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The FDA announced yesterday that it’s clearing the way for a new category of hearing aids, that people with mild or moderate hearing loss can buy over the counter without an exam, fitting, or prescription. This is huge news for the millions of Americans who currently struggle to access or pay for hearing aids in America, which usually cost thousands of dollars.

Plus, the Afghans still left behind, one year after US withdrawal.

And, money to fuel Liz Cheney’s next chapter.

Credits:  Axios Today is produced by Niala Boodhoo, Sara Kehaulani Goo, Alexandra Botti, Lydia McMullen-Laird, Alex Sugiura, and Ben O'Brien. Music is  composed by  Evan Viola. You can reach us at podcasts@axios.com. You can text questions, comments and story ideas to Niala as a text or voice memo to 202-918-4893.

Coming soon: Over-the-counter hearing aids

Liz Cheney braces for a big loss — and plots a new beginning

NIALA: Good morning! Welcome to Axios Today! 

Here’s what we’re covering: the Afghans still left behind, one year after US withdrawal. Plus, the money to fuel Liz Cheney’s next chapter.

But first, the new FDA rule that could affect millions of Americans with hearing loss. That’s our One Big Thing.

NIALA: Hearing aids will soon be easier than ever to get. The FDA announced yesterday that it's clearing the way for a new category of hearing aids that people with mild or moderate hearing loss can buy over the counter without an exam fitting or prescription. This is huge news for millions of Americans who currently struggle to access or pay for hearing aids in this country, which can cost thousands of dollars. Axios’ Tina Reed has been covering this story. Hi, Tina. 

NIALA: So Tina, the idea that a hearing aid could cost thousands of dollars. Actually, one of our producer's mom, she paid $6,000 for hearing aid and insurance didn't cover that. Is that typical? 

TINA: Yes. So getting a hearing aid can be pretty expensive, usually between $2000 and $7,000. Um, and actually during a call with reporters, FDA commissioner, Robert Califf even commiserated with consumers saying it cost his mother-in-law $5,000 for her hearing aid. And those costs aren't covered by Medicare or private insurance. 

NIALA: So I know this move was a while in the making. How will it actually make things easier and hopefully cheaper?

TINA: So this creates a completely new category for hearing aids apart from the hearing aids designed for people with serious hearing loss. And opens up innovation which are essentially these high tech devices in your ears that amplify sound, for people with mild to moderate hearing loss. It also cuts out the need to have specialized fittings or a prescription from a healthcare provider which obviously required having to go see a specialist. So there’s a number of different areas where health care costs are being cut out or where innovation could potentially bring the cost of these devices down.

NIALA: How many people do we think this could actually help?

TINA: The estimate is about 30 million Americans actually suffer from some sort of hearing loss, but then only about a fifth of those who could benefit from some sort of a hearing aid actually get that help. And it's because there's a lot of stigma. People don't wanna be seen as old or impaired. Um, there's also a lot of folks who don't see the value in it, um, because it is so expensive and they think “I'm only dealing with mild or moderate hearing loss.” 

NIALA: But Tina, are there also possible other health consequences to hearing loss? 

TINA: Yes. There are studies that show both cognitive and mental health impacts, resulting from, loss of hearing and that was something that officials also raised, uh, just the idea of how much isolation people who suffer from a loss of hearing can experience as a result of, of this problem.

TINA: There have been some concerns. Mostly industry groups actually are supportive of this, but they warn that they worry some people who really do need help from a specialist or from a medical professional might not get it, um, in a timely fashion.  So, you know, they, they really wanted to stress having packaging that encourages consumers to seek medical advice, uh, from a trained professional. There are also guardrails that these aren't for people who are 18 and up only, they don't, this does not apply to kids and it does not apply to people with serious hearing loss because they wanted to protect consumers.

NIALA: Tina Reed is Axios's healthcare editor. Thanks Tina.

Money to fuel Liz Cheney’s next chapter.

NIALA: As expected, Wyoming’s Liz Cheney lost her seat in Congress to Trump-backed Harriet Hageman, in yesterday’s Republican primary, but she far outraised Hageman in donations from Texas, where her opposition to Trump and leadership on the January 6th committee have been gaining her supporters. 

I asked Axios Austin reporter Asher Price to tell us about the deep Texas pockets supporting Cheney and what they could mean for her next political chapter.

ASHER PRICE: The cash is basically coming from two different pockets. First you have loyalists to George W. Bush and the Bush-Cheney administration: I’m thinking of loyalists like Karl Rove, Karen Hughes, key strategists in the Bush-Cheney White House. And then you have people who never gave money to Liz Cheney before but are supportive of the fight she’s putting up against former President Donald Trump, including prominent Republicans who have served in the Texas Republican Party. You have people like Bobby Ray Einman, who was a former National Intelligence Director. He said to me, “I was motivated to contribute this time to honor the role she’s played in investigating the Jan. 6 assault on our democracy.”

