Axios Media Bias

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Biden risks backlash with 2024 presidential election primary calendar

politics

President Biden's proposed 2024 presidential election primary calendar is running into a buzzsaw of opposition from two politically critical states — creating a standstill in locking down the Democrats' presidential primary schedule.Why it matters: With the GOP in power in Georgia and New Hampshire, it's hard to expect Biden's changes will go through — even as Dems in those states have been given an extension to work things out.The law of unintended consequences could hurt Biden:If Georgia's GOP leaders don't move their primary — and New Hampshire sticks with its first-in-the-nation primary (as required by state law) — the episode would reveal limits to Biden's influence.The White House's heavy-handed approach could end up sparking a rebellion ...
Axios     Jan 11, 2023

Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell says central bank will not be a "climate policymaker"

Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell said in a speech on Tuesday the central bank is not a "climate policymaker," though acknowledged the Fed has a duty to ensure banks understand the financial risks associated with climate change.Why it matters: How and if the Fed incorporates climate change initiatives into policymaking will continue to be a political flashpoint in the coming year. Powell seems to be drawing a clear line of how the Fed will maneuver the issue.What they're saying: "Without explicit congressional legislation, it would be inappropriate for us to use our monetary policy or supervisory tools to promote a greener economy or to achieve other climate-based goals,"
Axios     Jan 11, 2023

2022 was the world's fifth-warmest year on record

Data: Copernicus Climate Change Service;Map: Erin Davis/Axios VisualsThe past eight years were the eight warmest years on record, and 2022 was the fifth-warmest on record globally, according to the European Union's Copernicus Climate Change Service. Why it matters: The ranking, released Tuesday morning, shows the planet continues its long-term warming trend in response to growing amounts of greenhouse gases. Each of the past 8 years had global average temperatures more than 1°C above the preindustrial level, as the world nears the 1.5°C guardrail established by the Paris Climate Agreement.Studies show that the odds of potentially catastrophic climate impacts increase significantly if warming exceeds 1.5°C compared to preindustrial levels.
Axios     Jan 11, 2023

Rep. Katie Porter announces 2024 Senate bid

2k 🔥       politics

Rep. Katie Porter (D-Calif.) announced Tuesday that she is running for Senate in 2024. Why it matters: Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), 89, has not said if she’s running for re-election, but Porter will put significant pressure on California’s senior senator to decide.The big picture: Both of California's sitting senators have not publicly said if they plan to leave their seats, but it is widely speculated that Feinstein will not seek another term.Feinstein in 2021 filed initial paperwork to run for re-election, but it was more of a formality, rather than an official announcement, per SFGATE. "In order to keep that account active, the senator has to maintain current filings with the FEC,"
Axios     Jan 11, 2023

Brazil attacks could put Lula's priorities on backburner

The riots by Jair Bolsonaro supporters at Brazil’s major political institutions may slow President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s agenda.State of play: To restore order, Lula signed a decree for a federal intervention in Brasília until Jan. 31 — but constitutional amendments cannot be carried out during a federal intervention, meaning his planned tax and environmental overhauls will have to wait.The swearing-in of Congress, scheduled for Feb. 1, could also be delayed if the intervention is extended, says Gustavo Ribeiro, editor-in-chief at the Brazilian Report, an English-language news and analysis site. Even when they're in office, members of Congress will have to deal with the fallout of the attacks — from the damaged buildings to the ...
Axios     Jan 11, 2023

Ex-Trump Org exec sentenced to 5 months in jail over tax fraud scheme

Former Trump Organization CFO Allen Weisselberg was sentenced Tuesday for his role in helping run a years-long tax fraud scheme at the former president’s business, the AP reported.Driving the news: Weisselberg, 75, was sentenced to five months in jail and taken into custody. He is expected to serve his sentence at Rikers Island in New York. Weisselberg also has to pay nearly $2 million in taxes and penalties and will receive five years of probation, which is in line with his plea agreement, per AP. Weisselberg reportedly could be eligible for early release — and serve a little more than three months — if he "behaves behind bars."
Axios     Jan 11, 2023

