Axios

New data from the U.S. census shows that American population growth in the 2010s was the slowest since the 1930s, and COVID-19 will likely be a further drag.

Why it matters: Demography has always been destiny, and America's sheer size and relatively young age have been vital components to its global influence. An America that grows slower and older will face new challenges around economics and innovation.

A deadly epidemic overshadowing President Biden's first 100 days has been mass shootings from day to day, coast to coast, affecting both urban and rural communities.

Why it matters: The United States continues to grapple with whether and how to change its gun laws. Biden is expected to urge Congress to pass anti-gun violence legislation in tonight's address. He's already ordered flags to be flown at half-staff three times in response to shootings in Boulder, Colorado, and Indianapolis as well as in and near Atlanta.

Senators from both parties tell Axios they generally approve the idea of a summit between President Biden and Russian leader Vladimir Putin but oppose any reset of relations between Washington and Moscow.

Why it matters: The Biden-Putin relationship is off to a contentious start following U.S. sanctions over Russia’s election interference and cyberattacks, Russia’s military buildup in Ukraine — and Biden’s characterization of Putin as a “killer.”

American cities are hiring some big K Street names as Congress passes and readies more legislation with huge implications for Main Street.

Why it matters: With infrastructure legislation potentially authorizing trillions in new spending — and a return of earmarks offering the prospect of targeted federal spending projects — cities battered by the COVID pandemic are looking to secure desperately needed assistance.

President Biden will ask Congress to pay for the entirety of his $1.8 trillion American Families Plan, yet some Democratic senators want him to finance it with deficit spending, lawmakers and their aides tell Axios.

Why it matters: The "human infrastructure" proposal, which Biden will formally unveil Wednesday night during his joint address to Congress, is already dead on arrival among Republicans — so the Democratic reaction is key.

President Biden is scheduled to host his first bipartisan meeting with House and Senate leaders on May 12, a White House official confirmed to Axios on Wednesday.

The big picture: The meeting represents Biden’s latest attempt to reach across the aisle amid partisan pressure in D.C. The invitation is intended to give the president a chance to meet with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell to discuss common policy goals.

Taxes and gun control have become a huge part of the media conversation surrounding the Biden presidency in its first 100 days, according to new data.

Why it matters: Neither issue drew that much media spotlight in the final months of the Trump presidency. Instead, much of the focus throughout the end of last year was on issues like corporate crime, campaign finance and censorship.

First lady Jill Biden invited 16-year-old Stella Keating, the first transgender teen to testify before the U.S. Senate, as one of her virtual guests to President Biden's first address to a joint session of Congress on Wednesday.

Why it matters: Keating's invitation comes amid a record number of Republican-backed bills introduced this year targeting trans youth — and after Biden's White House has brought national political attention to trans rights.

Three white men have been charged with federal hate crimes and attempted kidnapping in connection to the death of Ahmaud Arbery, a 25-year-old Black man who was shot and killed last year in Georgia, the Justice Department announced Wednesday.

The big picture: Arbery's death is one of several that drove nationwide Black Lives Matter protests last summer, including demonstrations over the police killings of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor.

Video of the fatal shooting of 22-year old Anthony Alvarez on March 31 in Chicago was released Wednesday by the Civilian Office of Police Accountability, showing his back turned as he moved away from officers.

Driving the news: Alvarez appeared to be holding a gun in one hand and a cellphone in the other, body camera footage shows. COPA recommended to the Chicago Police Department that the officer who shot Alvarez "be relieved of his police powers" pending its investigation, the agency spokesperson Ephraim Eaddy said Wednesday.

Samantha Power, former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations and a Pulitzer Prize-winning author, was confirmed by the Senate on Wednesday with a 68-26 vote to lead the U.S. Agency for International Development.

Why it matters: Power's nomination signaled the Biden administration's plans to use foreign assistance as an instrument of soft power as the U.S. has pledged to deliver millions of vaccines and offer aid to countries battling the coronavirus pandemic.

Senior aides to New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) engaged in a sustained campaign over several months to keep state health officials from releasing the full nursing home death toll caused by the coronavirus, the New York Times reports.

Why it matters: The FBI is investigating Cuomo's office following a probe by New York Attorney General Letitia James, also a Democrat, that found his administration undercounted deaths in nursing homes by as much as 50%.

