A Colorado man who allegedly attacked an AAPI TV reporter and demanded to know whether the journalist was a U.S. citizen, saying, "This is Trump's America now," is facing bias-motivated charges.

Driving the news: Patrick Thomas Egan, 39, was arrested on Dec. 18 in Grand Junction, Colorado, after police said he stalked KKCO/KJCT reporter Ja'Ronn Alex's vehicle for around 40 miles.

Zoom in: Egan tackled and choked Alex before several people intervened and restrained the suspect until officers arrived on the scene, Grand Junction police said.

• According to an arrest affidavit obtained by the AP, Egan, driving a taxi, had pulled up next to Alex at a stoplight and asked: "Are you even a U.S. citizen? This is Trump's America now! I'm a Marine and I took an oath to protect this country from people like you!"
• The attack occurred outside of the television station and was caught on camera, the arrest affidavit said.
• Egan was transported to the Mesa County Detention Facility and charged with bias-motivated crimes, second-degree assault, and harassment.

Egan's lawyer, Ruth Swift, did not immediately return an email from Axios.

Zoom out: Alex is a native of Detroit. KKCO/KJCT reported that he was driving a news vehicle at the time.

• Alex told police that he believed he had been followed and attacked because he is a Pacific Islander, per the AP.

Context: The Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism at California State University, San Bernardino, recently shared with Axios new data that showed 2023 hate crimes overall hit records across 10 of the nation's largest cities, rising 16%.

• Hate crimes against all Asian American communities have been on the rise since the pandemic, with 1 in 3 Asian American adults reporting being the subject of a hate act last year.

Grand Junction is around 250 miles west of Denver.

Seed oils are being targeted by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and influencers claiming they are linked to chronic illness and other health concerns, but many health experts say the oils are simply caught up in the real problem: Americans' diet and overconsumption.

Why it matters: The debate over seed oils ultimately ties back to Americans' over-reliance on processed foods and other, broader dietary habits that many people want the government to help address.

Driving the news: Online influencers and the RFK-led health movement alike share a skepticism of seed oils and their impact on people's health.

• Oils made from seeds including canola, soy and sunflower have been dubbed the "Hateful Eight."
• RFK has said Americans are being "unknowingly poisoned" by them and claimed beef tallow is a healthier option.
• "To turn the page on our chronic disease crisis, the new administration should initiate a thorough, science-based review of seed oil," author Nina Teicholz recently wrote in the Washington Examiner.

But many nutritionists say seed oil concerns are overblown, lack context or just aren't based in science. Studies have repeatedly found they are safe to consume and may even be associated with lower risks of cardiovascular disease, cancer and Type 2 diabetes, per the NYT.

• Nutritionists say they're also much healthier than other sources of fat, like butter and lard, the NYT reported last month.
• Seed oils are mainly made up of unsaturated fats, and are high in heart-healthy omega-6 fatty acids and low in omega-3 fatty acids.
• "Many ultra-processed foods are lower in nutrient density, but the oil itself has really been demonized," Judy Simon, a registered dietitian nutritionist at the University of Washington Medical Center, told Verywell Health.

The latest: A recent study found ultra-processed foods high in seed oils may increase the risk of developing colon cancer, which is rising among younger people.

• An excess amount of omega-6 fatty acids found in ultra-processed foods may be to blame, Scientific American reports. Seed oils are used in a lot of packaged and processed food.
• It's not that omega-6 is bad for you; it's that Americans tend to eat too much of it.
• "Omega-6 is an essential fatty acid. You've got to have it — but...it's like everything else: it should be in moderation," Timothy Yeatman, a co-author of the study and a professor of surgery at the University of South Florida, told Scientific American. "But the problem is we've massively overdone the amount of seed oil in foods."

What they're saying: Although seed oils themselves are typically processed, "even worse than that...is they're usually used to make ultra-processed foods — think fast food burgers and fries and anything you'd eat at a state fair or get in a package in the grocery store," the Cleveland Clinic writes in a blog post.

• "Outside of your own home, you're most likely to consume seed oils when you're eating something that's already pretty bad for your health — something that's also full of fat, sugar and sodium," the blog post adds.

The bottom line: Using seed oils — in moderation — to cook healthy meals at home is probably fine. The real takeaway is that eating fast food and heavily processed foods all the time isn't.

Nothing revs up MAGA like the chance to dunk on DEI — diversity, equity and inclusion.

• DEI-bashing is the core of the "anti-woke" theology. MAGA warriors want a true color/gender-blind meritocracy, they say.

Why it matters: MAGA's DEI unity has hit a big snag. Elon Musk — a MAGA fanboy and fav until this past week — and others on X are arguing forcefully that in a true meritocracy, you'd pick harder-working foreigners for high-skilled gigs over less-qualified Americans.

