Axios

A California city has formally apologized to early Chinese immigrants and their descendants for the historic injustices suffered at the hands of Antioch's founding community.

Why it matters: A rise in anti-Asian hate has focused attention on the United States' legacy of racism against Asian Americans. The treatment of Asian Americans today is directly connected to those early years, Antioch Mayor Lamar A. Thorpe said.

Wealthy investors and business owners overwhelmingly support the Biden administration's infrastructure plan, according to a new UBS survey.

Yes, but: It starts to drop off for "social infrastructure" initiatives, like child care services and elderly care.

President Biden commended the newly approved ceasefire between Israel and Hamas during a speech at the White House Thursday, noting Israelis and Palestinians deserve "equal measures of freedom, prosperity and democracy."

Zoom out: Israel and Hamas approved a ceasefire deal on Thursday that is expected to take effect at 2am on Friday (local time), after 11 days of fighting.

United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi on Thursday urged the U.S. to "swiftly" lift COVID-related asylum restrictions at the border.

Why it matters: The order, enacted by former President Trump last March, effectively ended asylum at the southern border. The American Civil Liberties Union and other migrant advocacy groups have called on Biden to roll back the policy.

President Biden, Vice President Harris and other White House officials met this afternoon with members of the The Asian American Foundation (TAAF), a newly formed philanthropic group aimed at fighting racism against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, Axios has learned. 

Why it matters: Violent attacks against Asians — lighting victims on fire, stabbings, stompings, assaults with hammers — have continued to rise this year even with more national attention.

President Biden on Thursday signed a bill aimed at reducing and tracking anti-Asian hate crimes, which have increased significantly in 2021.

Axios Re:Cap digs into the legislation and why it matters with Emma Lovewell, a Peloton instructor and Asian American who lobbied for the bill in Congress.

COVID-19 and the digital divide have taken a severe toll on Latino students' education, from the U.S. to Patagonia.

The state of play: In the U.S., Latinos students have fallen considerably behind during the last year, while in Latin America dropout rates are rising.

President Biden on Thursday signed into law the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act after the House of Representatives voted to approve it this week.

Why it matters: The legislation is one of the federal government's first effort to address the rise of anti-Asian attacks during the pandemic, with one in four Asian Americans saying that they have experienced a hate incident.

NIAID director Anthony Fauci told the Washington Post leadership summit Thursday that if 70% of Americans get at least one dose of the coronavirus vaccine by July 4, the U.S. could avoid a case surge later in the year.

Why it matters: Fauci called the COVID-19 vaccine a "positive wild card" that wasn't present in the previous case upticks, but urged the U.S. to continue aggressively vaccinating its population.

CNN acknowledged Thursday that anchor Chris Cuomo joined strategy sessions with his brother, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, in the wake of sexual harassment accusations against him, through a statement to the Washington Post.

Why it matters: Although CNN said Cuomo has not been involved in the outlet's coverage of the allegations, the calls detailed by the Post show that the anchor advised his brother's staff on how to respond to the accusations — which "cuts against the widely accepted norm in journalism that those reporting the news should not be involved in politics," the Post writes.

What they're saying: “Chris has not been involved in CNN’s extensive coverage of the allegations against Governor Cuomo — on air or behind the scenes,” the network's statement to WashPost reads. “In part because, as he has said on his show, he could never be objective. But also because he often serves as a sounding board for his brother.”

• “However, it was inappropriate to engage in conversations that included members of the Governor’s staff, which Chris acknowledges,” the statement added. “He will not participate in such conversations going forward.”
• CNN said the anchor will not be penalized.

Go deeper:

• Report: Gov. Cuomo prioritized family members for COVID testing
• CNN says Chris Cuomo banned from covering brother, despite early pandemic exception

Multiple progressive House Democrats voted against a $1.9 billion bill to increase security at the U.S. Capitol in response to the deadly Jan. 6 riot over policing concerns.

Why it matters: Because of the defections, Democrats only narrowly passed the spending bill, demonstrating their tenuous majority in the chamber.

Funding schools, and specifically hiring additional counselors, can help address children's mental health concerns, Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) said at an Axios Event on Thursday.

Why it matters: Demand for mental health services for teens has skyrocketed amid the coronavirus pandemic, though Cortez Masto said the country didn't have a strong grasp on the issue even before the virus started forcing schools to cease in-person classes.

The Treasury Department on Thursday unveiled new tax compliance measures that it estimates will raise an additional $700 billion in tax revenue over the next decade, before raising $1.6 trillion in the second decade.

Why it matters: The initiatives are part of President Biden’s American Families Plan agenda and they aim to close the “tax gap” between what the government is owed and what is actually paid.

The House of Representatives voted 213-212 Thursday to approve a $1.9 billion bill that would increase security at the U.S. Capitol in the aftermath of the deadly Jan. 6 riot.

Why it matters: Democrats have argued the upgrades funded by the legislation are needed to patch the security shortcomings exploited by the pro-Trump mob on the day of the riot. Some Republicans have warned the measures are an overreaction.

A former Arizona sheriff drew national attention for his exorbitant immigration enforcement antics that eventually brought a federal probe. A new book details how Latino activists brought him down.

Why it matters: Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio's headline-grabbing stunts, like forcing prisoners to wear pink underwear, slowly galvanized a Latino electorate that ousted him and turned Arizona blue.

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) will introduce a resolution on Thursday opposing the U.S. sale of $735 million in precision-guided weapons to the Israeli government, the Washington Post reports.

Why it matters: The sale comes amid the worst spate of violence between Israel and Hamas in years. Progressives in Congress have ramped up pressure on Biden to confront Israel on what they view as human rights abuses in Gaza, where at least 230 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli airstrikes, per AP.

