Axios

President Biden has nominated Monica Medina to become assistant secretary at the State Department's Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs, the White House announced Thursday.

Why it matters: Medina, the wife of White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain, previously worked at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Prosecutors on Thursday filed 43 additional charges against the suspect in last month's mass shooting in Colorado, including 10 counts of possession of a high-capacity ammunition magazine.

Why it matters: The shooting at a Boulder grocery store in March left 10 dead, including one police officer. It is one of several high-profile mass shootings in 2021.

Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg acknowledged Thursday the precedent-shattering Trump administration fueled a belief that agreements or promises made by one U.S. president now come with a four-year expiration date.

Why it matters: "We are not naive," Solberg said in response to a question from Axios. The view is particularly important as climate change opens the Arctic to exploration, exploitation and militarization by the Russians, and they chafe at NATO defense exercises in Norway and elsewhere on their doorstep.

The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has withdrawn a Trump-era proposed rule that would have allowed federally funded emergency shelters and other facilities to exclude transgender people and others based on gender identity.

Why it matters: Transgender people already face additional barriers to housing. 1 in 5 trans people in the U.S. has been discriminated against when seeking shelter, according to the National Center for Transgender Equality.

The American Civil Liberties Union filed suit Thursday against the state of Iowa over a law that allows Medicaid to deny payments for gender transition surgery.

Why it matters: The suit is the latest volley in nationwide fight over transgender rights, ranging from access to medical care to the ability to compete on sports teams.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has instructed the delegation traveling to Washington, D.C. next week for strategic talks on Iran to stress their objection to a U.S. return to the 2015 nuclear deal and to refuse to discuss its contents, Israeli officials say.

Why it matters: That position is similar to the one Israel took in the year before the 2015 nuclear deal was announced, which led to a rift between the Israeli government and the Obama administration. History could now repeat itself.

Hispanic U.S. House members are pushing for an aggressive, multiyear "Marshall Plan" for Central America to tackle regional violence, corruption and economic devastation.

The big picture: The call for a Central American plan, similar to a U.S. program that rebuilt Western Europe following World War II, comes as both political parties and the Biden administration struggle to find short-term solutions to the ongoing humanitarian crisis. The price tag: TBD.

Prominent civil rights activist Rev. Al Sharpton delivered a sharp rebuke of police brutality in his eulogy at the funeral of Daunte Wright Thursday, calling Wright a "prince" who didn't deserve to die.

Why it matters: Wright, a 20-year-old Black man, died on April 11 after police pulled him over for a traffic stop and shot him 10 miles from the scene of George Floyd's death.

Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) will deliver his party's response to President Biden's joint address to Congress next week, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy announced on Thursday.

Why it matters: The pick is a big deal in the post-Trump GOP as Republicans navigate what the future of the party will look like. Scott, the only Black Republican in the Senate, is widely seen as a rising star in the party who is well-liked by pro-Trump Republicans as well more moderate members.

Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt (R) has signed into law a measure that provides protections to drivers who unintentionally injure or kill protesters while "fleeing a riot."

The big picture: The legislation, signed Wednesday, also increases the penalties for protesters who block public roadways. Oklahoma is one of several states that has passed measures targeting demonstrators in the wake of last year's nationwide Black Lives Matter protests.

Sens. John Cornyn (R-Tex.) and Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) introduced bipartisan legislation on Thursday in response to the surge of migration at the U.S.-Mexico border.

Why it matters: It is the first bipartisan, bicameral bill to address the border situation. Both Cornyn and Sinema are part of a larger bipartisan group of senators who met for the second time on Wednesday to work toward passing immigration legislation.

Exactly a year has passed since Army Spc. Vanessa Guillén went missing from Fort Hood in Texas, a case that brought intense scrutiny to the base and led to a damning report of its “permissive environment” toward crimes.

Driving the news: Guillén’s family is in Washington on Thursday trying to urge lawmakers to pass a House bill set to be voted on May 10.

Stocks fell Thursday following media reports that President Biden wants to nearly double the capital gains tax paid by wealthy Americans.

Inside the numbers: Biden reportedly is considering a proposal of a 39.6% top rate on long-term capital gains, up from the current 20% rate. He also is expected to maintain an ACA-related investment tax, bringing the total federal rate to as high as 43.4%, as first reported by Bloomberg and confirmed by Axios.

The Supreme Court ruled Thursday that minors convicted of murder can be given a life sentence without the possibility of parole.

Why it matters: The 6-3 decision comes as a reversal from recent leniency for juveniles, reflecting the conservative opinions on the bench.

