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| Presented By The U.S. Global Leadership Coalition |
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| Axios Sneak Peek |
| By Alayna Treene, Hans Nichols and Kadia Goba ·Mar 18, 2021 |
| Welcome back to Sneak. Is your bracket set? 🚨 Breaking: The first meeting in Anchorage, Alaska, between the United States and China had a "frosty opening," as Bloomberg's Jennifer Jacobs tweeted. - "US is the champion of cyber attacks, doesn't represent global public opinion, and has history of killing blacks, Yang Jiechi tells @JakeSullivan46 and @SecBlinken," Jacobs wrote.
- Axios World author Dave Lawler has more below.
⚡ Situational Awareness: The Senate confirmed former State Department deputy secretary William Burns to be director of the CIA. - It also confirmed Xavier Becerra to be secretary of Health and Human Services, plunging him into the border crisis.
- To explore the Axios Cabinet tracker, click here.
Today's newsletter — edited by Glen Johnson — is 642 words, a 2.5-minute read. |
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| 1 big thing: Corporate donations fizzle post-Jan. 6 |
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| Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios |
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| The January attack on the U.S. Capitol had a larger impact than previously known on corporate political giving, new campaign finance filings indicate, Axios' Lachlan Markay writes. Why it matters: The immediate and intense political fallout over the insurrection pushed scores of companies to announce a pause or end political donations. New numbers suggest an even larger chilling effect, with companies that had been quiet publicly also forgoing donations. - Corporate PACs for some firms that didn't announce post-Jan. 6 changes to their political giving — such as Sysco, Assurant, Citizens Financial and Pioneer Natural Resources — didn't give a dime to federal candidates in the first two months of the year after doing so last year.
- United Airlines, CVS and Chevron announced they would reevaluate their policies. None of the three donated to a federal political candidate in January or February.
- The corporate PAC for financial services company Charles Schwab dissolved entirely this week, after the company said it would abandon its political giving program. The PAC donated its remaining funds, nearly $150,000, to charity.
Even companies that swore off donations just to the members of Congress who opposed certifying President Biden's Electoral College win appear to be going even further. - Mastercard and Walgreens both reported zero federal political contributions in January and February, significant drops from their giving in the first two months of 2019.
- Eli Lilly donated $30,000 in February to the Democrats' House and Senate campaign arms, but none to the equivalent Republican groups — a departure from bipartisan giving during the equivalent periods of past election cycles.
Go deeper. |
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| 2. Scoop: Biden has ambassadors list in hand |
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| Photo: Drew Angerer/Getty Images |
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| Biden is reviewing a list of finalists as he prepares to nominate a series of ambassadors to key embassy postings, people familiar with the matter tell Axios' Hans Nichols. Why it matters: The new president has promised to restore alliances and put diplomacy at the center of his foreign policy, with his ambassadors playing a crucial role in listening to host governments and explaining the administration's policies. - It's unclear which posts are on the first list of nominees, but London, Paris and Rome are the most coveted in Western Europe, with postings in China and Japan having the most foreign policy implications.
- Some final decisions, and announcements, could come as soon as April.
- Steve Ricchetti, counselor to the president, and Cathy Russell, the director of the Office of Presidential Personnel, are shepherding the process.
Go deeper. |
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| 3. Biden team reaches out immediately to AAPI community |
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| Rep. Grace Meng. Photo: Michael Brochstein/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images |
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| Cedric Richmond and other senior White House officials reached out to Asian American lawmakers soon after Tuesday night's mass shooting in Georgia, including calling Rep. Grace Meng before 7 a.m. Wednesday, Axios' Kadia Goba and Sarah Mucha report. Why it matters: The Asian American and Pacific Islander community has been targeted since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, stoked by rhetoric from former President Trump. The outreach underscored the new administration's increased sensitivity to its concerns. - "They really detected, really early ... that the community was hurting," said Meng (D-N.Y.)
- Meng, first vice chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, said she received another call from Jaime Harrison, chairman of the Democratic National Committee.
Go deeper. |
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| A message from The U.S. Global Leadership Coalition |
| Report on reports: a roadmap for U.S. global leadership |
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| What do 100 policy reports, 6 global challenges and America's kitchen table have in common? The need for strong diplomacy and development. Spoiler alert – our latest report finds more common ground on these solutions than you might think. Read the latest consensus on America's foreign policy. |
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| 4. COVID's effect on Congress |
 There have been reports of 126 House and Senate members infected with or exposed to the coronavirus since last March — 70 Republicans and 56 Democrats, according to data collected by GovTrack that was reviewed by Axios' Stef Kight. Why it matters: The data illustrates the infectiousness of the virus and its impact on some of the most powerful and connected people in the country. It does not include Republican Luke Letlow of Louisiana, who died of COVID-19 complications five days before he was to be sworn into Congress in January. |
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| 5. U.S. foreign policy roundup |
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| Photo illustration: Eniola Odetunde/Axios. Photo: Spencer Platt/Getty Images |
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| Axios World author Dave Lawler offers his quick spin around the globe to Sneak readers: 1. Vladimir Putin has essentially challenged Biden to a TV debate today after Biden agreed in a TV interview that Putin was a "killer." 2. Biden has dispatched Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.) to Ethiopia to express his "grave concerns" about the crisis in Tigray to Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed. 3. A North Korean diplomat said Wednesday that Pyongyang had rejected attempted outreach from the Biden administration and would continue to do so until Washington changes its policies. Go deeper. |
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| 6. Pic du jour |
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| Photo: Anna Moneymaker-Pool/Getty Images |
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| Anthony Fauci signs his Washington Nationals baseball card before a hearing with the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions. |
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| A message from The U.S. Global Leadership Coalition |
| A foreign policy roadmap to deliver for American families |
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| When it comes to U.S. global engagement, the consensus is clear on strengthening diplomacy and development. The reason: It matters to Americans' health, safety, prosperity and values. Learn more in our latest Report on Reports: A Roadmap for U.S. Global Leadership. |
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| Thanks for reading Sneak. We'll be back Sunday evening. Remember, if you want to share a link to this or any of Axios' other free newsletters, please click here. |
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