Axios

The Army said Friday it has punished several Fort Hood leaders after an investigation revealed that the chain of command of slain soldier, Spc. Vanessa Guillén, failed to address the sexual harassment she faced before she was killed last year.

Why it matters: While the military has been criticized for its handling of sexual misconduct allegations for years, the issue gained renewed attention following the murder of 20-year-old Guillén, who told family and friends she had been sexually harassed before she disappeared from Fort Hood in April 2020.

The Biden administration will take a "calibrated, practical approach" to North Korea, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Friday.

Driving the news: Psaki said the administration has completed its review of U.S. policy toward North Korea. She did not elaborate on the findings, but suggested the administration would aim for a middle ground between former President Trump’s "grand bargain" and former President Obama’s "strategic patience" approach, AP noted.

Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) said in a radio interview on Friday that he doesn't support the D.C. statehood bill.

Why it matters: Without Manchin's support in the closely divided Senate, the bill, which passed the House last week, is unlikely to reach the 60-vote threshold needed to send it to President Biden's desk.

The Transportation Security Administration announced Friday that masks would continue to be required for all transportation networks through Sept. 13.

Why it matters: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention this week said fully vaccinated people can venture outdoors without masks. But mask-wearing indoors is still highly advised by the Biden administration.

The Department of Homeland Security announced Friday it will begin repairing a broken flood barrier in Texas and a strip of eroding soil in California — issues that resulted from border wall construction in the respective areas.

The big picture: DHS said in a news release that the repairs were prompted by a "review the extensive problems created by the prior administration’s border wall construction" and are meant to "protect border communities from physical dangers..."

District of Columbia Attorney General Karl Racine and Connecticut Attorney General William Tong will host a national convening to address anti-AAPI hate next week.

Why it matters: Officials have faced increasing pressure to tackle anti-Asian hate in the weeks following a mass shooting in Georgia that killed eight people, including six Asian women. Anti-Asian hate crimes reported to police in some of the largest U.S. cities jumped nearly 150% in 2020, according to the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism at California State University.

The former acting U.S. attorney in Washington, who was under investigation over comments he made about the Jan. 6 Capitol attack, has left the Justice Department, AP reported Friday.

The big picture: Michael Sherwin suggested in a CBS "60 Minutes" interview that some of the rioters could face rarely-used charges of sedition, echoing comments he had made previously at news conferences. Days before the interview aired in March, Sherwin was replaced as the top prosecutor in Washington, according to AP.

A prominent political consulting firm is buying ads for both Republican Josh Mandel's Ohio Senate campaign and a new pro-Mandel super PAC required by law to operate independently of the campaign, records show.

Why it matters: Campaigns and super PACs can employ the same vendor as long as its work for each remains entirely separate. But that overlap in the pro-Mandel effort shows a tight connection to this new, ostensibly independent group.

House Minority Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.) said at a virtual Axios event Friday that raising taxes is "not what infrastructure is about" and that any infrastructure plan he would support would not require tax hikes.

Why it matters: Republicans have criticized President Biden's multi-trillion-dollar infrastructure package as needlessly expensive, arguing it would only hurt Americans in the current economy.

Sen. John Hickenlooper (D-Col.) said at a virtual Axios event Friday he is "optimistic" lawmakers will reach a bipartisan solution on infrastructure that "many Republicans will be able to embrace."

Why it matters: President Biden's multi-trillion-dollar infrastructure package has met swift backlash from Republicans, though some have signaled willingness to reach a compromise.

Rep. Cheri Bustos (D-Ill.) announced Friday she will retire from Congress in 2022 after completing her current term.

The big picture: Bustos, who was first elected to Congress in 2012, is the former Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee chair. The lawmaker's retirement could be a chance for Republicans to swipe her seat, with Illinois' 17th district moving swiftly to the right in recent years.

South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem (R) said Friday she's suing the Biden administration for denying the state permits to hold an Independence Day fireworks display at Mount Rushmore.

Context: The National Parks Service denied the permits over tribal opposition to the celebration and potential risks regarding the health and safety of both the park and guests, citing the coronavirus pandemic and fire hazards.

West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey is leading 19 states seeking Supreme Court review of the scope of EPA's authority over greenhouse gases.

