Sign up for our daily briefing

Make your busy days simpler with Axios AM/PM. Catch up on what's new and why it matters in just 5 minutes.

Please enter a valid email.

Please enter a valid email.

Subscription failed
Thank you for subscribing!

Catch up on the day's biggest business stories

Subscribe to Axios Closer for insights into the day’s business news and trends and why they matter

Please enter a valid email.

Please enter a valid email.

Subscription failed
Thank you for subscribing!

Sign up for Axios Pro Rata

Dive into the world of dealmakers across VC, PE and M&A with Axios Pro Rata. Delivered daily to your inbox by Dan Primack and Kia Kokalitcheva.

Please enter a valid email.

Please enter a valid email.

Subscription failed
Thank you for subscribing!

Sports news worthy of your time

Binge on the stats and stories that drive the sports world with Axios Sports. Sign up for free.

Please enter a valid email.

Please enter a valid email.

Subscription failed
Thank you for subscribing!

Tech news worthy of your time

Get our smart take on technology from the Valley and D.C. with Axios Login. Sign up for free.

Please enter a valid email.

Please enter a valid email.

Subscription failed
Thank you for subscribing!

Get the inside stories

Get an insider's guide to the new White House with Axios Sneak Peek. Sign up for free.

Please enter a valid email.

Please enter a valid email.

Subscription failed
Thank you for subscribing!

Catch up on coronavirus stories and special reports, curated by Mike Allen everyday

Catch up on coronavirus stories and special reports, curated by Mike Allen everyday

Please enter a valid email.

Please enter a valid email.

Subscription failed
Thank you for subscribing!

Want a daily digest of the top Denver news?

Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Denver

Please enter a valid email.

Please enter a valid email.

Subscription failed
Thank you for subscribing!

Want a daily digest of the top Des Moines news?

Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Des Moines

Please enter a valid email.

Please enter a valid email.

Subscription failed
Thank you for subscribing!

Want a daily digest of the top Twin Cities news?

Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Twin Cities

Please enter a valid email.

Please enter a valid email.

Subscription failed
Thank you for subscribing!

Want a daily digest of the top Tampa Bay news?

Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Tampa Bay

Please enter a valid email.

Please enter a valid email.

Subscription failed
Thank you for subscribing!

Want a daily digest of the top Charlotte news?

Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Charlotte

Please enter a valid email.

Please enter a valid email.

Subscription failed
Thank you for subscribing!

Want a daily digest of the top Nashville news?

Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with the Axios Nashville newsletter.

Please enter a valid email.

Please enter a valid email.

Subscription failed
Thank you for subscribing!

Want a daily digest of the top Columbus news?

Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with the Axios Columbus newsletter.

Please enter a valid email.

Please enter a valid email.

Subscription failed
Thank you for subscribing!

Want a daily digest of the top Dallas news?

Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with the Axios Dallas newsletter.

Please enter a valid email.

Please enter a valid email.

Subscription failed
Thank you for subscribing!

Want a daily digest of the top Austin news?

Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with the Axios Austin newsletter.

Please enter a valid email.

Please enter a valid email.

Subscription failed
Thank you for subscribing!

Want a daily digest of the top Atlanta news?

Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with the Axios Atlanta newsletter.

Please enter a valid email.

Please enter a valid email.

Subscription failed
Thank you for subscribing!

Want a daily digest of the top Philadelphia news?

Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with the Axios Philadelphia newsletter.

Please enter a valid email.

Please enter a valid email.

Subscription failed
Thank you for subscribing!

Want a daily digest of the top Chicago news?

Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with the Axios Chicago newsletter.

Please enter a valid email.

Please enter a valid email.

Subscription failed
Thank you for subscribing!

Sign up for Axios NW Arkansas

Stay up-to-date on the most important and interesting stories affecting NW Arkansas, authored by local reporters

Please enter a valid email.

Please enter a valid email.

Subscription failed
Thank you for subscribing!

Want a daily digest of the top DC news?

Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with the Axios DC newsletter.

Please enter a valid email.

Please enter a valid email.

Subscription failed
Thank you for subscribing!

Please enter a valid email.

Please enter a valid email.

Subscription failed
Thank you for subscribing!

In photos: Deadly wildfires rage across Australia

Rebecca Falconer

Smoke from bushfires blankets Australia's capital, Canberra, in a haze with hazardous air quality. Photo: Alex Ellinghausen/The SMHFairfax Media via Getty Images

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison tweeted his thanks to President Trump for his "strong messages of sympathy, support and friendship for Australia during our terrible bushfire season," after the president phoned him to offer help.

What's happening: Morrison also thanked the American people "for their many messages of support." "Australia and the US are great mates," he added Tuesday afternoon local time. As cooler, wetter conditions offered a respite to firefighters in southeast Australia, Victoria's Premier Dan Andrews posted a Facebook tribute welcoming American firefighters to the region.

