National

The head of a prominent centrist advocacy group quietly seeded a news outlet that provides a steady stream of positive coverage for her organization and its board members' lobbying clients, Axios has learned.

Why it matters: The fragmentation of digital media means virtually anyone can be a publisher. When public affairs intersects with political coverage, it can blur the lines between news and advocacy.

The big picture: The Well News says it "reaches more than 5 million Americans" through its website, videos and social media channels.

It was founded in 2018 by Cori Kramer, the executive director of Center Forward, and Kristen Hawn, a PR consultant who's worked with the group. Internal communications reviewed by Axios show they've had direct input on TWN's editorial product.

"Our founders wanted a news outlet that highlights practical policy-making, good governance and brings a voice to people and events that are often overlooked in the current news climate," its website says.

TWN has written positively about Center Forward without disclosing its co-founder's dual roles. It's also promoted "leading bipartisan public affairs firm ROKK Solutions" without mentioning that Hawn is a partner at that firm.

Between the lines: Like most news outlets, TWN relies on advertising revenue. Its website is frank about the opportunity that it provides its financial backers.

"[W]e serve as an extension of your marketing team, so contact us below and put us to work building a strategic, holistic, cross-channel marketing plan that makes you look like a hero," TWN says.

Among those advertisers is tobacco giant Philip Morris, which has paid to place content on the site praising its smokeless products and its efforts to root out PPE fraud.

Archived versions of both those ads show them initially appearing as standard TWN stories without any sponsored-content disclaimers.

TWN would not speak on the record about those ads in response to multiple Axios inquiries. A person familiar with the site's operations insisted they were properly disclosed at the time, and that internet archives omit website elements that included the disclaimers.

The intrigue: Philip Morris isn't just a TWN advertiser. It's also a lobbying client of Center Forward board member Jeff Murray.

Murray is former chief of staff to former Rep. Bud Cramer, Center Forward's chairman. Both were lobbyists at FTI Consulting before leaving this year for a new firm, the 535 Group.

In April, the 535 Group signed a lobbying deal with Facebook. A month later, TWN wrote a positive story about the social media company's environmental and sustainability commitments.

Also on Center Forward's board are Forbes-Tate lobbyists Cindy Brown and Libby Greer, whose clients include Uber, Walgreens and Tyson Foods — all of which have received glowing TWN coverage.

An April 2020 story on private-sector efforts to address the COVID pandemic was based largely on a Center Forward report that plugged at least six of its board members' clients.

TWN's centrist editorial outlook naturally aligns it with the policy goals of Center Forward, its board members and its financial backers. But the lack of disclosure means readers aren't made aware of that overlap.

The site has written skeptically about progressive health policy measures such as Medicare for All, for instance. Last month, it published two stories on Center Forward surveys showing public support for preserving the existing Medicare system.

Readers had no overt notice that Greer and Brown lobby for a health industry trade group explicitly devoted to opposing Medicare for All.

What they're saying: Asked whether Center Forward board members had ever recommended stories to TWN, or whether Kramer or Hawn had ever assigned them on their behalves, Christina Paulos, the site's managing director, told Axios that "has never happened."

“The Well News was founded at a time when too much news was focused solely on conflict, and we are very proud of our accurate, interesting and positive coverage of issues that impact the everyday lives of our more than 5 million readers across the country,” Paulos said in an emailed statement.

In her statement to Axios, Kramer wrote, "Center Forward’s mission is to foster productive discussions of the issues facing Americans, and we are proud to have engaged reporters from news outlets from the Well News, Politico, Washington Post, The Hill, Wall Street Journal and Axios, among others.”

Looking ahead: TWN's promotion of political centrism means lots of coverage of congressional moderates facing tough re-election fights next year.

Many happen to be the same members that Center Forward is promoting with its own paid advertising.

New PR ploy

When public affairs intersects with political coverage, it can blur the lines between news and advocacy.

Illustration of a piece of cloth covering a handshake between two people. 

