Axios

Derek Chauvin's former supervisor, retired police Sgt. David Pleoger, testified Thursday that officers could have stopped restraining George Floyd sooner.

The big picture: The testimony capped off the fourth day of the trial of former Minneapolis police officer Chauvin, who faces murder and manslaughter charges.

President Biden is unlikely to propose reinstating state and local tax deductions in his second tax-and-spending package despite pressure from several fellow Democrats, according to people with direct knowledge of the planning.

Why it matters: That stance could complicate his goals of passing a multitrillion-dollar infrastructure proposal.

Orange, California, police said Thursday that the gunman who killed four people — including a 9-year-old boy — and wounded another person at a business complex on Wednesday night knew the victims either through professional or personal relationships, according to AP.

The big picture: The incident in Orange was the third mass shooting in the United States in just over two weeks, following a shooting in Atlanta, Georgia, which killed eight people and another in Boulder, Colorado that ended with 10 people dead.

As the Derek Chauvin trial wraps its first week of testimony in the U.S., Mexico is reckoning with its own case of police brutality.

Why it matters: The death of Victoria Salazar, a Salvadoran refugee who had lived in Tulum for years, is the most recent case of Mexican law enforcement being accused of killing someone of Central American origins.

Two men who work as coyotes, or human smugglers, told Noticias Telemundo that for those desperate enough, a payment of $8,000 each will suffice to get them into the U.S. through the desert.

Details: To cross people by car, hiding them in secret compartments, they’ll charge up to $20,000 because the coyotes swear U.S. immigration officers get a cut to turn a blind eye.

The Supreme Court ruled in favor of Facebook on Thursday, finding the company's text alerts used for suspicious logins do not qualify as illegal robocalls.

Why it matters: The ruling could be seen as a win for telemarketers, at a time when Americans get billions of robocalls every month.

The League of United Latin American Citizens, the nation's oldest Latino civil rights group, isn't getting any younger — but the people it represents are, a reality that's quickly reshaping its focus.

Why it matters: LULAC's median membership age is 66 and its meetings still open with the Pledge of Allegiance and a prayer. But the median age of today's U.S. Latino population is 19.

The paramedic called to the scene of George Floyd's murder said Thursday "[multiple officers] were still on top" of Floyd as they arrived.

The state of play: The court heard earlier from Floyd's girlfriend, who described him as a kind man despite an ongoing struggle with opioid addiction. Following her testimony, a Hennepin County paramedic took the stand to detail the step-by-step events after former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin kneeled on Floyd's neck for over nine minutes.

George Floyd's girlfriend, who was in a relationship with him when he died, was visibly distressed Thursday as she recounted her first encounter with Floyd and answered questions about their opioid use.

Why it matters: The prosecution and defense fought to sway jurors on Day 4 of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin's murder trial, casting Floyd as a devoted partner and a drug-addled drifter, respectively. Prosecutors are seeking Chauvin's conviction on murder and manslaughter charges.

The Virginia Supreme Court ruled on Thursday that Charlottesville can remove two statues of Confederate generals, overturning a previous decision by a circuit court, AP reports.

Why it matters: Civil rights advocates say the Confederate monuments pay deference to America's legacy of slavery and racism, and the removal of such statues became a flashpoint of racial justice protests in 2020.

President Biden has asked Education Secretary Miguel Cardona to compile a memo on the president's legal authorities to forgive student loan debt, including canceling up to $50,000, White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain said at a Politico Playbook event Thursday.

Why it matters: Biden previously said that he opposes canceling $50,000 in student debt, opting instead for canceling $10,000. Congressional Democrats have been pushing the president to increase that number. Klain said the president will make his decision after he receives the relevant memos, including one from the Justice Department.

The White House faces a big challenge as it promotes sweeping plans to steeply cut U.S. emissions this decade — and works to convince other countries it'll happen.

The big picture: Electricity sector emissions have been on a general downward trend as natural gas and renewables have shoved aside coal.

A bipartisan bill introduced Thursday would require the Department of Homeland Security to make a plan for managing surges at the U.S.-Mexico border, which could unlock emergency funds.

Why it matters: Bipartisan agreement on immigration is rare, but both Republicans and a handful of Democrats have expressed concern about the mounting humanitarian crisis at the border.

The White House decided to go big or go home in proposing a more than $2.2 trillion bill that, if enacted, would be the most far-reaching climate legislation ever adopted by the U.S.

Between the lines: This could be a long slog on Capitol Hill, given Republican opposition to another big spending package and divisions among Democrats over specific provisions.

State legislatures across the country have introduced 108 voter restriction bills since Feb. 19, a 43% increase in just over a month that brings the total to 361 bills this year, according to an analysis by the Brennan Center for Justice.

Why it matters: The 2020 election shattered minority turnout expectations after a historic expansion in mail-in and early voting. Baseless allegations of widespread voter fraud have caused backlash in many states with Republican-led state legislatures that are now looking to tighten up voting laws.

