Axios

Russian President Vladimir Putin is "convinced" that his forces "doubling down" in their assault on Ukraine will enable them to progress, CIA director Bill Burns said Saturday, per AFP.

Between the lines: "He's in a frame of mind in which he doesn't believe he can afford to lose," said Burns, a former U.S. ambassador to Moscow, at the FT Weekend Festival in D.C. ahead of Russia's annual Victory Day on Monday, which analysts warn could mark a pivotal moment in the invasion of Ukraine.

The National Labor Relations Board prosecutors determined that Amazon violated federal labor law by holding mandatory anti-union meetings at a warehouse where workers were weighing whether to unionize, Bloomberg reports.

Why it matters: The National Labor Relations Board regional office in Brooklyn told Bloomberg that it will issue a complaint against the company if it does not agree to a settlement.

Dave McCormick, who privately lobbied hard to win former President Trump’s blessing, is going after Trump for backing Dr. Oz in the country's hottest current race — the Pennsylvania GOP race for U.S. Senate.

Why it matters: Trump slammed McCormick Friday night at a rally in Pennsylvania. Now McCormick is punching back in an ad you're seeing first on Axios — ridiculing the endorsement of Oz.

Democrats are testing a midterm strategy combining abortion rights with a broad array of health care expansion plans, as they try to direct voters' attention away from vulnerabilities on inflation, crime and the border.

Why it matters: While campaigning on health care helped put Democrats over the top in 2018 and 2020, in this cycle, COVID's economic and psychological fallout is putting President Biden's party on its heels.

• But with this week's Supreme Court leak, many voters' intense opposition to ending Roe v. Wade — particularly among women, people 35 and younger and people of color — could nudge health issues front and center.

Driving the news: Democratic group Navigator Research on Friday released a memo with new polling data citing strong public support for elements of Biden's economic agenda — and opposition to implications of a plan proposed by Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.), chair of the National Republican Senatorial Committee. Many of the memo's data points highlight specific Democratic health care proposals.

• These include calls to expand seniors' Medicare to cover hearing aids, empowering Medicare to lower drug prices, capping monthly insulin costs for diabetics and lowering health insurance premiums for families who must purchase their own coverage.
• Democrats already were gearing up to campaign against the Scott memo, which has not been embraced by all Republicans.

What they're saying: Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee spokesperson Chris Taylor told Axios: “Here’s a guarantee: By November every voter will know Republican extremists want to implement a nationwide abortion ban, voted against lowering drug prices and want to end Medicare as we know it.

• "Democrats want to protect women’s rights, lower health care costs, and expand access to care. It’s just that simple.”  
• Jesse Ferguson, a Democratic strategist and advisor to Navigator, said Republicans have moved from a posture of wanting to restrict abortion to trying to ban it altogether. He said Democrats also can make a compelling argument to voters about Republican policies enabling corporate greed while talking about Democratic plans that aim to bring down health costs propelled by greed.

The other side: NRSC spokesman Chris Hartline said Democrats are misleading voters about Scott's proposal and that it "does not call for ending Social Security and Medicare nor does he support raising taxes on half of all Americans."

• Hartline said Democrats' polling arguments "have no basis in reality" and that inflation and surging gas prices on Biden's watch is tantamount to thousands of dollars in tax increases per person. He said Democrats had "created a crisis at our Southern border all while crime is raging across the country... they can’t defend a single thing they’ve done."

Be smart: While Biden's Build Back Better plan included a number of legislative solutions like giving the government the authority to negotiate prescription drug prices, putting caps on drug prices that rise faster than inflation and reducing the cost of insulin, it's unclear how many of those proposals will be signed into law — if at all.

• But framing abortion as a health protection issue gives Democrats a way to push back on Republican claims that Democrats want radical abortion rights.
• And talking about health care in the context of not just medical but economic benefits gives Democrats a way to show voters how they're addressing economic challenges in a time of inflation.
• Only 34% of voters approve of the way Biden is handling the economy, per a recent Washington Post/ABC News poll. But new polling from Pew finds 61% of Americans believe abortion should be legal while 37% believe it should be illegal.

Flashback: Health care was a dominant issue in 2020.

