Mar 5, 2018 - Economy & Business

ESPN names Disney exec as next president

Dan Primack, author of Pro Rata

James Pitaro. Photo by Monica Schipper/Getty Images

ESPN has named Disney executive James Pitaro as its new president, more than two months after John Skipper suddenly resigned to focus on his substance abuse.

Bottom line: Pitaro had been widely considered a front-runner for the job, due to his close relationship with Disney boss Bob Iger and his strong performance running Disney's consumer products and interactive business units. But Iger had kept his cards close to his vest, and was not asked about the ESPN opening during Disney's most recent earnings call.

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Eileen Drage O'Reilly
27 mins ago - Health

Big Pharma launches $1B venture to incentivize new antibiotics

Illustration: Lazaro Gamio/Axios

A group of large drug companies launched a $1 billion AMR Action Fund Thursday in collaboration with policymakers, philanthropists and development banks to push the development of two to four new antibiotics by 2030.

Why it matters: Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a growing problem — possibly killing up to 20 million people annually by 2050 — but a severe lack of R&D market incentives has hampered efforts to develop a robust antibiotic pipeline to address the issue.

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Jonathan Swan
Updated 28 mins ago - Politics & Policy

Inside Geoffrey Berman's closed-door testimony

Berman arrives on Capitol Hill Thursday. Photo: Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images

Geoffrey Berman, the former top federal prosecutor in Manhattan, was expected to say in closed-door testimony today that Attorney General Bill Barr repeatedly urged him to take another job, warned him that getting fired would not be good for his resume or job prospects and steered him toward a high-level Justice Department post in DC.

Driving the news: Axios has obtained a copy of Berman's opening statement for his closed-door hearing before the House Judiciary Committee.

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Kim Hart
38 mins ago - Health

Schools confront broadband access crisis

Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

School districts are taking it upon themselves to help families get connected to the internet as they face down a long future of virtual learning.

Why it matters: In the COVID-19 era of education, broadband is an essential service that families need to stay connected — and that school systems require to equitably educate children in their districts.

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