So, she’s raised not an insignificant amount, nearly a million dollars at last check just from contributors in Texas just this election cycle in her Liz Cheney for Wyoming campaign. And the reason that matters is that it lays the groundwork for future run for higher office, if she decides to run for president. This shows that fundraising abilities go far and wide and there’s some appetite to support that run.

NIALA: Asher Price is a reporter for Axios Austin.

In a moment, an update on Afghan refugees seeking asylum in the US.

The Afghans still left behind — one year after US withdrawal

NIALA: Welcome Axios Today. I'm Niala Boodhoo. Since the US withdrawal from Afghanistan last August more than 81,000 Afghans have begun new lives here in the US. But tens of thousands of others who had been interpreters or worked in other roles for the US are still stuck in Afghanistan and are trying to get out. Stef Kight covers immigration for Axios. Hey Stef. 

NIALA: Stef, can you remind us when the US left Afghanistan, what kind of assistance did they provide for Afghans who specifically helped the US military?

STEF: Right. So a year ago, and even before then, the US offered special immigrant visas for Afghans who aided the US military as interpreters or in other roles. And this is a special visa that allows them to come to the US and start new lives here as thanks for helping the US, and also to provide protections, especially given the danger they're in, after helping the us, once the Taliban took control of Afghanistan. 

NIALA: So where are the majority of those people now? 

STEF: We don't have an exact number, but we do know that tens of thousands are still in Afghanistan, as well as their family members. And then of course, as you mentioned, there are now more than 81,000 Afghans who have started new lives here in the US. 

NIALA: Stef, before the Taliban took over, there was a lot of concern from people who worked with the US military about what their personal safety would look like in Afghanistan. What has been the fate of people who have not been able to get out who did help or work with the US military? 

STEF: We've heard from outside groups and refugee groups who are interacting with some of these Afghans who are still stuck in Afghanistan, despite their help for the US military. And a lot of them have had to go into hiding. They're fearful that the Taliban is gonna track them down, that they and their families are in danger. And at this point it's very difficult to leave the country. 

The people who have made it to the US also are facing an uncertain future right now. There are very few pathways for people who came to the US on parole for them to stay permanently. And there's a bill that's been introduced in Congress, the Afghanistan adjustment act that would make those pathways a little bit more clear, but that is yet to pass. So we're seeing a lot of people concerned about what their future is here in the us. In addition to just all the other challenges that come with readjusting to a new country, a new culture. 

NIALA: And so one refugee you spoke to for the story Zarifa Adiba, she conducted the first all-female orchestra in Afghanistan, and is now in New York. She said she wants Americans to know that Afghani refugees don't have any other choice, but to come here.

ZARIFA ADIBA: And trust me that nobody wants to leave their homeland. It is so hard emotionally and mentally to accept that, oh, I have to run away because I will die here if I stay here. 

STEF: Yeah, she is actually in the US on, um, an employment visa because of her work as a conductor of an all-female orchestra in Afghanistan. And she's continuing to work on music, but her family they're here on humanitarian parole, which is only a temporary protection here in the US. And they're still trying to figure out their permanent pathway to staying, which is not very clear when it comes to humanitarian parole. 

NIALA: Stef Kight is part of Axios' politics team. Thanks Stef. 

I’m Niala Boodhoo - thanks for listening - stay safe and we’ll see you back here tomorrow morning.

Over-the-counter hearing aids are coming soon

The FDA is clearing the way for a otc hearing aids

Afghanistan

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Some Republican lawmakers are embracing a new rallying cry to "defund the FBI," following last week's search of Mar-a-Lago. It's a message that stands in stark contrast to the GOP's position as the party of law enforcement, especially since the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests and calls to "defund the police."

Plus, the Colorado River reaches a drought tipping point.

And, Scotland becomes the first country to provide free period products.

Guests: Axios' Andrew Solender; Sam Metz, who covers the Western U.S. for the Associated Press.

Credits: Axios Today is produced by Niala Boodhoo, Sara Kehaulani Goo, Alexandra  Botti, Lydia McMullen-Laird, Alex Sugiura, and Ben O'Brien. Music is composed by  Evan Viola. You can reach us at podcasts@axios.com. You can text questions, comments and story ideas to Niala as a text or voice memo to 202-918-4893.

"Defund the FBI" complicates GOP's midterm messaging

Here’s what we’re watching today: the Colorado River reaches a drought tipping point. Plus, Scotland becomes the first country to provide free period products.

But first, today’s One Big Thing: GOP calls to Defund the FBI.

Some Republican lawmakers are embracing a new rallying cry to “Defund the FBI,” following last week’s search of Mar-a-Lago. It’s a message that stands in stark contrast to the GOP’s position as the party of law enforcement, especially since the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests that had calls to Defund the Police. 

Axios’ Political Reporter Andrew Solender has been talking to members of Congress about this, hi Andrew.

