Axios

John Kerry became the first senior Biden administration official to touch down in China this week. He's also been the first to sit down with a string of world leaders.

Why it matters: Kerry may no longer be secretary of state, but you'd be forgiven for thinking otherwise after a glance at his calendar. The unusual role could make Kerry a foreign policy force multiplier for President Biden, or potentially a source of mixed messages.

The White House announced Thursday it's releasing $39 billion from the American Rescue Plan "to address the child care crisis caused by COVID-19."

Why it matters: The pandemic has had a devastating impact on the child care industry, with many daycares and other providers forced to close due to low enrollment and the high costs to keep facilities safe and clean.

Chicago's independent police review board on Thursday released the body camera footage of an officer's fatal shooting of 13-year-old Adam Toledo on March 29.

The big picture: Tension continues to rise nationwide in response to police misconduct and racism. Thursday's footage release comes days after officer Kim Potter fatally shot Daunte Wright in a traffic stop near Minneapolis, where the trial of Derek Chauvin, a former police officer accused of murdering George Floyd, is ongoing.

The Paycheck Fairness Act, which aims to close loopholes used by employers to pay women less than men for doing the same work, passed the House in a vote of 217-210 on Thursday.

Why it matters: The pandemic has widened disparities for women's employment and economic equity. The World Economic Forum projects it will take women in North America roughly 61.5 years to have economic parity with men.

Georgia has become the center of American politics, in an era wherein state issues and officials have taken on elevated national prominence.

Axios Re:Cap speaks with Georgia state Sen. Jen Jorden, a Democrat running for attorney general, about her state's time in the national spotlight, if she'd defend the voting law as AG and if Will Smith should have pulled his movie production from her state.

Former President Trump endorsed Wyoming GOP chairman Frank Eathorne's bid for reelection in a statement Thursday, pointing to Eathorne's role in censuring Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.).

Why it matters: Cheney, the 3rd ranking Republican in the House, has been a fierce critic of Trump and was one of the few Republicans who voted to impeach Trump for "incitement of insurrection" following the events of Jan. 6. Trump has said he wants to "get rid" of Republicans who backed impeachment.

A Mexican law against the detention of minors who are headed to the U.S. border may unintentionally be encouraging more attempts by children to cross over.

The state of play: Teenagers from Honduras told Reuters they decided to cross to the U.S. through Mexico because of the law, which gives them temporary protection from deportation, as they felt safer making the attempt.

Former Vice President Mike Pence's office on Thursday said he underwent surgery at a hospital in Falls Church, Virginia, Wednesday to implant a pacemaker after experiencing symptoms associated with a slow heart rate over the past two weeks.

The backdrop: Upon being nominated vice president in 2016, Pence disclosed in his medical records that he was diagnosed with an asymptomatic left bundle branch block, his office said.

Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is pouring money into a new political group amid speculation about a possible 2024 presidential run, records show.

Why it matters: Champion American Values, formed in February, is the same phrase that Pompeo has been using lately including during remarks last month to an influential group of Republicans in Iowa, seen as a clear sign he's considering a 2024 bid.

Republicans and conservative groups made inroads via YouTube in 2020 with low-information Latino voters often ignored by Democrats, a deep new analysis of U.S. voters shows.

Why it matters: The percentage of eligible Latino voters is expected to increase in every election, but traditional media isn't necessarily where these new voters are going for crucial information shaping their decisions.

U.S. intelligence officials have "low to moderate confidence" in reports that surfaced last year that Russia had offered bounties to Taliban-linked militants for killing U.S. troops stationed in Afghanistan, according to The Guardian.

Why it matters: The news comes as the Biden administration unveiled a spate of sanctions against Russian officials and entities on Thursday. The bounty reports, however, were not a factor in the decision to pass sanctions.

The U.S. should do away with Title 42, a Trump-era policy for quickly expelling people at the border, and instead allow migrants to petition for ayslum as quickly as possible, Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-Texas) said during an Axios virtual event on Thursday.

Why it matters: The policy, Castro said, denies many people seeking asylum the right to due process, and instead the Biden administration should focus on improving its capacity to process migrants flows and reunite people with their families or sponsors in the U.S.

Hours after Democrats introduced a bill that would expand the Supreme Court from 9 to 13 justices, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said that she does not support the bill and will not bring it to the floor.

