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National

A year after President Biden signed a bill making Juneteenth the 11th federal holiday, 32 states have not passed legislation to recognize it as a state holiday, according to the Congressional Research Service. 

Why it matters: Because Juneteenth is not recognized as a holiday in a majority of states, many state employees across the country are not allowed to take a paid vacation day to observe the holiday, which celebrates the end of slavery in the U.S. 

Juneteenth recognizes the day in 1865 when enslaved people in Texas officially learned they'd been freed two years earlier by the Emancipation Proclamation.

By the numbers: All 50 states either commemorate or observe Juneteenth but only 18 observe it as a permanent paid state holiday, those being Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Illinois, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Maryland, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oregon, South Dakota, Texas, Virginia and Washington.

In the private sector, Juneteenth will be a paid holiday for about 30% of private employers in the country this year, Axios' Kelly Tyko reports.

Because Juneteenth falls on a Sunday this year, Monday is when many businesses, the federal government and those states will officially recognize it.

The big picture: Opponents of legislation to allocate funding to make Juneteenth a permanent state holiday have argued that it would be too expensive to give state employees another paid day off and that not enough people celebrate it, according to the New York Times.

Americans now are more familiar with Juneteenth than they were a year ago, according to a new Gallup poll, Axios' Oriana Gonzalez reports.

17% of those surveyed in Gallup's recent poll said they know "a lot" about Juneteenth, 42% said they know "some," 29% "a little bit" and 11% said they know "nothing at all."

Go deeper: A guide on celebrating Juneteenth in America

Editor's note: This story was originally published on Saturday June 18th. 

Only 18 states have made Juneteenth a state holiday

All 50 states either commemorate or observe Juneteenth but only 18 observe it as a paid holiday.

A motorcade of people celebrating Juneteenth in Los Angeles in 2021.

Juneteenth is celebrated in Los Angeles in 2021. Photo: Luis Sinco/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

Juneteenth

Politics & Policy

Summer school emerged last year as an "anchor" of student recovery after two-plus years of interrupted learning due to the pandemic.

Why it matters: Schools are now reimagining how to continue to capitalize on the summer months — and experts say enrichment programs and other offerings may become a "permanent part of the landscape." 

"I don't view this as a stopgap," Dennis Roche, the president of school tracking site Burbio, told Axios. 

The big picture: Summer school programs increased last summer, but they were largely focused on recovery efforts for kids who had fallen behind, Roche said.

Those same programs are being offered this year, but accelerated and enrichment programs and a mix of online and in-person offerings have also been added, Burbio found.

"The overwhelming majority of schools have this giant hole in the summer," Roche said. 

"We always saw doing more during the summer [is] ... a big way to get at this, so I think it's going to be an anchor going forward." 

Zoom in: Miami-Dade County Public Schools, for instance, has partnered with community organizations to expand the district's summer offerings, according to Julie Roche, co-founder of Burbio. 

Seattle Public Schools is offering a range of in-person and online programs, including skills courses for high school students.

Plus, there's been a boom in tutoring programs being offered in districts nationwide. 

Freeport School District in Illinois is offering gift cards to students who participate in the district's "summer learning at-home" program.

Lyons School District 103 in Illinois is providing a "summer engagement coach" to families "to help with questions, platforms and motivation." 

"One of the reasons in the past that summer school wasn't real popular is kids needed a break," Julie Roache said.

"So now in order to keep them in school, they're realizing they have to offer them some interesting things."

What to watch: "This is going to be a multi-summer trend, where you're going see essentially the expansion of the school year." Dennis Roche said. 

"Not in the same way that it's required with the academic year, but you're going to see this kind of bulked up," he added. 

"Recovery and reengagement is the floor ... but there's also some upside here for innovation down the road." 

Go deeper ... There's a frenzy for summer school, but it may not be enough

Summer school could become the norm for students

"This is going to be a multi-summer trend, where you're gonna see essentially the expansion of the school year."

Education

Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and his coalition partner Foreign Minister Yair Lapid have decided to hold a vote on dissolving the Knesset next week and call for an early election, the Prime Minister's Office announced Monday.

Why it matters: The collapse of the government comes less than a month before President Biden's visit to Israel, which is planned for July 13. According to the rotation agreement between Bennett and Lapid, once the Knesset is dissolved and an election is called, Lapid will become the acting prime minister. 

Lapid will also continue as foreign minister, while Bennett will become the alternate prime minister and will hold the Iran file in the interim government.

