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National

A sweeping data privacy bill was unveiled by two key lawmakers from opposing parties on Sunday.

Why it matters: This landmark legislation would make privacy a consumer right and put people in control of their own personal data, per a joint statement from Senate Commerce Committee Chair Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) and House Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.) Sunday.

Despite concern among Congress members about the way Big Tech companies use personal data, there's never been a comprehensive national law governing data privacy and consumer rights.

The big picture: The American Privacy Rights Act would eliminate the existing patchwork of state data privacy laws, per the joint statement.

It would also give consumers the right to sue tech companies that violate their privacy rights and create a new data privacy-focused bureau within the Federal Trade Commission, according to a draft of the bill, which has yet to be introduced.

A screenshot of a tweet by Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, saying: "It reins in Big Tech by prohibiting them from tracking, predicting, and manipulating people’s behaviors for profit without their knowledge and consent.  Americans overwhelmingly want these rights, and they are looking to us, their elected representatives, to act."

Go deeper: Inside the CMR-Cantwell data privacy bill  (Axios Pro subscription)

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Key lawmakers unveil landmark data privacy bill

The bill would give consumers the right to sue tech companies that violate their privacy rights.

n this photo illustration the logo of US online social media and social networking site 'X' (formerly known as Twitter) is displayed centrally on a smartphone screen alongside that of Threads (L) and Instagram (R) on August 01, 2023 in Bath, England. 

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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

Data: Associated Press; Chart: Jacque Schrag/Axios

A month after Nikki Haley dropped out of the Republican race, former President Trump is still dealing with a contingent of voters showing up to cast primary ballots for candidates who aren't him.

Why it matters: President Biden has more successfully unified his voters despite never facing a strong primary opponent and an organized protest vote over the war in Gaza.

In 10 recent primary contests, more than one-quarter of GOP primary voters cast a ballot for a non-Trump candidate.

"Joe Biden has a real golden opportunity to capture all those disaffected people who voted for Nikki Haley," said Arizona-based GOP strategist Barrett Marson. 

Driving the news: In the key battleground state of Wisconsin on Tuesday, 20.8% of Republican primary voters cast a ballot for a candidate other than Trump. 

Haley, the former UN ambassador who suspended her campaign a month ago, drew more than 12%, or 76,000 votes, in Wisconsin, which Biden won by just over 20,000 votes against Trump in 2020.

"Those are significant numbers," longtime Wisconsin Republican strategist Bill McCoshen told Axios. 

"Will those voters come home in November? I think it's possible they will, history suggests that most of them will, but I think it's also a signal to the Trump campaign that his pick for a VP could be very critical to bringing these voters back."

Trump saw a larger share of protest votes in Wisconsin than Biden in the Democratic primary, where 8.3% of voters, or about 48,000, supported the "uninstructed" vote in protest of Biden's handling of the Israel-Hamas war.

The big picture: In another key presidential swing state, Arizona, Haley won about 18% of the vote in the GOP primary last month, despite having suspended her campaign about halfway through early voting.

The "uncommitted" vote was not an option on the Democratic side in Arizona, but opponents of Biden's handling of the Israel-Hamas war encouraged voters to cast a ballot for Marianne Williamson as a protest.

Williamson won 3.8% of the Democratic vote in Arizona.

"That doesn't necessarily mean that 18% is filling in the bubble for Joe Biden in November, it's going to be up to Biden to message to those either moderate Republicans or right-leaning independents," Marson said. 

In Michigan, another swing state, 13% of Democratic primary voters cast a ballot for the "uncommitted" movement last month.

The Biden campaign said in a statement before the Tuesday primaries that "the president believes making your voice heard and participating in our democracy is fundamental to who we are as Americans." 

"He shares the goal for an end to the violence and a just, lasting peace in the Middle East. He's working tirelessly to that end."

What to watch: It's possible that some of the non-Trump votes in recent contests were from voters who cast a ballot while Haley was still in the race — and are planning to back Trump in November.

But the sizable shares of protest votes could also be a sign of Trump's vulnerabilities ahead of an election that's likely to be decided by the margins in a few key swing states.

"Donald Trump has made it clear he's not remotely interested in reaching out to independents, moderates or Nikki Haley supporters, who he's driven away with his extreme, unpopular agenda and his pledge to be a dictator on Day One," Biden campaign senior spokesperson Sarafina Chitika said in a statement. 

"President Biden, meanwhile, is meeting voters where they are and making it clear that all are welcome in his coalition to protect our freedoms and our democracy this November." 

The Trump campaign did not respond to Axios' request for comment.