Advertising

Politics & Policy

President Biden and Vice President Harris have their own "Pete Souzas," and they're also working to create a visual archive of the new administration.

Why it matters: Photographers Adam Schultz, Lawrence Jackson and their colleagues have a number of social media sites that give a look at the president and vice president when the news media isn't present.

Souza did the same for President Obama, creating a huge social media following for him and the White House.

His legacy has continued with books and an MSNBC special, "The Way I See It."

Schultz photographed Biden throughout the 2020 campaign and now serves as the president's official photographer.

President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris are seen together inside the presidential limousine.

President Biden and Vice President Harris pose inside the presidential limousine in Atlanta in March. Official White House Photo: Adam Schultz

Jackson fills the same role for the vice president, after photographing Harris during the general election campaign. He previously was an assistant photographer under Souza during the Obama administration.

Vice President Kamala Harris is seen looking out the window of Marine Two.

Vice President Kamala Harris looks out a window on Marine Two in April. Official White House Photo: Lawrence Jackson

Schultz and Jackson are supported now by fellow official photographers Cameron Smith and Erin Scott.

First Lady Jill Biden is seen looking in the door of the Oval Office.

First lady Jill Biden waits outside the Oval Office in March. Official White House Photo: Cameron Smith

First lady Jill Biden is seen waving during a July Fourth trip to New England.

First lady Jill Biden waves during a July Fourth trip to New England. Official White House Photo: Erin Scott

You can follow their work on the following Instagram accounts:

Their photos also can be found on Flickr at the official White House site. The photographers use these personal accounts too: 

First photos

Biden and Harris have their own "Pete Souzas," and they're also working to create a visual archive of the new administration.

President Biden and Vice President Harris are seen in the White House in March.

President Biden and Vice President Harris discuss notes from a meeting in March about COVID-19. Official White House Photo: Adam Schultz

Joe Biden

Kamala Harris

The Sept. 11 terrorist attacks changed the trajectory of many lives, from the people who died to the heroes who responded, to everyone who watched — including one journalist for whom it marked a career-defining moment.

Why it matters: As the 20th anniversary of 9/11 approaches this Saturday, Axios politics editor Glen Johnson recalls the conversation he had that crisp Tuesday morning with his then-colleague, reporter Anthony Shadid.

What they're saying: "I covered the Massachusetts congressional delegation for the Boston Globe, and when I arrived at the Washington bureau on Connecticut Avenue, I saw our assistant, Cindy Taylor, watching the TV behind her desk.

"'A plane hit the World Trade Center,' she told me.

"As a former aviation reporter, I was trying to digest the news when a second plane hit the second tower.

"Both Cindy and I knew we were no longer looking at a possible accident.

"A short time later, Anthony walked in, his ever-present work bag slung diagonally from one shoulder to the other hip.

"When he asked what we were watching, I said, 'Two planes just hit the World Trade Center. It looks like a terrorist attack.'

"Without missing a beat, Anthony replied, 'Holy sh-t. This is the biggest story of our lives.'

In that moment, Anthony was delivered from an ill-fitting assignment — covering New England business interests in the capital — to one for which the native Arabic speaker was bred: reporting about terrorism and Islamic news.

News organizations realized the depth and endurance of the story, and soon Anthony was inundated with offers from an array of papers.

He took one offered by the Washington Post, serving as the paper's pan-Islamic correspondent.

He was in Afghanistan as President George W. Bush avenged the attack, and convinced his editors to let him stay in Baghdad as the U.S. later bombarded Iraqi President Saddam Hussein.

Anthony won two Pulitzers for the Post before moving on the New York Times.

His transformative work as a foreign correspondent came to a sudden and sad end in February 2012. The 43-year-old suffered a fatal asthma attack while covering the Arab Spring uprising in Syria.

In January 2018, his daughter, Laila, wrote about her memory of her father — including her own recollection of his actions on 9/11, as relayed by her mother.