San Francisco Fed President Mary Daly does not expect President Joe Biden's proposed $2 trillion infrastructure package to alter the central bank's path on interest rate increases or change its outlook for inflation, she tells Axios in an exclusive interview.

Why it matters: Many have worried the combination of trillions in spending on coronavirus relief, the Fed's ultra-loose monetary policy, and Biden's big stimulus plans for infrastructure, education and manufacturing will set the table for out-of-control price increases.

Signaling turbulence ahead, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) told MSNBC's Rachel Maddow Wednesday night that President Biden's $2 trillion+ infrastructure plan should be "way higher."

Why it matters: This package looks to be much harder for the White House than the COVID stimulus. Biden is also being squeezed from the other side by moderate Dems skeptical of some of his proposed tax hikes.

Apple CEO Tim Cook, an Alabama native with a lifelong interest in civil rights, joins condemnations of Georgia's new voting law, in a statement provided first to Axios.

What he's saying: "The right to vote is fundamental in a democracy. American history is the story of expanding the right to vote to all citizens, and Black people, in particular, have had to march, struggle and even give their lives for more than a century to defend that right."

Big Tech dollars may be becoming toxic in Washington.

What's happening: The once lionized industry finds itself more and more cast as a pariah, with lawmakers comparing Big Tech to Big Tobacco during a hearing with tech CEOs last week and a key House Republican forswearing industry donations.

White House senior adviser Anita Dunn is making the case that Democrats can't lose by rallying around President Biden's infrastructure plan because its individual components poll even higher than the $1.9 trillion COVID stimulus passed last month.

Driving the news: "Key components of President Biden’s American Jobs Plan are overwhelmingly popular — among a bipartisan and broad coalition," Dunn wrote in a memo to "interested parties" obtained by Axios around Biden's rollout of the first of two infrastructure spending packages.

President Biden doesn't publicly talk about stock market performance during his time in office, but he's slightly outpacing his more boastful predecessor.

By the numbers: The S&P 500 increased by 4.6% during the first 50 trading days of the Biden presidency, from market close on Jan. 19 to market close on March 31. Trump's first 50-day bump was 4.4%, whereas President Obama was down 6.1%.

A child was among four people killed in a shooting at an office building in Orange, Southern California, on Wednesday evening, authorities said.

Details: A female patient and the male suspect were both in critical condition at a local hospital with gunshot wounds following the shooting, Orange Police Department Lt. Jennifer Amat said at a briefing late Wednesday.

President Biden told ESPN in an interview broadcast Wednesday he'd back Major League Baseball moving its 2021 All-Star Game out of Atlanta over Georgia's new voting restrictions — which he called "Jim Crow on steroids."

Driving the news: ESPN's Sage Steele asked Biden what he thought about leading MLB figures looking to relocate the game over Georgia's law. Biden replied, "Today's professional athletes are acting incredibly responsibly. I would strongly support them doing that. People look to them, they're leaders."

Go deeper: Biden calls Georgia's voting restrictions "Jim Crow in the 21st Century"

A Hong Kong court has found media tycoon Jimmy Lai, barrister Martin Lee and five other pro-democracy leaders guilty of participating in an an authorized protest in 2019, per Bloomberg. They'll receive sentences at a later date.

Why it matters: The verdict is a further blow for the city's pro-democracy movement. It comes a day after China's government a passed a law that critics say effectively ends democratic elections in Hong Kong. The pro-democracy figures were convicted under a draconian national security law the Chinese government imposed on the territory last year.

Flashback: Hong Kong again jails Jimmy Lai after release on bail

New Mexico Democratic officials on Wednesday nominated a white state lawmaker over Latina and Native American candidates for Interior Secretary Deb Haaland's former U.S. House seat.

Why it matters: The selection of state Rep. Melanie Stansbury to replace one of the nation's first Native American female U.S. House members could put a relatively safe Democratic seat in play for a special election in the heavily Latino central New Mexico district.

On the eve of the MLB regular season's start, Washington Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo announced a player has tested positive for COVID-19, and four teammates and a staffer are in quarantine.

Why it matters: Major League Baseball is still reeling from the impact of the coronavirus last season, when sponsor revenue plummeted by up to 60% and players' salary also fell, as the pandemic shortened the season.

President Biden on Wednesday proposed a $2 trillion infrastructure package that could transform America's physical and economic landscape.

Axios Re:Cap speaks with White House economic adviser Jared Bernstein about the plan and the politics.

Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin (R) urged Americans to "use common sense to avoid spreading" COVID-19, including wearing masks, as she told People Magazine Wednesday that she previously tested positive for the virus.

Why it matters: The influential conservative firebrand and 2008 Republican vice presidential nominee's comments come at a time when some GOP lawmakers have gone against health officials' guidance on face coverings and other suggested precautions.

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas on Wednesday warned that "cyberthreats are coming dangerously close to threatening our lives" as he announced a series of "sprints" designed to counter online attacks.

Why it matters: "Our government got hacked last year and we didn’t know about it for months," Mayorkas said. It wasn't until cybersecurity firm SolarWinds "got hacked itself and alerted the government" when federal officials learned the extent of the problem, he noted.