Axios PM

February 07, 2023
Happy Tuesday afternoon. Today's PM — edited by Kate Nocera — is 591 words, a 2-min. read. Thanks to Sheryl Miller for the copy edit.
1 big thing: Unity agenda 2.0

President Biden’s State of the Union tonight (9 p.m. ET) will be his first with a Republican speaker over his left shoulder.
- Biden will dust off his "unity agenda," and he plans to largely stay away from direct attacks on Republican policies, Axios' Hans Nichols reports.
- Biden instead will focus more on potential areas of agreement like fighting cancer and opioid addiction — topics he hit last year, too — in hopes of building goodwill with the new Republican majority.
Biden will also tout the economic growth the country has enjoyed during his first two years as president and claim some progress in fighting inflation. But Republicans are primed to punch back on both topics.
- "Biden can try to gaslight on the economy and inflation," Rep. Tom Emmer (R-Minn.) said. "I'll remind the president that inflation surged to a 40-year high under his failing leadership."
Invited guests of the president, first lady and members of Congress include:
- U2's Bono, the family of Tyre Nichols, a 92-year-old Holocaust survivor, and the parents of a 3-year-old who survived a rare pediatric cancer will be among the administration's guests, AP reports.
Members of the Congressional Black Caucus invited other family members of people killed by police — George Floyd, Eric Garner, Walter Scott, Michael Brown, Tamir Rice and Ronald Green — to push for police reform, The Grio's April Ryan reports.
- Rep. Steve Scalise (R-La.) plans to bring the coroner of his home parish to discuss the number of fentanyl deaths in the U.S. — something he blames on Biden's border policies.
2. đź’¸ "Free" drinks get pricier at Starbucks

Inflation has driven up the prices of your favorite Starbucks drinks — and it's now coming for your free coffee.
- Starting Feb. 13, the chain's rewards program will change how many "stars" are needed to get certain items. So you’ll need to spend more money to get that free drink, Axios' Kelly Tyko reports.
- The changes to the redemption tiers "better align the cost of product redemptions to our current pricing," Starbucks chief marketing officer Brady Brewer, said on an earnings call.
How it works: Currently, 150 stars will earn even the most expensive drink — any size, with any add-ons. That reward will cost 200 stars, and 50-star items like pastries will cost 100 stars.
- On average, customers will have to spend an extra $25–$50 to earn a reward.
3. Catch me up

- Turkish President Recep Tayyip ErdoÄźan today declared a state of emergency in 10 provinces devastated by two earthquakes that killed 6,300+ people and left a trail of destruction across a wide area of southern Turkey and neighboring Syria. (Reuters) Go deeper.
- Axios Codebook author Sam Sabin documented her journey using a burner phone solely for TikTok as she tried to navigate the app's cybersecurity concerns. Go deeper.
4. 🏀 36 points

LeBron James is sitting just 36 points shy of passing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the NBA’s all-time leading scorer — making tonight's Lakers vs. Thunder matchup must-see TV.
- James is averaging 30 points per game, and has scored at least 36 in nine of his 43 games this season, Axios Sports' Jeff Tracy writes.
The intrigue: There's no guarantee he'll hit the record tonight. But some courtside tickets for the potentially historic game are going for as much as $75,000, per AP.
- At least one spectator will be in those prime seats free of charge — Abdul-Jabbar, who’s expected to watch his record (maybe) fall in person.
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