Jan. 26, 2021 08:21PM EST
Most Senate Republicans join Rand Paul effort to dismiss Trump's 2nd impeachment trial
Forty-five Senate Republicans, including Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, joined Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) on Tuesday in an effort to dismiss former President Trump's second impeachment trial.
Why it matters: The vote serves as a precursor to how senators will approach next month's impeachment trial. The House impeached Trump for a second time for "incitement of insurrection" following events from Jan 6. when a pro-Trump mob stormed the Capitol.
<ul class="ee-ul"><li>Paul raised a point of order on Tuesday afternoon to hold a vote on the constitutionality of the impeachment trial, now that Trump is out of office. </li><li>Majority Leader Chuck Schumer then asked for a vote to "table" the motion, thus killing Paul's point of order, and that measure passed 55-45. </li><li>Five Republicans, Sens. Susan Collins(Me.), Lisa Murkowski (Alaska), Mitt Romney (Utah), Ben Sasse(Ne.), and Pat Toomey (Pa.), joined all Democrats to table Paul's point of order.</li><li>Minority Leader Mitch McConnell voted no, supporting Paul. </li></ul><p><strong>What they're saying:</strong> Earlier in the day, Paul indicated the vote would show "we're basically wasting our time" by impeaching Trump now that he's out of office.</p><ul class="ee-ul"><li>"I think there will be enough support on it to show there’s no chance they can impeach the president. If 34 people support my resolution that this is an unconstitutional proceeding it shows they don’t have the votes."</li><li>17 Republicans would need to join all Democrats in order to convict Trump. </li></ul><p><strong>What's next</strong>: Senators, who will serve as jurors during the trial, were sworn in Tuesday but the actual trial begins the week of Feb. 8. Sen. Patrick Leahy (D.-Vt.), the most senior Democrat in the Senate and pro tempore, will preside over the trial.</p><p><strong>The other side</strong>: Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah), who has been an open critic of Trump, <a href="https://www.axios.com/trump-impeachment-romney-constitutional-a4382637-36f7-43fe-8edc-38bdc2ec6676.html" target="_blank">said on CNN's "State of the Union</a>" that he's going to listen to what the lawyers have to say but believes "it's pretty clear the effort is constitutional."</p><ul class="ee-ul"><li>Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) told reporters on Tuesday that her review has led her to believe the trial is constitutional in recognizing that "impeachment is not solely about removing a president, it is also a matter of political consequence."</li></ul></div>
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Jan. 26, 2021 08:12PM EST
Texas judge temporarily halts Biden's 100-day deportation freeze
A federal judge in Texas has temporarily blocked the Biden administration's 100-day freeze on deporting unauthorized immigrants.
Why it matters: Biden has set an ambitious immigration agenda, but could face pushback from the courts.
<p><strong>The big picture: </strong>U.S. District Judge Drew Tipton, a Trump appointee, issued a temporary restraining order blocking the policy for 14 days. </p><p><div style="font-size:13px">
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</div></p><ul class="ee-ul"><li>Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton sued the Biden administration last week, claiming the freeze "<a href="https://www.axios.com/texas-ag-lawsuit-biden-dhs-deportation-immigrant-f1833f95-2e5c-4043-b4ed-f12f3516617e.html" target="_blank">violates</a> the U.S. Constitution, federal immigration and administrative law, and a contractual agreement between Texas" and the Department of Homeland Security, per a <a href="https://www.texasattorneygeneral.gov/news/releases/ag-paxton-sues-biden-administration-demanding-immediate-halt-unlawful-deportation-freeze#.YAsi5ajUiFg.twitter" target="_blank">press release from Paxton’s office</a>.</li><li>"The issues implicated by that Agreement are of such gravity and constitutional import that they require further development of the record and briefing prior to addressing the merits," Tipton wrote in his Tuesday order. </li><li>Tipton also said Texas has provided evidence that the freeze would result in "millions of dollars of damage" by spurring an increase in spending on public services for unauthorized immigrants, according to the judge’s order.</li></ul><p><strong>What they're saying: </strong>"Texas is the FIRST state in the nation to bring a lawsuit against the Biden Admin. AND WE WON," <a href="https://twitter.com/KenPaxtonTX/status/1354150952362790916" target="_blank">Paxton tweeted</a>. "Within 6 days of Biden’s inauguration, Texas has HALTED his illegal deportation freeze."</p><ul class="ee-ul"><li>Neither DHS nor Immigration and Customs Enforcement immediately responded to Axios' request for comment.</li></ul><p><strong>Of note:</strong> Former President Trump was frequently met with injunctions for his immigration policies.</p></div>
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Jan. 26, 2021 08:10PM EST
Reddit is running Wall Street
Wall Street is locked in a battle of will between professional investors who live in Greenwich and amateur investors who congregate on Reddit. So far, the amateurs are winning, judging by increases in their chosen stocks, like GameStop and Bed, Bath & Beyond.
