The big picture: Chauvin, who is being held in solitary confinement for 23 hours a day over fears for his safety in prison, was convicted of second-degree murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter.
City officials in Albuquerque are trying to recoup costs for an unpaid Trump campaign bill totaling more than $211,000 incurred during a 2019 Rio Rancho rally, referring the six-figure tab to a debt collections agency.
Details: The city recently resent the outstanding bill for $211,175.94 to the former president's Mar-a-Lago resort after originally sending it to New York-based Donald J. Trump for President Inc.,the Albuquerque Journal reported.
President Biden’s virtual climate summit wrapped up Friday afternoon — and the big question is whether he managed to successfully convince other world leaders in attendance that the U.S. can once again lead on climate change action.
Axios Re:Cap is joined by Axios climate and energy reporter Andrew Freedman, who shares portions of his interview with Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken authorized U.S. diplomatic facilities around the world to fly Pride flags, the New York Times first reported and a State Department spokesperson confirmed to Axios.
Why it matters: Under the Trump administration, diplomatic facilities were prevented from flying the U.S. flag and Pride flag on the same pole during the month of June, which is recognized as LGBTQ Pride Month in the U.S. and many other countries. American embassies were still permitted to have rainbow flags on the premises.
At the last minute, four hotels in Texas and Arizona backed out of agreements to house around 600 migrant family members amid growing border-crossing numbers and swirling political debates over immigration, Axios has learned.
Why it matters: The nonprofit Endeavors has already secured new hotels to fulfill its $87 million contract with Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Still, the last-minute changes underscore the logistical and political hurdles to finding space for the increasing numbers of migrant families and children illegally crossing the U.S.-Mexico border.
Former President Obama said in an interview with BET that the U.S. today is more fractured than when he first ran for president in 2008 — divided along "political, cultural, ideological and geographical lines that seem to be deeper than just differences in policy."
Why it matters: To mend the faults and protect the longevity of U.S. democracy, Obama said he believes it requires "active citizenship and sustained focus on the issues — not just in an election season, but all the days in between."
President Biden's proposal to put $174 billion into zero-emission transportation is a type of "market-making investment" that would kickstart the nation's EV industry, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said Friday during a virtual Axios event.
Why it matters: Biden's American Jobs Plan aims to invest in EV charging stations and consumer incentives to make EVs more marketable.
New York resident Robert Chapman was arrested on Thursday after someone he'd spoken to on the dating app "Bumble" tipped off law enforcement that he'd been involved in the Jan. 6 Capitol siege, the Washington Post reports.
The state of play: Chapman told his Bumble match that he "did storm the capitol" and "made it all the way to Statuary Hall." His potential partner responded, "We are not a match," and then alerted the police.
President Biden will host a drive-in rally in metro Atlanta next week to celebrate his first 100 days in office, the Atlanta-Journal Constitution reports.
Why it matters: Jon Ossoff and Rev. Raphael Warnock's victories in January's runoff elections in Georgia secured Democrats' thin majority in the Senate, allowing Biden to pass his signature $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan. The visit will come one day after Biden addresses a joint session of Congress for the first time.
President Biden will travel to the U.K. on June 11-13 for the G7 summit, followed by a trip to Brussels on June 14 for the NATO summit, the White House announced Friday.
Why it matters: Biden's first overseas trip — which has been delayed due to the pandemic — will be used to reaffirm the U.S. commitment to multilateralism, following four years of strained relations with European allies under former President Trump.
Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) said Thursday that because the COVID-19 vaccines are not fully approved by the FDA, the U.S. government "probably should have limited the distribution to the vulnerable" — questioning the "big push to make sure everybody gets a vaccine."
Why it matters: Vaccine hesitancy — especially among white Republicans — is viewed as one of the major barriers to reaching herd immunity in the U.S. and bringing the pandemic to an end.
President Biden wants to nearly double the capital gains tax paid by wealthy Americans, as first reported yesterday by Bloomberg and confirmed by Axios.