NIALA: Andrew, “Defund the Police” was the message from some Democrats beginning in 2020, but now Republicans are saying the same, but for the FBI? Who in particular is saying this?

ANDREW: That's right. So, particularly members of the freedom caucus. So Marjorie Taylor Greene, Lauren Boebert, Paul Gosar, kind of the usual suspects when it comes to road testing, sort of new right wing positions. Green in particular has been selling “Defund the FBI” merchandise on our campaign website. You know, we've also heard from some others, the chair of the Texas Republican party. From, Jeff Duncan, uh, who's another Freedom Caucus Member, and candidates as well. Several candidates in, in key races, uh, in New Hampshire and North Carolina have also echoed this position.

NIALA: So how could this new message from the GOP change things for the Republican party ahead of the midterms?

ANDREW: So what we're hearing from both Republican and democratic strategists is that this could give Democrats an opportunity and an opening to kind of counter the defund message from Republicans that we've been seeing. Republicans have really leaned into that. These last two cycles, uh, the NRCC has put out press release after press release hitting Democrats who received money from organizations that endorsed defunding the police. And now Democrats, you know, are already, as we're seeing fundraising off of the GOP calls to defund the FBI, and other campaigns telling us that they might incorporate it into their messaging as well. 

NIALA: Is there polling that explains the nuance here about how Americans might feel about defunding police versus the FBI?

ANDREW: Well, the polling we've seen on defunding the police, that is a very unpopular position. Campaigns that I've spoken to seem to think that defunding the FBI would be similarly unpopular, if not a little more. There isn't polling on the particular question of whether voters approve of defunding the FBI, but one poll from Politico Morning Consult shows that 49% of voters somewhat or strongly approve of the Mar-a-lago search that spawned those calls, versus only 37% who disapprove. The caveat there is that in that poll 72% of Republicans strongly are somewhat disapproved. Now obviously just because you disapprove of this particular action by the FBI doesn't necessarily mean that you want to defund or abolish the agency altogether. But all that said, you know, this is an easy indication that at least half of voters, roughly speaking, do not want to defund the FBI, but probably significantly more.

NIALA: And is it fair to say that the majority of Republicans are also not making this call? What do we know about that?

ANDREW: Yeah. I mean, so far it's mostly Republicans, who are either, in safe Republican seats, who hold sort of very right wing views or are trying to court, uh, Republican primary voters and upcoming primaries.

NIALA: Andrew Solender is part of Axios politics team. Thanks, Andrew.

NIALA: After the break, how some Western states are grappling with drought.

Colorado River reaches a drought tipping point

Welcome back to Axios Today. I'm Niala Boodho. The Colorado River in the Western US is facing its worst drought in more than a thousand years and studies tie the drought in large part to global warming. 40 million Americans depend on the river for drinking water, and now seven states are bracing for federal cuts to their water use. Reporter Sam Metz calls this week “the most consequential week for Colorado River policy in years.” Sam covers the Western US for the Associated Press and joins us now from Salt Lake City. Hey Sam!

NIALA: Sam, can you catch us up quick on first, how bad the drought situation is for the Colorado river basin.

SAM: Sure. So the Colorado river basin has been in a drought for about 22 years. And the seven states in Mexico have divided up the water under a series of agreements that date back a century to 1922. And they anticipated a river that had more water flowing through it then has been flowing through it as the region has been hit with drought. 40 million people rely on the Colorado river for their drinking water. Um, that includes cities, Denver, Salt Lake City, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Tijuana. And it also sustains a 15 billion a year agricultural industry that grows most of the nation's winter vegetables.

NIALA: So why is this such a consequential week for Colorado river policy?

SAM: About 60 days ago, the Bureau of Reclamation gave the states an ultimatum. It told them “you guys need to figure out a plan to cut two to 4 million acre feet of water in your consumption, or have those cuts imposed upon you.” One acre foot is enough for two to three households approximately per year. So that's a huge cut. and the states right now are trying to hammer out the final details to figure out how to get to that number. 

NIALA: So the Bureau of Reclamation, which oversees water projects in the west, has said immediate action is needed to avoid a water supply crisis. Next year, when we say crisis, what exactly does that mean?

SAM: So when we say crisis in the Colorado river basin, often what we're referring to is Lake Mead and Lake Powell, depleting to levels at which hydropower could no longer be produced. So the lakes are depleting as more water is diverted from the Colorado river than flows through it. And everyone wants to make sure that those lakes don't fall to a point that water won't be able to move through the dams and produce hydropower. 

SAM: This is a pretty complicated topic. It's a dizzying array of agreements that span back a century and it can be really hard to navigate. I think what people in the west need to know is that a future with less Colorado river water could really change the way of life in cities that rely on the river as their primary source of water and also have massive impacts on the food system. Because this is really the nation's bread basket. We grow a ton of winter vegetables in the Colorado river basin. And as these cities and growing states like Utah and Arizona kind of anticipate future growth, they're having to come up against this reality that long-term drought is likely going to imperil a water supply that they've long relied on.

