1 big thing: The world's car buyers are ready to go electric

2. .... and EVs are shoving aside real volumes of oil

3. Edible tape will hold your burrito closed

Two burritos being held together by edible "tape."

4. Thrifting is the new normal

5. Airport vending machines go upscale

This Monday morning, we're brimming with good news for EVs: Consumers are cottoning to them (particularly outside the U.S.), and they're tamping down the amount of oil used globally.

Thanks to What's Next reader Carlos Rojas Carrandi for submitting today's reader photo.

Got a cool picture to share with us? Email whatsnext@axios.com. (Sorry, no videos!)

Today's Smart Brevity count: 1,121 words ... 4 minutes.

Was this email forwarded to you? Get your daily dose of What's Next magic by signing up for our free newsletter here.

National

deepBlue

The next decade of big, sweeping changes will unfold in cities and communities where new technologies like 5G, AI and drones are transforming how we work, live and play together.  What’s Next will guide you through the revolution.

Axios What's Next

1 big thing: Why driverless cars can't go everywhere yet

Illustration of experts missing around car

2. Assisted-driving systems aren't collision-proof

A crash test dummy on a bike getting knocked over by an automated car

3. Where homes will face the most wildfire risk in next 30 years

4. Food protectionism is on the rise

5. Cats show us — once again — that it's all about them

Would you be comfortable riding in an autonomous vehicle? More are hitting the road in various cities, but there are constraints, as Joann Muller explains.  

To be sure: Human drivers are no panacea. The number of U.S. traffic deaths hit a 16-year high in 2021, Axios reports.

And the driver assistance technologies we use today are far from foolproof, as a report from AAA describes, below. 

What do you think about AVs? Email us at whatsnext@axios.com.

Today's Smart Brevity count: 1,262 words ... 5 minutes.

1 big thing: Mayors seek a bigger voice in immigration debate

Illustration of a microphone wearing a mayoral sash. 

2. Uber adds electric cars and stadium food to its menu

Illustration of a burger, drink, and fries, sitting on a cell phone as if it were a tray

3. Employers are allowing more remote work days

4. Just another (robotic) parking garage

A parking lot under construction in China

5. Just another (robot) pedestrian

Today we welcome Alex Fitzpatrick to Axios (yesterday was his first day!) and the What's Next team. He'll be the new editor of this newsletter, working with Jennifer and Joann.

Today's reader photo comes from Sabrina Sullivan, who had to make a run for it to capture the image — that's dedication! 

Please send us your hard-won shots of What's Next: whatsnext@axios.com.

Today's Smart Brevity count: 1,092 words ... 4 minutes.

1 big thing: The FDA considers a "healthy" food label

Some of the symbols the FDA is considering to denote "healthy" food on product packaging.

2. NASA will test female dummies in space

Illustration of the Artemis I space mission with female mannequins inside.

3. White House prods agencies to focus on skills in hiring

Illustration of the white house on the back of a dollar with a now hiring sign hanging from it

4. Reader photo of the day

Good morning! Greetings from the Axios corporate retreat, where members of the far-flung What's Next team are meeting in person in Washington, D.C.

Many thanks to reader Jennifer Jones for flagging Gizmodo's story on NASA sending female bodies to the moon — we couldn't resist writing an Axios take on it.

Thanks, too, to reader Ali Abdelhamid for sending a photo of "What's Next" in his neighborhood in Toronto.

Today's Smart Brevity count: 959 words ... 3½ minutes.

1 big thing: Gen Z workers crave career stability

2. The crypto-pocalypse comes for MiamiCoin

Illustration of a palm tree over a yellow sun-like quarter 

3. Self-driving cars: What you're telling us

Illustration of electric vehicle surrounded by various upwards and downward trend lines

4. 🚫 No Mow May

Illustration of a roll of turf opening to reveal flowers, a bee, and a mushroom.

