Axios

New data shows sentiment among consumers about certain companies can vary drastically depending on their political affiliation, but there are some brands that are able to cut through the partisan divide, according to this year's Axios Harris Poll 100.

Why it matters: Grocery brands like Trader Joe's, Wegmans and H-E-B are some of the most reputable companies in America across the political spectrum, in large part because they have focused on serving local communities and have avoided taking very public political positions.

A new bipartisan Senate group on gun control is hyper-focused on operating in the realm of what's possible, even if the end result is a deal that falls short of what many Democrats want, sources familiar with its meeting on Thursday tell Axios.

Why it matters: The five Democrats and four Republicans involved in the talks have agreed to work toward something narrowly focused — not a political messaging bill — that can win over 10 Senate Republicans by the time Congress returns from recess on June 6.

A nine-member committee once seen as a bureaucratic backwater is now at the center of some of the biggest policy fights in Congress.

Why it matters: The House Administration Committee usually wields power quietly, with purview over staff pay and congressional office space.

Thousands of students at high schools and universities across the U.S. walked out of classes on Thursday to demand stricter gun control laws in the wake of the Texas mass school shooting.

Driving the news: Starting at noon Thursday, student protesters from Michigan to Virginia marched out of classrooms to call for stronger gun control policies after a gunman stormed Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, killing at least 21 people, including 19 children and two adults.

The Justice Department announced Thursday that it has again declined to charge FBI agents accused of mishandling sexual abuse allegations against former Olympic Team USA gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar.

Why it matters: A report from the DOJ's Office of Inspector General found that senior FBI officials failed to respond to the allegations with the "utmost seriousness and urgency that they deserved and required," allowing the doctor to commit several more sex crimes before he was finally arrested.

A top Federal Reserve official gave a stark warning to House lawmakers on Thursday: Move too slow in issuing a central bank digital currency and the dollar's global dominance could eventually be in jeopardy.

Why it matters: The U.S. so far remains largely on the sidelines amid a global race for countries to roll out their own digital cash, which could reshape the way millions of people use money.

Leaders of the nation’s two largest teachers unions will travel to Houston to push gun safety on the same day as the National Rifle Association's upcoming convention.

Driving the news: Becky Pringle, president of the National Education Association, and Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, will speak on gun safety on May 27 as thousands of gun owners descend on Houston for the NRA's annual convention. The announcement follows Tuesday's mass shooting at a Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, which left at least 21 people dead, including 19 children and two adults.

The gunman who killed 19 students and two adults in Uvalde, Texas, walked through an apparently unlocked door, contradicting earlier police statements that the shooter engaged with a school officer before the massacre.

The latest: “There was not an officer readily available and armed,” and the gunman entered the building "unobstructed," Victor Escalon, a regional director at the Texas Department of Public Safety, said.

A handful of congressional Democrats is joining the fight over the Commerce Department’s investigation into whether China is secretly manufacturing solar panels and passing them through Southeast Asia for American consumers.

Why it matters: Until now, most of the public political firepower directed at the Biden administration has come from senators and trade groups who want the investigation to wrap up quickly.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has directed Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) to work with Democratic lawmakers on a "bipartisan solution" to gun violence.

Driving the news: McConnell told CNN he "encouraged" Cornyn to work with Sens. Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.), Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) "and others who are interested in trying to get an outcome that's directly related to the problem."

Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned in a speech Thursday that despite the current focus on Russia and the war in Ukraine, China poses the "most serious, long-term challenge" to the international order.

What he's saying: “China is the only country with both the intent to reshape the international order — and, increasingly, the economic, diplomatic, military and technological power to do it,” Blinken said. The U.S., however, is "not looking for conflict or a new Cold War."

The Miami Heat encouraged fans at a playoff game against the Boston Celtics on Wednesday to call their state senators and "leave a message demanding their support for common-sense gun laws," after holding a moment of silence for the victims of the shooting in Uvalde, Texas.