Driving the news: The petition asks the high court to review January's appellate ruling that struck down a Trump-era rule on power plant CO2 emissions.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken will travel to Kyiv on May 5-6 to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to "reaffirm unwavering U.S. support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity in the face of Russia’s ongoing aggression," the State Department announced Friday.

Why it matters: Blinken will be the most senior-ranking U.S. official to visit Ukraine during the Biden administration. The trip comes in the aftermath of massive Russia military exercises near the Ukrainian border, and could precede a summit this summer between President Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

John Kerry disclosed millions in income and a massive stock portfolio that he's liquidated since taking office as President Biden’s special climate envoy, according to a financial filing obtained by Axios on Friday.

Why it matters: Kerry is among the wealthiest members of the Biden administration. He maintains significant influence over U.S. energy and environmental policy as Biden's climate envoy, a role that comes after he advised a number of firms in the space following his time as secretary of State.

Precision Strategies, an agency founded by Democrats, analyzed what broke through in the digital fallout from President Biden's address:

• "Conservative tweets spiked around ... immigration and gun safety ... Conservatives focused on a few core issues — immigration, border security, taxes, and jobs — but largely stuck to painting the entirety of the agenda as radical."
• "Progressives are loud ... From racial justice and child care to climate and health care, progressives covered the widest range of issues. No single issue emerged as a widely held, clear priority."

Attorney General Merrick Garland is quickly negating the Trump administration’s law enforcement legacy, dismaying conservatives with a burst of aggressive reversals and new policies.

Why it matters: As a former prosecutor and respected federal judge, Garland's devotion to the rule of law has always been core to his identity. That reputation has taken on new importance in his first 50 days on the job, after four years of allegations that Trump's DOJ was improperly politicized.

Activists, scholars, and families of survivors are working to unearth the horrors of a 1921 race riot that destroyed a thriving, middle-class Black community and killed 300 in Tulsa, Okla.

Why it matters: Following the death of George Floyd, communities of color are demanding the U.S. finally confront episodes of racial violence that have been forgotten, dismissed, or denied to address systemic racism. The Tulsa Race Massacre was one of the nation's worst. And survivors want reparations.

Former Vice President Mike Pence gave his first speech since leaving office on Thursday night, disparaging the Biden administration, while praising the Trump administration and reflecting on an era of "prosperity and security."

Why it matters: Despite the rift that emerged between the former president and Pence toward the end of Trump's term, the ex-VP closely aligned himself with his old boss, signaling that Trump still looms large over the GOP.

Florida's Republican-controlled Senate on Thursday passed a bill that would impose several restrictions on voting.

The big picture: The bill, passed by the state House on Wednesday, now goes to Gov. Ron DeSantis (R), who is expected to sign it. Florida is one of several states with GOP-controlled legislatures that have pushed to restrict voting access in the aftermath of the 2020 election.

Brazil on Thursday became only the second country to surpass 400,000 coronavirus deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University data.

Why it matters: The rising death toll and high number of cases has some health experts worried about a new wave of the pandemic, exacerbated by the country's slow vaccination campaign and loosening restrictions, AP reports.

Hillary Clinton and Condoleezza Rice told members of the House Foreign Affairs Committee they're worried about President Biden's plan to withdraw all U.S. troops from Afghanistan, with Rice suggesting the U.S. may need to go back, Axios has learned.

Why it matters: The position puts two former secretaries of State — from the Obama and Bush administrations — at odds with one of Biden's most significant foreign policy moves to date.

A handful of progressive legislators gathered in the Situation Room early Wednesday with national security adviser Jake Sullivan to discuss the war in Yemen, multiple sources familiar with the meeting tell Axios.

Why it matters: This is the first confab of its kind at the White House with a group that's loudly criticized President Biden’s actions on the humanitarian crisis in the region — signaling the administration’s willingness to take their concerns seriously.

During his first 100 days, President Biden has been busy signing major coronavirus legislation, issuing more executive orders than any modern president and tweeting far less than his predecessor, Donald Trump.

Local advocacy groups, big business and former presidential candidate Beto O'Rourke are fighting a pair of Texas voting bills they brand as suppressive, each of which could pass the Republican-controlled legislature as soon as next week.

Why it matters: Advocates say Texas' pending changes are worse than those that recently caused an uproar and boycotts in Georgia. The fight comes as the Texas population is rapidly growing and diversifying — and turning more Democratic.