Today is college graduation day for Jennifer's son, and one of Joann's daughters will graduate next month. So we were interested in our colleague Hope King's story about the priorities of Gen Z workers, below.

Thanks to all of you who offered opinions about autonomous vehicles! Check out some of your comments, below.

Got something to tell us? Email whatsnext@axios.com.

Today's Smart Brevity count: 1,140 words ... 4½ minutes.

Axios Cities

There's been a big uptick in graffiti being painted on New York City subway cars — including from tourism vandals who deliberately travel to Gotham to put their marks on the city's trains.

Why it matters: The tags and artwork are reminiscent of the "bad old days" of the 1970s and '80s, when spray-painted subway cars were a symbol of crime and urban blight. 

Driving the news: The Metropolitan Transit Authority, which runs NYC's subway system, has started publishing figures about the rising graffiti, saying, "We are hopeful that increased transparency about vandalism incidents in our system will keep everyone safer and more vigilant."

"Since the beginning of 2022, the agency has reported 209 incidents of graffiti on subways in the city, set to beat a total of 300 in 2021," per the art news website Hyperallergic.

"There were only 208 and 297 in 2020 and 2019, respectively. Current numbers are on track to reach 2018’s relative high of 443 incidents."

The MTA will spend more than $1 million on graffiti removal and prevention this year, up from $600,000 in 2018.

"Included in the rising number of hits are elaborate murals that cover the entire exteriors of trains," the New York Daily News reports, adding that, for potential vandals, the thrill of posting one's work to social media is heightening the appeal. 

The intrigue: In April, Two French graffiti artists were struck and killed by subway trains while trying to ply their craft.

Gothamist, a news site dedicated to New York City, quoted their "boss," the artist Ceet Fouad, saying that the two men's dream was to paint a subway train. “It was like winning the World Cup, winning a trophy,” Fouad said.

The New York Police Department said that "individuals living overseas" are targeting the layup areas — where trains turn around. "As restrictions on international travel have lifted, we have seen an increase in layup graffiti incidents,” Lt. Jessica McRorie, an NYPD spokeswoman, told The City, a New York news site.

Flashback: "Hundreds of millions of dollars were spent targeting graffiti from 1972 until 1989, when the MTA took what it said was the last train covered by graffiti out of service to be scrubbed clean," The City said.

Of note: "The general public doesn’t see trains with graffiti, as they did in the 1970s and 1980s because the MTA has a policy of generally not allowing vandalized trains to go into service until they’ve been repaired," Gothamist said.

It's b-a-a-a-c-k: Graffiti on NYC subway cars

Tourists are visiting New York in order to paint subway trains

A tweet of a subway car covered in graffiti

New York City

There&#x27;s been a big uptick in graffiti being painted on New York City subway cars — including from tourism vandals who deliberately travel to Gotham to put their marks on the city&#x27;s trains.Why it matters: The tags and artwork are reminiscent of the &quot;bad old days&quot; of the 1970s and &#x27;80s, when spray-painted subway cars were a symbol of crime and urban blight.

After a record economic expansion, the coronavirus pandemic sent the U.S. economy into a recession as unemployment soared to staggering heights. The country now faces urgent questions about how much stimulus is needed for reeling consumers and businesses, and what a recovery might look like.

Economy & Business

NASA's Artemis missions, which aim to send a human crew — including a woman and a person of color — to the moon by 2025, will shoot female dummies into space first to test the effects of radiation on them.

Why it matters: Artemis is a prelude to sending human astronauts to Mars, NASA says, and "women appear to be at a greater risk of suffering from the harmful effects of space radiation" than men, Gizmodo reports.

What's happening: This summer, the first of three planned Artemis missions is expected to launch into orbit — not with humans, but with "two identical ‘phantoms’ representative of the female body," according to the German Aerospace Center, the NASA partner that developed the mannequins.

The dummies, nicknamed Helga and Zohar, will include "more than 10,000 passive sensors and 34 active radiation detectors," said the German Aerospace Center, or DLR.

