View in browser   PRESENTED BY INSTAGRAM   Axios PM By Mike Allen · Dec 19, 2023 👋 Happy Tuesday! Today's PM — edited by Noah Bressner — is 492 words, a 2-min. read. Thanks to Sheryl Miller for the copy edit.     1 big thing: Paperwork slams kids Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios   Onerous paperwork — of all things — has presented itself as a major hurdle to solving America's chronic absenteeism problem, AP's Bianca Vázquez Toness reports. Why it matters: An estimated 50,000 students were missing from any kind of school as of fall 2022, according to an AP analysis. Strict documentation rules and the everyday obstacles of poverty are stopping many of those children from re-enrolling. Some schools repeatedly ask for proof of residency, which can be tricky for families that struggled with homelessness during the pandemic. 🔎 Zoom in: In Atlanta, for example, parents must present at least eight documents to enroll their children — twice as many as parents in New York City or Los Angeles.  Only one document is required by Georgia. Some of the other documents, required by Atlanta Public Schools alone, are designed to crack down on "residency fraud." Some communities have added tip lines for neighbors to report parents who send kids to schools outside their enrollment zones. Keep reading.         2. 🗞️ WashPost ends buyouts Illustration: Annelise Capossela/Axios   The Washington Post met its headcount reduction goal and ended a wave of voluntary buyouts that shook the newsroom, Axios' Kerry Flynn and Eleanor Hawkins write. Why it matters: The cost-cutting plan came in the wake of a brutal financial year for the paper and ahead of the official start of a new CEO. In a note to staff today, interim CEO Patty Stonesifer said the company "will enter the new year with a smaller organization but a better financial position." Stonesifer said in October that the buyouts were offered in hopes of "averting more difficult actions such as layoffs." William Lewis — the former head of Wall Street Journal parent Dow Jones — will take over as CEO on Jan. 2. Go deeper.         A MESSAGE FROM INSTAGRAM More than 75% of parents want to approve the apps teens under 16 download     According to a new poll from Morning Consult, more than 75% of parents agree: Teens under 16 shouldn’t be able to download apps from app stores without parental permission.1 Instagram wants to work with Congress to pass federal legislation that gets it done. Learn more.     3. Catch me up Data: Ambrey Analytics. Map: Axios Visuals 🌍 Mapped: The Iranian-backed Houthi rebels vowed to defy a U.S.-led naval mission and continue targeting Red Sea shipping off the coast of Yemen in support of Hamas. Go deeper. ⚡ Civil rights and immigrant advocacy groups filed a lawsuit challenging the new Texas law that gives local police authority over immigration enforcement, Axios' Astrid Galván writes. ⚖️ The names of dozens of Jeffrey Epstein associates could be made public next month after a federal judge ordered an array of court documents to be unsealed, Axios' Sareen Habeshian writes. 🔎 Senate leaders have pulled a provision from this year's defense policy bill that would have expanded compensation for people who lived downwind of the Trinity Test — the world's first atomic explosion. More from Axios' Russell Contreras.         4. 🌋 Pic to go Photo: Icelandic Coast Guard via Reuters Lava from last night's spectacular volcano eruption on Iceland's Reykjanes Peninsula is spewing away from the only nearby town. Why it matters: Officials are optimistic that the town's homes will be safe and believe international travel won't be affected. More pics.         A MESSAGE FROM INSTAGRAM New federal legislation will give parents a say in teen app downloads     According to a new poll by Morning Consult conducted in November 2023, more than 75% of parents believe teens under 16 shouldn’t be able to download apps without parental permission.1 Instagram wants to work with Congress to pass federal legislation that gets it done. Learn more.