Axios

Space travel once unified Americans with the excitement of scientific discovery and wonderment. But the recent suborbital trips headlined by Richard Branson and Jeff Bezos have been much more divisive, with critics accusing the billionaires of taking pricey joyrides while the Earth below them literally burns.

Axios Re:Cap goes deeper with engineer and Virgin Galactic executive Sirisha Bandla, who flew alongside Branson, to better understand what space tourism could also mean for the future of science.

Back in June, the House of Representatives passed a resolution launching a special committee to investigate the Jan. 6th insurrection at the Capitol. Republican leader Kevin McCarthy could choose five committee members, but Speaker Nancy Pelosi would have veto power and the final say.

On Wednesday, Pelosi rejected two of McCarthy’s pro-Trump appointees, saying they could have “an impact on the integrity of the investigation.”

• Plus, an eerie first Olympic dispatch from Tokyo.
• And, why some rural Democrats are running against their own national party’s image.

Guests: Axios' Alayna Treene, Ina Fried, and Alexi McCammond.

Credits: Axios Today is produced in partnership with Pushkin Industries. The team includes Niala Boodhoo, Sara Kehaulani Goo, Dan Bobkoff, Alexandra Botti, Nuria Marquez Martinez, Sabeena Singhani, Amy Pedulla, Naomi Shavin, and Alex Sugiura. Music is composed by Evan Viola. You can reach us at [email protected]. You can text questions, comments and story ideas to Niala as a text or voice memo to 202-918-4893.

Go deeper:

• McCarthy pulls Republicans from Jan. 6 select committee after Pelosi rejects picks
• Olympic soccer players take a knee against racism
• Swing Country: Rural Dems run from party

Tom Barrack, the billionaire real estate investor and close friend to former President Trump, was arrested yesterday on federal charges of acting as an unregistered foreign agent for the United Arab Emirates. It's a case that touches the highest levels of American finance and power.

Axios Re:Cap goes deeper with Vicky Ward, an investigative journalist who's reported Tom Barrack through her books on New York real estate, the Kushner family and her new podcast series on Jeffrey Epstein.

As the Delta variant spreads and COVID safety measures loosen across much of the country, many are starting to think about the fall and how kids will stay safe when they return to crowded classrooms.

• Plus, finding housing for reunited migrant families.
• And, fallout from the world’s first atomic bomb.

Guests: Axios' Marisa Fernandez, Stef Kight, and Russell Contreras.

Credits: Axios Today is produced in partnership with Pushkin Industries. The team includes Niala Boodhoo, Sara Kehaulani Goo, Dan Bobkoff, Alexandra Botti, Nuria Marquez Martinez, Sabeena Singhani, Amy Pedulla, Naomi Shavin, and Alex Sugiura. Music is composed by Evan Viola. You can reach us at [email protected]. You can text questions, comments and story ideas to Niala as a text or voice memo to 202-918-4893.

Go deeper:

• Delta variant now makes up 83% of U.S. COVID cases, CDC director says
• Latinos still coping with the fallout of 1st nuclear explosion