Latest news with #Axios'
Axios
a day ago
- Politics
- Axios
Court upholds Arkansas' school indoctrination bans
Arkansas' bans on critical race theory instruction and "indoctrination" in schools held up in court this week. The big picture: A three-judge panel from the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled the bans do not violate students' free speech rights because the government can lawfully dictate what is taught in schools, the Arkansas Advocate reported. Zoom in: Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders' sweeping education law, the LEARNS Act of 2023, includes a section on "prohibited indoctrination." It's defined as communication by a public school employee or guest speaker that compels a person to adopt, affirm or profess an idea that people of a legally protected group like race, sex or religion are inherently superior or inferior or that people of a protected group should be discriminated against. The law specifically calls critical race theory "prohibited indoctrination." Context: Critical race theory holds that racism is baked into the formation of the nation and ingrained in the U.S. legal, financial and education systems, Axios' Russell Contreras writes. It was developed in law schools in the late 1970s and early 1980s and does not teach that members of any race, group, religion or nationality are superior. Some scholars argue that race-based policies, like affirmative action, or those that take race into account, like redistricting protections, are needed to address racial inequity. Flashback: U.S. District Court Judge Lee Rudofsky temporarily halted implementation of the indoctrination section of LEARNS from going into effect in May 2024. What they're saying: The First Amendment right to receive information doesn't authorize a court to require the state to retain curriculum materials or instruction, even if information was removed for political reasons the Arkansas Advocate reported.
Axios
2 days ago
- Business
- Axios
Communicator Spotlight: Nairi Hourdajian of Figma
Nairi Hourdajian serves as chief communications officer at the collaborative design software company, Figma. Why it matters: Figma recently filed to go public, becoming the first U.S. unicorn to break the dam for post-Labor Day IPOs, Axios' Dan Primack points out. Catch up quick: Hourdajian got her start working on Capitol Hill and for political campaigns before joining Uber in 2013 as head of global communications. She then ran marketing and communications for early-stage venture capital firm Canaan before joining Figma in 2020. What she's saying: "I love working for founder-led companies because it reminds me a lot of working for political campaigns," she told Axios. "The politician's brand and the message of the campaign are inexorably linked. And that passion and care that a politician has for every detail of their campaign is very similar to how a founder cares for every detail of how their company is run." Plus, both rely on finding and engaging with the most dedicated user bases, she added. "One of the things that I really believe, that I learned from politics, is that the intensity of sentiment is the most important thing that you can have," Hourdajian said. "So when you're doing that first poll about a potential candidate, all you need to see is that there is a really passionate sentiment about that person, even if the number of people who know them is small, because then you know that once they get to know the candidate, that that can potentially spread." "The same is true for products or for any brand or company. When you're building a brand, you need to inspire that kind of passion." State of play: Hourdajian sits on the senior leadership team and reports to Figma chief marketing officer Sheila Vashee. She oversees the team responsible for communications, corporate affairs, brand marketing and community and experiential marketing. "I think of comms as a brand strategy function," she said. "You're essentially showing the world who you are through your actions. And so, how are you advising the business? How are you driving ideas, messages, stories and tactical executions that tell the story that is important to tell for your business?" Zoom in: Her team just executed their sixth Config — an annual conference for Figma users and community members — and supported the launch of four new products. The company is also focused on growing internationally, Hourdajian says, with offices now in Berlin, London, Singapore, Sydney and Tokyo. What to watch: Communicating with a consumer lens. "We're a brand that mostly makes money B2B but we have a very strong consumer patina to our brand [because] enterprise buyers are people too," she said. "There's no reason that the language, the tactics, the execution, the visuals need to be worse or archaic or boring just because you happen to be a B2B company versus a consumer brand. And bringing a consumer lens to every company, no matter what space you're in, is something I'm really passionate about." She's also paying close attention to the marketing and comms strategies coming out of Oatly, Nike and Peloton. Best career advice: Do not have a five-year plan. "You will limit your option space by accident. Wherever you are, in whatever role, if you're learning, being challenged and enjoying the role then stick with it. If those things start to not feel true anymore, pick up your head. Look around, but be open. You don't know where you could end up."
