Rick Scott: Democrats are ‘hypocrites’ for reopening migrant facilities at the border

Sen. Rick Scott R-FL. discusses Biden immigration policies and rising immigration.

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  • Fact check: False claim declares there are ID requirements to enter Washington

    Washington, D.C., Metro Police confirmed "there is no ID requirement or check taking place." A claim stating otherwise is false.

  • U.N. Security Council demands ceasefires to allow vaccinations

    The United Nations Security Council on Friday demanded that all parties to armed conflicts engage immediately in a "durable, extensive, and sustained humanitarian pause" to allow for COVID-19 vaccinations. It was seen as a key test of U.N. cooperation between China and new U.S. President Joe Biden's administration. The council last year took several months to agree a resolution calling for a pandemic ceasefire due to bickering between Beijing and ex-President Donald Trump's administration.

  • Democrats drubbing Trumpless GOP on social media

    Data: Twitter/CrowdTangle (Feb 24, 2021); Chart: Will Chase/AxiosIn a swift reversal from 90 days ago, Democrats are now the ones with overpowering social media muscle and the ability to drive news.The big picture: Former President Donald Trump’s digital exile and the reversal of national power has turned the tables on which party can keep a stranglehold on online conversation.Stay on top of the latest market trends and economic insights with Axios Markets. Subscribe for freeAcross Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, the banishment of Trump and the loss of his massive following have left the GOP barren against Democrats' clout.The combined Twitter following for the 10 elected Democrats with the biggest audiences is 102 million compared to 23 million for the top 10 Republicans. Even taking President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris out of the equation, Democrats' following is nearly triple Republicans'. On Instagram over the last 30 days, the 10 most-engaged Democrats drove 76 million interactions vs. 6 million for the 10 most-engaged Republicans, according to CrowdTangle data. Take away Biden and Harris and the advantage is still double.On Facebook, the top 10 Democrats have generated 2.5x more interactions than top 10 Republicans over the last 30 days, per CrowdTangle data.Between the lines: Stars from the Democratic primary like Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren and Pete Buttigieg accrued massive followings over the last few years.With the Trump show crowding out everyone else over the last four years, few other Republicans had a chance to build their profiles.Sens. Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio and Rand Paul — all of 2016 GOP primary fame — currently have the three biggest Twitter followings among elected Republicans.The picture for Republicans is particularly grim on Instagram, which has become a home for young, progressive politics.While AOC has 8.9m followers and Sanders has 6.7m, Texas Rep. Dan Crenshaw (2.3m) is the only elected Republican over a million.Yes, but: Outside of elected officials, Republicans have a bigger bench of social clout, including the Trump family, Mike Pence, Mike Pompeo and the potent right-wing media ecosystem.Flashback: Democrats slogged through the Trump era powerless to break through the president’s ability to commandeer the national conversation through his Twitter feed. Only after AOC’s election to Congress in 2018 did Democrats have an authentic social media powerhouse to counter Trump’s attention monopoly.The bottom line: Trump is keeping himself in the 2024 conversation and his continued omnipresence, even without a digital footprint, could keep the rest of the party neutered.More from Axios: Sign up to get the latest market trends with Axios Markets. Subscribe for free

  • Bernie Sanders says Democrats will try to devise a backdoor to implement a $15 minimum wage after major stimulus setback

    Sanders said he would introduce a plan to end tax breaks for large corporations and set up incentives for small businesses to implement a pay hike.

  • Energy secretary says power crisis in Texas could happen anywhere

    "We need to make significant investments in upgrading our transmission grids," newly confirmed Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm said in an interview with CBS News.

  • Letters to the Editor: Xavier Becerra isn't a doctor. Now the Republicans care about expertise?

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  • Texas federal judge rules that national moratorium on evictions is unconstitutional

    Judge John Barker, a Trump appointee, sided with landlords and property owners who sued to stop the moratorium. A federal judge has ruled that the national moratorium on evictions instituted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is unconstitutional. U.S. District Judge John Barker did not issue an injunction; however, the Donald Trump appointee said he expected the CDC to respect his ruling.

  • Liberal group targets Republicans who voted to overturn 2020 election

    The Voter Protection Project expects to spend $10 million in total on midterm House and Senate races.

