Axios Sneak Peek: Biden’s border-crossing magnets ... COVID relief infighting

Plus: Sanders' campaign chief aiming to push Biden leftward | Wednesday, March 10, 2021

Open in app View in browser   Presented By McDonald's   Axios Sneak Peek By Alayna Treene, Hans Nichols and Kadia Goba ·Mar 10, 2021 Welcome back to Sneak. It was a momentous day on the Hill for many reasons. ⚡ Situational Awareness: Almost precisely five years after President Obama nominated him for the Supreme Court, Merrick Garland not only got a confirmation hearing but, today, a Senate vote — making him attorney general. President Biden's penchant for loyalty had a half-decade payback. And Sen. Mitch McConnell — Garland's 2016 nemesis — voted for him. 🎧 Worthy of your time: Dan Primack spoke with NBA Commissioner Adam Silver for Axios Re:Cap, as the podcast focuses all week on decision-making linked to last spring's coronavirus shutdown. Listen here. Today's newsletter — edited by Glen Johnson — is 633 words, a 2.5-minute read.     1 big thing: Biden's border-crossing magnets Illustration: Annelise Capossela/Axios   President Biden's moves to restore the economy and public health are making the U.S. even more of a magnet for migrants, worsening the crisis at the U.S.-Mexico border, Axios' Hans Nichols writes. The big picture: The president is racing to get every American vaccinated. He's about to inject $1.9 trillion into the economy with the COVID-19 relief measure passed today. And he and his team are vowing a more humane approach to immigration. While the president serves Americans with each step, collectively his actions can turn the U.S. into even more of a beacon for migrants, especially those in Central America desperate to flee countries ravaged by the pandemic, hurricanes and crime. Republicans already say the administration's more accommodating rhetoric about immigration laws is fueling the record flow of unaccompanied minors. "When you say that you're not going to enforce our immigration laws," Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) said Tuesday, "it has consequences." Go deeper.     2. State, city shares of relief law could spark infighting Data: House Appropriations Committee; Chart: Axios Visuals Data: House Appropriations Committee; Chart: Axios Visuals The COVID-19 relief law won't just inject $1.9 trillion into the U.S. economy — it gives states and cities a cash windfall that could trigger monetary melees, reports Axios' Glen Johnson. Why it matters: From more than $42 billion for California to $1.36 billion for several states, governors and state legislators now have a pot of money to split. The decisions could get sticky in states with leaders from different parties. "Each state will have its own priorities and its own debates about what the priorities should be," said Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-Texas). "I just don't like governors playing shell games with federal money, especially folks like (Republican Texas Gov.) Greg Abbott, that don't put up any state money on these things." Frank Cownie, the mayor of Des Moines, Iowa, told Axios' Jason Clayworth that city officials remain uncertain about how the money can be spent — but have lots of ideas. "Wouldn't it be nice if we could use it at the city's discretion to fix up streets, bridges, sewers, parks, sidewalks and all the stuff we had to cut back on this last year?" Cownie said. Go deeper. Worthy of your time: A spreadsheet with all the breakdowns.     3. Cyber, human rights expected to top U.S.-China summit Via Twitter   U.S. officials announced today they'll hold their first high-level, in-person summit next week with China — and cyberattacks, human rights and Chinese actions in Taiwan and Hong Kong are likely on the agenda, Axios China author Bethany Allen-Ebrahimian writes for Sneak. My thought bubble: China's leaders may see the current moment as a window of opportunity to persuade a new administration the United States has much to gain from supporting Beijing's global goals, and much to lose if the U.S. tries to thwart them. Why it matters: Relations between the world's two nuclear-armed superpowers are at their lowest point in decades. The Biden administration has said it views China as a major strategic rival, and the National Security Council has made the Indo-Pacific region its top focus. The bottom line: State Councilor Wang Yi and Director Yang Jiechi undoubtedly hope to win a detente during their meeting with Secretary of State Antony Blinken and national security adviser Jake Sullivan. Biden has so far upheld most of the Trump era's tough China measures in a sort of holding pattern, as the administration conducts a comprehensive review of America's China policy. Go deeper.     A message from McDonald's $125MM+ in tuition assistance     Over 45,000 McDonald's restaurant employees have received tuition assistance to help pay for college — and over $125 million has been awarded for both college and high school tuition assistance programs. Hear how tuition assistance helped the Fluker sisters.     4. Sanders' campaign chief aiming to push Biden leftward Faiz Shakir. Photo: Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg via Getty Images   Sen. Bernie Sanders' 2020 campaign manager is running a new media startup aiming to use ideologically driven storytelling to push the Biden administration to the left, the group tells Axios' Lachlan Markay. Why it matters: Faiz Shakir's new venture, dubbed More Perfect Union, scored a win last week when White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain shared its video about efforts to unionize an Alabama Amazon warehouse. It was an early sign the administration is attuned to the priorities of its party's left flank. Klain's tweet came shortly after Biden backed organizing efforts at the Amazon facility. The backstory: Shakir said he modeled the new venture in part on ThinkProgress, the defunct news and opinion website he used to run for the Center for American Progress Action Fund. Go deeper.     5. Pic du jour Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images   The two top Democrats on Capitol Hill — House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer — celebrate today after delivering a COVID-19 relief bill for their fellow Democrat, President Biden.     A message from McDonald's $125MM+ in tuition assistance     Over 45,000 McDonald's restaurant employees have received tuition assistance to help pay for college — and over $125 million has been awarded for both college and high school tuition assistance programs. Hear how tuition assistance helped the Fluker sisters.   🐫 Thanks for joining us to wrap up this Hump Day. Please use this link to refer your friends and family to this and all of Axios' other free newsletters.   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. 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