Axios
2 days ago
- Business
- Axios
Youngkin visits Iowa and S.C. as 2028 presidential race looms
Gov. Youngkin is one of several possible GOP contenders for president in 2028 racing to build his national profile, Axios' Alex Isenstadt reports. Why it matters: President Trump, who's dominated GOP politics for a decade, can't legally run again, leaving the door open for ambitious Republicans to offer themselves to primary voters and donors as the future of the party. State of play: Youngkin, who's term-limited in Virginia, is headed to Iowa to be the keynote speaker at the Republican Party of Iowa's annual Lincoln Dinner on Thursday. Next month, he'll be in South Carolina headlining the Silver Elephant Gala, the state GOP's biggest fundraiser of the year. Both events are in early primary states and considered must-stops for GOP presidential candidates to establish relationships with major donors. Plus, during the past year, he's appeared at state party functions in California, New York and North Carolina. Reality check: This isn't the first time presidential run rumors have swirled around Youngkin. Speculation started almost immediately after he won his bid for Virginia governor in 2021, before he'd even been sworn in for his first-ever elective office. Between the lines: Jumping into the 2028 conversation isn't just about seeking the White House. It's also about raising a prospect's profile and injecting them into the mix for VP consideration or a possible Cabinet post in 2029, Isenstadt notes. What they're saying: "Governor Youngkin is squarely focused on governing Virginia and helping our entire ticket win in November," Becca Glover, executive director of his Spirit of Virginia PAC, tells Axios. By the numbers: Spirit of Virginia has raised nearly $2.5 million this year as of May, according to the latest data from VPAP. That includes another $1 million donation from billionaire Republican megadonor Thomas Peterffy, whom Semafor called"the donor determined to make Glenn Youngkin president." It's Peterffy's fourth million-dollar gift to Youngkin since 2023. What we're watching: Preparations for the 2028 primary will accelerate next year, when aspirants hit the trail for midterm candidates with an eye toward establishing alliances and earning chits, GOP strategists tell Axios.
Axios
3 days ago
- Politics
- Axios
Here are the 3rd-countries where the Trump admin is deporting migrants
Expelling migrants to third-countries that are not their place of origin is becoming a cornerstone of President Trump's deportation strategy. The big picture: The administration's increasing number of third-country deportation agreements showcases a dogged desire to pursue every possible avenue to fulfill Trump's promise to deport record numbers of noncitizens. Catch up quick: The Trump administration restarted deportation flights after the Supreme Court ruled last month that the Department of Homeland Security could resume sending migrants to countries that were not their place of origin. The decision put a lower court order that required the government to give immigrants adequate time to challenge their deportations on hold. State of play: Border czar Tom Homan said the U.S. aims to sign third-country deportation agreements with "many countries" to support the administration's deportation plans. The administration has either approached or plans to approach roughly 51 countries to accept non-citizen deportations from the U.S., per a June report New York Times report. At least two of those countries, Eswatini and South Sudan in Africa, have accepted flights from the U.S. since the report came out. The DHS did not immediately respond to Axios' Wednesday evening request for comment on how many of the countries have been approached. Thought bubble via Axios' Dave Lawler: The administration has reportedly discussed safe third-country agreements with many countries for which the "safe" description is very much in question. Take Libya or South Sudan, both of which have been wracked by instability and violence for years. Several other countries involved in these deals are among the poorest in the world. The prospect of deporting migrants thousands of miles away to unfamiliar and often unstable countries has raised alarm among human rights groups, but the idea has strong support within the administration. Here are the countries that have already accepted deportees who are not their citizens: Eswatini Five migrants from Cuba, Jamaica, Laos, Vietnam and Yemen were deported to the tiny African nation of Eswatini on Tuesday, the DHS announced. DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin wrote on X that the flight was carrying individuals who had been convicted of a range of crimes that included murder, homicide, and child rape. El Salvador The Trump administration sent at least 238 Venezuelan migrants to a notorious El Salvadorian maximum security prison under the Alien Enemies Act in March, claiming that they were terrorists and members of a violent gang. By the numbers: An April CBS News report found 75% of the migrants sent