  • Wisconsin Rep. Ron Johnson wants answers on Capitol insurrection

    In a letter to Senate committee leaders, Rep. Ron Johnson said "it's important that we completely reconstruct what happened from all perspectives ..."

  • America first, world second: Biden's effort for global vaccines is thwarted by U.S. policy

    "We need to reframe this entire discussion. What will help Americans the most is not vaccinating every American first," one expert said.

  • Native American nominee's grilling raises questions on bias

    When Wyoming U.S. Sen. John Barrasso snapped at Deb Haaland during her confirmation hearing, many in Indian Country were incensed. The exchange, coupled with descriptions of the Interior secretary nominee as “radical” — by other white, male Republicans — left some feeling Haaland is being treated differently because she is a Native American woman. At Wednesday's hearing, Barrasso wanted assurance that Haaland would follow the law when it comes to imperiled species.

  • Harris gets a crash course on foreign policy

    The vice president is trying to build up her relationships with foreign leaders and profile on the world's stage.

  • Senate parliamentarian rules $15 minimum wage cannot be included in relief package

    The Senate parliamentarian ruled Thursday that the provision to increase the minimum wage to $15/hour cannot be included in the broader $1.9 trillion COVID relief package. Why it matters: It's now very likely that any increase in the minimum wage will need bipartisan support, as the provision cannot be passed with the simple Senate majority that Democrats are aiming to use for President Biden's rescue bill.Get market news worthy of your time with Axios Markets. Subscribe for free.Between the lines: The process, called “reconciliation,” allows any bill in which each provision affects the federal government’s finances to be voted on by a 51-vote majority, as opposed to the regular 60 votes needed to overcome a filibuster.The provision cannot be "merely incidental" to the government's finances, according to a statute known as the Byrd rule. The interpretation of this vague requirement was up to the parliamentarian, Elizabeth MacDonough, to decide.What they're saying: "We are deeply disappointed in this decision," Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said after the Thursday evening decision. "We are not going to give up the fight to raise the minimum wage to $15 to help millions of struggling American workers and their families," he added. "The American people deserve it, and we are committed to making it a reality."House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said in a statement late Thursday that "House Democrats believe that the minimum wage hike is necessary. Therefore, this provision will remain in the American Rescue Plan on the Floor tomorrow."She added, "Democrats in the House are determined to pursue every possible path in the Fight For 15."White House press secretary Jen Psaki said President Biden was "disappointed" in the outcome, but "respects the parliamentarian’s decision and the Senate’s process."Biden "will work with leaders in Congress to determine the best path forward because no one in this country should work full time and live in poverty," Psaki added. What’s next: Biden has promised to support a standalone bill to raise the minimum wage to $15/hour, but it's unlikely to get any Republican support.The other side: Republicans have introduced their own versions of bills to increase the minimum wage.Sens. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) and Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) proposed an increase to $10/hour by 2025. This bill, however, contains a provision that would mandate E-Verify for all employers to ensure the rising wages go to "legally authorized workers," which likely would not get any Democratic support. Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) introduced an alternative to the Democrats' proposal that would use federal dollars to increase low-earning workers' income. One foreseeable problem: the subsidy would disproportionally benefit those in states that have kept their minimum wages low.Like this article? Get more from Axios and subscribe to Axios Markets for free.

  • Myanmar riot police fire to break up protests

    There were no immediate reports of injuries.The Southeast Asian nation has been in crisis since the army seized power on Feb. 1 and detained civilian government leader Aung San Suu Kyi and much of her party leadership after the military complained of fraud in a November election.There have been daily protests and strikes by democracy supporters for about three weeks, often drawing hundreds of thousands of people across the diverse country.