A New South Wales firefighter attempts to put out a smoldering pile of railway sleepers, which measured over 600 degrees on a thermal temperature gauge on Monday — two days after the fire front had passed through on in Wingello. Photo by Brett Hemmings/Getty Images
Firefighters tackle a wildfire in thick smoke in the town of Moruya, south of Batemans Bay, New South Wales. Photo: Peter Parks/AFP via Getty Images
People cool down at Lake Jindabyne in NSW. Photo: Saeed Khan/AFP via Getty Images
Kangaroos in Snowy Valley on the outskirts of Cooma, NSW. Photo: Saeed Khan/AFP via Getty Images
Children play at the showgrounds in the southern New South Wales town of Bega where they are camping after being evacuated from nearby sites affected by bushfires. Photo: Sean Davey/AFP via Getty Images
A water bombing helicoptor flies over the remains of a cafe destroyed by bushfires in the town of Bilpin, west of Sydney. Photo: Peter Parks/AFP via Getty Images
Burned bushland at Cunningham's Gap, some 70 miles southwest of Brisbane in the state of Queensland. Photo: Jo McGee
Firefighters in the Adelaide Hills, in the state of South Australia, working with locals to extinguishi a hay bales blaze and assisting with fire protection efforts. Photo: Eden Hills Country Fire Service/Facebook
Helicopters dump water on bushfires as they approach homes located on the outskirts of the town of Bargo in New South Wales. Photo: David Gray/Getty Images
The sky is filled with smoke and ash in Shoalhaven Heads in NSW. Photo: Cassie Spencer/Getty Images
A firefighter at a property in Balmoral, southwest of Sydney, New South Wales. Many of those fighting the fires are volunteers. Photo: Peter ParksARKS/AFP via Getty Images
Firefighters tend to burning property in Bargo, southwest of Sydney. NSW Volunteer Fire Fighters Association's president told the Sydney Morning Herald the state and federal governments are ignoring their pleas for help with firefighting-related expenses. Photo: Peter Parks/AFP via Getty Images
A firefighter at a wildfire on the outskirts of the town of Bilpin in the Blue Mountains, west of Sydney. Photo: David Gray/Getty Images
Thick smoke blankets Sydney Harbour. Photo: James D. Morgan/Getty Images
A farmer uses a hose to put out a fire burning in his paddock and near homes on the outskirts of Bilpin. Photo: David Gray/Getty Images
The remains of a home destroyed by bushfire on the outskirts of the town of Bargo, southwest of Sydney. Photo: David Gray/Getty Images
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison visits fire evacuees in Picton, NSW, after cutting short his Hawaii trip following the deaths of two volunteer in the state in December. He apologized for causing upset by being on vacation during the crisis. Photo: Jenny Evans/Getty Images
Demonstrators hold up placards during a climate protest rally in Sydney. Photo: Wendell Teodoro/Zeduce/AFP via Getty Images
Burned trees after a bushfire in the Blue Mountains. Photo: Saeed Khan/AFP via Getty Images
Thick smoke envelopes Sydney Harbour Bridge. Photo: Jenny Evans/Getty Images
Fire engulfs a property in Balmoral, southwest of Sydney. Photo: Peter Parks/AFP via Getty Images
A helicopter drops fire retardant to protect a property in Balmoral. Photo: Peter Parks/AFP via Getty Images
A tweet previously embedded here has been deleted or was tweeted from an account that has been suspended or deleted.
A tweet previously embedded here has been deleted or was tweeted from an account that has been suspended or deleted.
A tweet previously embedded here has been deleted or was tweeted from an account that has been suspended or deleted.
A tweet previously embedded here has been deleted or was tweeted from an account that has been suspended or deleted.

Go deeper:

Editor's note: This article has been updated with new details on the fires and more images.

Go deeper

Sara Fischer, author of Media Trends
4 mins ago - Economy & Business

New era for local journalism

Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

New, independent digital outlets and nonprofits have begun to fill some of the gap left by fading local newspapers. Limited resources and the pandemic have driven many toward providing community news, information and services rather than traditional accountability journalism.

Why it matters: "It's not just about a legal or structural shift, but it also represents a shift in how the mission of journalism is changing," said Emily Roseman, research director & editor at the Institute for Nonprofit News (INN).

Go deeper (2 min. read)Arrow
Rebecca Falconer
5 hours ago - World

Hong Kong police arrest 6 people after Stand News raid

Patrick Lam, acting editor-in-chief of Stand News (C), is escorted by officers with the Hong Kong Police Force's national security department during a raid of the media outlet's offices in Hong Kong on Wednesday. Photo: Paul Yeung/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Hong Kong police said Wednesday they arrested six people at Stand News for "conspiracy to publish seditious publications" after over 200 national security officers raided the online pro-democracy news outlet.

Why it matters: It's the latest blow to free speech, independent journalism and the democracy movement in Hong Kong since China's government passed a draconian national security law last year, which has encroached on the autonomy that had seen it flourish as a global financial hub.

Go deeper (1 min. read)Arrow
Shawna Chen
Updated 7 hours ago - Politics & Policy

Former Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid dies at 82

Photo: Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Former Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nevada) died at 82 Tuesday "following a courageous, four-year battle with pancreatic cancer," his wife, Landra Reid announced.

The big picture: The influential politician was Senate majority leader from 2007 to 2015, and served in Congress for more than three decades. Both President Biden and former President Obama said Reid was a "great" Senate leader.

Go deeper (1 min. read)Arrow