Axios AM: Mike's Top 10 — Biden's eye-on-the-prize strategy

Plus: How to make $560,000 off 1,600 words | Friday, March 26, 2021

Open in app View in browser   Presented By JPMorgan Chase & Co.   Axios AM By Mike Allen ·Mar 26, 2021 😎 Happy Friday! Smart Brevity™ count: 1,172 words ... 4½ minutes.     1 big thing: Biden's eye-on-the-prize strategy Social distancing in East Room: President Biden's news conference — and President Bill Clinton's first formal presser, on March 23, 1993. Photos: Evan Vucci/AP, Marcy Nighswander/AP   President Biden revealed in vivid display this week the thinking animating his 100-day plan: Do not allow outside events to take his eye off the make-or-break imperatives of virus eradication and economic growth, Axios managing editor Margaret Talev writes. The big picture: He dispatched Vice President Harris to handle the brewing crisis at the border. And, in yesterday's press conference, he made plain gun control and other topics may need to wait. On gun control: "It's a matter of timing." "[S]uccessful presidents — better than me — have been successful, in large part, because they know how to time what they're doing — order it, decide and prioritize what needs to be done." Zoom out: Since his comeback in the South Carolina primary more than a year ago, Biden has been shockingly disciplined, with a robot-like focus on the virus and the economy. It is a no-brainer strategy because absent growth or total defeat of the virus, his presidential power wanes. This gives him a narrow band to focus his mind and time. You saw this in his 62-minute press conference. He'll continue to push the idea of compromise — until he doesn't, which aides tell us is inevitable. "Here's the deal," Biden said. "I'm a fairly practical guy. I want to get things done," the president said in explaining why he's not pushing now to eliminate the legislative filibuster, even though he sees it as a Jim Crow-era relic. "Successful electoral politics," Biden said, "is the art of the possible." What to watch: His comments on voting rights were harsh and striking, and signal his appetite to fight this out, even if it means chucking the filibuster to get it done. Share this story. Biden's photo guide to reporters in the room. Photo: Oliver Contreras/Sipa USA via Reuters     2. Congress to tech: New laws are coming Yesterday's virtual hearing. Photos: House Energy and Commerce Committee via Reuters   During a virtual hearing, House members warned the CEOs of Facebook, Twitter and Google that a legislative hammer is about to land, Axios' Kim Hart, Ashley Gold and Margaret Harding McGill report. Members of the House Energy and Commerce Committee told the CEOs that their businesses prioritize ad revenue and engagement over rooting out content that harms users, especially children. Why it matters: The relatively consistent lines of questioning, sometimes crossing party lines, displayed a new unity among members of Congress in their concern about the companies — and a stronger likelihood that they might pass punitive laws. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg disputed the claims: "While it may be true that people might be more likely to click on it in the short term, it's not good for our business or our product or our community for this content to be there ... [W]e run the company for the long term." Keep reading.     3. New vaccine waiting game Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios   Congratulations! You're about to be eligible to ... wait some more for the vaccine. Many states are expanding eligibility for COVID vaccines to all adults. But that doesn't mean they have enough vaccine supplies to offer appointments to everyone, Axios' David Nather writes. Some states are moving a lot faster than Biden's goal of making all Americans eligible for vaccinations by May 1. The latest include Florida and California; all Florida adults will be eligible to get the shots as of April 5, and California will be open to all adults on April 15. Keep reading. 📺 Sign of our times ... Headline last night on MSNBC's "All In with Chris Hayes": "WHY WE CAN'T FORGET ABOUT COVID YET."     A message from JPMorgan Chase & Co. 10 years of helping prepare young men of color for jobs and careers     JPMorgan Chase's The Fellowship Initiative (TFI) expands to help more than 1,000 young Black and Latinx men in U.S. cities access economic opportunity. The program matches Fellows with a JPMorgan Chase employee to receive coaching, academic support and leadership development.     4. Drive to tax drivers by the mile Illustration: Eniola Odetunde/Axios   There's a growing push among federal lawmakers for a road user fee to fund highway repairs, Axios' Joann Muller writes from Detroit. Why it matters: The existing federal gas tax isn't enough to meet rising costs, and the budget gap will only grow wider as cleaner cars burn less fuel. One area of potential agreement between the parties is a vehicle-miles-traveled (VMT) system that would charge drivers a penny or two for each mile logged behind the wheel. Drivers would report their mileage electronically, using a plug-in device in their cars or a smartphone app. Supporters say it's a way to ensure that electric vehicle owners — who currently pay no fuel taxes — chip in their fair share for road maintenance. Share this story.     