What they're saying: "The Heat organization, the Boston Celtics and NBA family also mourn those who lost their lives in the senseless shooting that took place yesterday at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas," said the stadium announcer at the FTX Arena.

More than half of the country's 15 largest cities saw population decreases during the coronavirus pandemic, according to new U.S. census data released Thursday measuring city growth from July 2020 to July 2021.

Driving the news: The switch to remote work during the pandemic enabled many people to move, prompted desires for cheaper cost of living or lifestyle changes.

Painful memories of the 2019 mass shooting in El Paso, Texas, that killed 23 and wounded dozens are flooding back for city residents and leaders, who say Uvalde will have a lot of work to do to heal from Tuesday's massacre.

Flashback: A gunman who authorities say was motivated by hate for Hispanics killed 23 people at a Walmart in El Paso on Aug. 3, 2019. The alleged shooter, a young white supremacist who drove to El Paso from the Dallas area, has yet to face trial.

Senate Republicans on Thursday blocked a bill that would have created new federal offices focused on domestic terrorism, stopping debate on a measure that the House passed after a mass shooting in Buffalo, New York, in which 1o Black people died.

Why it matters: The Domestic Terrorism Prevention Act would have opened debate on gun measures in the wake of the deadly Texas school shooting and its failure highlights the challenges of advancing gun control legislation in the sharply divided Congress.

Uvalde, Texas, may have been unknown to most Americans before Tuesday's mass shooting, but this town has deep roots in the Mexican American struggle for civil rights.

The big picture: The massacre that left 19 children and two teachers dead on Tuesday took place in a school district home to one of the most crucial school walkouts in civil rights history.

Uvalde residents and people across Texas and beyond are showing up to support this largely Mexican American town after the massacre that left 19 children and two teachers dead.

The big picture: An 18-year-old gunman on Tuesday opened fire on Robb Elementary School in the Texas town.

The deadly school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, this week has spurred bipartisan discussions in Congress about the potential to pass any legislation, with red flag gun control laws emerging as one potential path forward.

The big picture: Nineteen states currently have red flag laws, including in GOP-controlled states such as Florida and Indiana.

A court has ruled that former President Trump and his children, Ivanka Trump and Donald Trump Jr., are obligated to testify under oath in New York state's investigation into the Trump Organization's financial dealings, state Attorney General Letitia James announced Thursday.

Driving the news: A four-judge panel in the appellate division of the state’s trial court upheld a February decision enforcing James' subpoenas in the investigation. Trump's attorneys had argued that the attorney general's office was using them to unlawfully extract information for a separate criminal probe.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) on Thursday called Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) "an absolute fraud" during remarks on the Senate floor addressing the Texas elementary school shooting that killed 19 kids and two adults.

Driving the news: After Beto O'Rourke confronted Abbott during a press conference on Wednesday over his support of gun rights, Schumer said the governor "asked people to put their agendas aside and think about someone other than themselves. My God, how dare he? What an absolute fraud the governor of Texas is."

Singer Don McLean said he will not perform at the National Rifle Association's upcoming annual meeting in Houston after the mass shooting at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, that left at least 19 children and two adults dead.

Why it matters: So far, he's the most prominent name to pull out of the meeting, which starts Friday and goes through Sunday, after the mass shooting.

The Supreme Court is likely to clear the way for new anti-abortion laws in just a few months — but red states aren't waiting.

The big picture: Conservative legislatures are passing a raft of controversial new laws, many of which push the envelope further than the courts have ever allowed. But with the court poised to significantly weaken Roe v. Wade, if not overturn it altogether, red states appear confident that these new measures will stand.

Fresh projections from the Congressional Budget Office show that higher interest rates could put pressure not seen in years on lawmakers' spending plans.

Why it matters: As interest rates go up amid the Fed's aggressive campaign to tamp down inflation, the cost of federal interest payments is expected to rise substantially — giving more fuel to those who want to pull back on spending.

