May 8, 2017

From protests to policy

Charlie Riedel / AP

Recent controversial police encounters with black Americans have been met with relatively subdued responses, the WashPost's Janell Ross and Wesley Lowery point out on the front page:

The movement: "The Black Lives Matter network is now one of more than 50 groups that have christened themselves The Majority, a coalition of progressives working on social justice issues, including LGBT rights."
A top issue: "Money bail," where "[p]oor defendants — who stand to lose jobs, apartments and custody of their children as they sit in jail — often plead guilty to lesser crimes without seeing a judge or jury."
The takeaway: "In recent controversial encounters between police and unarmed black people, law enforcement has responded faster and with more regret than seen in years past."

Go deeper

Jeff Tracy

26 mins ago - Economy & Business

BodyArmor takes aim at Gatorade's sports drink dominance

Illustration: Eniola Odetunde/Axios

BodyArmor is making noise in the sports drink market, announcing seven new athlete partnerships last week, including Christian McCaffrey, Sabrina Ionescu and Ronald Acuña Jr.

Why it matters: It wants to market itself as a worthy challenger to the throne that Gatorade has occupied for nearly six decades.

Go deeper (2 min. read)

Dion Rabouin

56 mins ago - Economy & Business

S&P 500's historic rebound leaves investors divided on future

Data: Money.net; Chart: Axios Visuals

The S&P 500 nearly closed at an all-time high on Wednesday and remains poised to go from peak to trough to peak in less than half a year.

By the numbers: Since hitting its low on March 23, the S&P has risen about 50%, with more than 40 of its members doubling, according to Bloomberg. The $12 trillion dollars of share value that vanished in late March has almost completely returned.

Go deeper (1 min. read)

Sara Fischer

3 hours ago - Economy & Business

Newsrooms abandoned as pandemic drags on

Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

Facing enormous financial pressure and uncertainty around reopenings, media companies are giving up on their years-long building leases for more permanent work-from-home structures. Others are letting employees work remotely for the foreseeable future.

Why it matters: Real estate is often the most expensive asset that media companies own. And for companies that don't own their space, it's often the biggest expense.