5. Georgia passes what critics call "Jim Crow 2.0" Photo: @GovKemp Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (R), joined by six other white men, signed an overhaul of state elections that Democrats say will disproportionately disenfranchise voters of color — then tweeted this. Protesters outside the state Capitol called it "Jim Crow 2.0," the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports: "Absentee voters will be required to submit driver's license numbers or other documentation ... Over 200,000 Georgia voters lack a driver's license or state ID number." "Members of the public will be prohibited from distributing food or water to voters waiting in line." "Republican lawmakers said the measure will increase trust in election outcomes following unsubstantiated claims of voter fraud" in 2020. Photo: Alyssa Pointer/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP State Rep. Park Cannon (D) was arrested and forcibly removed from the Capitol for attempting to knock on Kemp's door during the bill signing. Keep reading.     6. Asian Americans are underrepresented in law enforcement Asian Americans make up only about 2% of the nation's law enforcement officers — an underrepresentation that ripples through small towns and major cities, Axios' Russell Contreras and Shawna Chen write. Why it matters: Law enforcement agencies are facing criticism for not adequately reporting hate crimes and not having enough Asian-American officers to adequately investigate cases. The demographic is vastly underrepresented among sworn officers in police departments, even in cities with sizable Asian-American populations. Keep reading.     7. Why the Boulder shooting feels different for Colorado Data: Denver Post and Washington Post. Chart: John Frank/Axios If not in their classrooms, or their movie theaters, or their churches — and now their grocery stores — where can Coloradans feel safe? Alayna Alvarez and John Frank of Axios Denver write that Coloradans are fighting the fear of moving about their daily lives, as the country mourns 10 lives lost in Boulder: Maybe it's the fact we're emotionally weary from the pandemic. Maybe it's because grocery shopping remained one of the few essential routines in the past year. Maybe it's because this is a different venue for violence, and we weren't prepared. Keep reading. Take the Local: Sign up for Axios Charlotte, Denver, Des Moines, Tampa Bay or Twin Cities — or, coming soon, NW Arkansas.     8. What a ship jam looks like Source: MarineTraffic via Reuters This map shows 150+ ships stuck in the Suez Canal — the conduit for about 10% of world trade — after a mega-ship the height of the Empire State Building was blown sideways and got wedged between the banks. A salvage company said the vessel may take weeks to free. Cranes may need to offload some of the container cargo to help re-float the ship. Sources: Google Earth, AP reporting. Graphic: AP     9. Analog art still soaring Photo: Christophe Ena/AP   With crypto art all the rage, Sotheby's Paris auctioned a real-life Vincent Van Gogh for $15.4 million — around twice what was expected. "Street Scene in Montmartre," which had been out of the public eye in a family collection for 100+ years, is one of the few paintings by the Dutch Impressionist master to remain in private hands, AP reports.     10. 1 fun thing: How to make $560,000 off 1,600 words The New York Times   The N.Y. Times' Kevin Roose staged a clever experiment to illuminate "the newest frontier in the cryptocurrency gold rush" — non-fungible tokens, or NFTs. His column in yesterday's paper said: "Buy This Column on the Blockchain!" He auctioned a crypto-t0ken version, with proceeds going to the Times' Neediest Cases Fund. At day's end, the digital column went to an NFT collector (@3fmusic) for 350 Ether — $562,737. Roose tweeted: "anyone know a good crypto accountant." Go deeper: See the bidding history.     A message from JPMorgan Chase & Co. JPMorgan Chase expands its jobs and skills initiative     The Fellowship Initiative provides comprehensive and hands-on academic, social and emotional support to young men of color in high school. The result: The program has driven 100% high school graduation and college acceptance rate among graduating Fellows over the past decade. Find out more about TFI.   📬 Thanks for starting your day with us. Please invite your friends to sign up for Axios AM/PM.   Axios thanks our partners for supporting our newsletters. Sponsorship has no influence on editorial content. Axios, 3100 Clarendon B‌lvd, Suite 1300, Arlington VA 22201   You received this email because you signed up for newsletters from Axios. Change your preferences or unsubscribe here.   Was this email forwarded to you? Sign up now to get Axios in your inbox. And make sure you subscribe to Mike's afternoon wrap up, Axios PM.   Follow Axios on social media: