The top pollster for Joe Biden's presidential campaign is advising the White House to do something that often makes Democrats nervous: Talk loudly and proudly about raising taxes on the rich.
Why it matters: John Anzalone tells Axios his extensive polling and research has found that few issues receive broader support than raising taxes on corporations and people earning more than $400,000 a year.
Jill Biden's visit to Alabama is an early look at how the White House plans to deploy the first lady to connect her husband's message to struggling Americans, in red states especially.
Driving the news: Axios traveled with Biden on Friday to Birmingham, accompanying her to the James Rushton Early Learning Center and a YWCA where Biden spoke about how the administration's $1.9 trillion stimulus law can help address child poverty. Both centers she visited run Head Start programs that benefit from the law.
At night, parents with young children march through the brush after crossing the Rio Grande River in the pitch black. By day, unaccompanied kids arrive at shelters, in one instance 17 of 17 testing positive for COVID-19.
Driving the news: Axios accompanied a delegation of Republican lawmakers to South Texas last week — followed by a unilateral visit to El Paso — to see in real-time the challenges fueled by a border surge, the effects of actions taken by the previous administration, and the lagging response by the new one.
Federal regulators are probing financial reporting discrepancies stemming from an effort to funnel $75 million through state Republican parties to the national GOP effort to reelect Donald Trump, Axios has learned.
Why it matters: In comments to Axios and filings with the Federal Election Commission, some state party officials seemed unaware of their roles.
House Democrats still reeling from the Jan. 6 Capitol assault have found a new refuge: a group text chain in which they share everything from their anxieties to recipes and other attention-shifters.
What they're saying: “I liken it to that experience when I was in combat,” said Rep. Jason Crow (D-Colo.), a decorated Army Ranger and veteran of Iraq and Afghanistan who's one of about 20 members in the “Gallery Group."
More than 100 corporate executives and leaders gathered on a Zoom call Saturday to discuss ways to combat controversial voting bills being considered in states across the country that would restrict voting access, per the Washington Post.
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D) reiterated her call for her state to receive additional COVID-19 vaccine doses amidst a surge in cases, she told Sunday's "Face the Nation."
Why it matters: Whitmer's previous pleas for more vaccine doses have been turned down by the Biden administration, which maintains that doses are allocated according to each state's adult population, not by surges, per the Detroit Free Press. Whitmer said the surge was driven by variants and pandemic fatigue.
Former Trump campaign lawyer Joe diGenova issued an apology Thursday to former Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency director Chris Krebs for previously saying Krebs "should be drawn and quartered" and "taken out at dawn and shot."
State of play: The apology comes four months after Krebs sued diGenova, the Trump campaign and Newsmax Media for defamation and emotional distress.
Secretary of State Anthony Blinken criticized the Chinese government for its lack of transparency in the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic on Sunday's "Meet the Press," and called for a more thorough investigation into the of the origins of COVID-19.
The Fresno Police Department fired an officer on Friday after an investigation into his ties to the Proud Boys, a far-right extremist group with a history of violence, Police Chief Paco Balderrama confirmed in a statement.
Why it matters: The firing comes as police departments around the country have moved to root out members with ties to extremist and white supremacist groups, following revelations that the mob which stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 included off-duty officers.
Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) said on Sunday's Face The Nation the allegations against Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) are "sickening," but would not weigh in on whether he should step down.
Why it matters: Gaetz, a staunch ally of former President Trump, has long been a fierce critic of Cheney, and led the charge to remove her from leadership after she voted in favor of impeaching Trump for his alleged role in helping incite the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.
Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson said Sunday that the GOP should get "back to our principles," following reports that Former President Trump bashed Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell as a “dumb son of a bitch” at a Republican National Committee retreat on Saturday.
Between the lines: Trump went after a slew of Republicans, including McConnell and his wife, former Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao, for not backing him during his impeachment trial in February, per Politico.
Why it matters: Footage of the incident has drawn widespread criticism from leaders and groups in the state. Caron Nazario, who is Black and Latino, is heard saying “I’m honestly afraid to get out," to which a police officer responds “Yeah, you should be," in a video from a body-worn camera.
Two Korean electric vehicle battery makers have reached a last-minute settlement, saving President Biden from a Sunday deadline to decide whether to intervene in the global trade secret dispute.
Why it matters: The deal between SK Innovation and its rival, LG Chem, "averts a 10-year import ban on SK Innovation Co.'s products and protects thousands of jobs in the politically important state of Georgia," according to Bloomberg, which first reported the news.
The impact of the Derek Chauvin trial is reverberating far beyond the walls of the downtown Minneapolis courtroom.
The state of play: With the trial set to enter its third week, activists across America are watching the proceedings unfold with heavy skepticism that what they perceive as justice will be served.
The latest "Saturday Night Live" cold open used a news show sketch to tackle the trial of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, who faces murder and manslaughter charges over the death of George Floyd.
The big picture: In the "Eye on Minnesota" skit, white "anchors" Kate McKinnon and Alex Moffat spoke of their faith in the justice system. Black anchors Kenan Thompson and Ego Nwodim were more doubtful. Nwodim's journalist noted, "We've seen this movie before."
Actress Carey Mulligan hosted the show. Kid Cudi was the musical guest.
The only survivor of this week's mass shooting in South Carolina by former NFL player Phillip Adams has died of his injuries, authorities said Saturday.
Details: Robert Shook, 38, an air conditioning technician from Cherryville, North Carolina, died of gunshot wounds from Wednesday's shooting at a doctor's home in Rock Hill, S.C., which claimed the lives of five other victims.
Strong storms lashed the South early Saturday, spawning at least one tornado and unleashing powerful winds and hail. And forecasters warned more severe weather was expected to hit parts of the region in the coming hours.
Details: Thousands of customers lost power in Florida, Mississippi, Arkansas, Texas and Louisiana, according to tracking site poweroutage.us. An F3 tornado that hit St Landry Parish, Louisiana, killed one person and wounded seven others.
