Apr 21, 2017

Obama picks Chicago for his first post-WH event

Evan Vucci / AP

Former President Obama is returning to his hometown Monday where he'll deliver a speech to young leaders at the University of Chicago. The conversation will focus on civic engagement and community organizing. Hundreds of people from Chicago-area universities are expected to attend, and about six students and recent graduates will appear on stage with him for the 11 a.m. panel, said Obama spokesman Kevin Lewis.

Why this matters: The televised speech will be Obama's first public event since leaving office in January, and comes just a few days before Trump will mark his 100th day in office on April 29.

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Mike Allen

Kenan Thompson and Hasan Minhaj to headline White House Correspondents' Dinner

Kenan Thompson on "SNL" in 2018. Photo: Rosalind O'Connor/NBC via Getty Images

Kenan Thompson, the longest-tenured "Saturday Night Live" cast member, will host the White House Correspondents' Association dinner on April 25.

And Hasan Minhaj — host of Netflix’s "Patriot Act with Hasan Minhaj," and the entertainer at the 2017 dinner — will return as featured entertainer.

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Jim VandeHei, Mike Allen

"Billions": Season 2020

Mike Bloomberg speaks at Hardywood Park Craft Brewery in Richmond, Va., on Saturday. Photo: James H. Wallace/Richmond Times-Dispatch via AP

Money alone can’t buy a presidential election, but it surely gets you VIP access.

Why it matters: Billionaire Michael Bloomberg is duking it out with Billionaire Donald Trump, often on Billionaire Jack Dorsey’s Twitter and in ads on Billionaire Mark Zuckerberg’s Facebook, all chronicled in Billionaire Jeff Bezos’ Washington Post.

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Jennifer A. Kingson

Biometrics invade banking and retail

Illustration: Eniola Odetunde/Axios

Banks have been quietly rolling out biometrics to identify customers — verifying them by their fingerprint, voice or eye scan — and retailers like Amazon are getting into the game.

Why it matters: These companies are amassing giant databases of our most personal information — including our gait, how we hold our cellphones, our typing patterns — that raise knotty questions about data security and privacy.

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