Biden officials are telling Democratic critics that President Biden is eager to prove them wrong — and plans to hit the campaign trail once he recovers from COVID, with potential trips to Georgia and Texas in coming days, Axios' Hans Nichols and Alex Thompson report.

• Why it matters: As he battles COVID in his Delaware beach house, Biden appears immune to the calls from his own party, including from the Senate's two most endangered Democrats, to drop out of the race.

⚡ Split screen: In public and in private, Biden campaign manager Jen O'Malley Dillon made a forceful case for why he is going to stay in the race, with some frank talk for her staff: "Don't watch cable news all the time ... The people that the president is hearing from are saying: 'Stay in this race and keep going and keep fighting,' and 'we need you.'"

• Outside Biden's bubble, the calls for him to bow out grew louder, with Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) saying: "I think the President should end his campaign."

💥 The big picture: The president and his inner circle are on a collision course with the party he leads.

• Senior Democratic officials are urging Biden to make a decision on his future this weekend, with many of them peppering Biden's most trusted advisers with arguments for why he should bow out for the good of the party.
• "It's a fairly universal sentiment internally that we have reached the end of the road," said a Biden aide — though they added they weren't sure the president and some select aides feel the same way.

👀 Steve Ricchetti, one of Biden's core advisers, traveled to Delaware yesterday to be available for face-to-face conversions with Biden when his COVID status allows it.

• Since the debate, Ricchetti has been in close contact with lawmakers, donors and party leaders — many of whom have explained why they think Biden should bow out of the presidential race.
• While Ricchetti has challenged some of their assumptions, he also makes it clear that he's interested in hearing, and digesting, their views, according to people familiar with the matter.

Ricchetti frequently spends the weekends with Biden in Rehoboth, and Biden typically has a core group of aides who travel with him.

• "When the president travels, the White House always includes several members of senior staff. Annie Tomasini and Steve Ricchetti, who often travel with the President, will have the shift in Rehoboth," said Saloni Sharma, a White House spokesperson.

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Popular destinations around the world are contending with a surge in tourism that's getting too big to bear — driving up prices, polluting cities, damaging historical sites and angering locals.

• Why it matters: The tourism tsunami shows no signs of slowing down, and some of the planet's most beautiful and iconic places are in its path, Axios' Erica Pandey writes.

By the numbers: Some 80% of travelers visit just 10% of the world's destinations, National Geographic notes.

• And while tourism dipped during the pandemic's peak, the UN's tourism arm projects that the number of global tourists will hit 1.8 billion by 2030 — up from 1.5 billion in 2019.

The big picture: The collision of global technology and demographic trends has given rise to overtourism.

• Flights are more accessible. Yes, airfare is higher than it was pre-pandemic, but overall, ticket prices are nearly half as expensive as they were in the 80s when adjusted for inflation.
• There's an emerging global middle class. A key driver of the modern surge in tourism has been the rise of China's huge middle class.
• There's more information. It's easier than ever for people to learn about landmarks and attractions in other countries — and subsequently dream of visiting them.

Case in point: Spain saw a record-breaking 85 million visitors in 2023, and one of the most affected cities is Barcelona, CNBC reports. The number of hotels in the city quadrupled from 1990 to 2023.

• Tensions in Barcelona are escalating, with protesters spraying tourists with water guns.

What we're watching: The mounting frustration is pushing some cities and countries to come up with solutions to curb tourism — or at least make more money from it.

• Barcelona has increased its tourist tax, and the city's mayor announced a plan to ban all Airbnb-style short-term rentals by 2028. That move will return 10,000 apartments to the local residents' market.
• Bhutan has limited tourism — and attracted travelers who spend more — with steep daily fees for visitors.

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The last several weeks have shown emerging signs of weakness in the U.S. economy.

• This past week brought powerful reminders that — while the cracks are real and the future uncertain — the basic picture remains one of robust economic activity, Axios' Neil Irwin and Courtenay Brown write.

🔬 Zoom in: The International Monetary Fund's World Economic Outlook projects the U.S. economy will grow 2.6% this year.

• That's down a tick from its spring projection, but double the anticipated GDP growth in the next-strongest G7 nation (Canada, at 1.3%).
• Meanwhile, new retail sales data showed American consumers ended the second quarter on a high note.

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A majority of the gymnasts and swimmers who have represented America in the Olympics and attended college have hailed from the same handful of schools, Axios' Tory Lysik and Rahul Mukherjee report.

• Why it matters: The U.S. women's gymnastics is prolific, winning the all-around gold medal seven times, and the swim team is dominant, with three times as many medals as any other country's team.

Powerhouse colleges feed the talent pipeline that keeps both teams strong.

• UCLA leads gymnastics and has sent 17 men and women to the Olympics.
• California schools also reign supreme in swimming, with Stanford, Berkeley and USC in three of the top four spots.

More on Olympic gymnastics and swimming.

Sanctions against two hard-line Israeli Cabinet ministers were among the potential steps discussed at a White House National Security Council meeting this week on how to respond to the deteriorating security situation in the West Bank, U.S. officials tell Axios' Barak Ravid.

• Why it matters: The Biden administration is deeply frustrated that the Israeli government has pursued a policy of expanding settlements and weakening the Palestinian Authority — and that more extreme members of the government are openly allied with extremist settler groups.

The White House meeting was convened after another surge in violence by extremist settlers against Palestinians, and an Israeli government decision to plan and build another 5,000 housing units in the settlements and legalize five outposts.

⚡ Catch up quick: Earlier this year, President Biden signed an unprecedented executive order allowing sanctions on Israeli settlers.

• When Biden signed that order, senior White House officials recommended the president sanction Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben Gvir — the ultranationalist ministers of finance and national security respectively. The idea was discussed again this week in the NSC meeting but no decision was made.

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A galvanized metal trough could be the coolest way to beat the summer heat.

• Why it matters: Typically meant to store water for horses and cattle, stock tanks are making a splash in backyards across the country, Axios' Sami Sparber reports.

They're less expensive than swimming pools and sleeker than other above-ground options, says Amanda Shaftel, co-founder of Cowboy Pools.

• It's one of several businesses, including Stock Tank Love and Gypsy Pools, that launched in recent years (mostly in Texas or Florida) as the pandemic kept people home.

🥽 By the numbers: Cowboy Pools' stock tank pools start at $3,450 nationwide.

• Compare that with in-ground pools, which cost an average of $28,000 to $66,500.

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Sheila Jackson Lee, the longtime U.S. representative from Texas who helped lead federal efforts to protect women from domestic violence and recognize Juneteenth as a national holiday, has died. She was 74.

• The Democrat had represented Houston since 1995. She had previously had breast cancer and announced a pancreatic cancer diagnosis on June 2, AP reports.

Rep. James Clyburn (D-S.C.) called her "a tenacious advocate for civil rights and a tireless fighter, improving the lives of her constituents."

• Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) said he had never known a harder-working lawmaker than Jackson Lee: She "studied every bill and every amendment with exactitude and then told Texas and America exactly where she stood."

Words from Jackson Lee's family.

A drone view shows emergency vehicles in the funeral procession for Corey Comperatore, the retired volunteer fire chief who was killed while shielding his wife and daughter during the attack on former President Trump.

• Comperatore, 50, was saluted yesterday with bagpipes and a three-volley gun salute in the small western Pennsylvania town of Cabot, in Butler County.

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