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Biden calls on Cuomo to resign after sexual harassment findings
President Biden called on New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) to resign on Tuesday after an independent investigation found that Cuomo sexually harassed multiple women, including employees in his office, in violation of state and federal law.
Why it matters: Unlike dozens of other prominent Democrats, Biden initially held off on calling for Cuomo's resignation in March when the allegations of sexual misconduct first emerged.
- Biden initially did not comment, but later said Cuomo should resign — and could even be prosecuted — if the allegations were corroborated.
What they're saying: "Yes," Biden said after being asked if he believed Cuomo should resign and if he stood by his comments in March.
- "Let's take one thing at a time here. I think he should resign. I understand that the state legislature may decide to impeach. I don't know that for fact. I have not read all that data," Biden said.
- "Look, I'm not going to fly-speck this. I'm sure there are some embraces that are totally innocent. But apparently the attorney general decided there were things that weren't."
Between the lines: Cuomo is one of the most powerful Democratic governors in the country, and he and Biden have been friends and political allies for years.
- Biden was also close to Cuomo's father, former New York Gov. Mario Cuomo.
The big picture: The investigation overseen by New York Attorney General Letitia James found that Cuomo engaged in unwanted and inappropriate groping, kissing, hugging, and comments that accusers called "deeply humiliating, uncomfortable, offensive, or inappropriate."
- The report also found that Cuomo and his staff took steps to retaliate against at least one former employee for coming forward with her story, and fostered a "toxic" workplace that enabled sexual harassment to occur.
Go deeper: Read the full report
Israel launches maximum pressure campaign against Ben & Jerry's
The Israeli government has formed a special task force to pressure Ben & Jerry's ice cream and its parent company Unilever to reverse their decision to boycott Israeli settlements in the West Bank, Israeli officials tell me.
Why it matters: The Israeli government is concerned the move by Ben & Jerry's will encourage other international companies to take similar steps to differentiate between Israel and the West Bank settlements. A classified Foreign Ministry cable, seen by Axios, makes clear the government wants to send a message.
Driving the news: Last week, Ben & Jerry's announced that from Jan. 2023 they will no longer allow their Israeli franchisee to market their ice cream in the settlements, but will continue to sell it within Israel’s pre-1967 borders.
- That decision from the company, which has taken political positions on a range of issues, came after almost a decade of pressure from pro-Palestinian activists. In the past, the Israeli government managed to convince Ben & Jerry's not to take such steps.
- But after the recent fighting in Gaza, the pressure on the company increased. In the last two weeks it became clear that a decision to boycott the settlements was imminent.
- The Israeli government tried to press Unilever to stop Ben & Jerry's from making that decision, but Unilever said the company had the right to take such steps as part of its corporate responsibility and social justice policy.
Behind the scenes: On July 22, the Israeli Foreign Ministry sent a classified cable to all Israeli diplomatic missions in North America and Europe ordering them to start a pressure campaign against Ben & Jerry's and Unilever in order to convince them to negotiate.
- Israeli diplomats were instructed to encourage Jewish organizations, pro-Israel advocacy groups and Evangelical communities to organize demonstrations in front of Ben & Jerry's and Unilever offices and put pressure on investors and distributors for both companies.
- The Foreign Ministry also asked the diplomats to push for public statements condemning the companies and to “encourage public protests in the media and directly with key executives in both companies." The diplomats were also instructed to echo those protests on social media for maximum visibility.
- The Israeli embassy in Washington and the Israeli consulates around the U.S. were asked to push for the activation of anti-BDS (Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions) legislation in several states and to engage with governors, mayors, members of Congress and state officials like attorneys general.
What they're saying: “We need to make use of the 18 months that are left until the decision comes into force and try to change it. We want to create long-term pressure on Unilever and Ben & Jerry's by consumers, politicians and in the press and social media in order to lead to a dialogue with the companies," the cable said.
- It added that Ben & Jerry's and Unilever “caved and cooperated with the BDS movement" which it claimed was partially "motivated by antisemitism." The cable also said the companies' decision was "hypocritical, goes against the values of corporate responsibility and smells like extreme cancel culture."
Worth noting: The statement from Ben & Jerry's didn't mention BDS, but said it was "inconsistent with our values" to sell ice cream in Occupied Palestinian Territory.
What’s next: The Israeli Foreign Ministry instructed diplomats to immediately report any new information about efforts by BDS activists to press more companies to follow Ben & Jerry's.
What more space flights would actually mean for emissions
Jeff Bezos says his suborbital space flight Tuesday reinforced his commitment to fighting climate change, but growth of this travel would also add a new source of carbon emissions.
By the numbers: S&P Global Sustainable1 offered some perspective on the amount of fuel burned and corresponding emissions from that type of commercial space launch.
The sustainability intelligence provider said it's roughly akin to...
- One car traveling 1.8 million miles.
- The average travel of 157 cars in the U.S. per year (based on Transportation Department data).
- "A full passenger roundtrip flight in commercial aircraft from London to New York."
Our thought bubble: Axios space reporter Miriam Kramer notes that the number of launches each year is increasing but still relatively low.
- In the future, however — if companies like Blue Origin and Virgin Galactic have their way — launches could increase dramatically, she notes. Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic envisions 400 flights per year.
- Reckoning with exactly how bad emissions from rocket launches are today could pay off in the future as more launches occur worldwide.
Reality check: Even a major increase in space flight would not create a big emissions source compared to CO2 output from power, industry and other forms of transport, including traditional commercial air travel.
- But it's another CO2-emitting sector at a time when steep cuts are needed to keep Paris Agreement goals within reach.
Of note: Bezos is a major funder of efforts to fight global warming, unveiling the $10 billion Bezos Earth Fund in early 2020 and in November announcing initial grants totaling $791 million across 16 organizations.



