Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey (R) on Monday ordered the state to terminate all participation in federally funded pandemic unemployment compensation programs.
Why it matters: Ivey, like South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster (R), cited labor shortages, but some experts say it's the job climate and not unemployment benefits that is determining people's return to work.
Montana's government announced in statement Friday that it will be offering free COVID-19 vaccines to Canadian truck drivers from Alberta.
Why it matters: Starting Monday, about 2,000 Albertan truckers who regularly drive goods into the U.S. will be able to get vaccinated at a stop in Conrad, Montana, per a press release from the Alberta government.
The mayor of the city where George Floyd was raised is taking over a group that represents 500 Black mayors in the U.S. amid national pressure to revamp police departments.
Why it matters: Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner will become the new president of the African American Mayors Association as municipalities across the country examine police reforms and deal with the economic fallout from the pandemic.
The latest move to lure would-be employees might be back-to-work cash.
Montanawill no longer offer the extra $300 in unemployment benefits, but it plans to give a one-time $1,200 bonus for workers who accept a job and complete a month of paid work.
California secured a more than $75 billion budget surplus after boosts from a thriving stock market and tax revenues, Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) said Monday.
Why it matters: Last year, the governor's office projected a budget deficit of up to $54 billion due to the fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic — about a quarter of the entire budget. On Monday, Newsom laid out his plan to use the surprise surplus to fund what he called the biggest economic recovery package in state history.
House Republicans will vote on recalling Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) as conference chair this Wednesday, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy announced in a letter Monday, Punchbowl News reported.
Why it matters: Cheney, the No. 3 House Republican, has faced increasing backlash from McCarthy and her Republican colleagues as she continues to criticize former President Trump and his baseless claims of election fraud.
Lafayette Square, a park located across the street from the White House, reopened on Monday after a roughly yearlong closure, the New York Times reports.
Why it matters: The park has been closed to the public since last June, when police used tear gas and batons to clear Black Lives Matter protestors from the square so that then-President Donald Trump could stage a photo-op at St. John's Church.
The U.S. Treasury on Monday began giving state and local governments access to $350 billion in emergency funding from the American Rescue Plan, the department announced Monday.
Why it matters: Though the money is aimed at helping state, local, territorial and tribal governments recover from the pandemic's economic fallout, the administration will generally give them wide latitude on how they can use the funds.
Former Obama speechwriter David Litt confronted Newsmax host Rob Finnerty during an interview — meant to be about Elon Musk's "SNL" appearance — over the network's promotion of baseless conspiracy theories about the 2020 election, prompting Finnerty to end the segment early.
Why it matters: Facing the threat of a defamation lawsuit, Newsmax apologized to a Dominion Voting Systems employee earlier this month for airing false allegations that he manipulated votes in order to rig the election for President Biden.
Former President Trump's acting Defense Secretary Chris Miller has been called to testify this Wednesday on "unanswered questions" about the Jan. 6 Capitol attack, Democrats on the House Oversight Committee said Monday.
Why it matters: Miller, who Trump appointed to lead the Pentagon after firing Mark Esper following the 2020 election, has said he believes Trump incited the mob on Jan. 6 with his speech before the deadly riot.
54% of Americans in the latest AP-NORC poll say the U.S. is heading in the right direction, marking the highest level of public optimism the poll has recorded since 2017.
The big picture: 71% of Americans approve of President Biden's handling of the coronavirus pandemic, bringing his overall approval rating to 63% after four months in office, according to the poll.
The Biden administration will reinstate anti-discrimination protections for LGBTQ people, especially transgender people, that had been narrowed under the Trump administration, Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra confirmed Monday.
Why it matters: A Trump-era rule that excluded gender identity from sex discrimination protections made it easier for doctors, hospitals, and insurance companies to deny transgender people health coverage.
In an interview for "Axios on HBO," I challenged White House chief of staff Ron Klain on the contradiction between trying to go big on both big government and bipartisanship.
Driving the news: "I don't think it's big government to fix the ten bridges in this country that are most economically significant and are in serious" disrepair, Klain replied.
Florida's largest metro areas are collectively seeing the largest population gains in the country, according to the latest LinkedIn migration analysis shared with Axios.
Why it matters: The pandemic has accelerated out-migration from the biggest urban areas as the flexibility of remote work allows people to explore non-traditional options, So far, Florida has been a huge beneficiary of that trend.
Israeli officials have argued behind the scenes that the Biden administration shouldn't intervene over the recent escalation in violence between security forces and Palestinians at a holy site in Jerusalem, according to Israeli officials.
Why it matters: This is the first major crisis between Israel and the Palestinians that the Biden administration has had to deal with. Despite their resistance to any U.S. role in the crisis, the Israelis took the steps requested by the U.S. to de-escalate the situation.
The United Nations on Sunday called on Israel to show "maximum restraint and respect the right to freedom of peaceful assembly" and national security adviser Jake Sullivan expressed "serious concerns" about violence in Jerusalem.
Driving the news: Over 250 Palestinians and several Israeli police officers have been wounded since Friday during protests over planned evictions of Palestinian families from their homes in the city's east — which Sullivan also expressed concern about, per a White House statement.
A roadside bus bombing in Afghanistan’s southern Zabul province killed at least 11 people and 25 others, officials said Monday, per Al Jazeera.
Of note: Sunday night's attack comes as officials said the death toll from Saturday's vehicle bombing outside a school in the capital, Kabul, rose to 85, CNN reports. No group has claimed responsibility for either attack.
The Biden administration said it's "working with" fuel pipeline operator Colonial Pipeline to try and restart operations after a ransomware attack took it offline.
Why it matters: Friday night's cyberattack is "the most significant, successful attack on energy infrastructure" known to have occurred in the U.S., notes energy researcher Amy Myers Jaffe, per Politico.