• Steve Bannon and many MAGA originals consider this apostasy — basically another high-end, rich-guy way to screw the working-class voters behind the Donald Trump movement.

Welcome to the new frontier of the DEI.

• Musk tweeted Friday: "The point was not to replace DEI, which is one form of racism/sexism, with a different form of racism/sexism, but rather to be a meritocratic society!"

The big picture: N.Y. Times columnist David Brooks points out this isn't a "discrete one-off dispute."

• "This is the kind of core tension you get in your party when you do as Trump has done: taken a dynamic, free-market capitalist party and infused it with protective, backward-looking, reactionary philosophy," Brooks writes.
• "We're going to see this kind of dispute also when it comes to economic regulation, trade, technology policy, labor policy, housing policy and so on."

The latest: Musk vowed last night to "go to war" to defend the H-1B visa program for foreign tech workers, branding some Republican opponents as "hateful, unrepentant racists," Axios' Ben Berkowitz writes.

Go deeper: Elon Musk pledges "war" over H-1B visa program, calls opponents racists

A severe weather outbreak, including the threat of "several long-track tornadoes," is affecting a swath of the South on Saturday.

Threat level: The Storm Prediction Center has issued a rare "moderate risk," or level 4 out of 5 on the threat scale, for portions of Mississippi and Louisiana, indicating confidence in a potentially significant outbreak.

• Conditions are favorable for potentially significant tornadoes, along with damaging straight-line winds, hail and flash flooding in parts of Mississippi, Louisiana and Alabama, SPC forecasters noted in a forecast discussion.
• Already on Saturday morning, tornado warnings were being issued for parts of central and southern Mississippi, with the worst of the storms expected to also affect central and northern Louisiana and western Alabama.
• This outbreak follows severe weather earlier this week in Texas, and is the result of a deep dip, or trough, in the jet stream that is pulling moisture from the Gulf of Mexico northward.
• The storm forming in eastern Texas and northern Louisiana is forecast to move northeast while intensifying, eventually making its way into the Ohio Valley, Northeast and Quebec by early next week.

At lower levels of the atmosphere, there is ample wind shear (winds that blow at different speeds and/or directions at different altitudes) present to support long-lasting, rotating thunderstorms that can produce an array of extreme weather hazards, including tornadoes.

Zoom in: About 2 million people live in the moderate risk zone, which includes the cities of Jackson and Hattiesburg, Mississippi, along with Alexandria, Louisiana.

• About 4.6 million people reside in an area designated as being under "enhanced risk" of severe weather, including the cities of Baton Rouge, Shreveport, Louisiana and Mobile, Lafayette and Tuscaloosa, Alabama.
• This region is in a level 3 out of 5 on the risk scale.
• New Orleans is in the "slight risk" zone, indicating a lower threat there, though a heavy rains and thunderstorms are still expected in the Big Easy Saturday afternoon into Saturday night.

Context: Although spring and summer are typically thought of as tornado season, the South and Southeast tends to see severe weather during the winter as well, since that is when strong storm systems form near the Gulf Coast.

• This yields collisions between warm, humid air to the south and cold, dry air to the north.
• Climate change affects the conditions in which thunderstorms form and may be leading to larger outbreaks, though fewer of them, by adding to the instability of the atmosphere while simultaneously cutting back on wind shear.
• However, when both ingredients are present in enough abundance, major outbreaks can occur, studies show.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Saturday he apologized after the Azerbaijan Airlines flight crashed en route to Grozny, Chechnya, killing 38 people and injuring 29 others on Christmas Day.

The big picture: Putin apologized in a phone call with Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev "for the fact that the tragic incident occurred in Russian airspace," but the Russian president did not accept responsibility for the crash itself in a translated government news release.

• The crash happened as flight J2-8243 was diverted en route from Baku, Azerbaijan's capital.

The latest: "During the conversation, it was noted that the Azerbaijani passenger aircraft, which was strictly on schedule, repeatedly attempted to land at the Grozny airport," Russian officials said in the release.

• "At that time, Grozny, Mozdok and Vladikavkaz were attacked by Ukrainian combat unmanned aerial vehicles, and Russian air defense systems repelled these attacks."
• Russia has opened an investigation into the crash and is "closely cooperating at the site of the disaster in the Aktau region," the government said.

Elon Musk pledged Friday night to go to "war" to defend the H-1B visa program for foreign tech workers, branding some Republican opponents as "hateful, unrepentant racists."

Why it matters: The MAGA-DOGE civil war that erupted over the last 48 hours has now come to a tipping point, with President-elect Trump's new techno-libertarian coalition of billionaires taking full aim at his traditional base.

• Trump, who has remained silent thus far on the schism, faces a quickly deepening conflict between his richest and most powerful advisors on one hand, and the people who swept him to office on the other.

Catch up quick: The skirmishes started last Sunday, with anti-immigration and anti-Indian vitriol against Trump's pick of venture capitalist Sriram Krishnan as his AI advisor.

