Axios PM

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March 19, 2019

Situational awareness: Florida prosecutors might drop the charges of soliciting prostitution against New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft — as long as he admits he would have been found guilty at trial, per the WSJ.

1 big thing: Nervous, angry rich countries

Data: OECD survey; Table: Axios Visuals
Data: OECD survey; Table: Axios Visuals

The world's richest countries are full of people who don't feel economically secure, and they don't trust the safety nets their governments have set up, according to a survey of 22,000 people in 21 OECD countries.

Why it matters: It's evidence of a worldwide wave of economic anxiety at a time when people in these countries should be feeling more secure. Per Bloomberg: "People are unhappy with social policies even as evidence shows they are living safer, healthier and longer lives thanks to those very policies."

The big picture: The anxiety goes far beyond the U.S. People in these countries think they don't have enough access to benefits like health care, housing and long-term care.

  • They're also resentful about public benefits, convinced that they don't get enough for the amount of taxes they pay and that other people are getting too much.

By the numbers (average across the 21 countries):

  • Only 20% believe they'd be able to use public benefits if they needed them.
  • Just 25% believe their government would give them enough income support if they lost their job or became a parent.
  • Just 20% think they'd get enough income support in case of illness, disability or old age.
  • 59% don't think they get their fair share of public benefits for the amount of taxes they pay.
  • Two-thirds believe other people get public benefits they don't deserve.

And they don't think they're being heard: About 60% of people in these countries believe their government doesn't listen to them in designing social policies.

Our thought bubble, from Axios' Steve LeVine: Disaffection, distrust and insecurity have dominated politics across continents since 2016, and the survey shows that these drivers are not dissipating, but growing more powerful.

  • In coming elections, the battleground will be to most persuasively navigate the grievous worries of what appears to be the clear majority across the world's most advantaged populations.

The bottom line: President Trump and the 2020 Democrats will have to compete for these constituencies — because this kind of anxiety is broad and powerful and goes beyond the usual party lines.

2. What you missed

President Trump and Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro at the White House

Trump and Bolsonaro at the White House. Photo: Jim Watson/AFP/Getty Images

  1. The ACLU has reached a settlement with Facebook to help curb discrimination in employment, housing and credit ads. Details.
  2. Facebook will step up its fact-checking and other efforts to fight misinformation ahead of the European Parliament elections in May, Reuters reports.
  3. President Trump suggested that Brazil could be a NATO member during a press conference with Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro. How it would work.
  4. The Defense Department has released a list of $12.9 billion in military construction projects that could see their funding diverted to pay for a border wall. The impact.
  5. The FBI sought and obtained a warrant for Michael Cohen's emails as early as July 2017, far earlier than previously known, according to documents related to the raid on his home and office. Details.
  6. The Supreme Court ruled that the government can detain convicted immigrants who have completed their sentence and are awaiting deportation, even years after they've been released from jail. The backstory.

3. 1 happy hour thing

A mug of beer in front of a Keurig coffee machine

Barron's illustration by Joel Arbaje/Used by permission

Can't get enough of those Keurig machines? Barron's reports that Anheuser-Busch InBev and Keurig Dr Pepper have teamed up to create the Drinkworks machine, a bartending machine that works like a K-cup for cocktails.

  • "Consumers can preorder the machine, which can offer mixed drinks as well as chilled beers and ciders, for $299."
  • "[A]ny success of the new system would not only lead to initial machine sales, but also ongoing revenue from the pods."
  • "While the pods, at $4 a pop, are still more expensive than mixing a drink manually, the company is betting that consumers, especially those who like to entertain at home, will be more willing to pay and wait for the drinks."

Cheers.