National

Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio) said striking autoworkers "took it on the chin" during the industry's crisis 15 years ago and "deserve to get their end of the shake."

Why it matters: Workers at a Stellantis assembly plant in Toledo, Ohio, were among the first to walk off the job.

"During 2007-2008, [autoworkers] accepted lower wages when the auto industry really needed some help," Vance said. And now the auto industry is doing very well and seeing record profits."

Zoom in: Vance told Axios' Sophia Cai at a News Shapers event today that Detroit has deep, long-term problems and blamed the Biden administration's electric vehicle push.

"The EV unit at Ford is a massive loss center. That's true for the Big Three auto manufacturers," Vance argued.

Vance on auto strike: Workers "deserve to get their end of the shake"

Workers at a Stellantis assembly plant in Toledo, Ohio, were among the first to walk off the job.

Axios' Sophia Cai interviews Sen. J.D. Vance.

Axios' Sophia Cai interviews Sen. J.D. Vance at a News Shapers event in D.C. today. Photo: Eric Lee/Axios

J.D. Vance

Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio) said <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="striking autoworkers" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/detroit/2023/09/20/fain-deadline-more-uaw-strikes-trump-visit" data-vars-content-id="2b56493a-3735-4c99-ba89-9d6f8967f999" data-vars-headline="Vance on auto strike: Workers &quot;deserve to get their end of the shake&quot;" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/detroit/2023/09/20/fain-deadline-more-uaw-strikes-trump-visit" target="_self">striking autoworkers</a> &quot;took it on the chin&quot; during the industry&#x27;s crisis 15 years ago and &quot;deserve to get their end of the shake.&quot;Why it matters: Workers at a Stellantis assembly plant in Toledo, Ohio, were <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="among the first" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/cleveland/2023/09/15/uaw-strike-jeep-plant-workers-local-12" data-vars-content-id="2b56493a-3735-4c99-ba89-9d6f8967f999" data-vars-headline="Vance on auto strike: Workers &quot;deserve to get their end of the shake&quot;" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/cleveland/2023/09/15/uaw-strike-jeep-plant-workers-local-12" target="_self">among the first</a> to walk off the job.

President Biden has made the COVID-19 crisis and a post-Trump return to national unity and traditional democratic ideals his top priorities. From vaccinations to stimulus to schools, Biden is seeking bipartisan compromise while showing a willingness to use executive authority and bare Democratic majorities in the U.S. House and Senate to implement his policies. Republican leaders are navigating deep party divisions over if and how to move beyond former President Trump.

Politics & Policy

Data: Instacart; Chart: Danielle Alberti/Axios

Sales of matzo wildly peaked last year — unsurprisingly — at the beginning of the Jewish holiday of Passover, according to data from Instacart.

Zoom in: Observers eat matzo, an unleavened bread, to mark the exodus of ancient Hebrews from slavery in Egypt.

There are noticeable bumps later in the year during Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish new year, and Chanukah.

Charted: Peak matzo on Passover

Judaism

Economy & Business

Mass shootings in Louisville and Nashville didn't keep the NRA's annual convention from attracting a pack of likely Republican presidential candidates.

Why it matters: The three-day convention, which opened in Indianapolis on Friday, broadcasts the extreme staying power gun politics have with generations of Republican politicians.

What's happening: Conservatives remain relatively unmovable on guns despite a wave of violence that’s terrorized schools, banks and places of worship across the country.

Republican primary hopefuls are gambling that a spike in shootings doesn't push the broader American public to vote against them in the general election.

Yes, but: A Gallup poll before the shootings in Louisville and Nashville showed 63% of Americans are dissatisfied with gun laws.

Zoom in: Pain over both shooting rampages has crossed party lines, AP's Will Weissert writes. That hasn't stopped the convention from becoming a microcosm of 2024 GOP politics:

Former Vice President Mike Pence, a one-time governor of Indiana, was booed loudly, Axios Indianapolis co-author James Briggs reports from the room.

Some attendees sported jerseys with former President Trump's name.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, Trump's top rival, and former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley appeared via video.

The bottom line: Decades of advocacy for a strict interpretation of the Second Amendment — and the notion that guns are needed to protect citizens in an increasingly dangerous world — has kept the NRA at the center of GOP politics.

NRA convention puts GOP's gun gamble on full display

Primary hopefuls are gambling that a spike in shootings doesn't push the broader American public to vote against them.

A man wears a Trump jersey at the NRA convention.

Photo: Alex Wroblewski/AFP via Getty Images

2024 presidential election

2024 Elections

Donald Trump

Mass shootings in <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Louisville" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2023/04/10/shooting-louisville-kentucky" data-vars-content-id="55b93735-c225-4fc5-8f5b-641b3af530d1" data-vars-headline="NRA convention puts GOP&#x27;s gun gamble on full display" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2023/04/10/shooting-louisville-kentucky" target="_self">Louisville</a> and <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Nashville" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2023/03/27/covenant-school-nashville-shooting-what-we-know" data-vars-content-id="55b93735-c225-4fc5-8f5b-641b3af530d1" data-vars-headline="NRA convention puts GOP&#x27;s gun gamble on full display" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2023/03/27/covenant-school-nashville-shooting-what-we-know" target="_self">Nashville</a> didn&#x27;t keep the NRA&#x27;s annual convention from attracting a pack of likely <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Republican presidential candidates" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/politics-policy/us-presidential-house-senate-elections" data-vars-content-id="55b93735-c225-4fc5-8f5b-641b3af530d1" data-vars-headline="NRA convention puts GOP&#x27;s gun gamble on full display" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/politics-policy/us-presidential-house-senate-elections" target="_self">Republican presidential candidates</a>.Why it matters: The three-day convention, which opened in Indianapolis on Friday, broadcasts the extreme staying power gun politics have with generations of Republican politicians.