• It escalated into full conflict Thursday when Musk ally and DOGE co-lead Vivek Ramaswamy took to X to blast American "mediocrity" culture. Musk defended Ramaswamy, and the two sides started engaging in an increasingly bitter war of words.
• On Friday afternoon, Musk doubled down, saying MAGA adherents who continued to blast immigration and the tech community were "contemptible fools," later clarifying he was talking about "racists" who would "absolutely be the downfall of the Republican Party if they are not removed."

Zoom in: Just before midnight Friday, Musk once again defended the H-1B program in vulgar, all-caps terms, saying the program was the key to the success of his (and other big American) companies.

• "Take a big step back and F--K YOURSELF in the face. I will go to war on this issue the likes of which you cannot possibly comprehend," Musk wrote.
• In a separate post, he pledged to "fight to my last drop of blood" to keep America a meritocracy.

What they're saying: As with Musk's previous posts defending Ramaswamy and condemning his opponents, Trump supporters did not react well to Musk's promise to defend the H-1B program.

• "May God bless and protect President Trump from these people," outspoken right-wing commentator Laura Loomer wrote, after accusing Musk of trying to censor her.

The intrigue: Though Trump has been silent on the matter, those around him have started showing their hands.

• Michael Seifert, the CEO of online marketplace Public Square, whose board of directors includes Donald Trump Jr., took to social media Friday to say the H-1B program was "destroying the lives of American workers."
• Steve Bannon, one of the longest-tenured voices in Trump's orbit, had multiple guests on his show this week to talk about his hardline anti-H-1B views.
• Bannon tells Axios he helped kick off the debate with a now-viral Gettr post earlier this month calling out a lack of support for the Black and Hispanic communities in Big Tech.

Bankrupt retailer Big Lots said Friday it struck an 11th-hour deal to save hundreds of its stores via a sale to Gordon Brothers and Variety Wholesalers.

Why it matters: The Columbus, Ohio-based company had about 27,700 employees and more than 1,300 stores in 48 states when it filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in September.

• Last Friday, the company said its restructuring plans had collapsed and it would have to liquidate all its stores.

Zoom out: Big Lots said Variety Wholesalers would take over somewhere between 200 and 400 locations, which will keep the Big Lots name; and up to two distribution centers.

• Variety operates chains including Roses, Maxway and Bargain Town.

Yes, but: The deal that saves stores gives no guarantee on jobs.

• In a statement, Big Lots said Variety "may" employ current associates at the saved facilities.
• The deal still has to be approved by the bankruptcy court.

Researchers are building an AI system that they hope will, one day, allow humans to understand the many languages that animals use to communicate with one another.

Why it matters: Understanding what animals are saying could not only aid human knowledge of our world, but advocates say might provide a compelling case for giving them broader legal rights.

Driving the news: NatureLM, detailed earlier this year, is an AI language model that can already identify the species of animal speaking, as well as other information including the approximate age of the animal and whether it is indicating distress or play.

• Created by Earth Species Project, NatureLM has even shown potential in identifying the dialogue of species the system has never encountered before.
• NatureLM is trained on a mix of human language, environmental sounds and other data.
• The non-profit recently secured $17 million in grants to continue its work.

What they're saying: "We are facing a biodiversity crisis," Earth Species Project CEO Katie Zacarian said during a demo of NatureLM at the recent Axios AI+ Summit in San Francisco.

• "The situation we are in today is driven from a disconnection with the rest of nature," she said. "We believe that AI is leading us to this inevitability that we will decode animal communication and come back into connection."

Between the lines: Translation, in the broadest sense, is something that generative AI has proven to be quite good at. Sometimes that's translating from one human language to another, but the technology is also adept at transforming text from one genre to another.

Yes, but: An added wrinkle with translating animal languages is that instead of moving between two known languages, we have only limited understanding of how animals communicate and what they are capable of conveying through speech.

• Researchers know, for example, that birds make different sounds when they are singing songs as compared to sounding a warning call.
• They also have determined that many species have individual names for one another and some, like prairie dogs, have a system of nouns and adjectives to describe predators.

The big picture: Earth Species Project is one of many endeavors looking to tap AI to address planetary concerns.

• Microsoft last week detailed SPARROW, an AI system designed to measure biodiversity in some of the earth's most remote reaches.
• Developed by Microsoft's AI for Good lab, the effort uses solar-powered systems to collect data from cameras, acoustic monitors and other sensors.
• With human progress on combatting climate change seen likely to fall short of needed targets, many are looking to AI to provide alternative approaches.

While AI is showing promise in helping better understand nature, its massive energy demand is straining electrical systems and pushing tech companies to defer or alter plans to operate in a carbon neutral manner.

• "It is something the entire field needs to wrestle with, among the many other ethical challenges around responsible use and safety," Zacarian said.

