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National

Finish Line

Axios Finish Line

There is a simple workplace principle at Axios that increasingly spills helpfully into my personal life: Always assume positive intent.

Why it matters: So much misunderstanding, tension and turmoil flows from thinking the other person is a dope, dishonest or out to get you. So stop assuming the worst.

It's shocking how often the explanation is so much simpler and more benign.

The big picture: Dig deep enough into rotten relationships or business cultures, and you often find bad assumptions in the roots. Telltale signs are suspicion, backbiting or score-settling.

The big caveat: Yes, some people actually are rotten, or dishonest, or truly out to get you. You shouldn't ignore patterns of toxic behavior.  But most people are simply stressed, or clumsy with their words, or innocently screwing up.

Here are a few ways to think about shifting to an assumption of positive intent:

1) Ask, don’t think. Most of life’s problems can be solved instantly if you calmly and clearly ask someone who offended or irritated you what they intended to do or say. Don’t ask in a condescending or aggressive way.

Do this one thing in person and you'll ease lots of tension.

2) Talk, don’t text. Typing words is a terrible way to capture the nuance of human emotion. You cannot resolve tension at work or in your personal life on Twitter or in texts. Pick up the phone or go old-school and actually talk to a person, in person. 

3) Don’t talk crap. At Axios, we make it super-clear that we're intolerant of anyone talking about colleagues behind their backs. It’s a fireable offense. You're expected to take your grievances directly to the person, honestly and respectfully. 

The only thing worse than assuming negative intent is gossiping about it and spreading the problem. That's how Small Things become Big Things.

Simplest workplace principle: Assume positive intent

Illustration of a coffee mug with the Axios logo with steam forming a thought bubble

Leadership

Economy

After a record economic expansion, the coronavirus pandemic sent the U.S. economy into a recession as unemployment soared to staggering heights. The country now faces urgent questions about how much stimulus is needed for reeling consumers and businesses, and what a recovery might look like.

Economy & Business

Students and staff will never return to the elementary school building in Uvalde, Texas, where a gunman killed 19 children and two teachers last month, the superintendent said Friday at a special school board meeting. 

Driving the news: The decision to permanently shutter the Robb Elementary School building was shared Friday at what was the first meeting of the Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District Board since the mass shooting on May 24. 

What they’re saying: Superintendent Hal Harrell told parents in attendance at the meeting that the building would never again house students. 

"We're not going back to that campus," Harrell said during the meeting, adding that he plans to share a new address for Robb Elementary in the "very near future."

"We have plans for it to become something other than a school site,” Harrell said.

His remarks came in response to a tearful parent who addressed the board. She said her child was “deathly afraid” of attending second grade at the school and was traumatized by what happened. 

Meanwhile, the school board chose not to take any disciplinary action against the school district's police chief at the meeting. 

The chief, Pete Arredondo, was the incident commander during the shooting and was at the center of a series of missteps that have prompted outrage and sharp criticism.

Arredondo made the decision for officers not to breach the classrooms where the gunman had barricaded himself with the two teachers and students. Law enforcement officials have said Arredondo considered the gunman to be a "barricaded subject" rather than an active shooter after he locked himself inside the rooms. 

Students placed frantic 911 calls from inside the classrooms asking for police to intervene while police waited outside the locked door for 80 minutes. Arredondo reportedly did not have a radio on his person while commanding the scene and did not receive word of those calls. 

Earlier this week, Arredondo was sworn in as a member of the Uvalde City Council in a closed meeting.

Uvalde's Robb Elementary will become "something other" than school

"We have plans for it to become something other than a school site."

Law enforcement officers speak together outside of Robb Elementary School following the mass shooting on May 24 in Uvalde, Texas. Photo: Brandon Bell/Getty Images

Uvalde, Texas school shooting

2024 will be an election year like no other, as President Biden seeks re-election amid economic uncertainty, two wars and questions about his age. His likely foe, former President Trump, faces felony charges and vows revenge on his political enemies. Meanwhile, Americans generally are dissatisfied with those choices and are divided over immigration, race, education and more.

Politics & Policy

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D) was among the names found on a 'hit list' believed to belong to the person suspected of killing a retired Wisconsin judge, her office told the Detroit News on Saturday.