Incarcerated people and their families pay high rates to talk by phone in part because the deals phone companies cut with prisons and jails drive the prices up — and the Federal Communications Commission is looking to lower them.

Why it matters: People who stay in contact with friends and family while in prison are more likely to succeed once they're out.

The Democratic National Committee is launching its first minority-focused ad buy of the 2022 midterm cycle, targeting the Asian American and Pacific Islander community in battleground states, Axios has learned.

Why it matters: The buy, which comes earlier than any similar purchase during prior election cycles, underscores Democrats’ awareness of their slim majorities in Congress and the need to engender and retain support from communities of color.

The federal government should develop national standards for training police officers, with a greater emphasis on teaching officers how to de-escalate conflicts rather than just how to use force, a police reform task force says in a new report Thursday.

Why it matters: The recommendation by the Council on Criminal Justice Task Force on Policing, a group of law enforcement and civil rights leaders formed last year, adds weight to the suggestions by other training experts that national standards would help reduce the inconsistency across the country.

Emergent BioSolutions paid its executives hundreds of thousands of dollars each in bonuses in February just months before the manufacturer ruined 15 million of Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine doses.

Driving the news: Emergent BioSolutions’ executives faced questions from lawmakers during a House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis hearing on Wednesday as part of an investigation into the plant's failures.

• The federal government paid the company $271 million as a reservation for its manufacturing capacity, documents posted Wednesday by two House committees show. Yet, to date, U.S. regulators have not cleared any doses for use from its manufacturing plant in Baltimore.

Fighting between Israeli forces and Hamas entered an 11th day Thursday, as international calls grow for a ceasefire following the worst violence to hit the region since 2014.

What's happening: Israeli warplanes again "pounded Gaza overnight" and Hamas rockets hit "at least two" Israeli cities, the Washington Post reports. No rockets were launched from Gaza for roughly eight hours, but sirens warning of rockets in Israel resumed about 9:30am Thursday local time, per Wash Post.

Former Education Secretary Betsy DeVos is required testify in a class-action lawsuit over her handling of loan forgiveness claims involving students defrauded by for-profit colleges, a federal judge ruled Wednesday.

Why it matters: In rejecting an attempt by both DeVos and the Biden administration to block her testimony, Judge William Alsup said there were "exceptional circumstances" for the "rare deposition of a former Cabinet secretary" to take place, per Politico, which first reported the news.

Zhang Yiming, co-founder of TikTok owner ByteDance, is stepping down as CEO and moving to a new role, the company said in a memo released Thursday.

Why it matters: The replacement of Zhang with human resources chief Liang Rubo, another TikTok co-founder, marks the "biggest corporate shake-up" at the firm since it launched in 2012, going on to become a major social media player in China and turning TikTok into a massive global force, per Reuters, which first reported the news.

The New York attorney general's office has begun a criminal tax investigation into Trump Organization chief financial officer Allen Weisselberg, CNN first reported Wednesday.

Why it matters: Weisselberg has not been accused of any wrongdoing, but investigators are pushing for him to cooperate with them in their investigation into former President Trump's organization, per CNN and the New York Times.

Colombian lawmakers voted against a bill to overhaul health care system after protesters opposed it because it would increase privatization, AP reports.

Why it matters: Massive anti-government protests began several weeks ago against a now-shelved tax reform, but quickly expanded to demand an end to police brutality, economic inequality, and "the withdrawal of the health measure," per AP.

Attorneys working to reunite migrant families separated under the Trump administration are still seeking to reach the parents of 391 migrant children, according to a federal court filing Wednesday.

The big picture: President Biden has pledged to reunite separated families, but progress has been slow.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi told U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Wednesday that Israel needs another few days to complete its Gaza operation, but Blinken stressed that the U.S. expects the operation to end soon, an Israeli official tells Axios

What they're saying: In their call, Blinken told Ashkenazi the U.S. was blocking a French initiative at the UN Security Council on Gaza but cannot keep backing Israel publicly and diplomatically, mainly at the UN, for much longer, Israeli officials say.

The House vote on Wednesday to approve a Jan. 6 commission is a sugar high about to confront the reality of a Senate comedown.

What we're hearing: Axios spoke with a series of Republican senators and as of now, it's hard to see a plausible pathway to getting the necessary 10 GOP votes in the Senate to approve a panel. This, despite 35 Republican votes in favor in the House.

Key Senate Republicans are open to paying for a potential bipartisan infrastructure package with one of President Biden’s proposals: increased IRS funding to boost tax enforcement and collections.

Why it matters: By inching toward an agreement about how to pay for a portion of a potential $800 billion, “hard” infrastructure package, centrist Republicans are creating an avenue for a deal.

Allies of Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.), a prominent Trump critic who now argues he's trying to save the Republican Party, are launching a new advocacy group, Axios has learned.

Why it matters: The group and a sister super PAC will boost Kinzinger's political brand, help insulate him from primary challenges next year and be able to boost like-minded politicians elsewhere in the country.

Vice President Kamala Harris on Wednesday condemned the yearlong spike in anti-Asian hate and urged the Asian American community to harness its political power.

What she's saying: "When we saw the targeting, when we've seen the hate, when we've seen the viciousness of it all ... As a member of this community, I share in that outrage and grief, and I believe we have an opportunity now to turn that pain into action," the country's first Asian and Black vice president said at the AAPI Victory Alliance's unity summit.

The top five most bipartisan freshman members of Congress, based on the number of bills they've co-sponsored having opposite-party sponsors, are all House Republicans, data collected by Quorum reveals.

By the numbers: Rep. Young Kim (R-Calif.) takes the lead with 58.57% of her co-sponsorships linked to bills written by Democrats.