NIALA: Sam Metz covers the Western YS for the AP joining us from Salt Lake City. Thanks Sam.

Scotland becomes the first country to provide free period products

NIALA: Before we go, Scotland made history yesterday as the first country to begin providing period products for free, at public facilities. Scottish Labour lawmaker Monica Lennon, who introduced the law in 2019, told BBC Scotland that the goal is to make tampons and pads as readily available as toilet paper.

According to UNESCO, 1 out of every 10 menstruating youth across the world misses school during their cycle because of lack of access to menstrual products or resources. Activists call that “period poverty,” and a study published in the Journal of Global Health Reports this year found that almost 12 million low-income Americans have had to choose between paying for menstrual products and food. 

Lennon tweeted on Monday: “Proud of what we have achieved in Scotland. We are the first but won’t be the last.”

I’m Niala Boodhoo, thanks for listening, stay safe and we’ll see you back here tomorrow morning.

GOP calls to "defund the FBI"

Some GOP legislators are embracing a new rallying cry

Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)

It’s been one year since the fall of Afghanistan’s capital city Kabul and the start of Taliban rule in the country. Shortly after, the U.S. completed its troop withdrawal from Afghanistan, and since then, the economy has imploded and worsened the existing humanitarian crisis. Per capita income in the country is now about $375 per year, its lowest in more than a decade, and more than half the population faces acute food insecurity.

Plus: school districts get creative to solve teacher shortages.

And: the 75th anniversary of the partition of India.

Guests: Axios' Felix Salmon and Erica Pandey

Credits:  Axios Today is produced by Niala Boodhoo, Sara Kehaulani Goo, Alexandra  Botti, Nuria Marquez Martinez, Lydia McMullen-Laird, Alex Sugiura, and  Ben O'Brien. Music is composed by Evan Viola. You can reach us at podcasts@axios.com. You can text questions, comments and story ideas to Niala as a text or voice memo to 202-918-4893.

School districts across America will do anything for more teachers

Here’s what we’re covering today: school districts get creative to solve teacher shortages. Plus, the 75th anniversary of India’s partition.

But first, Afghanistan’s economic calamity – is today’s One Big Thing.

It’s been one year since the fall of Afghanistan’s capital city Kabul and the start of Taliban rule in the country. Shortly after, the U.S. completed its troop withdrawal from Afghanistan. Since then, the economy has imploded and worsened the existing humanitarian crisis. Per capita income in Afghanistan is now about $375 per year, its lowest in more than a decade. And more than half the population faces acute food insecurity.

Axios chief financial correspondent Felix Salmon has the story – hi Felix.

NIALA: Felix first, can you tell us what the relationship was between the American economy and the Afghanistan economy at the time of withdrawal a year ago?

FELIX: So basically for most of the 20 odd years, between 2001 and 2021, the Americans just poured money into Afghanistan to try and keep it stable, to try and support the government. If you looked at the government budget, well over half of that budget was just money that came directly from the United States in the form of grants. We wouldn't just pay to put our military in Afghanistan. We paid hundreds of millions of dollars a year to run the government basically, or at least to support the government with cash. The minute we pulled out of Afghanistan, we didn't just pull out troops, we pulled out all of that money as well.

NIALA: So is that the main explanation for why in the past 12 months, things have gotten so bad?

FELIX: So there were four main reasons why things have gotten bad. One is just that Afghanistan is being now run by the Taliban and the Taliban are not the world's greatest people when it comes to running any country. So like we will 100% put a certain amount of blame here on the Taliban. But not all of it. Because the next thing that happened is that Afghanistan had lost all of that money that they had grown accustomed to over the past 20 years. Then, the Americans put a bunch of sanctions on dealing with the Taliban. So a bunch of banks, if you wanna send money to Afghanistan, deal with Afghanistan in terms of import export, any, anything like that, a bunch of banks are gonna say, yeah, no, I'm a little bit worried about running into the sanctions regime, so I'm not gonna do that. So it's very difficult to do any kind of economic commerce with anyone in Afghanistan. And then finally, Afghanistan, like all countries, has a central bank. The central bank, like all developing countries, is reliant on its foreign reserves. The minute that the Taliban took over the government, the United States and other foreign governments froze 9 billion of foreign reserves belonging to the Afghan people.

And without access to those foreign reserves, the central bank basically can't do its job. So you get just this perfect storm, which is terrible for normal Afghan people.

NIALA: What has been the international reaction to the current humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan or also the international monetary community's reaction to it?

FELIX: So the United States basically sets the lead for that. So money from the World Bank or the IMF, that basically went to zero when the Americans pulled out. About $7 billion, if those central bank reserves were in the United States, but another 2 billion were in Europe, those were frozen as well. The United Nations and affiliated non-government organizations like Human Rights Watch or the IRC, they are really raising the alarm and saying, we need billions of dollars in aid to really help the people of Afghanistan. But while in principle, everyone in the international community would love to help the Afghans without helping the Taliban, the fact is that the Taliban are the government, and if you really want to help a country of 40 million people, you kind of need to be working somehow with the government of that country.