Go deeper: Watch Zacarian's presentation at AI+ Summit

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen warned Congress on Friday that "extraordinary measures" will be necessary as early as Jan. 14 unless Congress acts to raise or otherwise suspend the debt ceiling.

Why it matters: President-elect Trump has voiced support to abolish the debt limit despite some of his supporters historically opposing action to raise the debt ceiling during Democratic administrations.

Driving the news: The debt limit, which reflects the amount the U.S. government is allowed to borrow to pay for services including Social Security and Medicare benefits, was suspended through Jan. 1, 2025, when the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023 went into effect.

• Outstanding debt is set to decrease by approximately $54 billion on Jan. 2 due to "a scheduled redemption of nonmarketable securities held by a federal trust fund related to Medicare payments," Yellen wrote in a letter addressed to House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.).

Yes, but: The Treasury "expects to reach the new limit between January 14 and January 23, at which time it will be necessary for Treasury to start taking extraordinary measures," Yellen wrote.

• "I respectfully urge Congress to act to protect the full faith and credit of the United States," Yellen added.

Eliminating the debt limit would likely require Democratic support, Axios earlier reported.

Go deeper: Scoop: Jeffries' plan to kill the debt ceiling forever

U.S. homelessness increased 18% this year, according to federal data released on Friday, with children being the age group that experienced the largest increase.

The big picture: Homelessness among nearly all populations reached record levels this year, but of the exacerbating factors have balanced out since the survey was conducted in January, the Department of Housing and Urban Development said in its report.

By the numbers: More than 770,000 people experienced homelessness on a single night in January 2024, per the point-in-time survey.

• Nearly 150,000 children experienced homelessness when the survey was taken, reflecting a 33% increase over 2023.
• Black people were 32% of the population identifying as homeless, despite making up 12% of the total U.S. population, HUD said. This figure decreased from 37% in 2023.
• Veterans reported continued declines in homelessness, decreasing by 8%.

Context: The migrant crisis, wildfires in Maui, Hawai'i that displaced thousands and high housing costs contributed to the stark rise and record high in the HUD report.

• "In the 13 communities that reported being affected by migration, family homelessness more than doubled," per HUD. Meanwhile, "in the remaining 373 communities, the rise in families experiencing homelessness was less than 8%."
• Chicago and Denver both announced an end to their migrant shelter systems this fall in response to decreases in shelter censuses.

Zoom in: "This report reflects data collected a year ago and likely does not represent current circumstances, given changed policies and conditions," HUD said in a statement.

• The survey was taken at the end of significant rental cost increases. Since then, rents have flattened or decreased.
• Rental costs have also stabilized since Maui wildfires exacerbated the housing crisis.
• And migration that rose 39% from 2023 to 2024, dropped later this year with more control on border crossings, HUD said.

Zoom out: Issues around poverty and homelessness got almost no attention during the 2024 election with candidates focusing on middle class concerns.

• A broad measure of poverty for families headed by single mothers rose last year and is now back to 2018 levels, per a new analysis of Census Bureau data from the National Women's Law Center.
• For households led by single mothers, the supplemental measure of poverty increased to 29% in 2023 from 27% in 2022. That's more than 2.7 million families.

The nation's overall poverty rate is 12.4% but it is 21.3% for Black people and 16.9% for Latinos, based on the Census Bureau's 2023 5-year estimates.

• Latinos make up 19% of the population and with other people of color, are set to form a plurality of the country's population by midcentury, but experts say a lack of discussion on Latino poverty is allowing inequalities, and possibly homelessness, to fester and grow.
• Rev. William Barber, of the Poor People's Campaign, tells Axios that the lack of discussion on poverty and low-wage workers prevents the nation from having an honest look at unhoused populations and affordable housing.

Go deeper:

• Homelessness in the U.S. jumped to record level in 2023, government says
• A record 1 in 8 NYC students experienced homelessness last school year

Elon Musk condemned a segment of the MAGA movement as "contemptible fools" who should be purged from the Republican Party in a social media post Friday.

Why it matters: A virtual right-wing civil war has broken out over race, class, immigration and the future of President-elect Trump's movement, and Musk is increasingly at odds with Trump's historic base.

• The schism may force Trump to ultimately take sides between the largely white, working-class supporters who first made MAGA succeed, and the techno-libertarian billionaires like Musk who are at the center of his new administration.

Catch up quick: On Thursday, Musk ally and Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) co-leader Vivek Ramaswamy posted a lengthy condemnation of American culture and its supposed embrace of mediocrity.

• Musk spent the next 24 hours defending Ramaswamy and advancing his argument that America needs highly skilled immigrants to fill high-tech jobs.
• That argument landed with a thud in the MAGA wing that wants to stop immigration and preserve jobs for American workers.