President Biden's proposed tax hikes on the wealthy could apply to at least some 2021 earnings, White House economic adviser Heather Boushey told the Axios Re:Cap podcast on Wednesday.

Why it matters: The administration has said it wants to raise income and capital gains rates on the richest Americans to offset new spending, but has not yet specified when it wants those increases to go into effect.

Federal prosecutors on Wednesday charged three men accused of plotting to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D) with conspiracy to use a weapon of mass destruction.

Why it matters: The plot, which allegedly involved use of bombs, was intended to kill Whitmer, according to officials.

Melanie Nakagawa, special assistant to the president and senior director for climate and energy, said that the 2020 decade is the "decisive decade" to make meaningful climate change action.

Why it matters: "Collectively, if commitments, policies and action can deliver a 7.6% emissions reduction every year between 2020 and 2030, we can limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius," per the UN Environment program. "While there will still be climate impacts at 1.5 degrees Celsius, this is the level scientists say is associated with less devastating impacts than higher levels of global warming."

A judge ruled Wednesday the body camera footage that shows North Carolina police shooting and killing Andrew Brown Jr. will not be released to the public for at least 30 to 45 days, the Washington Post reports.

Why it matters: There have been days of protests over the lack of transparency in the case. Brown's family attorneys said police shared 20 seconds of footage that showed Brown driving away with his hands on the wheel when the sheriff's deputies opened fire.

The Justice Department has repealed a Trump-era order that cut off hundreds of millions of dollars in federal funding to cities that did not cooperate with Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Why it matters: The 2017 order from President Trump was part of his larger crackdown on immigration. It faced a string of lawsuits from cities and states, per CNN, that argued such cooperation would deter immigrants from reporting crimes.

Federal investigators have executed a search warrant on former President Trump's lawyer Rudy Giuliani's Manhattan apartment as part of an investigation into Giuliani's dealings in Ukraine, the New York Times reported.

The state of play: The Times reports that Giuliani's electronic devices have been seized. The execution of a warrant, which must be approved by a judge, also signals that the investigation into Giuliani's role in Ukraine during the Trump administration is intensifying.

The Biden administration is expected to announce a proposed ban on menthol cigarettes this week, the Washington Post reports.

Why it matters: Tobacco opponents and civil rights groups have said the industry disproportionately targets and hurts Black communities. Tobacco use remains a contributor to the leading causes of illness and death, especially among people of color.

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops will vote in June on whether the church should forcefully say public figures and politicians — like President Biden — will be denied Communion if they advocate for abortion rights, AP reports.

Why it matters: Although enforcing the rule would be up to individual bishops, critics inside the Catholic Church expect the vote to continue drafting a formal document to "win overwhelming approval," the AP says. A two-thirds majority vote is needed.

For the first time in history, the livestream of President Biden's joint address to Congress will feature American Sign Language interpretation for accessibility.

Why it matters The Biden administration has made accessibility a priority.

Support for prioritizing new gun control legislation has declined from its 2018 high following the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., according to a Washington Post-ABC News poll.

Details: The poll found that 50% of Americans support passing laws to reduce gun violence, down from 57% in 2018. 43% of Americans say the government should prioritize protecting the right to own guns, up from 34% in 2018.

The SPAC party may not be over, but the cops are asking everyone to keep the noise down.

Driving the news: The SEC is mulling new guidance on when safe harbor applies to forward-looking statements by companies going public via SPAC, according to Reuters.

Marty Baron, former executive editor of the Washington Post and a Pulitzer Prize recipient, is writing a book on his newsroom leadership during the Trump administration, AP reports.

Why it matters: The book, titled “Collision of Power: Trump, Bezos, and The Washington Post," could offer rare personal reflections from Baron after he oversaw the Post's editorial transformation under Amazon founder Jeff Bezos — turning it from a regional paper into a national brand.

A man in California died in police custody April 19 after Alameda Police Department officers pinned him facedown for nearly five minutes, as shown by body camera footage released Tuesday, the New York Times reports.

The big picture: The death of Mario Arenales Gonzalez, 26, came the day before former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin was convicted of murder and manslaughter charges over George Floyd's death. Chauvin pinned Floyd to the pavement by holding a knee to his neck.

The Biden administration is looking to jumpstart the construction of new transmission lines by offering up to $8.3 billion in loans and, separately, issuing new guidelines to help state officials with siting.