Between the lines: The collapse of the government is further proof that the political crisis that has engulfed Israel since 2019 is still very much alive. 

This will be the fifth election in Israel within four years.

Driving the news: Bennett and Lapid in recent weeks have tried to renew a law regulating Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank. The law is set to expire at the end of this month. 

Nir Orbach, a member of Bennett's party, announced last week he was leaving the coalition because the law hasn't been renewed.

Bennett pressed Orbach, a right-wing lawmaker and a close confidant, to stay in the coalition but failed to convince him. The last meeting between the two exploded with Orbach giving Bennett an ultimatum that if the "settlements law" doesn't pass within a week, he will vote with the opposition in calling an election.

Behind the scenes: According to two senior sources in the coalition, Bennett was the one who initiated the move after realizing that he couldn't pass the law and couldn't convince Orbach to continue supporting the coalition.

The sources said Bennett and Lapid decided to cut their losses and initiate the move rather than be dragged into it and lose more political support in the process.

What they're saying: "It is not an easy moment but we took the right decision," Bennett said Monday. 

"We did everything we could to maintain this government. We didn't leave any rock unturned," he added. "Last Friday, I understood that when the settlements law expires there will be chaos. We couldn't let that happen. Therefore we decided to go for election in order to prevent that."

Bennett called Lapid a person of integrity and said that while they had disagreements, they understood they "had more in common." 

"I will help Lapid to assume office in the most orderly fashion possible," he added. 

Lapid said, "We need to fight the forces who are trying to turn Israel into a non-Democratic country. We need to return to the unity of Israel."

He also praised Bennett, saying he has "put the country before his own interests. You are a friend and I love you."

Meanwhile, opposition leader and former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the coalition's decision "great news" and said he wants to form a wide national government after the elections.

"It is clear to everyone that this government, the biggest failure in the history of Israel, is at the end of its road," Netanyahu said in a video posted to Twitter. He claimed the current government was one that was "dependent on supporters of terror, that neglected the personal security of citizens of Israel, and that raised the cost of living to new heights." 

What's next: Elections are likely to take place at the end of October after the Jewish High Holidays. 

Lapid, as acting prime minister, will be the one who welcomes Biden at the airport when he arrives next month. 

U.S. ambassador to Israel Tom Nides told Axios that "President Biden's trip to Israel will happen as planned."

Editor's note: This story and headline have been updated with new details throughout. 

Israel coalition agrees to dissolve parliament and hold early elections

The collapse of the government comes less than a month before President Biden's visit to Israel.

Yair Lapid and Naftali Bennett. Photo: Gil Cohen-Magen/AFP via Getty Images

Israel

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

World

Republican Missouri Senate candidate Eric Greitens is facing criticism and condemnation Monday after sharing a political ad urging supporters to go "RINO hunting."

The latest: Twitter has a warning ahead of the video, saying it violates Twitter's rules about "abusive behavior." Meta removed Greitens' video from Facebook on Monday afternoon. 

"We removed this video for violating our policies prohibiting violence and incitement," a Meta spokesperson told Axios.

Greitens said Facebook "censored our new ad." 

Driving the news: In the 38-second video, the Missouri Republican talks about his past as a Navy Seal before saying he's going "RINO hunting" and cocking a shotgun. He then breaks into a home alongside a group of men wearing U.S. camouflage uniforms and other military-style gear.

"The RINO feeds on corruption and is marked by the stripes of cowardice... There's no bagging limit, no tagging limit, and it doesn't expire until we save our country," Greitens says in the video.

He calls on his supporters to join the "MAGA crew" and get a "RINO hunting permit."

"We are sick and tired of the Republicans in Name Only surrendering to Joe Biden & the radical Left," Greitens tweeted alongside the ad. "Order your RINO Hunting Permit today!"

Greitens also shared a link for people to order their "RINO hunting permit," which leads to a donation page.

What they're saying: Multiple politicians and officials reacted to the video.

Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.) called Greitens "a very bad man" in response to the video.

Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.): "This type of fa[s]cist messaging needs to stop. It only encourages political violence."

Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-Texas): "This is sociopathic. You're going to get someone killed. No television station or streaming service should agree to air this ad. Any broadcasters who air it should be referred to the @FCC."

Flashback: Greitens released a video ad during his 2016 campaign for governor in which he used an automatic Gatling gun. 

He won the election but resigned two years later over allegations of sexual misconduct.

He also faced felony charges for using a veterans charity list to raise campaign money, PBS reports.

