Axios PM: You had to listen fast for Biden’s new goal

Plus: New pics of stuck ship | Thursday, March 25, 2021

Open in app View in browser   Presented By Facebook   Axios PM By Mike Allen ·Mar 25, 2021 Good afternoon: Today's PM — edited by Justin Green — is 458 words, a 1.5-minute read. Join us Tuesday, March 30, at 12:30pm ET for our virtual event on the launch of Axios Latino, featuring Sen. Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) and civil rights activist Dolores Huerta. Register here.     1 big thing: New Biden goal overshadowed President Biden holds his first formal news conference as president in the East Room of the White House. Photo: Leah Millis/Reuters President Joe Biden came to his first press conference eager to talk about COVID-19, but was instead repeatedly asked about other growing crises, reports Axios' Hans Nichols. The big picture: Biden opened with a prepared statement pledging to provide 200 million vaccines in his first 100 days, doubling his previous goals. He then found himself answering multiple questions on the border, hinting that he may be willing to end the filibuster and giving every indication that he plans to run for re-election, reports Axios' Hans Nichols. He essentially pleaded for time to fix a border situation that he said President Trump left in tatters. Note: Because of reporting delays in CDC data, the real counts only go through March 19, 2021; Data: CDC; Chart: Danielle Alberti/Axios Highlights from Biden, via Axios' Zachary Basu: Rejected the notion that the surge in migrants at the U.S. border is because he's a "nice guy" who is soft on immigration, insisting it "happens every year." Tore into Republican efforts to restrict voting in states like Georgia, calling it "pernicious," "un-American" and "sick." Called Chinese President Xi Jinping a "smart, smart guy" who "doesn't have a democratic bone in his body." Said it's his "plan" to run for re-election and that he "fully expects" Vice President Harris to be his running mate. Acknowledged that it would be "hard" to meet the May 1 deadline that the Trump administration negotiated with the Taliban to withdraw all U.S. forces from Afghanistan. Go deeper.     2. Category 5/5 threat in Alabama Screenshot via NOAA The National Weather Service has issued a rare category 5 out of 5 "high risk" for severe weather, reports Axios' Andrew Freedman. That includes potentially "violent" tornadoes in northern Alabama, central and northern Mississippi, and western and middle Tennessee.     A message from Facebook It's time to update internet regulations     The internet has changed a lot in the 25 years since lawmakers last passed comprehensive internet regulations. It's time for an update. See how we're making progress on key issues and why we support updated regulations to set clear rules for addressing today's toughest challenges.     3. Catch up quick Photo: Kadia Goba/Axios Scoop: The House chamber is being transformed into a massive safe room for members with the addition of bulletproof doors, reports Axios' Kadia Goba. The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are safe and effective for pregnant women, according to a pre-print study in the American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology. Go deeper. Exclusive: The first-ever NFT from 2014 is on sale for $7 million plus, reports Axios' Felix Salmon. 🎧 Axios Re:Cap asks Ben and Jerry about their legacy, the rise of corporate social activism and, of course, their favorite flavors. Listen here.     4. So how was your day? A satellite image of the cargo ship MV Ever Given stuck in the Suez Canal near Suez, Egypt. Photo: Cnes2021, Distribution Airbus DS via AP The MV Ever Given may block the Suez Canal for weeks and cause a global shipping logjam, NPR reports. The CEO of the company working to free the ship "compared it to 'an enormous beached whale' and said 'it might take weeks' to get the vessel off, possibly necessitating 'a combination of reducing the weight by removing containers, oil and water from the ship, tugboats and dredging of sand.'" A backhoe trying to dig out the keel of the Ever Given. Photo: Suez Canal Authority via AP     A message from Facebook Facebook supports updated internet regulations     It's been 25 years since comprehensive internet regulations passed. But a lot has changed since 1996. See how we're taking action and why we support updated regulations to address today's toughest challenges — protecting privacy, fighting misinformation, reforming Section 230, and more.     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.   Follow Axios on social media: