⚖️ Axios AM: Next abortion cliff

Plus: Chatbot fortune cookies | Saturday, April 08, 2023

Open in app View in browser   Presented By Instagram   Axios AM By Mike Allen · Apr 08, 2023 😎 Happy Saturday! Axios' Erica Pandey is your weekend host. Give her a follow: @erica_pandey. Smart Brevity™ count: 1,191 words ... 4½ mins. Edited by Jennifer Koons.     ⚖️ 1 big thing: Abortion back to Supreme Court Both sides demonstrated outside the Supreme Court in January on the 50th anniversary of Roe v. Wade. Photo: Valerie Plesch/Bloomberg via Getty Images   The Supreme Court will likely need to decide soon whether abortion pills can remain legal in the U.S. Why it matters: Less than a year after the conservative court struck down Roe v. Wade, the next phase of the fight over abortion rights is already at its doorstep, Axios' Sam Baker writes. The case would affect women all over the country, making abortions harder to access even in states where it's legal. And it could pose a sweeping challenge to the broader system for regulating prescription drugs in the U.S. ⚡ What's happening: U.S. District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk, a Trump appointee in Texas, ruled last night that the FDA must reverse its approval of mifepristone, one of two drugs commonly used in medication-induced abortions. If Kacsmaryk's ruling stands, and abortion pills no longer have approval from the FDA, doctors and pharmacists would have to stop providing them — even in states that have passed laws protecting abortion rights. Pharmacists can only dispense FDA-approved drugs. 🖼️ The big picture: Over half of U.S. abortions are performed with medication, rather than surgery. The FDA first approved mifepristone decades ago, and has frequently reviewed the drug's safety warnings and other specifics of its approval. Kacsmaryk said the agency hadn't followed proper procedures. For that reason, this case could set a far-reaching precedent that would upend the practice of medicine even beyond abortion, opening the door to a host of lawsuits second-guessing the FDA's decisions. 🔮 What's next: The Justice Department will appeal Kacsmaryk's ruling quickly. It'll likely move through the process faster than usual. That would set the stage for yet another Supreme Court showdown over abortion rights — less than a year after the court struck down Roe v. Wade and just as the 2024 election is approaching. Share this story ... Latest on competing rulings.     2. 🥊 Leak torments McCarthy Kevin McCarthy (right) and Steve Scalise in the House chamber during the speakership fight. Photo: Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images   Some GOP lawmakers warn that House Speaker Kevin McCarthy is facing blowback after a report he privately blamed members of his leadership team for Republican chaos over the budget, Axios' Juliegrace Brufke reports. Multiple House Republicans argued McCarthy's criticism of Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) and Budget Chair Jodey Arrington (R-Texas) undermines GOP messaging, and opens the floodgates for public infighting earlier than necessary. Several GOP House members said McCarthy seemed to be using Scalise and Arrington as scapegoats in case budget and debt-ceiling negotiations implode. "The members I've spoken with are just stunned by his rebuking of his budget chair, and certainly of our leadership," one House Republican, insisting on anonymity to critique the leader, told Axios. What's happening: McCarthy told colleagues he lacks confidence that Arrington can deliver a budget proposal, according to an explosive New York Times article by Jonathan Swan and Annie Karni. The speaker "has told colleagues and allies that he cannot rely on Mr. Scalise, describing the majority leader as ineffective, checked out and reluctant to take a position on anything," The Times reported. McCarthy didn't deny the conversations, but said in a statement that he rejects the idea of splits existing among leadership. He called Scalise "an essential partner of the entire leadership team." 🔎 Between the lines: House conservatives say they aren't ready to pull the trigger on a motion to vacate that could oust McCarthy as speaker. But this has ramped up angst with McCarthy that has simmered since his brutal fight for the gavel. Behind the scenes: The report has reopened old wounds between McCarthy and Scalise — who was previously seen as a potential rival for speaker. Share this story.     3.🔋 Tesla on the cheap Model 3, the cheapest Tesla. Photo: Sjoerd van der Wal/Getty Images Tesla cut prices of all models for the second time this year after a price drop led to a sales bump in the last quarter, Bloomberg reports. By the numbers: The Model 3 is now $41,990, 11% cheaper after this year's changes. And the Model S is $84,990, 19% cheaper. The big picture: "CEO Elon Musk has said he's willing to sacrifice Tesla's profitability to keep growing in the face of rising interest rates and a possible recession," Bloomberg notes. Data dive: Tesla loses market share, by Axios' Joann Muller.     