to the prison had no criminal record. Mexico Mexico has received roughly 6,000 non-Mexicans from the U.S. as of late April, per Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum. Sheinbaum said the non-Mexicans her country was accepting for "humanitarian reasons" comprise a small number of the nearly 39,000 migrants the U.S. has deported to Mexico since Jan. 20. Guatemala Guatemalan President Bernardo Arevalo announced in February that his country had agreed to accept third-country nationals from the United States and would be ramping up deportation flights from the U.S. by 40%. Arevalo told NBC News that the agreement was not supposed to provide a pathway for people to seek asylum in Guatemala. Rather, the country would serve as a pit stop in the process of sending people back to their home countries. Costa Rica Costa Rica accepted roughly 200 third-country nationals from two different U.S. flights through the end of February, per a May Human Rights Watch report. On the planes were at least 81 children and two pregnant women. What they're saying: After announcing the expulsion agreement, Costa Rican President Rodrigo Chaves said his country was helping its "economically powerful brother to the north." Costa Rican officials have said the U.S. will cover the costs of the deported people's stay in the country, and that the arrangement was expected to be a temporary stop in the repatriation process. Panama The U.S. has deported hundreds of people to Panama since February as part of a deal for the country serve as a "bridge" while the U.S. bears the financial costs, per AP. The migrants are from countries including Iran, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Afghanistan and China. Rwanda The U.S. paid the Rwandan government $100,000 to accept an Iraqi citizen in April and agreed to take 10 more deportees, the New York Times reported. Negotiations reached over the Iraqi citizen "proved the concept for a new removal program, according to the report. South Sudan The U.S. deported eight men to South Sudan in July, after a legal battle diverted their deportation flight to Djibouti for several weeks. Some of the men deported were from Cuba, Laos, Mexico, Myanmar and Vietnam. Kosovo This landlocked Balkan nation in Europe agreed to host 50 noncitizen deportees from the U.S. in June. The deal would allow noncitizens to be "temporarily relocated" before being sent back to their home country. The intrigue: Kosovo reportedly agreed to accept the noncitizens from the U.S. in the hope that the administration will continue to lobby other nations to recognize the small country's independence.
Axios
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Axios
Scoop: City gives Allianz Amphitheater control of public lot during concerts
The city is leasing the Belle Isle parking lot it co-owns to Allianz Amphitheater and Live Nation for its use during concerts. Why it matters: The lease terms make the 60 public and free spaces unavailable for the public's use from 1pm to midnight on concert days. That, combined with other street and lot closures, is making it harder to access the river in the area. State of play: Richmond has "a paid, month-to-month trial lease" with the venue owners for the Belle Isle lot, city parks spokesperson Tamara Jenkins tells Axios. Richmond police also shut down Brown's Island Way at 2nd Street and Tredegar Street between 5th and Brown's Island Way during concerts, she says. The Tredegar Street parking lot — the gated paid lot near the American Civil War Museum — is also closed to the public during shows, a museum spokesperson tells Axios. What they're saying: Allianz uses the lots for staging and staff parking, Jenkins says. The street closures and leased lot aim to help with crowd control and public safety, she adds. Allianz did not immediately respond to Axios' request for comment. Zoom out: The closures are similar to what happens during RiverRock and the Folk Festival, Jenkins says. But those festivals draw hundreds of thousands of attendees and happen over three-days twice a year, far less frequently than the 7,500-person venue's summer schedule. Worth noting: Jenkins did not respond to Axios' request for the lease terms by press time. The big picture: Parking has been one of locals' top complaints about the city's new outdoor concert venue since it opened last month (and, if we're being honest, since it was announced). At the outset, Allianz said there'd be no parking at the venue and encouraged attendees to use public transit or ride-sharing apps. For drivers, the venue offers a map of paid places to park within a 15-minute walk. Yes, but: The lack of onsite parking doesn't appear to have deterred concert-goers. Early reviews on social media (minus parking and food price gripes) suggest the venue is a hit and a welcome addition to life in RVA. And Allianz is hosting its biggest show yet this week: Back-to-back sold-out shows for Dave Matthews Band's first Richmond concert in nearly 30 years (the Belle Isle lot will be closed from 8am-midnight due to the size of the shows).