• Previously, Democrats won back the House in 2018 — flipping 41 seats — in large part due to messaging on health care. Over half of the TV ads boosting Democrats in the lead-up to Election Day that cycle mentioned health care, according to the Wesleyan Media Project.

Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas said Friday that government institutions can't be "bullied" into giving people the outcome they want, multiple news outlets report.

Why it matters: Thomas didn't directly address the leak of a draft opinion that would overturn Roe v. Wade, but he acknowledged that recent events at the Supreme Court might be one symptom of a judiciary which he views as threatened by people who are unwilling to "live with outcomes we don't agree with," per the Washington Post.

Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee (R) signed into law Friday a bill banning transgender women from competing on college sports teams that align with their gender identity.

Why it matters: It builds off similar laws targeting high school sports, which have swept across the country in the past year. Republicans backing the bills say this kind of legislation ensures fairness in women's sports, though multiple states that have passed such bans have been unable to provide evidence showing trans athletes have unfair advantages in competitions.

Starbucks violated federal law by illegally interfering with workers' rights, U.S. labor board prosecutors alleged in a complaint on Friday, CNBC reports.

Why it matters: The complaint comes amid a larger labor movement that has swept the country; Starbucks employees at multiple locations have voted to join the national union Starbucks Workers United since December.

A judge ruled on Friday that Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) is qualified for reelection despite a lawsuit arguing that she should be "constitutionally disqualified from congressional office" because of her role in the Jan. 6 riot, AP reports.

Why it matters: Greene, one of the faces of the Republican party and a staunch Trump supporter, was questioned in court about the insurrection. She repeated the unfounded claim that fraud led to Trump’s loss in the 2020 election, AP writes.

A federal judge on Friday dismissed former President Trump's lawsuit against Twitter, CNBC reports.

Why it matters: Trump had sought to lift the ban on his account, which Twitter implemented in January 2021 citing concern that he would use it to incite further violence after the Jan. 6 insurrection.

A federal appeals court reinstated on Friday provisions of Florida's GOP-led voting law, overruling a lower court that said the provisions aimed to suppress Black voters, the Miami Herald reports.

Why it matters: The law included restrictions on vote-by-mail ballots and drop boxes, which civil rights advocates have said makes voting more difficult for Black people. It's one of dozens of voting restrictions brought by Republicans in state legislatures following the 2020 election.

The man accused of attacking Dave Chappelle during a Hollywood Bowl performance earlier this week pleaded not guilty to four misdemeanors, the Associated Press reports.

Driving the news: Isaiah Lee, 23, pleaded not guilty on Friday to battery, possessing a deadly weapon with intent to assault, unauthorized access to a staging area during a performance and committing an act that delays or interferes with a performance, per AP.

More than 2,200 dams across the United States are in poor condition and pose danger to communities, according to a new analysis from the Associated Press.

Why it matters: The amount of damaged and endangered dams has been on the rise, the analysis found. A similar AP review back in 2019 found roughly 1,600 dams were at potential risk.

Details: The new analysis outlines a number of reasons for the increased damage.

• Climate change has put a greater strain on dams, specifically due to rainstorms.
• There are now homes, businesses and roads below dams that were once constructed in remote locations.
• Maintenance on troubled dams has been put off.

What they're saying: “All of a sudden, you’ve got older dams with a lower design criteria that now can potentially cause loss of life if they fail,” Del Shannon, president of the U.S. Society on Dams, told AP.

• “The number of deficient, high-hazard dams is increasing,” he said.

The big picture: There is a growing push by lawmakers to make dams safer, Axios' Jason Clayworth writes.

• President Joe Biden's $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill includes $3 billion for dam-related projects, per AP.

Yes, but: This might not fix everything. According to a report released by the American Society of Civil Engineers, U.S. dams are in need of almost $94 billion in upgrades over the next decade.

Go deeper:

• The push to make our dams safer
• Earth is losing its free-flowing rivers
• At Blackbeard's Ranch, saving Florida's water one dam at a time

Starbucks criticized a recent meeting at the White House with representatives of labor unions for major companies that included members of a growing union within the coffee company.

Driving the news: In a letter sent to the White House on Thursday, Starbucks said it was "deeply concerned" that Workers United was invited to the labor union meeting while not inviting Starbucks official representatives.

