National

On Monday, a California superior court judge ruled that Uber and Lyft should classify drivers as employees, not temporary contractors. Both companies plan to appeal, and on Wednesday, Uber’s CEO said that the company would have to temporarily stop operating in California if the ruling is upheld.

Axios Re:Cap examines the legal battle and what comes next with the New York Times' Mike Isaac, author of “Super Pumped: The Battle for Uber.”

The fight over the future of ridesharing

Inside the legal battle and what comes next with Mike Isaac, author of “Super Pumped: The Battle for Uber.”

Technology

Ride-sharing

Business

Axios Re:Cap

On Monday, a California superior court judge ruled that Uber and Lyft should classify drivers as employees, not temporary contractors. Both companies plan to appeal, and on Wednesday, Uber’s CEO said that the company would have to temporarily stop operating in California if the ruling is upheld.Axios Re:Cap examines the legal battle and what comes next with the New York Times&#x27; Mike Isaac, author of “Super Pumped: The Battle for Uber.”

Podcasts

As Americans engage in difficult conversations about race, violence, privilege and more, one place they may receive training is the workplace.

Why it matters: Firms often ask or invite employees to attend programs that help them communicate about diversity and inclusion. With many people working from home, the skills they've picked up can also be applied in a family setting.

The big picture: "Unconscious bias trainings have been happening over the past couple decades, but ramping up in the last decade," says Rashawn Ray of the Brookings Institute and the University of Maryland, who leads diversity and inclusion training for companies, police departments and the military. 

Cherie Brown, founder and CEO of the National Coalition Building Institute, which offers diversity training, said she was on a recent Zoom call with a client organization when one employee, who identified herself as white, shared that she was pulling together eight of her family members to read and discuss a book about racism.

Yes, but: Ray cautions that many companies will host these programs, but fail to take meaningful next steps. "Without a follow-up, they don't have a plan to really integrate racial equity going forward."

And Brown says there's an important distinction between the diversity and inclusion work embraced in the corporate sphere and "hard conversations about race and dominance and privilege. That conversation is not yet in the corporate arena."

What they're saying: There is a silver lining to the present situation, according to Ray — and an opportunity to be seized. "We are capturing a moment where people are paying attention."

Katina Sawyer, cofounder of workplace training company WorkrBeeing and a professor of management at George Washington University tells Axios that she's seen an uptick in interest in wellness-related initiatives since COVID-19. She sees diversity, inclusion and wellness as intrinsically linked, and brings D&I topics into the wellness programs she leads.

The bottom line: "I've noticed people are deeply reflective, much more so being at home than being at work," says Ray.

Diversity and inclusion training goes home with workers

With many people working from home, diversity and inclusion skills can be applied beyond the workplace.

An illustration of cutouts of employees working at an office

Diversity

As Americans engage in difficult conversations about race, violence, privilege and more, one place they may receive training is the workplace.Why it matters: Firms often ask or invite employees to attend programs that help them communicate about diversity and inclusion. With many people working from home, the skills they&#x27;ve picked up can also be applied in a family setting.

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

In this bonus story for How It Happened: Trump's Last Stand, Axios political correspondent Jonathan Swan details a botched attempt, made during President Trump's final days in office, to rapidly withdraw all U.S. troops from Afghanistan. 

Trump desperately wanted ending America's longest war to be part of his legacy. Instead, it will be Joe Biden's. 

Nonetheless, in a recent interview with Swan, Trump took credit for Biden's  announcement, insisting he set in motion a plan that could not be stopped. 

Swan provides listeners the full story of what Trump tried to do, how, and why it ultimately didn't happen.

Follow the show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen so you don't miss our second season coming later this year. 

Credits: This episode is produced by Amy Pedulla and Naomi Shavin. Dan Bobkoff is our executive producer. Mixing by Alex Sugiura. Theme music by Michael Hanf. Margaret Talev is Managing Editor of Politics. Sara Kehaulani Goo is Executive Editor. Additional writing, reporting and research by Zach Basu.

Special thanks to Nuria Marquez Martinez, Niala Boodhoo, Alexandra Botti, Jimmy Shelton, and to Axios co-founders Mike Allen, Jim VandeHei, and Roy Schwartz.

Note: This episode has a brief moment of profanity.

Trump's Last Stand: An Off-The-Books Mission

Jonathan Swan returns for a special bonus episode of "How It Happened."

How It Happened

In this bonus story for How It Happened: Trump&#x27;s Last Stand, Axios political correspondent Jonathan Swan details a botched attempt, made during President Trump&#x27;s final days in office, to rapidly withdraw all U.S. troops from Afghanistan. <ul><li>Trump desperately wanted ending America&#x27;s longest war to be part of his legacy. Instead, it will be Joe Biden&#x27;s. </li><li>Nonetheless, in a recent interview with Swan, Trump took credit for Biden&#x27;s announcement, insisting he set in motion a plan that could not be stopped. </li><li>Swan provides listeners the full story of what Trump tried to do, how, and why it ultimately didn&#x27;t happen.</li><li>Follow the show on <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Apple Podcasts" data-vars-click-url="https://link.chtbl.com/grRD_6Oq" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://link.chtbl.com/grRD_6Oq" target="_blank">Apple Podcasts</a>, <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Spotify" data-vars-click-url="https://open.spotify.com/show/6YhRHgRwo2xElHE10xZZqZ?si=LIrWBsGATd2-kURAZJ4C4w" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://open.spotify.com/show/6YhRHgRwo2xElHE10xZZqZ?si=LIrWBsGATd2-kURAZJ4C4w" target="_blank">Spotify</a>, or wherever you listen so you don&#x27;t miss our second season coming later this year. </li></ul>

Axios Media Trends

Americans are itching to put pandemic life behind them, but many of the necessary ingredients for a summer of carefree fun — everything from neighborhood pools to car rentals — still aren't fully available.