House Republicans pass bill to slash IRS funding in first act of new Congress

1k 🔥       politics

The Republican-controlled House passed a bill Monday night that would slash tens of billions of funding dollars for the Internal Revenue Service. Why it matters: The bill is unlikely to pass the Democratic-led Senate, but its presence at the top of the House GOP agenda suggests that IRS funding could be a reoccurring sticking point in future budget clashes. It's the first piece of legislation passed in the 118th Congress. Driving the news: The bill that passed 221-210 along party lines targets the IRS funding boost in the Democrats' Inflation Reduction Act passed last year.The big picture: Republican lawmakers during last year's midterm election zeroed in on the increase in IRS funding — about $80 billion ...
Axios     Jan 11, 2023

Classified docs from Biden's VP days found in private office

1k 🔥      

President Biden's special counsel confirmed Monday that classified documents from his time as vice president were discovered in a private office space and turned over to the National Archives in November.Driving the news: The documents were found while Biden's personal attorneys were packing files housed in a locked closet at the Penn Biden Center, which Biden periodically used from mid-2017 until the start of his 2020 campaign, according to special counsel Richard Sauber. The White House is cooperating with the National Archives and Department of Justice, Sauber noted."On the day of this discovery, November 2, 2022, the White House Counsel’s Office notified the National Archives.
Axios     Jan 10, 2023

Drought, floods, wildfires: Climate change upends archaeology

science

The job of the modern-day archaeologist is changing rapidly, as flooding, wildfires and other extreme weather-related curveballs damage or destroy excavation sites — and drought reveals long-hidden historic artifacts.Why it matters: Important cultural treasures and historical records are at stake as heirlooms from the past are damaged or curiosity-seekers grab souvenirs. "From Iran to Scotland, Florida to Rapa Nui and beyond, sites are currently being eroded at an increasing rate, often before scientists can record them and assess their value," according to a scholarly article in Antiquity magazine.At the same time, drought and low water levels have uncovered everything from 113-million-year-old dinosaur tracks in Texas to World War II-era boats in California's Lake Shasta and the Nevada ...
Axios     Jan 10, 2023

Kevin McCarthy's fast start: Big Tech is a top target for GOP majority

tech

House Republicans plan to launch a new investigative panel this week that will demand copies of White House emails, memos and other communications with Big Tech companies, top sources tell Axios.Why it matters: Speaker Kevin McCarthy plans a quick spate of red-meat actions and announcements to reward hardliners who backed him through his harrowing fight for the gavel.The new panel, the Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government, is partly a response to revelations from Elon Musk in the internal documents he branded the "Twitter Files."House conservatives requested the subcommittee. McCarthy granted it as he worked to wrangle votes.
Axios     Jan 10, 2023

Georgia grand jury investigating Trump and allies for election interference finishes work

The Atlanta special grand jury investigation of former president Donald Trump and his allies has concluded, according to the Fulton County judge overseeing it. Driving the news: In an order released Monday Judge Robert McBurney wrote that the panel has finished its work and should be dissolved. But it's unclear if the final report will be made public.McBurney set a hearing later this month on the matter. Why it matters: The investigation probed whether the former president himself, and/or his allies, for criminal efforts to overturn the 2020 election in Georgia The nearly two dozen members of the grand jury have been investigating the matter for more than six months and it’s unclear what, if any ...
Axios     Jan 10, 2023

Most intense atmospheric river storm yet slams California with flooding, high winds

The most powerful in a "relentless parade" of atmospheric rivers is bearing down on California today through Wednesday. It brings with it the likelihood of widespread flash flooding, river flooding, mudslides and staggeringly high mountain snowfall totals. Why it matters: The whiplash from a bone dry to flood-prone state is a demonstration of how human-caused climate change is accentuating California's naturally fickle precipitation patterns. While flooding, power outages and landslides threaten Californians in the near-term, these storms are boosting reservoir levels, severely depleted by the Southwest's megadrought. State of play: Late Sunday, President Biden approved California's emergency declaration due to the atmospheric river storms, as requested by California Gov.
Axios     Jan 10, 2023