The mannequins will "investigate radiation exposure throughout the flight, which may last up to six weeks."

Details: The German agency says the twin mannequins are "modeled on female bodies" and made from "materials that mimic human bones, soft tissues and organs of adult women." 

Women are at greater risk of cancer than men, "so different radiation boundary values always apply to female astronauts," the DLR said. 

"However, so far there have been no sex-specific measurements using phantoms in space."

Helga will fly to the moon unprotected, while Zohar will wear a newly developed radiation vest called the AstroRad.

The big picture: Solving the radiation problem will help NASA with its long-term goal of getting humans to Mars. Outside of the Earth's protective shield, human bodies are far more vulnerable to the harmful effects of radiation.

"Studies of radiation exposure for men and women indicate a higher chance of women developing cancer, while other research has found that space radiation is likely to affect female reproductive health," Gizmodo says.

In the Artemis 1 mission, NASA's Space Launch System will take off from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida this year and send a capsule named Orion around the moon and back, the New York Times reports. 

Artemis 2 will trace the same path — but with astronauts, sometime in 2024.

"The third mission, Artemis 3, will result in a moon landing," per the Times.

What they're saying: With the Artemis flights, "we will collaborate with commercial and international partners and establish the first long-term presence on the moon," NASA says. "Then, we will use what we learn on and around the moon to take the next giant leap: sending the first astronauts to Mars."

NASA will test female dummies in space

A test will simulate the effects of radiation on women astronauts.

Illustration of the Orion space capsule with female mannequins in it.

Illustration of the "crew" of the Artemis 1 mis­sion to the moon. Image courtesy of NASA/Lockheed Martin/DLR

NASA

Space

NASA&#x27;s Artemis missions, which aim to send a human crew — including a woman and a person of color — to the moon by 2025, will shoot female dummies into space first to test the effects of radiation on them.Why it matters: Artemis is a prelude to sending human astronauts to Mars, NASA <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="says" data-vars-click-url="https://www.nasa.gov/specials/artemis/" data-vars-content-id="5c5d1939-5146-4511-9401-5e6f42e7041a" data-vars-headline="NASA will test female dummies in space" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.nasa.gov/specials/artemis/" target="_blank">says</a>, and &quot;women appear to be at a greater risk of suffering from the harmful effects of space radiation&quot; than men, Gizmodo <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="reports" data-vars-click-url="https://gizmodo.com/nasa-is-sending-artificial-female-bodies-to-the-moon-to-1848861579?cmid=58d9a380-2621-4a1e-a9ec-8a07276fcba9" data-vars-content-id="5c5d1939-5146-4511-9401-5e6f42e7041a" data-vars-headline="NASA will test female dummies in space" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://gizmodo.com/nasa-is-sending-artificial-female-bodies-to-the-moon-to-1848861579?cmid=58d9a380-2621-4a1e-a9ec-8a07276fcba9" target="_blank">reports</a>.

A look at the scientific breakthroughs changing the world, explorations in space and in worlds beyond our own and the threats posed to us by our own planet, both out of our control and of our own making.

Science

From the Valley to D.C., Big Tech players like Facebook, Google and Amazon are under more scrutiny than ever as new technology develops and privacy and antitrust concerns grow in lockstep with companies’ ambitions.

Technology

The U.S. faces a range of health care flashpoints — unaffordable drugs, opioids, vaping — as we debate whether to adopt universal care. For now, the Affordable Care Act is the law of the land, but Republicans want to issue it a final death blow.

Health

In what CEO Brian Chesky calls "the biggest change to Airbnb in a decade," the home rental company introduced a sitewide makeover Wednesday that makes it easier to find offbeat and niche properties.

Why it matters: As travel companies gear up for the summer rush — which will be  intensified this year by pent-up post-COVID demand — Airbnb is trying to differentiate itself and give consumers fresh options.