Zoom in: On Friday, cartoonist and right-wing commentator Scott Adams posted on X that MAGA was "taking a page from Democrats on how to lose elections while feeling good about themselves."

• Musk agreed, and took it a step further.
• "And those contemptible fools must be removed from the Republican Party, root and stem," he posted.

What they're saying: For people used to being called "deplorables" by Democrats, the condemnation from one of the most important advisors in Trump's inner circle stoked instant outrage.

• "Calling people who have their country's best interests at heart and wanting to NOT sell out the American people 'contemptible fools' is the biggest L that I've seen Elon make in a long time. Dude needs to relax," gaming streamer Hooks posted.
• Right-wing activist Laura Loomer tagged Trump in her message. "The Trump base is being replaced by Big Tech executives. So sad to see this. I feel so sad for MAGA," she said. Loomer has alleged Musk was censoring her for her opposition to his immigration comments.
• Andrew Torba, the CEO of the far-right social network Gab, said in an X post: "He's declaring war on us btw. Should go over well for him as it has for everyone else who has tried."

Go deeper: MAGA vs. Musk: Right-wing critics allege censorship, loss of X badges

Retiring Rep. Annie Kuster (D-N.H.) believes more of her colleagues should follow her lead and make way for a younger generation of political leaders.

Why it matters: Age was one of the lightening rods of the 2024 presidential election, as voters repeatedly expressed concerns about about President Biden's fitness for office before a disastrous debate performance helped force him out of the race.

• Biden's exit made President-elect Trump the oldest presidential nominee in U.S. history, with the latter also attracting scrutiny over his age.
• In Democratic circles, the election results have fueled waves of finger-pointing and soul-searching, with some calling for generational change among the party's leaders.

Driving the news: Kuster, 68, threw down a gauntlet in favor of ushering in new political leadership in a new interview with the Boston Globe out Thursday, telling the paper she hoped to "set a better example" by retiring.

• "I think there are colleagues — and some of whom are still very successful and very productive — but others who just stay forever," she added.
• Kuster noted that she wished Biden had chosen to exit the race sooner.
• She added that she was "just not the best gladiator" to help take on the new Trump administration.

Kuster announced her plans to retire back in March.

The big picture: The national discourse over America's aging gerontocracy goes far beyond the executive branch.

• The revelation earlier this month that Rep. Kay Granger (R-Texas) had been living in an independent living facility in Texas sparked fresh debate about Congress' aging members.
• Recent health challenges from octogenarian leaders Nancy Pelosi and Mitch McConnell have only fueled the fire.
• Neither a representative for Granger nor the White House immediately responded to Axios' request for comment regarding Kuster's remarks.

Zoom out: House Democrats recently elected several new, younger committee leaders ahead of the incoming Trump administration.

Go deeper: Congress' age debate reignites over member living in retirement home

Sriram Krishnan has become a MAGA lightning rod since President-elect Trump named him as a senior advisor on artificial intelligence, due to both anti-Indian racism and Krishnan's pro-immigration views.

The big picture: Krishnan is an unlikely candidate for controversy, known throughout Silicon Valley for his affability and to the broader world as co-host of a podcast with his wife, tech entrepreneur Aarthi Ramamurthy.

Zoom in: Krishnan was born and educated in India, moving to the U.S. on an L-1 visa (intra-company transfer) in 2007 to work at Microsoft.

• He'd remain in Seattle for just over six years, mostly focused on Azure, before moving to Silicon Valley and serving in senior product roles at Snap, Facebook, Yahoo, and Twitter. He became a U.S. citizen in 2016.
• During the pandemic, Krishnan and Ramamurthy launched a popular show on the Clubhouse audio app, which included interviews with such tech luminaries as Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg.

Moving on: Krishnan in late 2020 became a general partner with venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz, a prominent backer of Clubhouse.

• He also would become the firm's emissary to Twitter after Elon Musk's takeover, which Andreessen Horowitz helped finance, spending time in the "war room" with Musk pals like David Sacks (who will serve as Trump's AI and crypto czar).
• Last year Krishnan moved to London to lead Andreessen Horowitz's first European office, and to focus on early-stage crypto investments. He announced in November that he'd leave the firm at year-end, although that came before Trump's job offers to either him or Sacks.

The intrigue: Krishnan has advocated for raising country caps on green cards, but hasn't specifically commented on H1-B visas (despite incorrect social media claims to the contrary).

• Krishnan's appointment on Dec. 22 stirred a swift backlash on social media over those immigration views, which quickly turned openly racist. Trump hasn't yet weighed in on the controversy.
• That backlash was the warmup for the full-on outrage that followed Vivek Ramaswamy's X post criticizing American cultural mediocrity.

The bottom line: Krishnan's new job would be to advise the White House on AI policy, not on immigration policy.

• There could, however, be overlap given the skilled labor needs of existing U.S. AI companies, plus the history of immigrants founding successful startups in AI and other tech sectors.