Axios Re:Cap goes deeper into what's really happening, the mechanics of stock "shorting" and what it means for the markets' future, with Axios chief financial correspondent Felix Salmon.
Jan. 26, 2021 06:48PM EST
Biden holds first phone call with Putin, raises Navalny arrest
President Biden on Tuesday held his first call since taking office with Vladimir Putin, pressing the Russian president on the arrest of opposition leader Alexey Navalny and the Russia-linked hack on U.S. government agencies, AP reports.
The state of play: Biden also planned to raise arms control, bounties allegedly placed on U.S. troops in Afghanistan and the war in Ukraine, according to White House press secretary Jen Psaki, who said the call took place while she was delivering a press briefing. Psaki added that a full readout will be provided later Tuesday.
<p><strong>Why it matters: </strong>Biden is on course for a deeply adversarial relationship with Putin's Russia, but he'll also have to engage with him on critical issues — most urgently, the extension of the New START nuclear treaty, which is due to expire on Feb. 5.</p><p><strong>Go deeper: </strong><a href="https://www.axios.com/bidens-russia-challenge-alexey-navalny-new-start-64cf3159-83be-4623-9315-b4df4dabb5ec.html" target="_blank">Biden's Russia challenge</a>.</p><p><em>This story is developing. Please check back for updates.</em></p></div>
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Jan. 26, 2021 05:48PM EST
Biden signs executive order ending new contracts with private prisons
President Joe Biden on Wednesday signed executive orders on housing and ending the federal government's use of private prisons as part of what the White House is calling his “racial equity agenda.”
The big picture: Biden needs the support of Congress to push through police reform or new voting rights legislation. The executive orders serve as his down payment to immediately address systemic racism while he focuses on the pandemic.
<p><strong>Details: </strong>Biden will direct the Department of Housing and Urban Development to examine how previous administrations undermined fair housing policies and laws, according to senior officials.</p><ul class="ee-ul"><li>Another executive order directs the attorney general not to renew Justice Department contracts with privately operated criminal detention facilities.</li><li>One executive order calls for "re-establishing federal respect for tribal sovereignty" following years of tension between tribal governments and former President Trump.</li><li>Biden also ordered the Department of Health and Human Services to examine how Trump's rhetoric about COVID-19 may have led to discrimination against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.</li></ul><p><strong>The intrigue: </strong>The Biden administration signaled the executive orders are a preview of what's to come on its racial equity agenda as it prepares legislative proposals to fight discrimination and poverty.</p><p><strong>The bottom line: </strong>Biden's early moves on racial equity are a major shift in tone from Trump, who often praised Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee, denounced research of slavery and racial justice, and ordered agencies to end diversity training. </p></div>
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Jan. 26, 2021 05:39PM EST
Senate confirms Antony Blinken as secretary of state
The Senate voted 78-22 on Tuesday to confirm Antony Blinken as secretary of state.
Why it matters: Blinken, a longtime adviser to President Biden, will lead the administration's diplomatic efforts to re-engage with the world after four years of former President Trump's "America first" policy.