The Senate voted 94-1 on Thursday to pass legislation that aims to improve anti-Asian hate crime tracking and identification.

Why it matters: It's a rare bipartisan endorsement of a bill by the 50-50 Senate, and comes in the wake of a spike of anti-Asian hate crimes over the last year. Sen. Josh Hawley (Mo.) was lone Republican to vote against the bill.

Rep. Terri Sewell (D-Ala.) said at a virtual Axios event Thursday the pandemic has "exacerbated" health disparities and revealed "our systemic disinvestment" in addressing them.

Why it matters: In the U.S., people of color are more likely to be diagnosed with the coronavirus, suffer serious illness, become hospitalized because of COVID and die from it. They are also are more likely to be without health insurance.

A Texas congressional candidate is drawing Team Trump's ire with ads designed to falsely imply the ex-president's backing.

Why it matters: Donald Trump endorsements are the hottest commodity in Republican politics right now, and candidates are going to extreme lengths to court his support. But there's no quicker way to irk Trump than freeloading on his brand.

Senate Republicans formally rolled out the framework for their $568 billion counterproposal to President Biden's $2.5 trillion infrastructure plan on Thursday.

Why it matters: The package is far narrower than anything congressional Democrats or the White House would agree to, but it serves as a marker for what Republicans want out of a potential bipartisan deal.

The House of Representatives voted 216-208 on Thursday to pass a bill that would grant statehood to Washington, D.C.

The big picture: It's the second year in a row that the Democratic-controlled House has voted to recognize D.C. as the 51st state. The bill now heads to a divided Senate, where it faces little chance of reaching the 60 votes necessary to send to President Biden's desk.

Climate activist Greta Thunberg released a video Thursday denouncing world leaders for the "hypothetical targets" announced at President Biden's virtual climate summit this week.

Why it matters: The virtual summit came hours before Thunberg urged U.S. lawmakers "to listen to and act on the science" in testimony before a House Oversight Committee panel.

Akayed Ullah has been sentenced to life in prison — plus 30 years — over his failed attempt to ignite a pipe bomb in a New York City subway station in 2017, NBC New York reports.

Background: Ullah's bomb failed to fully explode and injured a few bystanders. Then-President Trump used the event as a rallying call for stricter immigration laws, with Ullah having been in the U.S. on a visa since 2011.

President Biden's nomination for Eric Lander to serve as director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy, a Cabinet-level position for the first time, has been delayed in part over a senator's questions about Lander's past meetings with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, Politico reports.

Why it matters: Lander is Biden's only unconfirmed Cabinet nominee. While serving as a professor at Harvard in 2012, Lander met Epstein in what he told BuzzFeed News was "an informal sandwich lunch" to "talk science with various people."

Private equity is carefully watching the D.C. debate on corporate taxes, in which Senate Democrats seem to be settling on a 25% rate.

Zoom in: Marginal rates obviously matter, but for PE it's just an appetizer before the weedier work begins on issues like corporate interest deductibility.

President Biden's new U.S. emissions-cutting target is a sign of White House ambition and a number that distills the tough political and policy maneuvers needed to realize those aims.

Driving the news: This morning the White House unveiled a nonbinding goal under the Paris Agreement that calls for cutting U.S. greenhouse gas emissions by 50%-52% by 2030 relative to 2005 levels.

The Biden administration is moving to address global warming by setting a new, economy-wide greenhouse gas emissions reduction target of 50% to 52% below 2005 levels by 2030.

Why it matters: The new, non-binding target is about twice as ambitious as the previous U.S. target of a 26% to 28% cut by 2025, which was set during the Obama administration. White House officials described the goal as ambitious but achievable during a call with reporters Tuesday night.

For most of the past year, a strategic communications firm with deep Washington ties has played an integral role for the prosecution in the State of Minnesota v. Derek Chauvin — operating without pay and so under-the-radar that most of its own staff had no idea.

The big picture: Finsbury Glover Hering — formerly known as the Glover Park Group — has been conducting media monitoring and analysis as part of legal team special prosecutor Neal Katyal's vision for a three-pronged "modern appeal/trial strategy."

The upcoming decision from Facebook’s independent Oversight Board on whether to uphold or reverse Facebook’s indefinite suspension of former President Trump’s profiles has policymakers on edge.

Why it matters: The decision will set a historic precedent for how the tech giant treats accounts of world leaders, and could be a litmus test for the board’s power.