NIALA: Axios’ Felix Salmon. Thanks, Felix. 

The 75th anniversary of the partition of India

NIALA: Another anniversary to mark today: 75 years of Indian independence from British rule. 

JAWAHARLAL NEHRU: At the stroke of the midnight hour, when the world sleeps, India will awake to light and freedom.

NIALA: That’s the beginning of a famous speech by India’s first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, on the eve of independence.

But the creation of the world’s largest democracy on August 15, 1947 also came with a high cost: the partition of India, and the creation of Pakistan. The separation caused riots and religious violence that led to mass casualties: anywhere from half a million to two million people were killed. It was also one of the largest mass migrations in human history, more than 15 million people displaced. Many families were split in the partition and today social media is playing a role in reuniting some. But relations between India and Pakistan remain tense.

In a moment, how school districts are responding to teacher shortages.

School districts get creative to solve teacher shortages

NIALA: Welcome back to Axios Today. I'm Niala Boodhoo. Teaching has become one of the most draining and difficult jobs in America. Today’s teachers are navigating the threat of school shootings, a pandemic and intensifying political interference in their lesson plans, all while wages remain stagnant. As a result, many teachers have been quitting, leaving schools understaffed and scrambling. So now school districts are turning to extraordinary measures to get enough teachers in their classrooms for this upcoming school year. Here to walk us through some of those efforts is Axios’ Erica Pandey who’s been reporting on this. Hey Erica.

NIALA: Erica, I listed the reasons why, but are we clear on how bad this has actually gotten?

ERICA: So there isn't awesome sort of nationwide data on exactly how bad this has gotten, but if you start to kind of zoom in a little bit and look at some of the different pieces of this, you can really get a picture. So let's start with making new teachers, right? So in the 1970s, the US, you know, minted roughly 200,000 new teachers a year. That's fallen to below 90,000. Then you're seeing kind of early retirements. So, uh, NEA National Education Association survey found that 55% of educators are considering leaving their profession earlier than they planned. And then the shortage of course, is really intense in the areas where you feel it the most. So you see rural districts having big shortages, you see a shortage of special education teachers that are really in demand across all schools. And it's really just, it's hitting every part of the country and it's, hitting every part of the country really hard.

NIALA: And let's talk about stagnant wages. What are teacher wages looking like? Especially when we line them up against this economy?

ERICA: Right so this stat is really, really sobering. So the wage gap between teachers and others in the workforce that have comparable educations, but are not in the teaching profession, was about 21% in 2018. And that disparity has grown. So back in 1996, there was only a, a 6% kind of pay cut you took if you wanted to become a teacher. And that's just really, really started to grow as the years have gone on.

NIALA: So what are some states doing to try to recruit more teachers?

ERICA: So states are starting to go to these extreme measures. So for example, Des Moines public school is offering a 50,000 incentive to teachers, nurses, and administrators who are getting close to retirement and asking them “here, we'll give you this incentive, please stay through this year.” Then you've got Dallas that recently set aside 51 million for salary increases and 52 million for retention bonuses. Then you've got the Florida Department of Education said that it would issue a temporary teaching certificate to veterans who have not yet earned their bachelor's degree. Or, you know, some districts, Michigan is trying to get folks, who are janitors or school bus drivers to see if they can up-skill them to become teachers, because at least they know that they you know have an affinity for working with kids and they've got that familiarity already. So you see a lot of different things happening, but superintendents, as a whole, are pretty worried about the direction the profession is going. Just the pool of applications they're getting are, you know, lower in quality and quantity from what they were seeing just 10 years ago.

NIALA: The things that you're describing are stop gap measures. What are people talking about doing to address this problem long term?

ERICA: There aren't a lot of big efforts we're seeing to fix the whole pipeline problem because you know it really is about money. That's what we hear. You just have to pour more money into getting people to become teachers. You need to just kind of market this profession more to the talented young people in this country and that isn't happening at that scale because right now we're dealing with the fire that's happening today right now.

NIALA: Erica Pandy is a reporter at Axios. Thanks Erica.

ERICA: That’s it for us! If you have a moment I’d love it if you could rate our podcast. It makes it easier for other people to find the show. 

Afghanistan’s economic calamity

One year after the fall of Kabul.  the economy has imploded

There are dozens of cases and investigations involving former President Donald Trump — and this week we saw developments in several. From his Mar-a-Lago home being searched by the FBI, to his pleading the fifth at a deposition in New York in a civil investigation. 

Plus: inflation may be cooling, but prices aren’t. 

And: Wikipedia as a model for consensus in divided times.

Guests: Ilya Marrtiz, NPR contributor and co-host of "Will Be Wild" podcast, and Axios' Neil Irwin.