<p><strong>Background:</strong> Blinken is a French-speaker and step-son of a Holocaust survivor <a href="https://www.axios.com/tony-blinken-biden-holocaust-e8cb99e2-58a5-437a-98f8-e544d73f827b.html" target="_blank">whose stories</a> he credits with shaping his worldview. Like Biden, Blinken is a committed multilateralist and advocate for the United States as a leading force for good in the world.</p><p><div style="font-size:13px">
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</div></p><ul class="ee-ul"><li>Blinken served in the Obama administration as deputy national security adviser from 2013 to 2015 and deputy secretary of state from 2015 to 2017. </li><li>He was Biden's top aide on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee over 15 years ago.</li><li>He started his career at the State Department in the Clinton administration.</li></ul><p><strong>Key quotes from Blinken's testimony:</strong></p><ul class="ee-ul"><li>"Humility and confidence should be the flip sides of America's leadership coin. Humility because we have a great deal of work to do at home to enhance our standing abroad ... But we'll also act with confidence that America at its best still has a greater ability than any country on earth to mobilize others for the greater good."</li><li>"We're as a general rule much better off being at the table than being outside the room if we're going to try and influence those institutions and organizations and move them in a better direction."</li><li>"We have to start by approaching China from a position of strength, not weakness, a position of strength when we are working with, not denigrating, our allies ... a position of strength when we are engaged and leading in international institutions, not pulling back and ceding the terrain to China to write the rules and norms that animate those institutions."</li></ul><p><strong>The big picture: </strong>Blinken is the fourth Biden Cabinet nominee to be confirmed, following Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen.</p><p><strong>Go deeper:</strong> <a href="https://www.axios.com/biden-foreign-policy-yemen-iran-0c3ccf09-62c6-4197-9970-21f2e3bff479.html" target="_blank">What has and hasn't changed as Biden takes over U.S. foreign policy</a></p></div>
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Jan. 26, 2021 04:42PM EST
Former Google CEO and others call for U.S.-China tech "bifurcation"
A new set of proposals by a group of influential D.C. insiders and tech industry practitioners calling for a degree of "bifurcation" in the U.S. and Chinese tech sectors is circulating in the Biden administration. Axios has obtained a copy.
Why it matters: The idea of "decoupling" certain sectors of the U.S. and Chinese economies felt radical three years ago, when Trump's trade war brought the term into common parlance. But now the strategy has growing bipartisan and even industry support.
<p><strong>The report, called "Asymmetric Competition: A Strategy for China & Technology,"</strong> was written by an informal working group formed last summer with 15 participants, including:</p><ul class="ee-ul"><li>Eric Schmidt, former CEO of Google and technical adviser at Alphabet. (Google exited China in 2010 while Schmidt was CEO). </li><li>Jared Cohen, CEO of Jigsaw, a tech incubator created by Google, and former adviser to Condoleezza Rice and Hillary Clinton.</li><li>Richard Fontaine, the CEO of the Center for a New American Security, whose co-founder Kurt Campbell now occupies a top position on Biden's National Security Council.</li><li>Liz Economy, China scholar at the Council on Foreign Relations and Stanford University's Hoover Institution.</li><li>Alexandr Wang, CEO and founder at Scale AI.</li><li>Marissa Giustina, a quantum electronic engineer at Google.</li></ul><p><strong>What they're saying: </strong>"America’s technological leadership is fundamental to its security, prosperity, and democratic way of life. But this vital advantage is now at risk, with China surging to overtake the United States in critical areas," the authors write. </p><ul class="ee-ul"><li>The report "advances policies that position the United States to out-compete China without inviting escalatory cycles of confrontation, retaliation, or unintended conflict."</li></ul><p><strong>The nature of the challenge, </strong>according to the report:</p><ul class="ee-ul"><li><strong>The competition is "asymmetric,"</strong> meaning "China plays by a different set of rules that allow it to benefit from corporate espionage, illiberal surveillance, and a blurry line between its public and private sector."