Sunday's "Meet the Press" they believe that Congress will finally be able to pass legislation on expanded gun background checks.
Why it matters: Recent mass shootings in Georgia and Colorado have brought a renewed focus on the problem of gun violence in America. Last week President Biden called on Congress to take action on gun control.
Democrats control Washington, but Republicans have a mighty counterweight that gets little attention: dominance in the states and the courts.
State of play: The GOP controls a majority of statehouses and state legislatures + more state Supreme Court justices lean Republican than Democrat. All of this is backed by Republican-appointed majorities on federal appeals courts and the U.S. Supreme court.
White House Communications Director Kate Bedingfield told ABC's "This Week" that the Biden administration is strengthening diplomatic efforts in the Northern Triangle of Central America to address the "root causes of migration" and discourage migrants from coming to the U.S.
Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.) told CNN's "State of the Union" Sunday that President Biden's sense of urgency on voting rights reminds him of his predecessor Lyndon B. Johnson, who sat in the office during some of the most tumultuous points of the civil rights era.
Maya Rudolph put in another star turn as Vice President Kamala Harris as she hosted "Saturday Night Live" on the show's return from a brief hiatus — but the cold open kept away from politics.
Details: In the cold open, "SNL" alum Rudolph, known for playing Harris, parodied an MTV-style Spring Break game show with "Singled Out" vibes and the theme "snatched, vaxxed or waxed."
Cities around the world were turning landmark lights off Saturday for Earth Hour, with this year's theme highlighting the link between the destruction of nature and increasing outbreaks of diseases like COVID-19.
The big picture: City landmarks around the world went dark for an hour at 8:30p.m. to mark global action on climate change. Organizer WWF said in a statement, "COVID-19 has given us a stark warning of the risks, vulnerabilities and inequalities of our interconnected systems."
Former President Trump told Fox News Saturday night he intends to visit the southern border soon, as he criticized the Biden administration's response to an uptick in migrants arriving there.
Details: Trump claimed on "Justice with Judge Jeanine" that "a lot of people want me to" visit, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol officials. After host Jeanine Pirro asked him when he'd go, Trump replied: "probably over the next couple of weeks."
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) is threatening to sue the federal government if the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) doesn't allow cruises to restart by the summer.
Why it matters: Florida is at the heart of the U.S. cruise industry, with Miami, Port Everglades and Port Canaveral among the busiest ports in the world. Millions of passengers pass through in a typical year. It's worth billions of dollars for the state's economy, per AP.