Popular Korean pop boy band BTS is meeting with President Biden next week to "discuss Asian inclusion and representation" and address the rise in anti-Asian hate crimes, the White House said Thursday.

Driving the news: The band will meet with Biden on May 31, per the White House announcement.

Afghanistan's ruling Taliban are moving to make women "invisible in society" with gender segregation and strict clothing policies, a United Nations official warned during a visit to the country on Thursday.

Driving the news: Richard Bennett, UN special rapporteur on human rights in Afghanistan, in a statement criticized other measures, including the suspension of girls' high school education, "severe barriers to employment, no opportunities to participate in political and public life, limits on freedom of movement, association, and expression."

Firearms were the leading cause of death for kids one and older for the first time in 2020, the most recent year for which CDC data is available.

Why it matters: The firearm death rate among children is steadily rising, as more kids are involved in gun-related homicides like Tuesday's mass shooting in Uvalde, Texas, as well as suicides and accidents.

U.S. and Japanese forces have held a joint fighter jet exercise over the Sea of Japan, Japan's Defense Ministry said Thursday.

Why it matters: Wednesday's flights took place a day after China and Russia sent military jets near Japanese airspace while President Biden was visiting Tokyo.

The gunman who opened fire at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, on Tuesday killed 19 students and two teachers in a single classroom, local law enforcement officials said on Wednesday.

The latest: The shooter was inside Robb Elementary School for upwards of 40 minutes, and witnesses told AP they urged police to go in.

Vigils were held in several Texas cities and across the U.S. on Wednesday to honor the 19 children and two adults killed by a gunman in Robb Elementary School in Uvalde this week.

The big picture: Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R), his gubernatorial challenger Beto O’Rourke (D) and Sen. Ted Cruz (R) joined hundreds of mourners at the Uvalde County Fairplex rodeo arena's prayer vigil, some 85 miles west of San Antonio, on Wednesday night. NBC reports Mayor Ron Nirenberg said at the vigil, "We’re here for Uvalde. We’re here to be a witness to the collective trauma."

A loving mother and wife, a boy who enjoyed dancing with his family and another who was learning to play football with his grandfather.

The big picture: Nineteen children and at least two adults were killed after a gunman entered Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, on Tuesday and started shooting. It's the deadliest school shooting in the U.S. in nearly a decade.

We're all scrambling for ways to help when tragedy strikes. Here’s one big way: Help ease kids through the awfulness.

• Listen to them. Be honest with them. Take "news breaks" with them.

March for Our Lives, the student-led gun control advocacy group, is planning nationwide protests in the wake of the Uvalde, Texas, school shooting, according to its website.

Driving the news: The protests will take place some four years after the shooting at a high school in Parkland, Florida, during which a gunman killed 17 people. That shooting led to the group's founding and preceded the organization holding one of the largest demonstrations in U.S. history.

Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) on Wednesday pushed back against a subpoena from the Jan. 6 select committee, challenging its "constitutionality and validity" in a letter to the panel that he tweeted out.

Driving the news: Jordan in the letter listed demands for the panel to meet before he'd engage with it, including giving him the materials it plans to question him with ahead of time, along with all the documents the committee has that reference him.

People across the U.S. honored George Floyd on Wednesday amid mixed progress on police reform and two years after a white police officer kneeled on his neck for nine minutes as he said "I can't breathe" over 20 times.

Why it matters: Floyd's murder ignited protests against police brutality and anti-Blackness around the globe. Yet two years later, many Black Americans feel the world has moved on, even as Black communities remain vulnerable to deadly violence.

Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt (R) on Wednesday signed into law a bill aimed at banning all abortions in the state beginning at fertilization that will be enforced by lawsuits from private citizens.

Why it matters: The near-total ban takes effect immediately upon being signed, making it the most restrictive abortion law in the U.S. It encourages private citizens to sue anyone suspected of helping a person get an abortion.