The first line of the Axios Manifesto is "Audience First." That's why we created our unique Smart Brevity style to get you smarter, faster, on topics that matter. But it also means we won't shy away from important stories that are worthy of more detail and more of your time, like our Deep Dives, Axios Investigates and now this deeply reported series, "Off the Rails.”
The Rev. Franklin Graham says a potential 2024 presidential bid by Donald Trump would "be a very tough thing to do," the prominent Christian leader told "Axios on HBO."
Why it matters: Graham, thepresident of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association and Samaritan's Purse, was among Trump's earliest and most prominent evangelical defenders.
Cameo CEO Steven Galanis doesn't want the app he built to be used explicitly for politics, but said he would allow former President Trump on the platform.
"Trump has done nothing on our platform to violate our terms of service," Galanis says in an interview with "Axios on HBO" that aired Sunday.
Why it matters: Cameo's approach is different than some of its Big Tech peers.
Axios' "Off the Rails" series documents the end of the Trump administration, from election night 2020 through the Jan. 6 siege of the U.S. Capitol.
One important piece is only now beginning to emerge: Former President Donald Trump's last-minute bid to pull U.S. forces from Afghanistan and swaths of the Middle East, Africa and even Europe ahead of Joe Biden's inauguration — and why he blinked.
John McEntee, one of Donald Trump's most-favored aides, handed retired Army Col. Douglas Macgregor a piece of paper with a few notes scribbled on it. He explained: "This is what the president wants you to do."
The Rev. Franklin Graham would be happy to work with the Biden administration on encouraging evangelicals to get COVID vaccines, he told "Axios on HBO."
"I would work with the Biden administration. I would work with the CDC. I would work with all of 'em to try to help save life," he told Axios' Mike Allen.
Why it matters: Evangelicals have expressed high levels of vaccine hesitancy.
The Biden White House wants to invest in tax enforcement to help pay for its infrastructure plan and social spending, saying it could bring the federal government about $700 billion in 10 years.
By the numbers: There’s some dispute over the exact amount of money the U.S. government loses because of tax evasion —but it’s decidedly a lot. One report by the Tax Justice Network found the country loses more taxes each year than any other nation, although the amount equates to about 6% of its public health budget.
The pitched criticism by conservatives over progressive outrage about the fighting between Israelis and Palestinians overshadows a larger silence by the vast majority of Congress.
Why it matters: In the largely permissive environment, the government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is ratcheting up its military engagement in Gaza. The death toll is rising, and a spectacular weekend attack leveled a building housing the Associated Press and other outside media.
An offshoot of the Lincoln Project is launching Tuesday, aiming to unify people opposed to partisan dysfunction and authoritarianism through civics education and grassroots organizing, Axios has learned.
Why it matters: The Franklin Project, while a nonprofit and legally distinct from its predecessor, will target "the exact same problem ... but from different angles and with different methods," says co-executive director Greg Jenkins, a George W. Bush administration alumnus.
A commander in the Space Force was removed from his post on Friday following comments he made while promoting his self-published book, which argues that Marxist ideologies are becoming common in the military, reports Military.com.
The big picture: During an appearance on The Steve Gruber prodcast this month, Lt Col. Matthew Lohmeier said that since becoming a commander he has witnessed "fundamentally incompatible and competing narratives of what America was, is and should be," proliferate through the U.S. military, according to CNN.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated its guidance for K-12 schools Saturday, noting that reopened schools should "require universal and correct use of masks and physical distancing."
Why it matters: The clarification comes after the CDC's announcement Thursday that fully vaccinated people no longer need to wear masks or physically distance indoors or outdoors.
Of note: On Friday, NIAID director Anthony Fauci said that children younger than 12 probably won't be vaccinated until the end of 2021, and will need to wear masks at school this fall.
Rep. Fred Upton (R-Mich.) denounced his Republican colleagues' attempts to downplay the Jan. 6 insurrection as "absolutely bogus," during an interview Sunday on CNN's "State of the Union".
Why it matters: Several GOP lawmakers have attempted to downplay the Jan. 6 insurrection, which left five people dead. by saying the mob was similar to "a normal tourist visit" and calling pro-Trump rioters "peaceful patriots."
President Biden looks at his notes as he speaks on his American Jobs Plan in Lake Charles, La., on May 6. Photo: Jonathan Ernst/Reuters
Some Democrats and economistshave begun to worry that President Biden, intent on FDR-like transformation of a wounded America, is doing too much, too fast.
Why it matters: Some economists fear that all this spending will crank up inflation, and put Biden’s economic legacy at risk.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke with Associated Press CEO Gary Pruitt on Saturday after an Israeli airstrike destroyed the outlet's local media office in the Gaza Strip, which also housed the Al Jazeera office.
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern on Saturday called on Big Tech to focus on the "ethical use of algorithms" to prevent social media users from becoming radicalized into extremist behavior.
Why it matters: Last year's official inquiry into New Zealand's deadliest modern mass shooting at two Christchurch mosques in March 2019 found the terrorist had become radicalized while viewing white supremacist content on YouTube and other online sources.
Kate McKinnon as NIAID director Anthony Fauci hosted a show within a show as the latest "Saturday Night Live" cold open parodied confusion over the CDC's new mask guidance.
The big picture: McKinnon's Fauci introduced sketches with "a few doctors who minored in theater" who acted out scenarios intended to demonstrate correct mask behavior.
The largest nurses union in the U.S. called on the CDC Saturday to reverse guidance issued this week that allows for people fully vaccinated against COVID-19 to go maskless while participating in indoor and outdoor activities.
Details: National Nurses United executive director Bonnie Castillo said in a statement the new guidance is "not based on science, does not protect public health, and threatens the lives of patients, nurses, and other frontline workers across the country."
Thousands of people rallied across the U.S. and the world Saturday following days of violence in Gaza and Israel that's killed at least 145 Palestinians, including 41 children, and eight Israelis, per AP.
The big picture: Most demonstrations were in support of Palestinians. There were tense scenes between pro-Israeli government protesters and pro-Palestinian demonstrators in Winnipeg, Canada, and Leipzig, Germany, but no arrests were made, CBS News and DW.com report.
Damon Weaver, who shot to national fame for interviewing then-President Obama at the White House when he was 11 years old has died at the age of 23, his family announced.
Details: Weaver, who was also known for interviewing other big names including President Biden when he was vice president and talk show host Oprah Winfrey, died on May 1, according to his funeral announcement.