Go deeper: What Silicon Valley's Trump supporters aren't saying

An erupting civil war in MAGA world over foreign workers has shone a fresh spotlight on a visa scheme that has become the backbone of the country's highly-skilled tech industry.

Why it matters: The brewing conflict has underscored the schism between one of President-elect Trump's cornerstone pledges — cracking down on immigration — and his Silicon Valley supporters, many of whose businesses depend on attracting foreign workers.

Between the lines: No one epitomizes the fracture among the MAGA movement more than Elon Musk, who has become one of Trump's most influential and prominent backers.

• Musk, a South African immigrant who previously held the coveted H-1B visa and whose businesses rely on attracting the best engineering talent around the world, has emerged as one of the most vocal defenders of the H-1B visa program.
• Yet other MAGA figures like far-right activist Laura Loomer have maintained a more hardline immigration stance, arguing the U.S. should prioritize American workers over foreign ones.

State of play: The brewing conflict among Trump's supporters also highlighted the racial tensions in the MAGA tent.

• Largely white, working-class voters spurred Trump's political rise nearly a decade ago, while the current clash revolves around the admittance of primarily non-white, highly skilled workers into the U.S.

Here's what to know about the H-1B visa program fueling the divide in MAGA world.

What is the H-1B visa scheme?

The H-1B visa allows for highly skilled workers in "specialty occupations" to live and work in the U.S. under a "nonimmigrant status."

• It enables American companies to employ foreign workers that have highly-specialized theoretical or technical skills.
• Proponents argue the program allows the U.S. to retain a competitive edge in STEM fields by attracting the most highly skilled professionals worldwide.

How does it work?

H-1B applicants must have a bachelor's degree or equivalent in a field relevant to their specialty occupation.

• Approval for the visa requires sponsorship from a prospective employer, who must file a petition with the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).
• In the petition, the employer attests that they will appropriately pay the foreign worker and that their employment won't negatively impact "similarly employed" U.S. workers.

Zoom in: H-1B visas are typically granted for up to three years, but can be extended for no more than six years total.

• Because the program grants "nonimmigrant status" to recipients, it means the workers' stay in the U.S. is conditioned as temporary. The H-1B is not an immigration visa, with a path toward permanent residency.

Who gets H-1Bs?

The U.S. government caps the approval of new H-1B visas at 85,000 per year.

• A March report from the Department of Homeland Security found that 72% of H-1B recipients between Oct. 2022 and Sept. 2023 were from India.
• The second-most common country of origin was China, with nearly 12% of recipients. The third was the Philippines, at just over 1% of beneficiaries.
• 71% of H-1B recipients were men, per the report.

Where does the H-1B program fit in Trump's agenda?

Trump's election victory has spurred worries among many immigrants that Trump could again attempt to restrict the H-1B program, NBC News reported.

• During his first term, Trump issued a temporary freeze on H-1B visas and later issued new restrictions on the H-1B program, though some of these rules were later struck down in court.
• A representative for the Trump transition did not immediately respond to Axios' request for comment regarding the president-elect's plans for the H-1B visa during his second term.

Go deeper:

• MAGA civil war breaks out over American "mediocrity" culture
• Behind the Curtain: The Silicon swamp

A handful of conservative critics of Elon Musk are alleging censorship and claiming they were stripped of their verification badges on X after challenging his views on H-1B visas for highly skilled foreign workers.

Why it matters: The H-1B issue and an X post by Musk ally Vivek Ramaswamy about America's culture of "mediocrity" have sparked an online MAGA civil war over immigration and race. Some supporters of President-elect Trump are now turning on Musk and the tech bros Trump has tapped for key administration roles.

Between the lines: The claims of "censorship" on X are difficult to verify.

• Since Musk purchased Twitter and implemented sweeping staff cuts, it's often been difficult to get answers as to whether or why certain accounts or posts have been minimized. X did not respond to Axios' request for comment.
• Conservatives have long blamed "shadow bans" for censoring them on social media even when there hasn't been explicit proof. However, Musk's X has often been hailed by conservatives as a bastion of free speech.

Driving the news: Trump's conspiracy-minded ally Laura Loomer, New York Young Republican Club president Gavin Wax and InfoWars host Owen Shroyer all said their verification badges disappeared after they criticized Musk's support for H1B visas, railed against Indian culture and attacked Ramaswamy, Musk's DOGE co-chair.

What they're saying: In response to a user who said replies were being hidden from her posts, Loomer stated that there is a "full censorship of my account simply because I called out H-1B visas. This is anti-American behavior by tech oligarchs."

• "Insane that blue checks are being removed from accounts that have been vocal in their criticism of the H1B racket," Wax said.
• "I just lost my verification...was told my account is 'under review,'" Shroyer said.
• Those updates from the three critics were posted around the same time Thursday night. There has been no official response from Musk or X.