"When smoke poured from the Twin Towers on September 11th, it drifted through our TV and soiled the clean air around us, suffocating our suburban home," wrote Laila Shadid. "My father knew what this meant, he had to go. He was the only one who could tell the real story." 

"'There’s only one place that this will lead back to,' he prophesized to my mother, their eyes glued to the TV."

"Unsurprisingly, he was right," Laila wrote. "Off he went to the Middle East."

Editor’s note: This story has been updated to correct that Shadid won both of his Pulitzers at the Washington Post.

First person: A 9/11 memory

Axios' politics editor recalls a conversation he had that morning with his then-colleague, Anthony Shadid.

Reporter Anthony Shadid is seen in Najaf, Iraq, in 2003.

Anthony Shadid reports from Najaf, Iraq, in December 2003. Photo: Bill O'Leary/The Washington Post via Getty Images

War on Terror

Afghanistan

Conflicts, policies and powers are intersecting and shaping the world. Breaking news and analysis of national security, foreign policy and global crises.

World

The Afghans left behind by the U.S. airlift in the wake of the Taliban's takeover of the country include longtime U.S. Embassy contractors, Special Immigrant Visas applicants and members of the Afghan military, among others.

Driving the news: In one of the largest airlifts in history, the U.S. evacuated 120,000 people from Afghanistan prior to their withdrawal. But at least 100 Americans and thousands of Afghan allies were left behind.

The U.S. and 97 other countries announced last week that they had reached an agreement with the Taliban to allow them to continue to get their citizens and Afghan allies out of the country after the Aug. 31 withdrawal deadline.

But, but, but: Negotiations for plane departures in the days since the withdrawal was completed have dragged out, as flights to Al Udeid Air Base approved by the U.S. and Qatar await final approval by the Taliban, the New York Times reported.

The big picture: Although President Biden toasted the airlift as an "extraordinary success," Afghans left behind—some of whom made repeated attempts to evacuate— fear what the future holds.

A source told the Washington Post that about 2,000 U.S. Embassy contractors and immediate family members are among those left behind. The State Department declined to comment on the figure.

What they're saying: One contractor who worked for the U.S. Embassy for six years told the Post that he received no calls or emails from the Embassy after Aug. 15. 

"Everyone knows where I worked, that I worked with the Americans,” he added, noting that he eventually fled to another province.

An engineer who worked for the U.S. Army and was in the final stages of his SIV application managed to get to the airport gates twice only to be turned away both times, per the Post.

“My children, they don’t understand,” he told the Post. “But my wife is just crying: 'Why did you work with those people? Look how you brought us under threat!'”

Many Afghan women and girls fear their rights will be severely curtailed under Taliban rule.

A young female graduate of the American University of Afghanistan told the Post that she held out hope for an evacuation that never materialized, as those connected to the school were not prioritized as "high risk" and had to navigate Taliban checkpoints without U.S. or NATO assistance.

Afghans left behind by U.S. airlift include embassy contractors and visa applicants

"Everyone knows where I worked, that I worked with the Americans,” said one U.S. Embassy contractor.

A small group of Afghans camp out in the corner of a parking area 

A small group of Afghans camp out in the corner of a parking area near the makeshift camps at Shahr-e-Naw Park in Kabul on Aug. 14. Photo: Marcus Yam/Los Angeles Times

San Francisco

Axios San Francisco

In the centuries since Asians first arrived in the United States, the color yellow has dogged their steps. It's been weaponized as a derogatory slur and exploited to villainize Asians as the Yellow Peril. In the last few decades, however, Asian Americans have sought to reclaim the term "yellow."

Driving the news: One such campaign is "The Yellow Whistle," a self-protection program launched this year by Agnes Hsu-Tang and Oscar Tang, owners of Kampgrounds of America (KOA), and four others in the wake of pandemic-fueled anti-Asian hate. 

How it works: The whistle, designed to fit around the wrist for ease of access, gives people — especially elders — a way to signal alarm. It has the words "We belong" stamped on the side, and stands as a symbol against the "historical tyranny" of racism at large, per the campaign site. 