  • Apple Partner Foxconn to Form EV Partnership With Fisker

    (Bloomberg) -- Foxconn Technology Group will develop an electric vehicle with Fisker Inc., part of the manufacturer’s efforts to boost its automotive capabilities at a time when technology companies including its main customer, Apple Inc., are looking to expand in vehicles.The car will be built by Foxconn, targeted at multiple markets including North America, Europe, China and India, and sold under the Fisker brand, according to a joint statement from the companies Wednesday. Production is set to start in the fourth quarter of 2023.Fisker is looking to break new ground with its second planned model. The startup plans to make a vehicle that doesn’t fit into an existing segment, like a sedan or SUV. Its partnership with Foxconn, a Taiwanese smartphone maker which is new to the auto business, is pinned on hopes that the collaboration will bring innovative manufacturing.“The auto industry is very stale,” company founder Henrik Fisker said in an interview. “We still talk about adopting the Toyota manufacturing system,” referring to a production and logistics concept that was developed decades ago.Fisker plans to design and market the vehicle while Foxconn will supply the skateboard chassis and manage supply chain and assembly. That’s asking a lot of a company that has never built cars in large volume before.“I have full confidence that they can do this and maybe have ideas that are outside the box,” Fisker said.Shares of Fisker rose 39% to a record of $22.58 at the close in New York. Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., the main listed arm of Foxconn, advanced as much as 5% in Taipei.Foxconn in October introduced its first-ever EV chassis and a software platform aimed at helping automakers bring models to the market faster. This month, Hon Hai Chairman Young Liu said two light vehicles based on the Foxconn platform will be unveiled in the fourth quarter. Foxconn is also planning to help launch an electric bus around the same time.The Taiwanese company is expected to build more than 250,000 vehicles annually for the Fisker partnership, according to the statement. Foxconn may choose to make some of those cars in the U.S., a person familiar with the matter said. Following Wednesday’s memorandum of understanding, the two sides said they will enter a formal agreement in the second quarter of 2021.Fisker is the second battery-powered car venture founded by its namesake founder, a longtime auto designer. Its debut model, the Ocean electric SUV, is scheduled to start production in late 2022. Henrik Fisker’s first venture, Fisker Automotive, filed for bankruptcy in 2013.The model built by Foxconn will be an all-new type of vehicle, Fisker said. He wouldn’t classify it as a sedan or an SUV. Its design will defy segmentation the way the Volkswagen AG did with the Beetle and BMW AG did with the all-new Mini that came out in 2001, he said.Fisker got the idea of the planned vehicle when he was reading about Apple’s plans for a car. He said he began sketching what he thought a tech company would build if one went into the car business.“It will be like nothing you’ve seen before,” Fisker said.Foxconn is the second major manufacturer Fisker has announced a partnership with since reaching a deal to go public last year. In October, the EV startup said Magna International Inc. would help it build the Ocean SUV.In January, Foxconn signed a manufacturing deal with embattled Chinese electric-vehicle startup Byton Ltd. with the aim to start mass production of the Byton M-Byte by the first quarter of 2022. A week later, Foxconn and Zhejiang Geely Holding Group Co. announced they were joining forces to provide production and consulting services to global automotive enterprises.Amid reports of Apple’s car project gaining momentum, Foxconn has bulked up its automotive capabilities that could make it a major contender to make cars for its largest customer.With development work still at an early stage, Apple will take at least half a decade to launch an autonomous electric vehicle, people with knowledge of the efforts have told Bloomberg News. That suggests the company is in no hurry to decide on potential auto-industry partners.(Updates with Hon Hai shares in seventh paragraph.)For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.comSubscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source.©2021 Bloomberg L.P.

  • Over a dozen GOP House members cited 'the ongoing health emergency' to skip in-person voting while they spoke at CPAC

    Many GOP members, including some who voted by proxy during CPAC, have vocally criticized the system and even sued over it in court.

  • Withdraw troops as Trump administration scheduled. The Afghanistan Study Group is wrong.

    Opposing View: As a retired brigadier general, I include myself in our failures. We have lionized the generals when we should have lionized our troops

  • 'We shouldn't still be fighting for equal rights': LGBTQ+ bill faces tough battle ahead