The other side: A few hours before those posts, Musk shared in a post that the X "algorithm is trying to maximize unregretted user-seconds."

• "If far more credible, verified subscriber accounts (not bots) mute/block your account compared to those who like your posts, your reach will decline significantly."
• He later said that "any accounts found to be engaged in coordinated attacks to spam target accounts with mute/blocks will themselves be categorized – correctly – as spam."

How it happened: Loomer helped spark the H-1B debate earlier this week by criticizing a Trump appointee's previous support for allowing more highly skilled workers to enter the U.S.

• Musk weighed in Wednesday, saying America had too few "talented" and "motivated" engineers and needed "to recruit top talent wherever they may be."
• Loomer's stream of posts since then has included criticisms of Musk and racist claims about Indian people. She has also been backed up by Trump-world allies like Steve Bannon in her efforts to split Big Tech and MAGA.
• "Loomer is trolling for attention. Ignore," Musk posted on X.

Flashback: Musk has a history of punishing news organizations and journalists he doesn't like, ostensibly for policy violations.

• He threatened to reassign NPR's account handle last year and marked some links to the site as "unsafe" when users click through.
• Musk also removed the verification badge of The New York Times in 2023.
• X also suspended independent journalist Ken Klippenstein's account after he shared Sen. JD Vance's vetting document from the alleged Iranian hack of Trump's campaign.

Go deeper: MAGA civil war breaks out over American "mediocrity" culture

American adults are nearly as likely to blame insurance denials for the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson as they are to blame the person who shot him, according to new poll data.

The big picture: The reaction to Brian Thompson's killing — and the veneration by some of suspect Luigi Mangione — has revealed a deep distrust of the health insurance industry and its treatment of patients in need of critical care.

• Thompson's Dec. 4 killing prompted rage against health insurers, especially on social media.

By the numbers: 78% of respondents overall said they believed the individual who committed the killing bears "a great deal" or "a moderate amount" of responsibility for Thompson's death.

• 69% attributed some blame to coverage denials by health care companies, and 67% to insurance industry profits.

Between the lines: Americans under 30 in the NORC survey were especially likely to think a mix of factors, and not just the assassin, were to blame for Thompson's death, per AP.

• This aligns with previous polling that found young people were more likely than their elders to say they believe the killing was "acceptable" or "somewhat acceptable."

Zoom out: CEOs in the health care industry and beyond have been seeking additional security after Thompson's killing.

• A majority of poll respondents said they were concerned about potential future violence toward business executives.

Go deeper: 41% of young voters say UnitedHealthcare CEO killing "acceptable": Poll

Methodology: The survey of adults 18+ represents the 50 states and Washington, D.C. It was conducted Dec. 12–16 and has an overall margin of error of ±4.2 percentage points.

Editor's note: This story has been corrected to reflect that the poll was conducted by NORC (not AP and NORC).

2024 will be the second straight "hottest year" on record. But it wasn't supposed to be as hot as it was, coming in far ahead of 2023's alarming global temperature spike.

Threat level: For reasons climate scientists don't yet fully understand, 2024 is likely to temporarily eclipse the Paris Agreement's 1.5°C temperature target, when compared to preindustrial levels.

Between the lines: Earth's extreme heat can be partially explained by human-caused warming, the lingering effects of a strong El Niño event, and other factors. But the truth is, researchers aren't completely sure why the planet's fever has increased faster than anticipated.

• The unsettling possibility in play is that climate change is accelerating, which implies that tipping points, such as the shutdown of major ocean currents, are closer than once thought.

The latest: People worldwide suffered an average of 41 extra days of dangerous heat this year because of climate change, according to a report out Friday from scientists at World Weather Attribution and Climate Central.

The big picture: Millions of people endured stifling heat this year.

• Northern California and Death Valley baked. Sizzling daytime temperatures scorched Mexico and Central America. Heat endangered already vulnerable children in West Africa.
• Skyrocketing southern European temperatures forced Greece to close the Acropolis. In South and Southeast Asian countries, heat forced school closures. Earth experienced some of the hottest days ever measured and its hottest-yet summer, with a 13-month heat streak that just barely broke.

NASA's Parker Solar Probe completed the closest-ever approach to the Sun by a human-made spacecraft, coming within 3.8 million miles of the solar surface.

Why it matters: NASA scientists received a signal from the probe late Thursday night after several days of silence while it conducted the flyby. The data collected during the historic approach will help scientists better understand the Sun.

• The undertaking is a remarkable feat of science and engineering, given the extreme heat (up to 1,800 F) and radiation the probe endured as it passed through the Sun's outer atmosphere.
• While 3.8 million miles may not seem like a particularly close encounter, the Earth is 93 million miles from the Sun.