</li><li><strong>We're heading towards somewhat tech spheres.</strong> "Some degree of disentangling is both inevitable and preferable," the authors write. "In fact, trends in both countries — and many of the tools at our disposal — inherently and necessarily push toward some degree of bifurcation." That's because the alternative to bifurcation is a world in which China's non-democratic norms have "won."</li><li><strong>There will be trade-offs,</strong> such as between "creating risk-tolerant research environments that encourage innovation versus security/espionage risks."</li></ul><p><strong>Their proposed solutions:</strong></p><ul class="ee-ul"><li>The creation of a national tech analysis and forecasting center.</li><li>Building more resilient supply chains by investing in domestic infrastructure and "ally-centric production." </li><li>Improving education and reducing immigration bottlenecks to ensure a strong supply of highly skilled labor.</li><li>A government redesign across the executive branch to guide a "new era of technological statecraft."</li><li>New multilateral initiatives, including an alliance of democracies called the "T-12" to coordinate responses to tech competition, an "International Technology Finance Corporation," and the creation of "multilateral trust zones" where integration can be safely achieved.</li></ul><p><strong>What to watch: </strong>Whether or not the proposal gets traction in the Biden administration, its emphasis on multilateralism fits with the administration's goals and priorities.</p><p><strong>Go deeper: </strong></p><ul class="ee-ul"><li><a href="https://beta.documentcloud.org/documents/20463382-final-memo-china-strategy-group-axios-1" target="_blank">Read the proposal here</a></li><li><a href="https://www.axios.com/china-tech-dominance-democracies-d60a4e60-53c7-46a6-85c6-8979ef0225cf.html" target="_blank">How democracies can push back on China's growing tech dominance</a></li></ul></div>
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Jan. 26, 2021 04:41PM EST
Pulitzer Prize-winning Washington Post editor Marty Baron retires
Martin Baron, executive editor of the Washington Post and recipient of multiple Pulitzer Prizes over the course of his career, announced his retirement on Tuesday.
Why it matters, via Axios' Sara Fischer:Baron spearheaded Spotlight, the Boston Globe's investigation into attempts by the Catholic Church to cover-up sexual abuse, and oversaw the Post's editorial transformation under Amazon founder Jeff Bezos — turning it from a regional paper into a national brand.
<p><strong>What he's saying: </strong>"Almost two years ago, I told department heads that I was committed to staying at The Post through the presidential election. I left open what might happen beyond that. Today I am letting you know that I will retire on February 28," Baron wrote in a note to staff <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/pr/2021/01/26/washington-post-executive-editor-marty-baron-retire-end-february/" target="_blank">shared by the Post</a>. </p><ul class="ee-ul"><li>"I have worked in journalism without stop for nearly 45 years, leading magnificent news staffs in Miami, then Boston and now Washington, D.C., for 21. The stories over those years were epic," Baron wrote, pointing to coverage of the Bush-Gore race in 2000, former President Trump's dual impeachment trials, and 9/11, among others.</li><li>"The experience has been deeply meaningful, enriched by colleagues who made me a better professional and a better person. At age 66, I feel ready to move on."</li></ul><p><strong>Between the lines: </strong>Baron described 2013 — the year the Post <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/community-relations/the-washington-post-announces-digital-subscription-plans-for-2013/2013/03/18/d1e5182c-8ff4-11e2-9cfd-36d6c9b5d7ad_story.html" target="_blank">announced digital subscription plans</a> — as the year the paper was "given a second chance." </p><ul class="ee-ul"><li>"In 2013, when our outlook was dire, we were given a second chance. We took it, engineering a turnaround with focus and creativity. Keep at it. Third chances are rare, particularly in a field that savagely punishes complacency and hubris," Baron wrote.</li><li>"The practice of quality journalism requires a sustainable business. And the reverse is equally true: There can be no business without journalism of the highest caliber that the public values and will support." </li></ul></div>
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