Former President Trump's arrest playbook is coming into view after his arraignment Thursday in a D.C. federal courthouse.

Why it matters: Trump, the frontrunner for the Republican nomination, has followed a similar plan across his three arraignments designed to keep attention on him and his campaign.

He pleaded not guilty to charges brought by special counsel Jack Smith that he used "unlawful means" in an attempt to overturn the 2020 election.

Zoom in: The former president's activities around his arrests — in Manhattan, Miami and Washington — have followed a similar pattern:

A carefully choreographed route gives reporters and news helicopters a chance to closely follow — and air live pictures of — Trump's motorcade. CNN aired images from inside his caravan on Thursday.

Trump has repeatedly cast himself on social media as a victim of "Biden's DOJ." He's said little around the courthouse, preferring to wait until he's on friendly territory to make statements.

In two of the cases, Trump and his team have attacked the judge in deeply personal terms. The exception: Aileen Cannon, the federal judge in Florida he appointed.

Trump's taken heavy aim at the lead prosecutors. He has also unleashed calls for trials to be moved away from D.C. and Manhattan, heavily Democratic areas.

Between the lines: Trump's lawyers once again indicated they will attempt to delay a trial — setting up a chaotic and unprecedented 2024 election that could be heavily disrupted by court dates.

Trump's appearance came in the same D.C. courthouse, just blocks from the Capitol, that has hosted the trials of Jan. 6 rioters.

What's next: The next hearing is scheduled for Aug. 28, when a trial date will likely be set.

Go deeper: Trump pleads not guilty to all charges in federal Jan. 6 case

frontrunner for the Republican nomination

Trump's arrest playbook becomes clear after third arraignment

He pleaded not guilty to charges that he used "unlawful means" in an attempt to overturn the 2020 election.

Former President Trump steps off his plane at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport on Thursday. Photo: Alex Brandon/AP

Former <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="President Trump&#x27;s" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/politics-policy/donald-trump" data-vars-content-id="6af348ab-75de-4221-b7dd-58d4255a2b4f" data-vars-headline="Trump&#x27;s arrest playbook becomes clear after third arraignment" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/politics-policy/donald-trump" target="_self">President Trump&#x27;s</a> arrest playbook is coming into view after his arraignment Thursday in a D.C. federal courthouse.Why it matters: Trump, the <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="frontrunner for the Republican nomination" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2023/08/01/biden-trump-2024-poll-republican-primary" data-vars-content-id="6af348ab-75de-4221-b7dd-58d4255a2b4f" data-vars-headline="Trump&#x27;s arrest playbook becomes clear after third arraignment" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2023/08/01/biden-trump-2024-poll-republican-primary" target="_self">frontrunner for the Republican nomination</a>, has followed a similar plan across his three arraignments designed to keep attention on him and his campaign.

Brutal temperatures and stifling humidity at this year's U.S. Open have pushed some of the world's best tennis players to the brink.

Why it matters: New York's late-summer heat wave can get dangerous fast when you're chasing serves above 130 mph for hours in the sun.

What's happening: High temperatures this week in New York have hovered in the 90s, with more than 50% humidity.

On the court at Arthur Ashe, the event's biggest stadium, players say conditions have been excruciating.

"One player [is] gonna die, and they're gonna see," Daniil Medvedev, the No. 3 men's player, said during a match on Wednesday.

Zoom in: Tournament organizers adopted a new rule this week to partially close Arthur Ashe Stadium's retractable roof in extreme heat to block the sun.

Officials are also worried about fans, who can sit in sun-blanketed seats for multiple matches at a time.

Between the lines: The average highs during the U.S. Open and the three other majors have gotten higher and more dangerous in recent decades, according to an AP analysis.

Researchers found that hot temperatures increase errors and reduce players' win probabilities in subsequent matches, Axios Generate co-author Ben Geman writes.

The other side: Many tennis players who train in Florida want to use the heat to their advantage.

"The hotter the better," says Coco Gauff, who plays in her first U.S. Open final tomorrow.

What's next: Temperatures are expected to cool slightly for the tournament's final matches this weekend.

Scorching heat wave pushes U.S. Open players to the brink

New York's late-summer heat wave can get dangerous fast when you're chasing serves above 130 mph for hours in the sun.

Novak Djokovic tries to stay cool with ice bags between games on Tuesday. Photo: Sarah Stier/Getty Images

extreme weather

Brutal temperatures and stifling humidity at <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="this year&#x27;s U.S. Open" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2023/09/08/climate-protest-us-womens-semifinal-delay-gauff-muchova" data-vars-content-id="7ed84847-67e4-425e-a62f-25cea345de90" data-vars-headline="Scorching heat wave pushes U.S. Open players to the brink" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2023/09/08/climate-protest-us-womens-semifinal-delay-gauff-muchova" target="_self">this year&#x27;s U.S. Open</a> have pushed some of the world&#x27;s best tennis players to the brink.Why it matters: New York&#x27;s late-summer heat wave can get dangerous fast when you&#x27;re chasing serves above 130 mph for hours in the sun.

Ominous forecasts about the impact of climate change serve as the backdrop for the world — led by U.S. lawmakers and companies — to debate big action on the problem, which could upend energy systems and our way of life.

Noah Bressner

Stories

Vance on auto strike: Workers "deserve to get their end of the shake"

Scorching heat wave pushes U.S. Open players to the brink

Trump's arrest playbook becomes clear after third arraignment

NRA convention puts GOP's gun gamble on full display

Charted: Peak matzo on Passover