Driving the news: The suspect, identified to reporters by the Wisconsin DOJ as Douglas K. Uhde, is accused of killing former Juneau County Circuit Court Judge John Roemer in his home in what officials are calling a "targeted act." Multiple outlets have reported several public officials were on the list, citing unnamed law enforcement officials, but Whitmer is the first to confirm her name appeared. 

Catch up fast: Local police were called to Roemer’s home early Friday morning after receiving a report of shots fired. When they arrived, they attempted to negotiate with someone inside the home, according to a Wisconsin Department of Justice press release. 

When police entered the home, they found Roemer, who retired in 2017, dead. 

In the basement, they found the 56-year-old Uhde with an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. Police recovered a gun, and Uhde was transported to a hospital. He is listed in critical condition.

Wisconsin’s Division of Criminal Investigation is leading the investigation, with support from local and state police and the FBI, according to a release. 

What they’re saying: "This, as I mentioned before, does appear to be a targeted act and the individual who is a suspect appears to have had other targets as well. It appears to be related to the judicial system," said Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul at a Friday press conference, per CNN.

While the investigation is ongoing, Kaul added that police did not believe others were in danger.

"Those who may have been other targets have been notified of that, but we are not aware of any active threat to individuals," he said.

Gretchen Whitmer's office says she was on 'hit list' found with suspect accused of killing judge

The suspect, identified to reporters by the Wisconsin DOJ as Douglas K. Uhde, is accused of killing former Juneau County Circuit Court Judge John Roemer.

Photo: Jeff Kowalsky/Bloomberg via Getty Images 

Crime

Good afternoon, and welcome to the latest installment of our Climate Truths Deep Dive series. In this edition, we're looking at the local impact of climate change and how communities and leaders across the country are responding.

Axios Climate Truths: Climate hits home

Communities and leaders are responding to climate change's local impact.

Illustration of a flooded street sign surrounded by shapes and grids

Climate truths

Breaking climate science and policy coverage as extreme weather events reshape communities. Keep tabs on the race to a low carbon economy, which may be bumpy as governments, climate tech startups and major oil and gas companies race to find their niche amid the changing energy landscape.

Energy & Climate

Abbott Nutrition announced Saturday it restarted specialty infant formula production at its Sturgis, Michigan, facility, which was shut down earlier this year following a Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recall.

Why it matters: The new supply may help ease a critical baby formula shortage in the U.S., though the company said the release of newly produced specialty formula to consumers won't happen until "beginning on or about" June 20.

The baby formula shortage started in 2021, following production problems and distribution issues stemming from the pandemic. But it was significantly exacerbated when Abbott, one of the largest suppliers of baby formula in the U.S., recalled several of its major brands.

Abbott entered into an agreement with the FDA in May to restart the plant under the condition that it make corrections to the facility. The Department of Health and Human Services (DHS) is investigating how the FDA handled the Abbott recall that impacted the Michigan plant.

FDA Commissioner Robert Califf said in May that the formula shortage could persist into July.

What they're saying: "Abbott is starting production of EleCare and other specialty and metabolic formulas, with initial EleCare product release to consumers beginning on or about June 20," the company said.

"We're also working hard to fulfill the steps necessary to restart production of Similac and other formulas and will do so as soon as we can."

The big picture: In response to the shortage, the U.S. started flying in foreign formula shipments, while President Biden invoked the Defense Production Act to increase supply.

The Senate Finance Committee announced in May that is investigating Abbott's tax practices and recent stock buybacks.

Go deeper: FTC launches probe into baby formula shortage

Some Abbott specialty baby formulas expected in stores later this month

An Abbott plant in Michigan has resumed manufacturing some speciality formulas that are hard to find.

The Abbott Nutrition factory in Sturgis, Michigan, in May 2022.

The Abbott Nutrition factory in Sturgis, Mich., in May. Photo: Matthew Hatcher/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Abbott Laboratories

Nearly empty shelves in the baby formula aisle of a grocery store in Detroit, Michigan, in May 2022. (Photo: Matthew Hatcher/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

A tropical storm system pounded Southern Florida with rain on Saturday, triggering flash flooding warnings for the Miami area, according to the National Weather Service (NWS).

The latest: Over 11 inches of rain were measured in gauges in Miami as of Saturday morning. The downpour flooded roads and created dangerous conditions for motorists.

Flash flood warnings were issued for parts of Broward, Palm Beach and Miami-Dade counties until noon Saturday.