Counterintuitive: Biden's plan is better for private fund managers (hedge, PE, VC, etc.) than what he proposed during the campaign.
Despite public comments from executives downplaying Facebook's role in the planning for the Jan. 6 insurrection, an internal report leaked to BuzzFeed News concluded that the company failed to adequately deal with extremists who gathered online and planned the assault on the Capitol.
Why it matters: Social networks continue to be both a significant source of misinformation as well as a gathering place for advocates of violence.
Rep. Val Demings (D-Fla.) told Politico Thursday she's "seriously considering" challenging either Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) or Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) in 2022.
The big picture: Democrat colleagues have urged Demings to consider a statewide run in Florida, a battleground state. The Florida congresswoman is a former Orlando police chief and was on President Biden's shortlist for vice president.
Former Olympic decathlete and reality TV star Caitlyn Jenner on Friday officially announced her bid for governor of California.
The big picture: Jenner, a longtime Republican, is seeking to replace Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom in a recall election, hoping her celebrity status and name recognition can yield an upset in the nation's most populous state.
Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin (W.Va.) told Politico he's backing Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski for re-election in Alaska's 2022 Senate race.
Why it matters: While Murkowski is facing a primary challenge from at least one pro-Trump Republican, Democrats in Manchin's own party will also be vying for the Alaska Senate seat. Murkowski said she would "welcome [Manchin's] endorsement."
President Biden in the next few days will unveil eye-popping new tax rates for the wealthiest Americans —a top marginal income tax rate of 39.6% and a capital gains rate of 43.4%.
Why it matters: The proposal, to be announced ahead of Biden's address to Congress next Wednesday, is an opening bid for Hill negotiations.
In the next few days, the White House will unveil long-awaited details for most of the tax-the-rich proposals President Biden has been promising since last year's campaign — laying the groundwork ahead of an April 28 speech to lawmakers timed around his first 100 days in office.
What we're hearing: Think of Biden's plans to increase the top marginal rate to 39.6% and the capital gains rate to 43.4% for the wealthiest Americans as opening bids.
Former President George W. Bush told People magazine that he wrote in Condoleezza Rice when he voted for president in the 2020 election.
The big picture: Bush also clarified comments made earlier this week in which he called today's GOP "isolationist, protectionist and, to a certain extent, nativist." The former president told People that he "painted with too broad a brush" and excluded "a lot of Republicans who believe we can fix the problem."
The UN Security Council voiced its "deep concern" Thursday over the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Ethiopia's Tigray region, noting reports of sexual violence against women and girls, per a press release.
Why it matters: This is the first time the UNSC has made a public statement regarding the conflict in the Tigray, though the council previously received five briefings on the topic, Reuters reports.
President Biden is getting mixed marks for his reliance on industry insiders to staff his administration during its first 100 days.
Why it matters: Progressives have leaned on the new president to limit the revolving door between industry and government. A new report from the Revolving Door Project praises him on that front but highlights key hires it deems ethically questionable.
The Jan. 6 insurrection was a "shock to the system," propelling members of Congress toward the goal of shoring up America's ability to compete with China, Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.) told Axios during an interview Thursday.
Why it matters: Competition between China's authoritarian model and the West's liberal democratic one is likely to define the 21st century. A bipartisan response would help the U.S. present a united front.
Georgia is not alone in passing a law adding voting restrictions, but other states are seeing a surge in provisions and proposals that would expand access to the polls, according to data from the Brennan Center for Justice.
Driving the news: Just Wednesday, the New York State Assembly passed a bill to restore voting rights to convicted felons who have been released from prison.
Some key Republican senators won't rule out raising additional revenue from corporations, and told Axios they may be willing to close loopholes that allow big businesses to eliminate their overall tax bill.
Why it matters: While President Biden’s proposal to raise the corporate tax rate from 21% to 28% to pay for his infrastructure plan has been met with near-uniform GOP opposition, there’s some appetite to ensure corporations pay more.