Credits: Axios Today is produced by Niala Boodhoo, Sara Kehaulani Goo, Alexandra Botti, Nuria Marquez Martinez, Lydia McMullen-Laird, Alex Sugiura, and Ben O'Brien. Music is composed by Evan Viola. You can reach us at podcasts@axios.com. You can text questions, comments and story ideas to Niala as a text or voice memo to 202-918-4893.

Garland says he “personally approved” search warrant at Trump’s residence

Wikipedia blazes a trail to agreement in a divided world

Here’s what we’re covering today: The difference between slowing inflation - and lowering prices. Plus, Wikipedia as a model for consensus in divided times.

But first, Trump’s legal peril is today’s One Big Thing.

NIALA: There are dozens of cases and investigations involving former President Donald Trump — and this week we saw developments in several. From his Mar-a-Lago home being searched by the FBI…to his pleading the fifth at a deposition in New York in a civil investigation. 

For some clarity on all of these investigations, how they tie together and what they mean for Trump's political future, Ilya Marritz is with us. He covers Trump legal for NPR. Hi, Ilya.

NIALA: Let's start with the FBI search of Mar-a-Lago. Do we know what investigation that's specifically part of?

ILYA: Yeah, all indications are that that is connected with an investigation into missing presidential records, records that were taken from the White House to Mar-a-Lago the president's resort and estate, which is also his home in Palm Beach, Florida. And, uh, we know that some of those should have gone to the National Archives. It did not go to the National Archives. That started a whole process and an investigation by the department of justice. We know that earlier this year, Trump sent a number of boxes up to Washington DC, but what this search tells us is that that's not the end of the story. There must be other records or other information that the Department of Justice wanted to see information that was at Mar-a-Lago. Moreover, the fact that they did this, you know, very intrusive search, suggests that the FBI and the DOJ felt they had no other way of getting this information.

NIALA: And then there was also the deposition in New York this week where former president Trump pleaded the fifth, I think more than 400 times. What was that related to?

ILYA: Yeah. So this is a civil investigation. It's not even a case. But it's a civil investigation by the New York Attorney General Letitia James. It's been going on for three years. It's the first time that I know of, that a prosecutor has deposed a former president. And really interesting when you take the fifth in a civil matter, as this is, as opposed to a criminal matter, jurors, if it does come to charges, would be allowed to draw what they call adverse inference. And this is the idea that if a party is not talking, they might have something to hide. It may actually hurt his case to not answer the questions. Obviously he and his lawyers felt that it would help matters, but it could also harm them.

NIALA: And he's also under investigation in Georgia?

ILYA: Yeah. My, my friend, uh, Zach Everson at Forbes has tallied up 38 cases and investigations connected with the former president. The Georgia one is in Fulton County, that's where Atlanta is. And that's looking into Trump's apparent attempts to interfere in the counting or to pressure a recount of the vote in Georgia. That seems to be moving ahead pretty quickly. The thing is with these 38 or so Trump investigations that are going on right now, you never quite know which one is gonna pop when I try to stay on top of it. If you told me a week ago that Mar-a-Lago was gonna be searched in this really intrusive way, I don't think the missing presidential records investigation would've been top of mind for me, but that is indeed the reason that that happened, as far as we know.

NIALA: So then if you had to sum up Trump's legal peril right now, how would you.

ILYA: Oh, it's coming at him from a bunch of different angles. I mean, we can look at it by like, area, right? So there's like January 6th and election-related stuff. There is business related stuff. There is personal stuff like Eugene Carroll and with his cousin, Mary Trump, we can also look at who's originating it right?  In some ways, the stuff that's coming from state and local authorities, like in Georgia, like in New York where I am, can be really potent because if Trump becomes president again, he would have no means of interfering in that blocking it, giving pardons, So I think there is danger everywhere. And not all arrows are pointing in the same direction.

NIALA: And given the scope of all of these, what you often hear from Trump supporters is that these are politically motivated.

ILYA: Yeah. I mean, what you hear from Trump in every single case pretty much is that it's politically motivated. If it's coming from a relevant authority, law enforcement, authority, oversight authority, he almost always accuses them of political motivation. And I think that that contributed to Merrick Garland's decision to seek, to have the warrant released. Garland saw what we all saw, which was lots and lots of Republicans, not just party faithful, but senior elected officials questioning the motivations for the raid. I think in this atmosphere, it's very hard to to fight the many loud voices that are saying it's politically motivated. Even if there is a good legal predicate to get a warrant like this as there almost certainly must.

NIALA: Ilya Marritz covers Trump legal for NPR and is also co-host of the podcast “Will be Wild,” a deep dive into January 6th. We'll put a link to that in our show notes. Thanks, Ilya.

NIALA: In a moment: Axios’ chief economic correspondent Neil Irwin explains the latest inflation numbers.  

Inflation may be cooling, but prices aren’t

NIALA: Welcome back to Axios Today - I'm Niala Boodhoo.  