A message from Instagram How can parents view who their teen follows on Instagram?     Once Supervision is set up, parents can view who their teen follows and who follows them. Why it's important: With these tools, parents can work together with their teens to create a positive experience on Instagram. Explore 30+ tools for parents and teens on Instagram.     4. 🇮🇪 Irish towns already welcoming Biden A mural of President Biden adorns a shop in Ballina, Ireland, a small town that was home to some of Biden's ancestors. Photo: Peter Morrison/AP With President Biden heading to Ireland next week, hometowns of his ancestors are welcoming him with murals, billboards and American flags. Biden will visit Belfast, Northern Ireland, on Tuesday and Wednesday to mark 25 years since the Good Friday peace accord. Then he'll head south to the Republic of Ireland to address the Dublin parliament. Photo: Peter Morrison/AP Above: A photo of Biden now has pride of place next to President Bill Clinton in Fitzpatrick's pub, near Dundalk, Ireland, where Clinton spoke in 2000. Read the AP story.     5. 💼 Survey: Managers stay home while workers schlep Data: Barrero, et al., 2021, "Why working from home will stick." Chart: Erin Davis/Axios Visuals A growing number of companies are requiring workers to come back to the office — but not necessarily their managers, Axios' Erin Davis reports. By the numbers: 62% of non-managers work exclusively onsite, compared to 45% of managers, according to new survey data. Between the lines: Lots of managerial work for office jobs can be done remotely — and managers are more likely to have the seniority and internal pull to get flexible schedules. The managers surveyed made almost twice as much as non-managers — $96,000 per year vs. $51,000. That can translate into larger homes with better home offices. Share this story.     6.🗽 Solutions: Curbing cost of citizenship Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios   Immigration advocates and local officials are tackling the cost barriers that keep thousands of Massachusetts residents from obtaining citizenship, Axios Boston's Steph Solis reports. Zoom in: The Boston area has some 230,000 lawful permanent residents who, despite being eligible, haven't taken steps toward obtaining citizenship, in part because of cost. 📈 By the numbers: The application and biometric fees cost about $725 — nearly double from 15 years ago. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services plans to increase the cost to $760. The process can cost upwards of $10,000 for those who get attorneys. 📝 What's happening: The nonprofit Project Citizenship is hosting citizenship clinics for eastern Massachusetts residents. Volunteers help immigrants fill out application forms. Pro bono attorneys review the forms. Boston-based nonprofit One Percent of America offered 1%-interest loans at the clinic to cover the application costs. Share this story ... Get Axios Local.     7. 🏊 Charted: $90,000 for a pool Data: National Association of Landscape Professionals. (Assumes a post-1978-built house in good condition that is 2,500 square feet with a 14,000-square-foot lot.) Chart: Axios Visuals Here's how much a backyard pool could set you back, Axios' Briana Crane reports from estimates by the National Association of Landscape Professionals.     8. 🥠 1 fun thing: Chatbot fortune cookie Golden Gate Fortune Cookie Factory in San Francisco's Chinatown. Photo: Eric Risberg/AP   ChatGPT's latest target: the fortunes inside your fortune cookies. "Making up the sayings in the cookies is a vigorous line of work," The Wall Street Journal reports in an A-hed (subscription). "By some estimates, three billion fortune cookies are made by factories around the world every year. Nearly all are written by a handful of fortune-cookie factory owners, their families or small teams of copywriters," The Journal reports. OpenFortune, which supplies fortunes to more than a dozen factories worldwide, says it has started using ChatGPT to come up with new ones. 🤖 Here's one written by a machine: "You will soon have a delightful encounter with a stranger who will add a pinch of spice to your life."     A message from Instagram Explore 30+ tools for parents and teens on Instagram     Here's how: By allowing parents to view who their teen follows and who follows them, manage daily time limits and be notified when their teen shares reported accounts, once Supervision is set up. Set up Family Center supervision tools with your teen today.   📬 Thanks for starting your holiday weekend with us. Please invite your friends to join. Are you a fan of this email format? 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