More than 350,000 free whistles have been distributed at hundreds of locations since April, including at some of KOA's 520 sites across North America.

Non-Asians are also encouraged to take a whistle as a sign of solidarity.

What they’re saying: "People are afraid to go out, and that's an invasion of their right," Tang told Axios. "We shouldn't have to take into our own hands physical protection from outside violence."  

But hopefully, wearing the simple device can "give them a little bit more confidence to venture out," Tang added, calling it a "demand for action."

"Yellow has a special significance for Asians," Tang noted. Reclaiming it in this way enables Asian Americans to know they have allies no matter where they go, he said.

A man receives a yellow whistle. Photo: Courtesy of The Yellow Whistle campaign

Photo: Courtesy of The Yellow Whistle campaign

The big picture: The Yellow Whistle is one of several safety campaigns — including daily patrols, self-defense programs and pepper spray and personal alarm distribution — that Asian Americans have launched since the pandemic began. 

The programs come as Asians and Asian Americans experience an uptick in attacks. In 16 of the largest U.S. cities, anti-Asian hate crimes jumped 145% in 2020, according to an analysis by the Center for the Study of Hate & Extremism at California State University, San Bernardino.

Stop AAPI Hate has collected over 9,000 self-reported incidents of anti-AAPI hate since March 2020. Nearly half included at least one hateful statement with anti-China and/or anti-immigrant rhetoric.

The bottom line: The message behind The Yellow Whistle is "something that we should subscribe to," Tang said. "It's definitely become a rallying cry for Asians, standing up for our rights."

Go deeper: Making the outdoors safe for people of color

How the yellow whistle became a symbol against anti-Asian hate

"It's definitely become a rallying cry for Asians, standing up for our rights."

The Yellow Whistle. Photo: Courtesy of The Yellow Whistle campaign

Asian Americans

Latino

Axios Latino

Black Americans are more likely to get federal life sentences than whites or Latinos, a new study has found.

Why it matters: The analysis, published recently in Criminology, further illustrates the racial disparities of federal sentencing at a time when advocates are pushing for sentencing reforms for nonviolent offenders.

Details: An examination of more than 366,000 offenders convicted and sentenced in 90 federal district courts from 2010 to 2017 found racial disparities around life sentences targeting Black offenders. (The research excluded offenses related to immigration law.)

More than 4,800 of all offenders were eligible for life imprisonment — and almost 1,200 received life sentences, the study found.

Black offenders accounted for fewer than a third of all cases but constituted nearly half of those eligible for life sentences.

White offenders accounted for more than a third of all cases but constituted less than a quarter of those eligible for life sentences.

Effect of race on life imprisonment outcomes

Reproduced from Brian D. Johnson; Chart: Axios Visuals

Between the lines: Hispanic offenders were more likely to be eligible for life sentences than white offenders, yet half as likely as Black offenders to receive life sentences.

Just why wasn't clear — and how Hispanics identified themselves prior to changes with the 2020 census may have affected results.

Researchers suggest race and ethnicity are indirectly related to modes of conviction, mandatory minimums and departures from sentencing guidelines.

What they're saying: “Two out of three people serving life terms are defendants of color, and some believe that life sentences are fraught with racial bias,” Brian D. Johnson, a University of Maryland criminology and criminal justice professor who led the study, said in a statement.

“If there are racial disparities in this type of sentencing, we must investigate the mechanisms that contribute to them.”

The intrigue:  The study comes as advocates in various cities seek to advance police and criminal justice reforms amid rising crime.

Rev. Markel Hutchins, CEO of MovementForward, told Axios the study showed that Black leaders, police organizations and lawmakers need to work together to end racial disparities. 

"We have to deal with issues of systematic racism and inequity ... from those who get the most speeding tickets to those who get the healthiest sentences for federal crimes." 

Don't forget: The First Step Act, signed by President Trump, reduced some federal sentences and gave judges more sentencing flexibility.