The Israeli military struck back at Syria after a missile from the country triggered air raid sirens near the Dimona nuclear reactor as it landed in southern Israel, AFP reports.

Why it matters: The exchange, which Syrian state media said wounded four of its soldiers, marked the biggest clashes between the two countries in years.

• No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, but Iranian troops and proxies operate in Syria and the incident indicates Iran's involvement, AP notes. It comes amid rising tensions between Israel and Iran.

Security forces detained at least 1,770 supporters of the jailed, hunger-striking Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny amid protests across Russia Wednesday, according to the independent monitoring group OVD-Info.

The big picture: At least 30 protesters were arrested in Moscow, 805 in St. Petersburg and 119 in the Urals city of Ufa, among dozens of other cities, the group estimates.

India's health ministry confirmed 314,835 new COVID-19 cases on Thursday, taking the total tally to nearly 16 million infections.

Why it matters: It's the highest number of coronavirus cases reported in a single day anywhere in the world, eclipsing the previous record of 307,581 cases set in the U.S. on Jan. 8, AP notes.

North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum (R) on Wednesday vetoed a bill passed to prevent transgender students from taking part in K-12 school sports.

Why it matters: The bill was one of over 50 in 28 states introduced this year to exclude transgender youth from playing sports on teams that align with their gender identity.

A Black man was fatally shot by a North Carolina sheriff's deputy in Elizabeth City, northeast of Raleigh, on Wednesday, igniting protests in the local community.

Details: Pasquotank County Sheriff Tommy Wooten said at a news briefing the State Bureau of Investigation was investigating the shooting of Andrew Brown Jr., which happened about 8:30 a.m as deputies were serving a search warrant.

More than 80% of Asian adults say that violence against them is increasing, according to a new Pew Research Center survey.

The big picture: The survey, conducted April 5-11, comes after the recent shootings in Atlanta in which eight people, including six Asian women were killed, as well as a yearlong spike in hate incidents against the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community.

The Chinese Communist Party is believed to be responsible for newly found hack attacks on the U.S. government, businesses and American infrastructure, cybersecurity company Mandiant said Wednesday.

Why it matters: This is the third major cybersecurity breach to hit the U.S. in recent months — including two in March blamed on hackers linked to China's government: one targeting 30,000 U.S. victims, including small businesses and local governments, the other hitting Microsoft.

President Joe Biden nominated Stacey Dixon on Wednesday to become the principal deputy director of National Intelligence, the nation's second highest intelligence post, per a White House press release.

Why it matters: If confirmed by the Senate, Dixon would be the first Black woman to hold the position, according to the New York Times.

Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam on Wednesday signed a bill that legalizes the possession and growth of small amounts of recreational marijuana starting this summer.

Why it matters: Virginia is the first Southern state to legalize recreational marijuana, and the 16th state in the country to do so.

As Congress forges ahead with police reform legislation, Democratic operatives are warning lawmakers to steer clear of any defund-the-police rhetoric since it could hurt them in the midterms.

Why it matters: President Biden and his fellow Democrats say Congress needs to pass the George Floyd Policing Act, which would ban chokeholds, prohibit no-knock warrants and generally make it easier to hold officers accountable for misconduct.

Vice President Kamala Harris will meet virtually Monday with Guatemalan President Alejandro Giammattei to discuss solutions to the surge of migration, and she'll visit the region in June, a senior White House official told Axios.

Why it matters: The administration is taking a multi-pronged approach to solving the problem and also hopes to announce details about its plan for investing aid in Central America on Monday — although a final dollar amount has yet to be decided.

A bipartisan group of senators that met privately Wednesday agreed to have their staffs draft a document outlining incremental immigration changes so they "can build from there," Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) told Axios.

Why it matters: The Republicans and Democrats recognize that Congress has failed numerous times to pass comprehensive reform, so now they're looking for a starting point amid a migrant surge at the southern border.

The federal government has been paying travel costs for adult sponsors trying to get to shelters to pick up migrant children, a Department of Health and Human Services agency spokesperson confirmed to Axios.

Why it matters: Officials would not provide numbers, but the policy shift underscores the urgency the Biden administration feels to quickly release kids who crossed the U.S.-Mexico border alone and remain in HHS custody.

Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison says he wasn't convinced that former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin would be found guilty for the murder of George Floyd, per an excerpt from his upcoming "60 Minutes" interview released Wednesday.

The big picture: In the interview, airing Sunday, Ellison noted that "when the victim is a person of color, it's just rare that there's any accountability." This is particularly the case for police officers in the deaths of Black people.