    The landmark Equality Act comes amid unprecedented attacks on trans rights and could be derailed by GOP senators Democratic House members holding LBGT+ and Transgender Pride flags on the steps of the US Capitol ahead of a vote on the Equality Act. Photograph: Tom Brenner/Reuters Sign up for the Guardian’s First Thing newsletter The US House of Representatives voted to pass a landmark bill that would establish federal anti-discrimination protections for LGBTQ+ people, setting up a tough battle in the Senate to turn the proposal into law. “We shouldn’t still be having to fight for equal rights,” said Nic Talbott, a 27-year-old Ohio resident, who was forced to abandon his plans of joining the military due to Donald Trump’s ban on trans service members. “We should be able to go to work, find housing and just live our lives without having to worry about whether or not we’re going to be excluded just for being transgender or gay.” The Equality Act passed the Democratic-led House in a 224-206 vote, with three Republicans joining the Democrats. The bill amends existing civil rights laws to explicitly prohibit discrimination based on gender identity and sexual orientation and provides clear legal protections for transgender and queer people in employment, housing, education, public accommodations, federally funded programs and other sectors. But the proposal’s future is uncertain. Joe Biden has said signing the bill into law is one of his top priorities, but it first has to clear the Senate, where GOP lawmakers could block the legislation with a filibuster. The Equality Act builds on the landmark US supreme court ruling last year prohibiting employment discrimination against LGBTQ+ workers. Biden has already issued executive orders to defend trans rights, undoing some of Trump’s anti-LGBTQ+ policies and directing federal departments to follow the guidance of the supreme court decision. But advocates say the Equality Act is vital because it would enshrine protections into law beyond employment, and prevent future administrations from rolling back anti-discrimination rules. The act would be particularly significant for LGBTQ+ residents in the 27 states that do not have anti-discrimination laws on the books for trans and queer people, where it is legal to deny them housing based on their identities. “Legislation like this is crucial for shifting the tides for trans folks, especially in red states,” said Aria Sa’id, the executive director of the Compton’s Transgender Cultural District, a community group in San Francisco. Trans people flee to California from other states where they have fewer rights or access to services, she said: “We’re coming from other places in the US where we are not safe. We come to San Francisco for refuge … We should be protected in the law no matter where we live.” The Equality Act fight comes amid unprecedented attacks on trans rights in the US and overseas. Republican lawmakers in at least 20 states are currently pushing local bills targeting trans people, backed by rightwing groups. Many of the bills seek to block trans-affirming healthcare or ban trans youth and adults from certain spaces, including by prohibiting them from using the correct bathroom or participating in sports teams that match their gender. Some extremist GOP members of Congress have supported those efforts and have been promoting misinformation and transphobic hate speech this week as the House debated the Equality Act. David B Cruz, a constitutional law professor at University of California, Los Angeles, said federal protections would, in effect, make it illegal for states to enforce discriminatory rules meant to exclude trans people. The Equality Act would also make it harder for the supreme court, which has become more conservative since last year’s ruling, to carve out trans rights in the next LGBTQ+ discrimination case it reviews, he said. Legislation like this is crucial for shifting the tides for trans folks, especially in red states Aria Sa’id “It would be a monumental achievement,” said Cruz. “It’s not always simple or easy for people to enforce their statutory rights, but even having a federal law that expressly protects those rights on the books, by itself will deter discrimination against LGBTQ+ people.” It would help disrupt “cycles of poverty, due to anti LGBTQ+ prejudice”, he added. Some Republican legislators are vocally opposing the act by citing concerns about religious freedoms. But Cruz noted that a super-majority of Americans in every state support anti-discrimination laws for LGBTQ+ people, including a majority of Republican voters. Khloe Rios-Wyatt, the president at Alianza Translatinx, a Latinx trans rights group in Orange county, California, said she faced discrimination for being trans when she was terminated from her first job out of college: “It can be traumatizing. You lose your income and then you’re facing potential homelessness.” She said she regularly talks to trans people who were denied housing even though they qualified: “You show up in person and they tell you it’s no longer available. It breaks my heart and it has to change.” Bamby Salcedo, the president of the TransLatin@ Coalition in Los Angeles, noted that 2020 was the deadliest year on record for violence against trans and gender non-conforming people, the majority people of color. While the Equality Act could make a difference for the broader LGBTQ+ community, it would not end discrimination for trans people, she said. “The reality is that even in California and places that are super progressive, trans people continue to experience discrimination while trying to obtain employment, housing, healthcare and the basic things we need to exist … There is still a lot of work that needs to be done.” There are at least nine LGBTQ+ members in the House and two in the Senate, and supporters in Congress spoke of their trans and queer family members while championing the bill. Polling released earlier this week confirmed that more Americans than ever before now identify as LGBTQ+.