Driving the news: The upgrades Airbnb released Wednesday are designed to get people to expand their travel horizons beyond choosing a destination city and travel dates:

A new set of 56 "categories" of lodging — from castles and tiny homes to domes, treehouses and lakefront properties — allows people to browse and fantasy shop for places they didn't know they could visit.

A new "split stay" feature will suggest you divide your time between two nearby Airbnb properties if you're planning to be away for a week or more.

New "AirCover" protections offer more generous guarantees, safeguarding you if a host cancels, a property isn't as advertised, or you feel unsafe.

Between the lines: Chesky says he wants to prevent "overtourism," or too many people all trying to visit the same places (like Paris, London and Disney World). 

The "categories" approach, which lets people check out properties by activity (golfing, skiing) or type of location (beachfront, vineyard, the Arctic) or physical features (A-frames, chef's kitchens, treehouses), is meant to guide people off the beaten path.

"We want to redistribute travel," Chesky said at a news conference Tuesday describing the changes.

Details: Each "category" tells you approximately how many properties are listed in it, no matter where they are geographically or when they're available.

The "amazing pools" category has more than a million listings, for instance, while "caves" has 600, "mansions" has 1,000 and "national parks" has 600,000.

"We don't just have castles — we have a lot of them," said Chesky, noting that the 3,000 properties in the "castles" category are available at all different price points.

His favorite categories are "design," which has 20,000 properties that have been deemed architecturally interesting, and "OMG!" which has 500 weird and eclectic dwellings.

What's next: "We're going to keep adding a lot of categories," Chesky said. "This is just the beginning."

Editor's note: This story was originally published on May 11.

Want to rent a castle? Airbnb has an upgrade for that

New "categories" let you find an offbeat property

Brian Chesky, the CEO of Airbnb, at a press conference.

Brian Chesky, the CEO of Airbnb, at a press conference announcing the company's latest site changes. His dog, Sophie, was on hand to mingle with reporters. Photo: Jennifer A. Kingson 

Airbnb

The FDA considers a "healthy" food label

A voluntary program would give food makers a seal of approval.

Some of the FDA's proposed "healthy" food labels.

Some of the options the FDA is considering for the "healthy" food labels that manufacturers could use. 

Food and Drug Administration (FDA)

The Food and Drug Administration is testing designs of a label that food manufacturers could voluntarily put on the front of packages indicating that a product is &quot;healthy.&quot;Why it matters: The effort is controversial, in part because the meaning of &quot;healthy&quot; continues to evolve. The FDA itself is in the <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="process" data-vars-click-url="https://www.fda.gov/food/food-labeling-nutrition/use-term-healthy-food-labeling" data-vars-content-id="9bd0b537-5fa0-4652-a15b-4f3bf1ff6cbb" data-vars-headline="The FDA considers a &quot;healthy&quot; food label" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.fda.gov/food/food-labeling-nutrition/use-term-healthy-food-labeling" target="_blank">process</a> of updating its definition, which dates back to <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="1994" data-vars-click-url="https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-1994-05-10/html/94-11145.htm" data-vars-content-id="9bd0b537-5fa0-4652-a15b-4f3bf1ff6cbb" data-vars-headline="The FDA considers a &quot;healthy&quot; food label" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-1994-05-10/html/94-11145.htm" target="_blank">1994</a>.<ul><li>Other concerns are that such a label could be of dubious value, used too liberally by food makers, or seen by consumers as a product endorsement by the FDA.</li><li>Nutritionists make the point that a balanced diet matters more to health than any individual food.</li></ul>

Mayors from around the world have converged on the United Nations this week to propose ways to make cities more hospitable to immigrants and refugees — and to seek more money for their efforts.

Why it matters: Cities are on the front lines of immigration, but mayors feel they've been crowded out of discussions. A new group called the Mayors Migration Council hopes to make their voices heard in national and international circles — and highlight the actions that cities are taking to welcome and assimilate newcomers.

