Axios PM

July 17, 2025
Good Thursday afternoon. Today's newsletter, edited by Sam Baker, is 595 words, a 2.5-min. read. Thanks to Sheryl Miller for copy editing.
🤖 Situational awareness: The Trump administration is set to roll out an "AI action plan" by the end of the month that signals a hands-off, pro-growth approach to AI, Axios Pro's Maria Curi and Ashley Gold scoop.
- The White House is also working on an executive order that would bar government agencies from acquiring certain AI tools if they're deemed too "woke."
🏛️ Big crypto win: The House this afternoon passed legislation, the Digital Asset Market CLARITY Act, to establish the first comprehensive set of rules for the cryptocurrency industry.
- The vote was 294-134, with 78 Democrats joining Republicans in voting aye. The bill faces a tougher road in the Senate. Keep reading.
1 big thing: Partisan trust gap


Americans' confidence in major institutions is near an all-time low, Axios' Sam Baker writes from new Gallup data.
- Overall confidence in political and business institutions has stayed level at an average of about 30%, but there's been a huge partisan reversal in the past year.
- Since President Trump took office, Republicans' trust has soared while Democrats' has plummeted to a record low.
📊 Zoom in: Republicans' faith in the presidency shot up 73 percentage points just in the past year. Their confidence in the military, banks, churches, police, tech companies, the criminal justice system, organized labor and Congress all jumped by double digits.
- Democrats' confidence in the presidency dropped by 58 percentage points over the past year, and they also reported double-digit declines for the military, police, tech companies, the criminal justice system and newspapers.
2. 🚨"Year of the flood"

The National Weather Service has issued a record number of flash flood warnings so far in 2025, as storms have brought devastating and deadly rainfall to Texas, the Northeast and elsewhere.
- The numbers reflect the recent above-average rainfall we've had in parts of the country, with some slow-moving storms dropping lots of water relatively quickly, Axios' Alex Fitzpatrick reports.
🌨️ By the numbers: NWS offices issued 3,160 flash flood warnings nationwide this year through July 16, according to a tracker at Iowa State University.
- That's the most for that period in any year since records began in 1986.
"2025 has been the year of the flood," meteorologist Michael Lowry writes.
3. Catch me up

- 🧱 Above: Workers erect a new phase of border wall yesterday between Santa Teresa, N.M., and Ciudad Juarez, Mexico.
- ⚖️ The Justice Department recommended a one-day sentence for one of the police officers involved in the raid that killed Breonna Taylor. The officer, Brett Hankison, was convicted on civil rights charges for firing his gun 10 times into Taylor's home. Go deeper.
- 💨 Juul won the government's authorization to keep selling its signature e-cigarettes in the U.S. They were briefly banned under the Biden administration. Go deeper.
- 🩺 President Trump was diagnosed with chronic venous insufficiency, which occurs when veins in the legs are damaged. Go deeper.
4. 🎂 70 years of Disneyland

Disneyland opened its doors in Anaheim, Calif., 70 years ago today, envisioned as a family attraction with a focus on storytelling.
- It's still the second most visited theme park in the U.S., trailing only Disney World in Florida.

Admission in 1955 cost $1 for adults and 50 cents for children. Tickets for most rides were an additional 10–50 cents, per AP.
- Today, it's at least $100 for a daily pass.
A handful of the original rides are still there, including the Mad Tea Party, Peter Pan's Flight and Jungle Cruise.
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