Driving the news: The Energy Department on Tuesday invited applications for up to $5 billion in loans for projects like high-voltage systems; transmission for offshore wind; and systems that follow rail and highway routes.

A D.C. Metropolitan Police officer who suffered a heart attack after he was assaulted during the Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol told CNN on Tuesday "it's been very difficult" to see elected officials "downplay" the events of that day.

Why it matters: Though he didn't mention former President Trump by name, Michael Fanone decried "terminology that was used like 'hugs and kisses' and 'very fine people,'" to describe the mob. Trump had previously claimed the rioters were hugging and kissing officers, and that the mob presented no threat.

President Biden on Wednesday will present his third $1 trillion+ package to Congress since taking office, asking for $1.8 trillion in new spending to expand the American education system, provide more help for childcare and create millions more jobs.

The big picture: Biden is also proposing a series of tax hikes on the rich, which his administration vows will not hit Americans who make less than $400,000 and households with less than $1 million in capital gains.

India's COVID-19 death toll surged past 200,000 on Wednesday, as the country set another daily global cases record.

Of note: Medical experts and members of India's opposition parties say the actual death toll and case numbers are much higher, a charge Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party denies.

Officials are stepping up efforts to reach some of the world's most remote regions in a global vaccination drive, as the world crosses 1 billion total COVID-19 vaccines administered.

The big picture: Most doses have gone to rich countries so far, but President Biden's pledge to soon export 60 million doses could be a global game-changer. The WHO is pushing to increase trust and investment in vaccines during World Immunization Week, which runs until Friday, with the message that "vaccines bring us closer."

A New York Post reporter announced her resignation on Tuesday over what she called "an incorrect story I was ordered to write" that claimed migrant children were given copies of Vice President Kamala Harris' children's book.

Why it matters: The Post ran the story on its front page Friday, garnering a lot of attention in conservative media. It temporarily deleted, re-edited and republished the piece with an editor's note Tuesday after a Washington Post fact-check debunked the original article.

The Senate voted 49-45 on Tuesday evening to confirm Colin Kahl as undersecretary of defense for policy.

Why it matters: Kahl is the third of President Biden's Pentagon nominees to be confirmed by the Senate, but faced one of the most contentious confirmation processes so far for the new administration, reports Politico.

Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey (R) signed into law Tuesday a bill that would ban abortions in cases in which they are sought "solely" because of genetic issues, such as Down syndrome.

Why it matters: Facing the welcome prospect of a conservative-leaning Supreme Court, many Republican states have been passing bills to limit abortion access.

Top White House officials have quietly been meeting — on the Hill and over the phone — with Republican senators who drafted a counterproposal to President Biden's infrastructure plan, multiple sources tell Axios.

What we're hearing: The GOP senators say they're optimistic the Biden administration is open to concessions and can reach a compromise. They've been heartened by their talks with White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain, counselor to the president Steve Ricchetti and legislative affairs director Louisa Terrell.

During his first 100 days, President Biden's successes at times have been overshadowed by news of the record number of migrant minors crossing the U.S.-Mexico border — overwhelming government resources.

By the numbers: There's still a record number of migrant children being held in shelters overseen by the Department of Health and Human Services, and the administration has had to open 13 emergency shelters since late February, sometimes through big contracts with nonprofit groups.

President Biden's address to a joint session of Congress on Wednesday will be noteworthy not because of the COVID-restricted audience but because he'll stand before two women in the House Chamber.

Why it matters: The joint address is not a State of the Union speech, though it will have the usual trappings: an announcement of the president's arrival, and clapping as he walks down the aisle. Almost everything else will be different.

A low-key group is quietly harvesting contact information for Republicans in key presidential swing states who share a distaste for the Chinese government, Axios has learned.

Why it matters: The group, Stand Up to China, is run by some plugged-in Republican consultants. Its focus on states that will host early presidential nominating contests suggests an effort to elevate an issue at the top of GOP voters' minds in the 2024 race or leverage it on behalf of some yet-unknown candidate.

Epicurious will no longer publish beef recipes in what is being called a "pro-planet" shift, the popular digital food magazine has announced.

Driving the news: The Condé Nast-owned publication's Maggie Hoffman and David Tamarkin wrote in a post Monday that the decision was "solely about sustainability, about not giving airtime to one of the world's worst climate offenders."