Driving the news: Speaking at her weekly press briefing on Thursday, Pelosi didn't rule out the possibility of expanding the Supreme Court, but she said she supports President Biden's commission to study the issue.

Derek Chauvin's defense team rested its case Thursday after the former Minneapolis police officer said that he would not testify at his murder trial, invoking his Fifth Amendment rights against self-incrimination.

Why it matters: The impact of the Derek Chauvin trial, seen by advocates as one of the most crucial civil rights cases in decades, is reverberating across the country. Closing arguments are expected by April 19.

The Biden administration announced it will sanction dozens of Russian officials and entities, expel 10 diplomats from the U.S., and set new restrictions on buying Russian sovereign debt in response to the massive SolarWinds hack of federal agencies and interference in the 2020 election.

Why it matters: The sweeping acts of retaliation are aimed at imposing heavy economic costs on Russia, after years of sanctions that have failed to deter an increasingly aggressive and authoritarian President Vladimir Putin.

J.D. Vance, venture capitalist and author of "Hillbilly Elegy," has told friends and colleagues that he plans to run for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Rob Portman (R-Ohio), Axios has learned from multiple sources.

Why it matters: He'll need to reconcile his growing antagonism to Big Tech with a career that's been facilitated by it.

Democratic lawmakers on Thursday introduced a bill in the House to expand the Supreme Court from nine to 13 justices.

Why it matters: The bill would allow President Biden to immediately nominate four people to fill the new seats, reshaping the balance of power on a court that became solidly conservative after three vacancies were filled by former President Trump.

The U.S. government has sanctioned Konstantin Kilimnik, a Russian-Ukrainian political consultant indicted in the Mueller investigation in 2018, for carrying out election influence operations on behalf of Russian intelligence services.

The big picture: The Senate Intelligence Committee's report on 2016 Russian election interference assessed that Kilimnik, who worked with former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort as a lobbyist for the pro-Russia president of Ukraine, is a Russian intelligence officer.

The U.S.' ability to prevent terrorist attacks "will change" but not diminish after the U.S. withdraws its troops from Afghanistan, National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan told CNN Thursday.

Why it matters: Sullivan's interview comes after CIA director William Burns told a Senate panel Wednesday that withdrawal could allow terrorist groups like al-Qaeda and ISIS to rebuild, following President Biden's announcement Wednesday that the U.S. will begin the process of leaving the country in May.

Senior Senate Democrats will introduce legislation on Thursday designed to make climate change a pillar of U.S. diplomacy, boosting initiatives to help other nations cut emissions and adapt to a warming world, Axios has learned.

Why it matters: The bill, led by Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Robert Menendez (D-N.J.), aims to put momentum on Capitol Hill behind President Biden's efforts.

Ongoing protests over Daunte Wright's death have renewed debate over the tactics police use to control crowds and respond to civil unrest.

Driving the news: Hundreds of demonstrators gathered for a fourth straight night in Brooklyn Center Wednesday. Law enforcement used flash-bang grenades and pepper balls to disperse the crowd as a 10 p.m. curfew set in.

• Unlike in recent nights, however, tear gas was not used, The Star Tribune reports.

The state of play: Law enforcement officials say the tactics are necessary to restore order and protect residents and property when peaceful protests begin to devolve, but activists in Minnesota and beyond say the "militarized" response is overly aggressive, dangerous and actually risks inciting more violence.

MLB is the latest sports league to fall out of favor with Republicans following its decision to pull the All-Star Game out of Atlanta.

By the numbers: In mid-March, MLB's net favorability rating among Republicans was 47%, the highest of the four major U.S. sports leagues. Since then, it has plummeted to 12%, dropping the league below the NFL and NHL, according to new data from Morning Consult.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken made an unannounced trip to Afghanistan on Thursday to meet with the nation's president, Ashraf Ghani, and Abdullah Abdullah, who is representing the Taliban in negotiations, per the Washington Post.

Why it matters: Blinken sought to reassure the pair that the U.S. will maintain support for the country, despite President Biden's decision to withdraw troops from Afghanistan starting May 1 and concluding in full by Sept. 11.

Political advertising has quickly begun to migrate over to connected TV (CTV), or digital and streaming television, according to new data.

