| | | | | | | Presented By Amazon | | | | Axios Sneak Peek | | By Alayna Treene, Hans Nichols and Kadia Goba ·Jan 31, 2021 | | ⚡ Situational Awareness: 🗓️ Black History Month begins tomorrow. Today's newsletter — edited by Glen Johnson — is 831 words, a 3-minute read. | | | | | | 1 big thing: Exclusive ... Ukraine's Zelensky calls riots "strong blow" to U.S. |  | | | Jonathan Swan with Ukranian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Courtesy: HBO | | | | KYIV — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told Jonathan Swan for tonight's season premiere of "Axios on HBO" that he was "shocked" by the storming of the U.S. Capitol, saying he never imagined this could happen in America and that it harms U.S. efforts to promote democracy abroad. Why it matters: Zelensky's comments show how the Jan. 6 riots have echoed beyond America's borders, unsettling allies and emerging democracies that look to the U.S. for security and inspiration. - "After something like this, I believe it would be very difficult for the world to see the United States as a symbol of democracy," he said.
During the interview, Zelensky also talks more openly than ever about his 2019 call with then-President Trump, which helped pave the way for Trump's first impeachment. Go deeper. |     | | | | | | 2. Biden may stiff donors seeking ambassadorships |  | | | Then-Vice President Joe Biden with Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi, left, and U.S. ambassador to Italy John Phillips in 2015. Photo: Tiberio Barchielli/Italian Prime Ministry/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images | | | | President Biden is tempering the ambassadorial expectations of his big-dollar donors, signaling he won't hand out plum posts for months and hinting he'll nominate fewer of them than his predecessors, Axios' Hans Nichols reports. The big picture: The president embraced the Democratic Party's push for diversity when choosing his Cabinet. Now lawmakers are pressuring him to extend it to his ambassador picks, meaning white male donors — the core of his fundraiser base — will be in serious competition for fewer spots. What we are hearing: Biden is most likely to reward loyal politicians and former aides, with talk about former senators like Claire McCaskill headed for a gilded post in Europe. - On the policy-makers front, Julianne Smith, a former Biden aide, could be nominated as ambassador to NATO.
- In the donor class, Denise Bauer, Obama's ambassador to Belgium, was a top fundraiser. She could return to Europe, possibly Paris, among the most coveted positions.
- Doug Hickey, another big Biden donor, also is interested in a foreign posting.
- James Costos, a former HBO executive who served as Obama's ambassador to Spain, has expressed interest in the United Kingdom, but many others are interested, including David Cohen, a Comcast executive.
- Louis Frillman, a real estate investor, and Nathalie Rayes, president of the Latino Victory Project, have told associates they're interested in Madrid or another European post.
Go deeper. | | | | | | | | 3. 💵 💵 The president's big-money team |  Data: Office of Government Ethics; Note: Names with asterisks reported income covering both 2019 and 2020, which are averaged here. Some sources of income are disclosed in ranges, so the lower and upper ends are noted where applicable; Chart: Michelle McGhee/Axios Some of Biden's marquee administration picks had sizable incomes in recent years, according to numbers crunched by Axios' Lachlan Markay and Hans, yet it's official disclosure forms about to become public that will tell a more compelling tale. Why it matters: It's not surprising senior administration officials would also be successful in the private sector. But the populist moment the country finds itself in means personal wealth can come with political liability. What's new: Data compiled from financial disclosure forms show Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen topped the income list among top Biden officials, largely due to her lucrative speaking gigs at major financial institutions. - Alejandro Mayorkas, Biden's pick to lead the Department of Homeland Security, was a close second, having drawn substantial sums from his partnership share in a law firm.
- Due to the timing of their filings, some Biden officials have disclosed income for 2020 while others disclosed numbers covering both 2019 and 2020. For the latter, Axios averaged their annual income during those two years.
The big picture: Biden has pledged to roll back what he's characterized as systemic conflicts of interest and self-dealing by former President Trump and his top administration officials. But he and Vice President Kamala Harris already have been buffeted by questions about potential conflicts involving their own family members. - The lucrative business dealings and speaking gigs disclosed to date by those Biden has tapped for senior posts threaten to provide easy fodder for congressional and media critics.
- A rolling filing deadline means the forms will begin trickling out within the next month, and what they reveal has the potential to highlight even more conflicts of interest from a revolving door between big business and the Obama and Biden administrations.
| | | | | | | | A message from Amazon | | It's about time America raised the federal minimum wage | | |  | | | | The federal minimum wage has been stuck at $7.25 an hour. At Amazon, we raised our starting wage to at least $15 an hour in 2018 because it's good for workers, good for business, and good for communities. It's why we support raising the federal minimum wage. | | | | | | 4. White House plans to bypass national media |  | | | Jen Psaki answers her first set of public questions. Via Twitter. | | | | Biden's team knows his national media honeymoon is coming to an end, so it's preparing to speak directly to the American people through local reporters and avoid distractions with its anti-Trumpian approach of ignoring Twitter, Hans writes. Why it matters: The White House controlled the narrative for the first 12 days with daily themes and choreographed executive orders, but its communicators know they must be innovative as the press corps steps up its independent scrutiny, and they try to sell initiatives like a coronavirus relief package. The strategy: Vice President Kamala Harris inaugurated one approach last week by giving interviews with newspapers and TV stations in West Virginia and Arizona, where Biden will need the votes of Democratic senators to pass his $1.9 trillion COVID-relief bill. Biden officials also plan to create more of their own content and revive a version of the "West Wing Week," a behind-the-scenes video series produced by the Obama White House. Go deeper. | | | | | | | | 5. Pic du jour |  | | | Photo: Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images | | | | There have been two very public Joe-and-Jill Biden Moments since he assumed the presidency. - The couple tearing up and squeezing one another as the Marine Band struck up "Hail to the Chief" before they entered the White House for the first time.
- The kiss they shared Friday just moments before this scene along the Colonnade, as the new president prepared to take his first flight aboard Marine One.
The Bidens have shared strong emotions as he has fulfilled a longtime dream, and they have relished the moments together. | | | | | | | | A message from Amazon | | Amazon pays 2x the federal minimum wage - starting with at least $15/hr | | |  | | | | The federal minimum wage has been stuck at $7.25 an hour since 2009. At Amazon, we raised our starting wage to at least $15 an hour back in 2018 because it's good for workers, good for business, good for communities and good for our economy. Learn more. | | | | 🙏 Thanks for reading. A reminder that you can sign up for all of Axios' free newsletters — local, national and those focused on markets, health and sports — here. | | | | Axios thanks our partners for supporting our newsletters.
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