Go deeper: Biden's new ad targets Haley voters in swing states

Biden's new ad targets Haley voters in swing states

Trump protest vote warnings

In the key battleground of Wisconsin on Tuesday, 20.8% of GOP voters cast a ballot for a candidate other than Trump.

Biden administration

Former President Donald Trump speaks to guests at a rally on April 02, 2024 in Green Bay, Wisconsin.

Elections 2024

Sneak Peek

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Baby boomers are on track to make President Biden the first Democrat to carry the senior vote since Al Gore in 2000.

Why it matters: 2024 threatens to shatter some long-held trends in presidential politics, if the polls are to be believed.

The biggest trend at risk is the notion that voters become more conservative as they get older, Politico's Steven Shepard writes in a deep dive on the polling.

While baby boomers appear to be holding firm on their liberal leanings, Gen Z is showing a surprisingly strong conservative bent.

The big picture: The comparatively liberal boomers are aging into the senior vote as their more conservative older siblings in the Silent and Greatest Generations die off.

There were zero senior (65+) boomers in 2008.

Boomers now represent 70% of the senior vote, the N.Y. Times' Nate Cohn notes.

Between the lines: Polls are a snapshot in time, and it's harder to poll than ever thanks to cellphones, spam blockers and voters who are more resistant to being polled.

Zoom in: The youth vote is giving pollsters the most fits right now.

To spice it up, youth voters are showing signs of making former President Trump the first Republican to win that demo since George H.W. Bush in 1988.

Polling for young Hispanic voters is "all over the place," John Della Volpe of the Harvard Kennedy School Institute of Politics told Politico.

Polling for young Black voters is also breaking the trend line, with Biden suffering major losses of young Black voter support, Don Levy of the Siena Poll told Politico.

The bottom line: If these two long-term trends fall, there's another that seems less likely to change this time around.

Old people vote at high rates. Younger ones don't.

Boomers deliver surprise strength for Biden

2024 threatens to shatter some long-held trends in presidential politics, if the polls are to be believed.

President Biden visits the site of the deadly Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse in Baltimore last week. Photo: Celal Gunes/Anadolu via Getty Images

Joe Biden

On Monday, most people in the U.S. should be able to see the Moon partially or totally block the Sun, weather permitting, according to NASA.

Why it matters: It will be the first total solar eclipse visible in the U.S. since 2017, and in many ways, it will overshadow that previous celestial event.

By the numbers: Because the Moon will be closer to Earth than it was in 2017, this year's path of totality will be significantly broader (108–122 miles wide) and will pass over far more people.

Totality — or when the Moon completely blocks the Sun — will also last almost twice as long as it did in 2017. Totality will remain over four minutes long from Texas to eastern Indiana.

<span style="display: block;text-align: center;">Path of the April 8, 2024 eclipse</span>

Data: NASA; Map: Erin Davis/Axios Visuals

How it works: During a total solar eclipse, the Sun, Moon and Earth are in syzygy, or near-perfect alignment, with the Moon moving between the Sun and the Earth.

The Moon during a total solar eclipse will cover the Sun, darkening the sky and leaving only the outermost layer of the Sun's atmosphere — its corona — visible.

That will only be the case for those in the path of totality. Most people outside the path will instead see a partial eclipse, which makes the Sun look like a crescent. 

Zoom out: In the U.S., the Moon's umbra (shadow) will pass over parts of 15 states and should completely engulf several major cities in darkness, including Dallas, Little Rock, Indianapolis, Cleveland and Buffalo, according to NASA.

Outside of the path, people in every state, including parts of Alaska and Hawaii, will at least see a partial eclipse.

The big picture: Solar activity will be at or near maximum during the eclipse, which should give viewers a better chance to see solar phenomena, like a solar prominence or, if they're lucky, coronal mass ejections.

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Almost everyone in the U.S. will see Monday's solar eclipse

Totality of Monday's eclipse will last almost twice as long as it did in 2017.

Axios

Sunday's top stories

Key lawmakers unveil landmark data privacy bill

Trump protest vote warnings

Boomers deliver surprise strength for Biden

Almost everyone in the U.S. will see Monday's solar eclipse

Turner: Russian propaganda "being uttered on the House floor"

Gaza buildings and land decimated in 6 months of war

Chef José Andrés calls Israeli airstrike "unforgivable"

6 months in, the Gaza war is in limbo — which may help Bibi stay in power

Airbnb eclipse bookings illustrate the path of totality

Trump: Would be a "great honor" to be jailed for gag order violation

The China pushback uniting major world powers

Why some will stay inside during Monday's eclipse