The big picture: Labor shortages, scrambled supply chains and simple logistics are all making it harder for a whole range of businesses to meet post-pandemic demand, and that’s making “hot vax summer” a little harder to pull off.

Where it stands: A little vacation after a year stuck at home seems like a simple enough indulgence, but the travel industry is still facing some significant hurdles.

Airlines: "It's not like pilots can just flip a switch. And they throw the keys at us and we come back to work, right?" Air Lines Pilot Association President Joe DePete said on the Axios Re:Cap podcast. "There's a lot involved in that. There are security aspects, there are training aspects, there are medical aspects."

Rental cars: Rental companies sold off most of their fleets during the pandemic due to a lack of demand. And now a global chip shortage is squeezing the supply of new cars, making it hard for rental agencies to restock as demand increases.

Not to mention, everything’s already booked: Hotels, campsites and Airbnb rentals are all hard to come by, especially in the most popular destinations.

Even staycations are subject to some of the same challenges.

Live entertainment: Many smaller venues didn't survive the pandemic, and mounting a stage production or a tour for a band is hard work.  "Our industry can't just reopen on a week or two weeks notice, we need three to six months," said Dayna Frank, CEO of the historic First Avenue venue in Minneapolis on the Axios Re:Cap podcast last week.

Restaurants say they’re having a hard time filling open jobs, although the hospitality sector added more jobs than any other part of the economy last month — 292,000, about two-thirds of which were in "food and drinking places."

Pools in many parts of the country are having a hard time hiring lifeguards, and are either limiting their hours or keeping some locations closed as a result.

Yes, but:  Post-pandemic job turnover also has many higher-stakes implications, including for child care and health care.

"Nurses and dental hygienists, they don't necessarily stay in the industry all that long ... I think we will also have some supply constraints potentially in that industry," said Martin Baily, an economist at the Brookings Institution.

The bottom line: "With people switching occupations, jobs being in different geographic places, and people needing to learn to work with technology in new ways — all of this is going to create a lot of churn and disruption in the near-term, meaning the next year or two or three," said Susan Lund, a leading partner for the McKinsey Global Institute.

Why America's post-vaccine summer is off to a slow start

The rush back to normalcy is hitting some speed bumps.

Illustration of a sad-looking inflatable unicorn pool tool with a mask

Travel

Axios Pro Rata

As we prepare for tomorrow's federal Juneteenth holiday, commemorating the emancipation of enslaved Americans in Texas, our economy remains marred by the legacy of slavery and subsequent discrimination.

The big picture: This is particularly evident in the enduring wealth gap between Black and white Americans, and in how Black Americans broadly participate in the U.S. economy. 

Inside the numbers: The median annual wage for Black workers is 30% lower than it is for white workers, according to a new report from the McKinsey Global Institute and its Institute for Black Economic Mobility. Were wages to be equal, Black Americans would have around $220 billion of additional income each year.

Shelley Stewart III, who leads McKinsey's Institute for Black Economic Mobility, tells the Axios Re:Cap podcast: "We looked at Black Americans as residents. We looked at Black Americans as workers to understand representation and wage gaps. We looked at Black Americans as business owners, as savers and investors, and finally as consumers."

In each case, there was a significant financial gap between Black and white Americans, built on decades of discrimination across generations, to the persistent detriment of Black economy stability, mobility and sustainability.

Responsibility: The report argues that both the public and private sectors have intersecting roles to play in closing the wealth gap and addressing other structural inequities.

It didn't address the issue of reparations, but Stewart did tell Axios Re:Cap: "Significant investment is needed into Black communities. And that's going to be investment through a combination of the public sector, as well as the private sector if we're going to really make a difference on wealth. I'll let others decide the exact form of that investment."

The enduring wealth gap

The economy remains marred by the legacy of slavery and subsequent discrimination.

Illustration of the Juneteenth flag made from U.S. money 

Economic inequality

As we prepare for tomorrow&#x27;s <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="federal" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/biden-signs-bill-juneteenth-federal-holiday-2654b4f2-b753-4678-bcb3-d1dfe222990b.html" data-vars-content-id="f6816035-9ce8-4dfb-82c6-27ed8bfb1e92" data-vars-headline="The enduring wealth gap" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/biden-signs-bill-juneteenth-federal-holiday-2654b4f2-b753-4678-bcb3-d1dfe222990b.html" target="_self">federal</a> Juneteenth holiday, commemorating the emancipation of enslaved Americans in Texas, our economy remains marred by the legacy of slavery and subsequent discrimination.The big picture: This is particularly evident in the enduring wealth gap between Black and white Americans, and in how Black Americans broadly participate in the U.S. economy.

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Naomi Shavin

Stories

The enduring wealth gap

Why America's post-vaccine summer is off to a slow start

Trump's Last Stand: An Off-The-Books Mission

The fight over the future of ridesharing

Diversity and inclusion training goes home with workers