State of play: The approach took place on Dec. 24, and NASA's missions operations team, based in Laurel, Maryland, received the signal just before midnight on Thursday, per a statement from NASA.

• The probe was moving about 430,000 mph.
• The aircraft is in good condition and operating normally.

What's next: The probe is expected to send data back on Jan. 1 to the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory.

• The data will help scientists understand how material in that region gets heated to millions of degrees, trace the origin of solar wind, and discover how energetic particles are accelerated to near light speed.

Context: In 2018, Parker became the first spacecraft to enter the Sun's corona, the outermost part of the star's atmosphere that can be seen during a total solar eclipse.

• Other close passes helped scientists pinpoint the origins of structures in the solar wind and map the outer boundary of the Sun's atmosphere.

Go deeper: NASA probe to fly closer to the Sun than ever before

The Biden administration is withdrawing its latest plans for student loan forgiveness as uncertainty looms over the status of debt relief under President-elect Trump.

Why it matters: The withdrawn initiatives would have provided debt relief for more than 30 million borrowers. They marked President Biden's last chance to deliver on his campaign promise of student loan forgiveness before leaving office.

• The incoming Trump administration is not expected to prioritize student loan relief.

Driving the news: The Department of Education withdrew the two plans as of Dec. 20, it said in a notice posted in the Federal Register.

• One of the plans remained held up in a legal battle, while the other would not be finalized until after Biden's term ends.
• "With the time remaining in this administration, the Department is focused on several priorities including court-ordered settlements and helping borrowers manage the final elements of the return to repayment," the notice states.

Between the lines: "The Biden administration dropping these proposed plans feels like a big loss, but the immediate relief these plans promised was still a long way off," NerdWallet lending expert Kate Wood told Axios.

• "The proposals being withdrawn shouldn't have an immediate effect on borrowers, though it's certainly a big disappointment for those who believe they would have qualified for forgiveness under these plans," she added.

The big picture: The Biden administration doled out nearly $180 billion in student debt relief to 4.9 million people through various actions, despite the Supreme Court blocking his sweeping debt cancellation plan last year.

• Many of Biden's plans for loan forgiveness were hampered by Republican-backed legal challenges.

How can student loan borrowers prepare for the next administration?

Borrowers don't need to take immediate action over the transfer of power.

Yes, but: Some federal loan borrowers may want to explore changing repayment plans, Wood said.

Zoom in: The Department of Education in December reopened two income-driven repayment plans to give borrowers more options to keep their payments low.

• Pay As You Earn (PAYE) and Income-Contingent Repayment (ICR) offer credit toward Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) and income-driven repayment (IDR) for eligible borrowers enrolled in SAVE.
• That means the plans can eventually lead to debt forgiveness after 20 or 25 years.
• The PAYE and ICR applications are available at StudentAid.gov/idr.

Be smart: "Borrowers who are stuck in the limbo of SAVE forbearance may want to check out these other IDR plans to see whether they could work," Wood said.

• Because these plans have different qualifications and use different payment formulas, monthly payments could change.
• "But for some borrowers, higher monthly payments may be a worthwhile price to pay for restarting their forgiveness clock," Wood said.

What student loan borrowers can do

• Prepare for the end of SAVE: The program, which is currently blocked amid a legal battle, will likely be nixed by the next administration. Look into other income-driven repayment plans and budget for increased payments.
• Budget for higher payments: Those already enrolled in other IDR plans may also see an increase in monthly payments, whether because of income recertification or for filing taxes jointly with a spouse.
• Ensure you're on track for forbearance, if eligible: Those working toward PSLF can track their information at StudentAid.gov and ensure their payments are being counted accurately.
• Take your loans out of default/start making payments: With the end of the one-year on-ramp period this fall, borrowers who are late on payments or do not make them can be reported to credit bureaus, which can negatively impact their credit scores.

More from Axios:

• What another Trump term could mean for student loan relief
• Biden admin cancels $4.3 billion in latest round of student loan relief
• Biden's brief win in battle for student loan forgiveness scuttled in court
• Key student loan protection ends Sept. 30, here's what borrowers should know

Americans want to hear less about politics from public figures — and Republicans really don't want to hear it, according to a new AP-NORC poll.

Why it matters: After an election season where endorsements from celebrities frequently made news, the survey found Americans are more likely to disapprove than approve of celebrities, big companies and athletes sounding off on politics.

By the numbers:

• Just 39% of Democrats approve of celebrities piping up on political issues — but only 11% of Republicans and 12% of independents (24% for the whole sample).
• Same with pro athletes: 39% of Democrats approve of them speaking up — but just 16% of Republicans and 15% of independents (26% overall).
• Small business is a big exception: 43% of people are happy to hear from entrepreneurs. That breaks down to 49% of Dems, 41% of Republicans and 33% of independents.

Zoom out: The poll also found that most Americans are trying to avoid political news. Go deeper.