The son of a Brooklyn judge on Friday was sentenced to eight months in prison for his participation in the Capitol riot, the Department of Justice said.

Driving the news: Aaron Mostofsky, 35, who stormed the U.S. Capitol dressed as a caveman, was also ordered by U.S. District Judge James Boasberg to perform 200 hours of community service and pay $2,000 in restitution.

A European doctor who prescribes abortion pills to women in the United States told CBS News she has seen an "enormous" increase in demand since a leaked draft from the Supreme Court revealed it is prepared to overturn Roe v. Wade.

The big picture: The draft Supreme Court opinion released on Monday night by Politico would immediately make abortion illegal in at least 13 states. Advocates fear a wider crackdown will follow after the court finalizes its ruling.

The White House may run out of COVID-19 vaccines by September if it calls for all Americans to get a second booster, according to COVID budget documents obtained by STAT News.

Why it matters: Second booster doses are only available to people over the age of 50 right now. Roughly 400 pages of budget documents sent to Congress and published by STAT show that the Biden administration will need more funding in order to make a second round of boosters available for all ages later this year.

Approximately six in 10 U.S. adults believe abortion should be legal in "all or most cases," according to a newly released Pew Research Center survey.

Driving the news: The poll was conducted before the leak of the draft opinion revealing the U.S. Supreme Court might overturn Roe v. Wade and shows how a wide swath of the public is supportive of abortion rights.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said this week that he intends to challenge a decades-old court decision requiring public schools to educate all children, including undocumented immigrants, the New York Times reports.

Why it matters: Abbott's remarks come days after leaked documents signal that the Supreme Court is prepared to overturn Roe v. Wade, which is opening the door for some Republican lawmakers to challenge other decades-long precedents, the Times notes.

Rudy Giuliani canceled his virtual appearance before the select committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol just hours before it was set to start on Friday, his lawyer told CNN.

Why it matters: Lawyers for Giuliani, who was subpoenaed by the select committee in January, have been in negotiations with the committee over his testimony for months.

Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont (D) on Thursday signed into law a bill to protect abortion providers and patients from bans in other states.

Driving the news: The unique legislation will shield providers from bans that are enforced via civil lawsuits and is a direct response to laws in Texas, Idaho and Oklahoma that ban most abortions and allow private parties to sue anyone who they suspect has helped a person obtain an abortion.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) will announce an increase to the minimum salary for congressional staffers working in the House of Representatives to $45,ooo starting Sept. 1, Punchbowl News reports.

Why it matters: The pay increase comes after staffers formally announced in February that they are seeking to unionize the offices and committees of Congress, a move supported by Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.).

The treasure troves of data tech companies have spent decades accumulating could put them right in the middle of efforts to prosecute people if the Supreme Court eliminates federal guarantees of abortion rights.

Why it matters: If Monday's leaked draft opinion becomes law, court orders could soon arrive at tech firm offices seeking info about individuals searching for emergency contraception, those seen near a suspected abortion clinic and more.

Over 260 travel industry and business organizations are calling on the Biden administration to end its COVID testing requirement for vaccinated international passengers entering the U.S.

Why it matters: The travel industry has taken multiple blows over the last two years due to the pandemic and emerging variants. Companies are looking to rebound despite another rise in cases.

The Federal Aviation Administration reported the lowest number of unruly air passenger incidents since 2020, according to data from the agency released this week.

The big picture: A judge in Florida struck down the federal mask mandate last month, saying that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention exceeded its statutory authority and failed to properly justify its decision. The Transportation Security Administration said that it would stop enforcing wearing masks.

Cryptocurrency is showing its growing power in national politics, with its own billionaires tilting the balance in key midterm contests — and operatives in both major parties rushing to implement the underlying technologies to boost their candidates and campaigns.

The big picture: Political groups backed by wealthy crypto investors have already scored some key wins in the 2022 midterm primaries. And at this early stage in the campaign, donations from the industry already have exceeded 2020 totals by more than two-thirds, according to OpenSecrets data shared with Axios.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres on Thursday doubled down on calls for an end to Russia's unprovoked invasion of Ukraine, calling it "senseless in its scope, ruthless in its dimensions and limitless in its potential for global harm." 

Driving the news: The devastation has already had far-reaching consequences for global food security, said Guterres in remarks to the UN Security Council.