In March 2022, his ex-wife accused him of physically abusing their children, the New York Times reports.

Editor's note: This post has been updated with additional information from Twitter and Facebook.

Eric Greitens' "RINO hunting" video removed from Facebook

In the 38-second video, the Missouri Republican talks about his past as a Navy Seal before saying he's going "RINO hunting."

Eric Greitens delivers a speech in 2018. Photo: Laurie Skrivan/St. Louis Post-Dispatch/Tribune News Service via Getty Images

Republicans

Extreme heat currently roasting the Upper Midwest and northern Plains is forecast to shift south and southeastward during the week. Temperature records will be in jeopardy in cities such as Atlanta, Nashville, Memphis, Little Rock, and St. Louis during mid-to-late week. 

Why it matters: Heat waves are an acute public health threat, since heat ranks as the top weather-related killer in the U.S. on average each year. 

For the past two weeks, extreme heat has broken records from the Southwest to the Plains and Midwest, contributing to wildfires and severe thunderstorms that knocked out power to hundreds of thousands across the Midwest. 

The area of high pressure, or heat dome, responsible for the hot weather continues to roam the country, and shows few signs of dissipating for good amid a large northward bulge, or ridge, in the jet stream. 

The National Weather Service (NWS) is calling the high temperatures "excessive" and "well above average" for this time of year.

The big picture: On Monday, heat advisories and excessive heat warnings are in effect for another day in all of Minnesota and portions of six other states, where heat indices are climbing into the triple digits. 

The forecast high temperature on Monday in Grand Forks, N.D. is forecast to reach 95°F, well above the average high for this time of year, which is 79°F. The city set a record high on Sunday.

An excessive heat warning is also in effect for Minneapolis-St. Paul, where Monday's forecast high is 100°F. This would beat the existing daily record of 99°F set in 1933. 

What's next: The head dome is going to slide southward and set up shop over the Tennessee Valley by midweek, bringing a broad area of clear skies and stagnant air to the South and Southeast. 

Chicago, Detroit and St. Louis will see hot temperatures yet again as the heat dome shift begins, with the hottest weather lasting from Tuesday to Wednesday. 

By mid-to-late week, air temperatures combined with high humidity will send heat indices climbing to dangerous levels, between 105 and 110°F, in states such as Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia, Louisiana and Arkansas, among other locations. 

Computer model simulation of the head dome over the South. (Weatherbell.com)

Computer model projection of the heat dome parked over the South on June 21, 2022. (Weatherbell.com)

The NWS said Monday that heat advisories and warnings will be needed across many of these areas.

For example, Atlanta is forecast to reach 100°F for a high on Wednesday and Thursday, which would break daily records. 

Later this week, triple-digit heat, which will break records in some locations, looks to redevelop in much of Texas, too. Next weekend could feature a heat wave primarily located across the Gulf Coast.

Context: Heat waves such as this one are becoming hotter, more frequent and longer-lasting due to human-caused climate change, according to numerous scientific studies. As the global average surface temperatures increase, the probability of warm extremes, often referred to as "long tail" events, skyrockets. 

The heat has further skewed the balance of temperature records set across the U.S., which has already been tilted strongly in favor of warm extremes over time. 

During the seven days ending on June 17, 2,074 warm temperature records had been set or tied in the Lower 48 states, compared to just 444 cold temperature records during the same period, according to a NOAA database. 

During the same period, 22 all-time warm temperature records, either daily highs or warm overnight temperatures, were set or tied, whereas no all-time cool temperature records were set or tied.

As the U.S. heat has been taking place, an even fiercer heat wave has been hitting Europe, setting dozens of monthly high-temperature records and several all-time high-temperature records as well.

Heat wave to migrate from Midwest to the South this week

Summer is starting out unusually hot for millions across the U.S.

Axios

Monday's top stories

Only 18 states have made Juneteenth a state holiday

Summer school could become the norm for students

Israel coalition agrees to dissolve parliament and hold early elections

Eric Greitens' "RINO hunting" video removed from Facebook

Heat wave to migrate from Midwest to the South this week

U.S. gas price average dips below $5 ahead of July 4 travel weekend

Jan. 6 committee wants to talk to Pence and may subpoena him

Caution: Bummer summer ahead

Teen killed, officer among 3 injured in shooting after D.C. music festival

Colombia elects Gustavo Petro as country's first leftist president

Thousands of flights canceled over U.S. holiday weekend