  • Out of the Gate, Biden Ditches Bipartisanship

    There were many who hoped that after the partisan divisions of the Trump years, President Biden would try to bring the country together by governing from the center. Given a recent spate of executive actions, however, Biden seems more focused on undoing Trump’s policies, including some that were sensible and bipartisan. Biden campaigned on bringing a different approach to American politics, but so far he has stuck to a script that owes more to ideology and partisanship than to “unity.” A case in point comes from Biden’s recent executive order, “Revocation of Certain Executive Orders Concerning Federal Regulation.” Signed on the president’s first day in office, it repealed six of Trump’s executive orders in one fell swoop, such as the famous “2-for-1” requirement that two regulations be eliminated for each new one. The 2-for-1 order was never likely to survive the arrival of a Democrat in the Oval Office, but several other changes were more surprising, such as the repeal of a 2019 executive order on “Promoting the Rule of Law Through Improved Agency Guidance Documents.” This one included some fairly uncontroversial and bipartisan elements. Here is some background: Regulators write regulations. That’s what they do. But regulators also issue other kinds of policy statements, which can have the effect of regulations without going through the normal rulemaking channels. For example, an agency might write a document that outlines the steps businesses can take to ensure they are in compliance with an official regulation. Such a document might change business behavior — just like a regulation — but it might also skip normal processes that official rules go through, such as allowing the public to submit comments, preparing an economic analysis, or undergoing third-party review by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). These kinds of agency policy statements come in many forms and are collectively referred to as “guidance documents.” Trump’s executive order required agencies to build a searchable website to house these guidance documents. Transparency is something most people can agree on, and the process is mostly finished now. Trump’s order also required the most significant guidance to undergo OMB review, accept comments from the public, and, in some cases, have a cost-benefit analysis prepared. These may sound like major changes, but in fact, Trump’s order largely formalized what was already taking place informally from actions taken by the George W. Bush and Obama administrations. The order included elements similar to bipartisan legislation introduced in the Senate, known as the “Guidance Out of Darkness Act.” Vice President Kamala Harris even voted for this legislation when she served on the Senate Homeland Security Committee. The issue of policy-making by guidance document has been especially important during the pandemic, when many of the policies coming out of the Department of Health and Human Services, and especially from the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, have been implemented through guidance documents. While many of these actions are justified by urgency, HHS has also been very liberal about using its emergency authorities to make sweeping policy changes without public input or a proper accounting of economic consequences. The consolidation of lawmaking power by bureaucrats is troubling. Consider two recent examples from Biden’s CDC. First was a requirement that individuals wear masks on planes, trains, buses, subways, and other transportation systems across the country. The rule will need to be enforced by TSA agents as well as other federal, state, and local officials, thereby imposing significant costs on various levels of government, which should at least be part of the discussion. Second, the CDC extended a Trump-era directive implementing a nationwide moratorium on evictions for certain delinquent renters. Both actions were deemed “economically significant” by the OMB, a designation that normally entails a public comment period and the production of a cost-benefit analysis (requirements also emphasized in the rescinded Trump executive order). However, in both cases, the agency claimed it didn’t have to follow usual procedures because of the ongoing emergency. To be fair, the Trump administration also skirted these requirements when taking shelter under HHS’s emergency authorities. But with the pandemic now a year old, one has to wonder at what point HHS’s emergency powers will end and a normal rulemaking process will return. Even those who support the CDC’s rules might wonder whether the agency should be able to pass these rules simply by posting a PDF on its website. The breadth of the CDC’s powers is stunning. Keep in mind, this is the same agency that couldn’t put together a functioning COVID-19 test in the critical early days of the pandemic. All told, Biden’s recent regulatory changes are a disappointment. He should be using a scalpel when it comes to reversing the prior administration’s policies. Instead, he is swinging a hatchet, as nearly every Trump policy is viewed as guilty by association. That may make the progressive wing of Biden’s party happy. For those who hoped he would lead from the center, his early actions are a worrying sign about things to come.

  • Acting US Capitol police chief says the force is maintaining 'enhanced' presence for possible threats during the State of the Union address

    Acting chief Yogananda Pittman said the Capitol police will "maintain its enhanced and robust security posture" for the still-to-be-scheduled event.