The bill led to the release of at least 3,000 inmates by the end of 2019, according to NBC News.

Axios reported that Trump later told people he regretted following some of son-in-law and senior adviser Jared Kushner's political advice on criminal justice reform.

Study shows Black offenders more likely to get federal life sentences

An analysis published in Criminology shows the racial disparities of federal life sentencing as advocates push for reforms.

Protesters call for criminal justice reform outside the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. 

Protesters call for criminal justice reform outside the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. Photo: Aaron P. Bernstein/Getty Images

Criminal justice

Latin America and Latinos

The Taliban’s total victory has major implications for Afghanistan's neighbors and the broader region, with countries vying for influence while preparing for potential instability, refugee flows and the threat of a terrorist safe haven.

The big picture: It’s largely a strategic victory for Pakistan, which has assisted the Taliban and harbored its leaders, and a defeat for India, which invested heavily in an Afghan state that has now collapsed. 

For China, it’s both a source of concern and of opportunity, and the Taliban has already made clear that it is depending on close relations with Beijing.

“On the one hand, it is a strategic victory for Pakistan to have a pro-Islamabad government in Afghanistan for the first time in more than 20 years, and that’s no small matter,” says Michael Kugelman of the Wilson Center.

But the Taliban’s capture of Kabul also raises security concerns for Islamabad and has sent tens of thousands of Afghans fleeing to the border.

Pakistan will clearly have influence with the Taliban, but it could also now have less leverage, Kugelman notes: “Now that the Taliban is completely in control and no longer fighting this war, it doesn’t need to depend on Pakistan as much.”

India, meanwhile, had been the Afghan government’s closest friend in the region, investing in aid projects, close diplomatic ties, and even building the parliament building in Kabul. 

Now New Delhi has been forced to deal with the Taliban. The first known meeting between the sides took place just last week.

"India was late to come to the realization that engaging with the Taliban is a necessary evil, so to speak," says Kugelman. He says New Delhi will be in no rush to recognize a Taliban government, and could continue to support groups that are still resisting the militants.

Iran and the Taliban were bitter foes in the 1990s, but they have built ties gradually since, and the Taliban's insistence that it will protect Afghanistan's Shia minority is at least partially designed for Tehran's consumption.

Like Pakistan, Iran already hosts upwards of one million Afghan refugees and is attempting to avoid another influx. The land borders on all sides of Afghanistan have been closed to refugees since Kabul fell.

America’s humbling exit from Afghanistan provided a propaganda coup for China. 

A Foreign Ministry spokesperson chided that another U.S. military intervention, justified on the grounds of "democracy" and "human rights," had ended in “turmoil, division, and destruction.” 

Beijing will have few qualms with the Taliban’s record on human rights, and a Taliban spokesman said Thursday that, with western assistance drying up, the new government would rely on China to “invest and rebuild our country.”

China has kept its embassy open in a signal that it’s ready to deal with the incoming government, but is unlikely to make such large-scale investments any time soon. Its main concern in Afghanistan is security, and in particular that Islamist groups with roots in China could take inspiration from the Taliban.

The threat of Afghanistan again becoming a hub for international terrorism is much more acute for countries in the region than for the United States, at least in the near term. ISIS looms particularly large.

“Many of the regional players can live with a Taliban government as long as they get assurances about security, because for most regional players — excluding India, but Iran, China, Russia, the Central Asian states — ISIS is a bigger concern than the Taliban,” Kugelman says.

What the Taliban victory means for Afghanistan's neighbors

The Taliban's victory is a win for Pakistan, a defeat for India and an opportunity for China.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi meets with Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, the Taliban's political leader. Photo: Li Ran/Xinhua via Getty Images

China

Iran

The U.S. men's wheelchair basketball team beat Japan  64-60 to win gold at the Paralympics Sunday — Team USA's final Tokyo Games medal. 

Of note: The American women's team won a bronze medal on Saturday. 

By the numbers: The U.S. won 104 medals in total at the Tokyo Paralympic Games, including 37 golds, to place third on the table.