The inflation numbers out this week were a welcome surprise to people looking for signs that inflation may be slowing. But a political divide has emerged over how to interpret July's numbers.

So I asked Axios' chief economic correspondent Neil Irwin about this debate, and if it's affecting how Americans feel about the economy.

NEIL IRWIN: So we're in a very unusual economic moment and, uh, a new controversy has emerged over how we ought to define inflation and what we should think of as,  the inflation level that's happening in the US economy. We got a new number on Wednesday that showed that  inflation was essentially leveled during the month of July meaning prices in July, according to Consumer Price Index overall did not rise compared to June,  gas prices were down. Some other prices were up, but it all netted out to, to no change in, in the aggregate price level. In the month of July, Republicans heard this and president Biden starts touting this, uh, on Wednesday and say that's insane, inflation's extremely high. And you should really be looking at the year over year number. So over the last 12 months from July of 2021, inflation is much higher than that inflation is 8.5%. That's down a little from 9.1 during June, but that's still a very high inflation rate. And there's no question that American families are really struggling with you know, high prices for groceries, for gasoline, for everything else. Um, but you know, what it boils down to is a lesson. Even as inflation starts to come down and the rate of price increases slows, we might still be in a world where people are feeling pain and people are feeling like they can barely get by and facing really high prices. There's a big difference between inflation slowing, coming down, uh, reaching a lower level and prices actually reversing and falling, going back to their, you know, pre pandemic levels. A we're seeing some receding and some slowing in the rate of inflation. And We're not seeing prices go back to what they used to be, and that's gonna be a real source of political controversy in the months and years ahead.

Neil Irwin is one of the writers of the daily Axios Macro newsletter.

Wikipedia as a model for consensus in divided times

NIALA: One interesting note to leave you with this week: 

Wikipedia is often the first search result you get when you’re looking into something online. And what you find on any topic page is – of course – thanks to the work of volunteers.

INA FRIED: If you click on the button next to the top, it says talk, and then you see all the discussion that led up to that posting. And there's often a lot of debate.

Axios’ Ina Fried told us that all that debate may be giving us better, less-biased information when it comes to big, highly divisive topics of the day like abortion.

INA: I talked not only to folks at Wikipedia, but to a bunch of academics who study this and they, they find that actually the areas where Wikipedia is the weakest are some of the more obscure topics because they are more potential for being manipulated. Whereas the big topics of the day are highly debated and the quality is actually higher as a result.

NIALA: Wikipedia is by no means perfect – for example the majority of editors are still men, though that ratio is changing. But for now it’s a nice thought that some healthy debate online is resulting in more reliable info on the web. Something more important than ever.

That’s all for this week. Axios Today is produced by Nuria Marquez Martinez and Lydia McMullen-Laird. Our sound engineer is Alex Sugiura. Alexandra Botti is our supervising producer. Sara Kehaulani Goo is Axios’ editor in chief. And special thanks as always to Axios co-founder Mike Allen.

I’m Niala Boodhoo. Stay safe and enjoy your weekend and we’ll see you back here on Monday.

Trump’s legal peril

What the investigations into Donald  Trump could mean for his political future.

Donald Trump

British health authorities said Wednesday that around 1 million children in London are being offered polio boosters, after the virus was detected in the city’s sewage. The first U.S. case in nearly a decade was diagnosed in New York last month.

Plus: a powerhouse union has a message for Democrats ahead of the midterms. 

And: new help for veterans exposed to toxic burn pits.

Guests: Axios' Adriel Bettelheim and Ted Pappageorge, secretary-treasurer of the Culinary Union in Las Vegas, NV.

London children offered polio booster vaccine as more virus detected

President Biden signs bill to help veterans exposed to burn pits

Nevada's 2024 primary bid gets big boost from Latino, AAPI groups

Dolly Parton celebrates her Imagination Library program

Today: a powerhouse union has a message for Democrats ahead of the midterms. Plus, new help for veterans exposed to toxic burn pits.

But first, making sense of the return of Polio, that’s today’s One Big Thing.

NIALA: British health authorities said Wednesday that around 1 million children in London are being offered polio boosters. After the virus was detected in the city's sewage. And in New York officials say there could be hundreds or even thousands of undiagnosed polio cases in the state. The first US case in nearly a decade was diagnosed in New York last month. Axios senior healthcare editor, Adriel Bettelheim is back with more. Hi Adriel.

NIALA: Let's get the most important question out of the way. Are we going to see a major resurgence of polio in the US?

ADRIEL: I don't think you're going to see quite what is going on in other parts of the world in, in places like West Africa where the virus is spreading uncontrolled, but it still is a major public health concern if you're not vaccinated. I mean, uh, in the United States, more than 90% of people are vaccinated, I think by the age two. It's required in many places to attend school unless you have a religious exemption or, and you're in a state that leaves the decision up to the parents. So the coverage is very good. The threat is really to people who are unvaccinated and who may be contracting this from people who've been abroad. The belief is these are vaccine derived cases. In, in other words, the weakened virus in an oral vaccine, not the type that's taken in the US, but in the developing world. That weakened live virus can mutate and then it becomes more like a natural version of the poliovirus, which can spread if you don't have a vaccine.