The NWS cautioned drivers to turn around if they encounter a flooded road, warning that most flood deaths occur in vehicles.

Why it matters: Flooding will likely be particularly acute in low-lying coastal areas where storm surge waters from the storm's relatively modest tropical-storm-force winds will prevent draining from the land into the sea, Axios' Andrew Freedman reports.

Heavy precipitation events are becoming more common and severe due to climate change, and tropical cyclones are dumping more rainfall than just a few decades ago, studies show. 

By the numbers: The NWS said that between 5 and 9 inches of rain have fallen in parts of Broward and Palm Beach counties as of Saturday morning, with an additional 2 to 4 inches expected.

An additional 2 to 5 inches are expected in parts of Miami-Dade County, where between 6 and 11 inches have already fallen.

The National Hurricane Center (NHC) estimated that the storm could dump as much as 15 inches of rain on South Florida and said that "considerable flash and urban flooding is expected."

The big picture: The storm system is forecast to become Tropical Storm Alex off the eastern coast of Florida by Saturday night. It is projected to strengthen over the western Atlantic through Monday, according to the NHC.

The center reported the system had maximum sustained winds of 40 mph and was moving northeast at 18 mph Saturday morning.

Go deeper: NOAA predicts as many as 6 major Atlantic hurricanes for 2022

Southern Florida pummeled by rain as areas of Miami flood

The National Hurricane Center estimated that the storm could dump as much as 15 inches of rain on South Florida.

Satellite image of the tropical weather system over Southeast Florida on Saturday.

Satellite image of the tropical weather system over southeast Florida on Saturday. Photo: NOAA 

Weather

Extreme weather

News and analysis of the scientific advances fueling AI and quantum computing, revolutionizing biology and medicine, and tackling climate change. Science is changing the world and colliding with the global politics that shape it.

Science

The House panel investigating the Jan. 6 riot questioned the Justice Department's "puzzling" decision to not indict former President Trump's chief of staff Mark Meadows or Dan Scavino, Trump's deputy chief of staff, for contempt of Congress.

Why it matters: The DOJ informed the Jan. 6 committee Friday it would not charge Meadows or Scavino, the same day the department indicted former Trump aide Peter Navarro on two counts of contempt of Congress after he refused to comply with subpoenas from the committee.

Meadows and Scavino — who were involved in efforts to overturn the 2020 election — also refused to comply with subpoenas issued by the select committee, though Meadows initially cooperated by turning over thousands of documents.

Meadows, Navarro and Scavino had been held in contempt of Congress by the House. So, too, was former Trump strategist Steve Bannon, who was indicted by a federal grand jury in November 2021. 

What they're saying: The Jan. 6 select committee praised the Justice Department's indictment of Navarro but questioned why Meadows and Scavino were being spared from charges.

"While today’s indictment of Peter Navarro was the correct decision by the Justice Department, we find the decision to reward Mark Meadows and Dan Scavino for their continued attack on the rule of law puzzling," the select committee said on Twitter on Friday.

"Mr. Meadows and Mr. Scavino unquestionably have relevant knowledge about President Trump’s role in the efforts to overturn the 2020 election and the events of January 6th. We hope the Justice Department provides greater clarity on this matter," it added.

"As the Select Committee has argued in District Court, Mark Meadows’ claim that he is entitled to absolute immunity is not correct or justified based on the Department of Justice Office of Legal Counsel Memoranda. No one is above the law."

The big picture: Matthew M. Graves, the U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, informed Douglas Letter, House general counsel, on Friday that Meadows and Scavino would not be charged, according to a letter obtained by the New York Times.

“Based on the individual facts and circumstances of their alleged contempt, my office will not be initiating prosecutions for criminal contempt as requested in the referral against Messrs. Meadows and Scavino,” the letter states.

One count of contempt of Congress is punishable by a maximum of one year in jail, as well as a fine of up to $100,000, according to the DOJ. 

Go deeper:  Jan. 6 committee: When is the first hearing?

Jan. 6 committee questions "puzzling" DOJ decision on top Trump aides

Meadows and Scavino were involved in efforts to overturn the 2020 election.

Former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows and former deputy chief of staff walking on the South Lawn in September 2020.

Former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows and former deputy chief of staff Dan Scavino walking on the South Lawn in September 2020. Photo: Drew Angerer/Getty Images

Axios

Saturday's top stories