China finished first with 207 medals, including 96 golds.

Great Britain was second with 124 medals, including 41 golds.

Editor's note: This article has been updated to include details of the women's team's bronze and the medal tally.

Final U.S. Tokyo Games gold won by men's wheelchair basketball team

 Team USA celebrate after defeating Team Japan during the men's Wheelchair Basketball gold medal game at the Tokyo Paralympic Games in Ariake Arena on Sunday.

Team USA celebrate after defeating Team Japan during the men's wheelchair basketball gold medal game at the Tokyo Paralympic Games in Ariake Arena on Sunday. Photo: Lintao Zhang/Getty Images

Paralympics

Shifts in technology and media are changing the way we play, watch and understand sports. Business models are adapting and social change is forcing those in charge of teams and leagues to reconsider decades-old practices.

Sports

New Zealand officials tried "for years" to deport the terrorist who stabbed shoppers in an Auckland supermarket Friday before being fatally shot by police who were surveilling him, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said.

Driving the news: Ardern vowed Saturday to tighten NZ's security laws by the month's end following the attack by the "ISIS-inspired" Ahamed Aathil Mohamed Samsudeen, 32 — who was fighting to stay in NZ as a refugee when he injured seven shoppers, three critically.

Why it matters: Among the changes the Counter Terror Legislation Bill would implement would be the criminalizing of the planning and preparation of a potential terrorist attack, addressing a loophole critics said allowed suspects to remain free — including the LynnMall supermarket attacker.

Ardern said he was being constantly monitored because he couldn't legally be imprisoned and, consequently, nearby police responded quickly when the attack happened.

The big picture: The attacker came to security services' attention in 2016. Prosecutors wanted to charge him under terrorism laws for planning an attack last year, but a judge ruled this wasn't covered by existing legislation. 

His name, the fact he was a refugee and that officials were trying to have this status revoked could not be previously reported due to a court suppression order, which was lifted Saturday night.

He spent three years in prison after being charged with offenses including possessing hunting knives and objectionable publications. He was released from prison two months ago.

What they're saying: Officials had been trying since 2018 to deport him back to Sri Lanka after learning that his refugee status "was fraudulently obtained," and sought to detain him ahead of a hearing later this year, Ardern said in a statement Sunday. 

"It was incredibly disappointing and frustrating when legal advice came back to say this wasn't an option," she added.

New Zealand to criminalize terror attack planning after mall stabbing

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern vowed to tighten New Zealand's security laws by the month's end.

 Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern during a Saturday press conference in Parliament  in Wellington, New Zealand. 

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern during a Saturday press conference in Parliament in Wellington, New Zealand. Photo: Mark Mitchell — Pool/Getty Images

New Zealand

Civil war will  "likely" erupt in Afghanistan and this could lead to al-Qaeda's resurgence, U.S. Gen. Mark Milley, chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told Fox News on Saturday.

Driving the news: He said it's too early to say whether the U.S. was safer now American troops have left Afghanistan, but it's "very likely" there'd be a renewal of terrorism in the region "within 12, 24, 36 months, and we're going to monitor that."

"My military estimate is ... that the conditions are likely to develop [into] a civil war," Milley said in the interview with Fox News' Jennifer Griffin from Germany's Ramstein Air Base.

"I don't know if the Taliban is going to be able to consolidate power and establish governance," he continued. 

"But I think there's at least a very good probability of a broader civil war and that will then in turn lead to conditions that could, in fact, lead to a reconstitution of Al-Qaeda or a growth of ISIS or other myriad terrorist groups."

Context: President Biden blamed ISIS-K for a suicide bombing that killed 60 Afghans and 13 American troops at Kabul's international airport just before the complete U.S. troop withdrawal from the country last month. 

Joint Chiefs chair says civil war in Afghanistan "likely"

Conditions "could lead to a reconstitution of Al-Qaeda or a growth of ISIS or other myriad of terrorist groups," he told Fox News today.

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