NIALA: As we're seeing all of these infectious diseases, it's understandable that some people are jittery about all of this. But do you think it's better to think of this as, we're actually just doing a better job tracking all of these diseases?

ADRIEL: For sure. I mean, I think the surveillance has been fortified. I think the pandemic, uh, gave, you know, public health authorities more wherewithal. Congress and the administration gave them more money. But there are threats out there and some of them are novel and I think we're sort of discovering how viruses adapt and mutate to treatments. And this game never really stops. You're never totally free from the threat. So that's why it's still important they say, to have widespread vaccinations and it's important to have, you know, uptakes so that you don't get sort of uncontrolled community spread.

NIALA: Adriel Bettelheim is the senior healthcare editor at Axios. Thanks Adriel.

Biden signs law to expand heath care benefits for veterans 

NIALA: Another health headline for you this morning:

President Biden yesterday signed into law a bill that expands health care benefits for veterans exposed to toxic burn pits. The White House is calling the bipartisan PACT Act the most significant expansion to veterans' health care in thirty years. Burn pits were common during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan for disposing of military waste, putting toxins into the air and into military members’ lungs.

PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN: Many of the fittest and best warriors that we sent to war were not the same. Headaches, numbness, dizziness, cancer. My son Beau was one of them.

NIALA: President Biden’s son Beau died of brain cancer in 2015. 

This new law is expected to provide coverage for some 3.5 million veterans.

NIALA: Back in a moment with how a union in Nevada is trying to change the narrative around workers and inflation.

The Nevada Culinary Union has a message for Democrats ahead of the midterms

NIALA: Welcome back to Axios Today, I’m Niala Boodhoo. 

The latest inflation numbers out yesterday show the worst might be behind us: the consumer price index rose 8.5% from last July and there was almost no change in the last month. These are signs that inflation could be cooling off but it's still top of mind for many Americans as rent and food prices continue to climb. 

And in Nevada, a powerful union is using that to mobilize their members for Democrats in the midterms. The Culinary Union represents 60,000 people from bartenders to casino workers, and takes credit for Joe Biden’s Presidential win in the state in 2020. But this year, members say they’re frustrated at how some economists, corporations and the GOP have blamed inflation on stimulus checks and employee demands for higher wages. 

I was in Las Vegas last week for a conference and sat down with Ted Pappageorge,  secretary treasurer of the culinary union. We spoke at union headquarters, a few blocks off the strip. 

NIALA: Thanks for being here. I appreciate it.

TED PAPPAGEORGE: Well, we're happy to be here. Thank you.

NIALA: Your union is the largest black, Latino, Asian American and immigrant organization in the state. What are your members telling you right now about the democratic party, particularly in Washington?

TED: Well, my members are pretty blunt. Our members here at culinary 226 and they tell you exactly what's on their mind. And right now the cost of housing, the price of rent, the price groceries, the price of gas. They are talking about these Supreme Court rulings. But it, it really is the economy that's the majority of the conversation out there right now. And it's an election year. And what are Democrats doing about it?

NIALA: What do they want Democrats to be doing about this?

TED: Well, I think that Democrats need to come out swinging. They gotta come out fighting about inflation. This whole question about working class voters and what did Democrats do with working class voters and, you know, Latino working class voters. Well, what to do is to first step, you have to talk to working class voters, and then you have to fight for working class voter issues. Because the messaging that the inflation is here because Democrats are here is, is a powerful thing. We have to own that. We have to understand that and we gotta duke it out person to person face to face. And that's our message to President Biden and our message to Democrats. It's time to get busy.

NIALA: Can you tell me about your canvasing efforts, particularly now in the lead up to November, what you've done so far this year and what you're doing to reach to 60,000 plus members that you have in the state?

TED: We are spending a lot of time talking to folks inside the shops, but also in the neighborhoods we've gotta have our members families register to vote and ready to vote and prepare to vote and their neighbors And in 2020, we were on the doors where most Democrats were not. We put together a safe system. We hit 650,000 doors. Um, we plan to talk to 1.1 million folks this time around in a midterm. We've just never done that before. So we started early. We started in March through the primaries. 

Right now, the talking heads of the world and the economists of the world have said that because, because workers got help in, uh, housing, they got help with healthcare. They got help to put food on their tables with food banks. And now they're demanding wage increases to keep up with this inflation out there that workers and families and working families are to blame for inflation. It's disgusting. Uh, we reject that gotta get registered and we got it ready to vote in a midterm like we haven't done before. If we have these fights, I think we can, uh, we can win.

Making sense of Polio’s return

In New York, officials say there could be hundreds or even thousands of undiagnosed polio cases in the state.

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