Axios AM

February 07, 2024
🐫 Happy Wednesday! Smart Brevity™ count: 1,353 words ... 5 mins. Thanks to Noah Bressner for orchestrating. Copy edited by Sheryl Miller.
🗳️ Situational awareness: Nikki Haley took second place to "none of these candidates" in a largely symbolic Nevada primary that didn't include former President Trump, Axios' Erin Doherty writes.
- Trump is participating in tomorrow's Nevada caucuses, which are the only contest that will award delegates. How AP called it for "none."
🥊 1 big thing: Epic double debacle

It's 10 minutes of humiliation that will live in House lore:
- Speaker Mike Johnson last night lost by one vote — a Republican vote! — the first impeachment of a Cabinet official in 148 years. Then the House rejected the GOP's heavily hyped package of aid for Israel.
Why it matters: Even in an era of ousted speakers and wild, daily internal disarray, these back-to-back defeats were epic.
House Republicans were fuming and embarrassed after the twin defeats on impeaching Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and military aid for Israel — a bill that was a GOP chess move against President Biden.
- GOP lawmakers openly criticized leaders for bringing the bills to the floor without the votes to pass them.
"I just don't understand why we can't do the one thing the American people want," said Rep. Cory Mills (R-Fla.).
- "'Frustrating' is not the right word. … It's maddening," Rep. Derrick Van Orden (R-Wis.) told Axios.
🖼️ The big picture: It's part of a broader pattern of House Republican leaders struggling for wins in the narrowly divided chamber — largely due to divides in their own conference.
- After unseating Speaker Kevin McCarthy, with the power gap that followed, Republicans are now failing to muster muscle on bills that would help them keep their majority at the polls in November.
What happened: The Mayorkas vote failed after three Republicans — Reps. Ken Buck (Colo.), Mike Gallagher (Wis.) and Tom McClintock (Calif.) — joined Democrats in voting against it.
- The final Israel vote was 250 for and 180 against, which fell short of the two-thirds majority needed for passage. 14 Republicans joined Democrats in voting against the bill. 46 Democrats voted for the bill.
Between the lines: The Israel vote was an important House GOP counter-measure as the Senate struggles to pass a bill to fund Israel, Ukraine, Taiwan and border security.
🏛️ Being there: In a dramatic scene, Republicans on the House floor urged the three GOP "no" votes to flip.
- When that failed, GOP leaders flipped a fourth vote to "no" so they could try again when House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) returns from cancer treatment.
- Leaving the chamber, conservative Rep. Troy Nehls (R-Texas) called the result "shameful," telling Axios: "I mean, what the hell are they thinking? We should have gotten this done."
Rep. Max Miller (R-Ohio), a former official in the Trump White House, chalked up the standoff on national security funding to "bad decision-making" by House GOP leaders.
- Republican leaders are vowing to bring impeachment back to the floor — as soon as they have the votes.
Reporting by Axios' Andrew Solender, Juliegrace Brufke and Justin Green.
2. 🐘 Trump's power plays

Former President Trump — whose odds of facing a pre-election felony trial are rising fast — is flexing political power even before formally clinching the GOP nomination, Axios' Sophia Cai and Hans Nichols write.
- Why it matters: He's throwing preemptive punches and sowing chaos in Congress before getting bogged down by the realities of an intense court case.
Trump has made a series of rapid moves that emphasize his domination of the GOP:
- He commanded congressional Republicans to kill the bipartisan border bill — which they quickly did.
- Trump indicated he wanted an RNC shakeup that would remove chair Ronna McDaniel. The N.Y. Times reported last night that she now plans to step down after South Carolina's primary later this month.
He's also hitting President Biden as if the election were next week, rather than Nov. 5:
- Trump — who has avoided debating any of his foes for the Republican nomination — challenged Biden to debate "now."
- After Biden passed on an interview with CBS during the Super Bowl pregame, Trump volunteered on social media: "I WOULD BE HAPPY TO REPLACE HIM — would be "RATINGS GOLD!"
⚖️ The backdrop: A D.C. appeals court yesterday unanimously rejected his argument that he should have immunity from charges in his Jan. 6 case.
3. 💡 Trump shuns "former"

Donald Trump is brandishing the "privileges, pageantry and powers" of being a former president, the N.Y. Times' Jonathan Swan, Maggie Haberman and Shane Goldmacher report.
- Why it matters: His use of presidential imagery — think Secret Service details, motorcades and "Trump Force One" — has "indisputably become a crucial factor in his effort to return to power."
Just after Trump left office, a news release was headlined: "Statement from the Office of the Former President."
- Since then, statements have been branded: "45th President Donald J. Trump."
Gift link (no paywall).
4. 📺 Cable TV's death knell
Illustration: Allie Carl/Axios
The rollout of a new sports streaming service from the country's biggest entertainment companies sent shockwaves through the media industry, Axios' Tim Baysinger and Sara Fischer write.
- Why it matters: The writing has been on the wall for a while. But the new announcement — coupled with a huge milestone by YouTube TV — makes it clear that cable may have months, not years, to live.
What's happening: ESPN, Fox and Warner Bros. Discovery are creating a joint streaming venture to put their sports TV content on a single service that will launch this fall.
- YouTube TV's announcement that it has more than 8 million paid subscribers places it as the fourth-largest pay-TV provider, nipping at DirecTV's heels for third place.
🖼️ The big picture: Live sporting events are the only content left holding the cable bundle together.
- The new service will include ESPN, ABC, TNT and Fox.
- Those networks all have rights to games from all of the major professional leagues.
Go deeper with Media Deals, Axios' subscription ($) newsletter with an eye on streaming.
5. 🚘 Toyota's victory lap


Toyota's soaring stock (charted above) suggests its decision to emphasize hybrid vehicles over fully electric models is paying off, Axios' Matt Phillips writes.
- Why it matters: The company said yesterday it expects to notch an annual profit of more than $30 billion when its fiscal year closes in March. That would be a record for the Japanese car giant.
🛣️ Between the lines: Consumers seem reluctant to go fully electric, a reflection of anxieties about range, access to charging stations and affordability.
- Toyota has approached the all-electric vehicle market cautiously while maintaining its traditional strength in hybrid vehicles.
6. 🤖 Facebook, Instagram will label AI posts
Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios
Meta announced yesterday that it plans to start applying labels to Facebook, Instagram and Threads posts that contain images the company has identified as being generated by AI, Axios' Ryan Heath writes.
- Why it matters: Meta-owned platforms host more than 5 billion active accounts — and every one of its apps will be subject to the labeling policy in all supported languages.
7. 👑 Chase = bank branch king

JPMorgan Chase — the biggest bank in the country — isn't giving up its "love affair" with old-fashioned brick-and-mortar locations anytime soon, The Wall Street Journal reports ($).
- Why it matters: Most customers — even Gen Z — use a branch at some point during the year. Many still choose banks partly based on proximity to a retail location.
The banking behemoth is planning to add 500 branches in the next three years — bucking an industry trend that has seen thousands of retail locations close over the last decade.
- Only 17 banks now have 500+ branches. JPMorgan has close to 5,000.
8. 🏈 Super Bowl takes over Sphere

The first Super Bowl in Las Vegas will have a fittingly eye-popping spectacle: The Sphere, the record-breaking orb on the Sin City skyline that opened in September.
- The NFL says it's partnering with The Sphere to feature Super Bowl images all week.

🌐 Above: 49ers and Chiefs helmets have already started to take over the Las Vegas skyline.
- The 366-foot-tall orb will be featured multiple times on the CBS broadcast.
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