Why it matters: "If the current trends of explosive growth in CTV viewership continue, we could see a tipping point where CTV makes up nearly half of political digital ad spend as soon as 2022," says Grace Briscoe, vice president of candidates and causes at Centro, a digital ad placement firm that works with hundreds of campaigns across the country.

An unpublished novel about race and police violence by one of the 20th century's most influential African American writers is set to be released 80 years after publishers rejected it.

Why it matters: The publication of Richard Wright's "The Man Who Lived Underground" comes as the nation faces questions around systemic racism in media, as social media videos of police treatment of Black residents go viral, and as the trial of the former Minneapolis police officer who killed George Floyd dominates the news.

Our latest Engagious/Schlesinger focus groups find swing voters "very troubled" over pulling George Washington's name from a public school or Dr. Seuss titles from the shelves — but fine with "canceling" My Pillow CEO Mike Lindell or "Mandalorian" actress Gina Carano.

Why it matters: Conservatives accuse progressives — and vice versa — of trying to cancel anyone who doesn't meet their purity tests. But these voters whose political loyalty is up for grabs see two distinct claims: legitimate versus frivolous.

Members of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus will meet with President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris on Thursday.

Why it matters: The meeting follows a wave of violent attacks against members of the Asian American community in recent months. It also comes a day after Biden named Erika Moritsugu as deputy assistant to the president and Asian American Pacific Islander community liaison.

The House Judiciary Committee voted 25 to 17 Wednesday to advance a bill that would create a commission to study reparations for Black Americans who are the descendants of slaves.

Why it matters: "No such bill has ever come this far during Congressional history of the United States," said Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas), who sponsored the bill, per the Washington Post.

Kim Potter, the former police officer charged with second-degree manslaughter in the fatal shooting of Daunte Wright, was released on a $100,000 bond on Wednesday, Hennepin County jail records show.

Why it matters: Sunday's shooting of the 20-year-old Black man in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota, just 10 miles from where George Floyd was killed by a Minneapolis police officer last year, has reinvigorated Black Lives Matter protests and led to three consecutive nights of unrest.

President Biden has named Erika Moritsugu as deputy assistant to the president and Asian American and Pacific Islander senior liaison, the White House announced Wednesday.

Driving the news: The decision follows weeks of pressure from AAPI leaders to include more Asian American representation at the Cabinet level and in senior administration roles.

Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) announced Wednesday a six-figure ad buy for a spot that takes aim at CNN as part of an offensive to hit back at mounting sexual misconduct allegations, Politico first reported.

Driving the news: Gaetz is under federal investigation following sex trafficking allegations, and the House Ethics Committee has also opened an inquiry. Announcing the 30-second ad, to run in his Florida Panhandle district, Gaetz called on his Twitter followers to "help us fight back!"

Some swing voters say President Biden needs to better explain who'll pay for his $2 trillion infrastructure plan — and they'll only back bipartisan legislation that's paid for by corporations, not the middle class.

Why it matters: These takeaways from our latest Engagious/Schlesinger focus groups offer crucial context for an administration basing much of its legislative strategy on polls showing Americans notionally favor spending on roads, bridges, job training and broadband access.

Donald Trump's tumultuous presidency and the Jan. 6 Capitol assault are signals that people are “less enamored” by democracy, a former Polish foreign minister who has the ear of the White House and Congress tells Axios.

Why it matters: Radosław Sikorski, currently a member of the European Parliament, said it’s critical that democratic countries like the U.S. now showcase their resilience to the world.

A new political group in Virginia is taking pains to keep the people behind it a secret. And one candidate in the state's gubernatorial race claims it is buying ads designed to falsely make it look like they're coming from him.

Why it matters: The group, dubbed the Patriot Leadership Trust, has succeeded in hiding the identities of its principals, depriving Virginians of information about the people and interests seeking to sway their votes in a bellwether off-year race.

The number of unauthorized immigrants in the United States has fallen or flattened after rapid growth in the late 1990s and early 2000s, according to estimates by think tanks like the Migration Policy Institute and Pew Research Center.

The big picture: The overall number is about 11 million. While the surge of Central Americans trying to cross the border has attracted recent headlines, there has been a steady decline in the number of unauthorized immigrants from Mexico.