Driving the news: The United Nations meets this week to review progress on a set of guidelines for immigration that were established in 2018 — which mayors weren't involved in crafting.

Members of the Mayors Migration Council are on hand to deliver a new report that highlights 70 city-based initiatives for immigrants and refugees. Examples include:

Barcelona, Zurich and Braga (in Portugal) have set up formal welcome programs for Ukrainians.

Milan has a green jobs program for migrants.

Bogotá has opened nutrition centers for immigrant children from Venezuela.

Kampala, Uganda offers cash aid to migrants affected by COVID-19.

The mayor of Boston, Michelle Wu, has set up five initiatives, including a "Dreamers' Fellowship," which prepares undocumented immigrants for jobs, and a health care fellowship, which places African and Caribbean professionals in local hospitals. 

The big picture: The founders of the Mayors Migration Council — who include Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti — are trying "to change business-as-usual in how the international system operates, so that cities are more included in the conversation," Vittoria Zanuso, executive director of the council, tells Axios. 

70% of displaced people seek refuge in urban areas, and 20% of international migrants go to just 20 cities, the group says.

Ignoring the arrival of newcomers or trying to push them back won't change the reality on the ground.

At the United Nations this week, "the key message that mayors will bring is, we were very much able to lower red tape to accommodate the COVID crisis" and help refugees from Afghanistan, Ukraine and elsewhere, Zanuso says. 

"Visas were expedited, COVID testing was available to undocumented people, a lot of decisions were made quite fast."

Of note: Climate migrants are a major focus of the group. Last year, 15 U.S. mayors wrote an open letter to President Biden to urge him to include the urban dimension in a White House report on the impact of climate change on migration — and they succeeded.

The resulting document honored their request and recognized the Mayors Migration Council.

Follow the money: The mayors arrived at the United Nations with outstretched hands: It takes money to resettle refugees and migrants in cities, and most international aid goes to nations rather than local entities.

The group created the Global Cities Fund for Migrants and Refugees to channel international philanthropy to cities.

"It is at the city level that the most important needs of migrants and refugees are met, from housing to health care to employment," said Erias Lukwago, Lord Mayor of Kampala and a founder of the Mayors Migrant Council.

The bottom line: While aiding immigrants may be seen as a progressive cause, Zanuso says the council is bipartisan. "Mayors are doing this not only because it’s the fair thing to do, but also the smart thing to do," she said. "They know that they need to welcome and protect migrants, regardless."

"Either they do it well, or they just overlook it — don't manage it, and just pay the costs for that," she said. 

"I think there’s a lot of pragmatism in what they are doing."

Mayors seek a bigger voice in immigration debate

Resettling migrants often falls to cities, which don't get compensated.

Mayors

Mayors from around the world have converged on the United Nations this week to propose ways to make cities more hospitable to immigrants and refugees — and to seek more money for their efforts.Why it matters: Cities are on the front lines of immigration, but mayors feel they&#x27;ve been crowded out of discussions. A new group called the <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Mayors Migration Council" data-vars-click-url="https://www.mayorsmigrationcouncil.org/" data-vars-content-id="df41031b-7010-488e-b07d-efdca262b440" data-vars-headline="Mayors seek a bigger voice in immigration debate" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.mayorsmigrationcouncil.org/" target="_blank">Mayors Migration Council</a> hopes to make their voices heard in national and international circles — and highlight the actions that cities are taking to welcome and assimilate newcomers.

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Jennifer A. Kingson

Stories

The FDA considers a "healthy" food label

NASA will test female dummies in space

Mayors seek a bigger voice in immigration debate

It's b-a-a-a-c-k: Graffiti on NYC subway cars

Want to rent a castle? Airbnb has an upgrade for that

Newsletter editions

⚖️ Tipping point for EVs

👩🏽‍🎓 What Gen Z wants

🥗 A new "healthy" food label

🚗 No driver required

🌆 A new voice in immigration