Sen. Bernie Sanders told "Axios on HBO" he'd support legislation to prevent police unions from negotiating benefits and disciplinary procedures that shield law enforcement officers from accountability.
Why it matters: Sanders is one of the most vocal supporters of organized labor in Congress. But powerful police unions have been a major obstacle to criminal justice reforms — and the killing of George Floyd has fueled a growing fight within the labor movement over the proper role of police unions.
Senator Bernie Sanders told "Axios on HBO" he opposes the efforts by Democratic leaders Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi to bring back SALT, the State and Local Tax deduction that benefits wealthier residents of blue states.
Why it matters: There's a dispute among Democrats over whether to use President Biden's infrastructure negotiations to reinstate a popular tax break capped by former President Trump.
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) indicated to "Axios on HBO" he's already impatient with the White House's quest for Republican support for President Biden's infrastructure package, saying. "The American people want results" and don't care if these results are achieved with bipartisan votes.
Why it matters: The Budget Committee chairman and former presidential rival can cause a lot of headaches for Biden if he so chooses.He controls the budget process Senate Democrats have used to bypass GOP opposition and pass legislation on a pure party-line vote.
The White House is seizing upon the pandemic's breakthrough technology to give local TV stations nearly 500 Zoom interviews to date with senior White House officials and members of the Cabinet.
Why it matters: The Biden administration is trying to sell the president’s policies to Americans who don’t live and breathe politics by reaching them at home with broadcasts fed directly from a 4th-floor studio in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building.
President Biden will discuss his infrastructure proposal with Sen. Tom Carper (D-Del.), chairman of the Senate Environmental and Public Works Committee, during a meeting at the White House on Monday, two sources tell Axios.
Why it matters: This is a big week for Biden to advance his $2.3 trillion "American Jobs Plan." Congress will return to the Capitol following a weeklong recess, and the focus of most conversations within the Capitol will be squarely on whether both parties can strike a bipartisan deal.
A former Trump administration official is aiming to win the House back for Republicans with a new redistricting group focused on Florida that he's launching Monday.
Why it matters: With multiple competitive seats, an extra seat the state is receiving because of population growth and the once-a-decade redistricting process, "whoever controls the U.S. House could come through Florida — and I think it will come through Florida," Carlos Trujillo told Axios.
The Algerian government announced Sunday that it would ban any protests that do not have prior approval, Reuters reports.
Why it matters: The move is intended to limit the weekly mass protests of Algeria's Hirak movement, which resumed in February after a nearly year-long pause due to the coronavirus pandemic.
A shooting at a birthday party in Colorado on Sunday left seven dead, including the gunman, per a statement from the Colorado Springs Police Department.
Driving the news: Police arrived at the scene at about 12:18 am and found six people deceased and one injured, who died later in hospital, per the statement.
Adapted from an SLEI report through Stanford University; Chart: Axios Visuals
An analysis of more than 5 million loans given out through the Paycheck Protection Program has found stark inequalities for Latino, Black and Asian people in how the critical funds were doled out.
The big picture: Neighborhoods with high Latino populations in places like Los Angeles, New York, Phoenix and San Diego got half as many loans than white non-Hispanic zones, according to reporting from Reveal News and The Los Angeles Times.
The U.S. Navy announced Saturday that it seized a cargo of illegal weapons from a stateless ship in the North Arabian Sea a few days earlier.
Why it matters: The press release noted that the source and destination of the weapons is being investigated. The weapons were apparently bound for Yemen to support the country's Houthi rebels, AP reported.
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) officially endorsed Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) to become the GOP's next House Republican conference chair during a Fox News appearance Sunday.
Why it matters: The GOP has been feuding internally over the fate of the current chair, Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.), because of her criticisms of former President Donald Trump, and her vote to impeach him for his role in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.
NIAID director Anthony Fauci told "Meet the Press" Sunday that if more Americans get vaccinated in accordance with the Biden administration's goals, COVID-19 surges may be replaced by "blips."
State of play: Last week President Joe Biden announced his goal to get 160 million Americans fully vaccinated by July 4, with at least 70% of Americans having at least one shot.
Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R) criticized his party leadership's loyalty to former President Trump on "Meet the Press" Sunday, saying the GOP has becoming a "circular firing squad."
Why it matters: Hogan, a Trump critic, and said many Republicans are wary of criticizing the former president for fear of "retaliation" from Trump or the GOP, as House Conference Chair Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) has experienced.
Former President Trump's comments during the Jan. 6 Capitol attack egged on the rioters, said Michael McConnell, co-chair of Facebook's independent Oversight Board, to Fox News Sunday.
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki has had discussions with the Biden transition team about leaving her position after roughly one year, she told David Axelrod on his CNN podcast.
Why it matters: Presidents have cycled through several press secretaries during their tenures in recent years —Former President Trump had four press secretaries during his four years, while Obama had three in two terms.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) confirmed in a Politico interview this weekend that she plans to run in Massachussetts for re-election to her U.S. Senate seat in 2024.
Why it matters: The announcement follows several bids to leave the chamber for other offices, including a failed 2020 presidential campaign and a reported effort to be Biden's Treasury Secretary.
Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R) on Saturday posthumously pardoned 34 Black victims of lynchings in the state, saying the action was a step toward justice for a group of people who were denied due process, per the Washington Post.
Why it matters: Hogan's actions, for victims dating between 1854 and 1933, are the first "systematic pardon of all known lynching victims in any state," the Post writes.
The debate over coronavirus precautions and school reopening has fueled a surge of new candidates for school boards across the country.
Why it matters: What was traditionally a nonpartisan, hyper-local role is now at center of a swirling national political debate. Conservative and progressive parents have clashed over when and how to reopen classrooms — and it's pushed some of them to run for office themselves.
Remnants of the Long March-5B Y2 rocket re-entered Earth's atmosphere over the Indian Ocean near the Maldives, officials in China announced Sunday morning Beijing time.
Details: Most of the rocket's debris burned up during the uncontrolled re-entry, the China Manned Space Engineering Office (CMSEO) said in a social media post. NASA administrator Bill Nelson accused China's government in a statement Saturday of "failing to meet responsible standards regarding their space debris."
Elon Musk marked his "Saturday Night Live" hosting debut by making a series of self-deprecating jokes and addressing controversy he's attracted over the years over his behavior and Twitter posts.
What he's saying: "To anyone I've offended, I just want to say, I reinvented electric cars and I'm sending people to Mars in a rocket ship," the SpaceX owner and Tesla CEO said. "Did you think I was also going to be a chill, normal dude?"
Clashes between Israeli police and Palestinian protesters erupted for a second night in Jerusalem Saturday.
The big picture: Tensions have escalated on the occupied West Bank and in East Jerusalem over the threatened eviction of Palestinians from their homes on land claimed by Jewish settlers. At least 80 Palestinians and one Israeli police officer were wounded in the latest clashes, per Reuters. Over 170 Palestinians were injured Friday.
The U.S. was hit by shootings in New York City's Times Square, a shopping mall in Florida and at a townhome near Baltimore that left four people dead, including the suspected gunman.
The big picture: Since President Biden took office in January, over 700 people have been injured or killed in 139 mass shootings as of late last month.
Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon announced plans Saturday for a second independence referendum once the pandemic has abated following the country's parliamentary elections.
The big picture: Sturgeon's Scottish National Party (SNP) won 64 seats, one seat short of an outright majority in the 129-seat Parliament. But most seats went to pro-independence parties.
