Axios

Democrats are planning a full assault on Maryland Republican Larry Hogan's moderate bonafides to defeat him and keep the state's Senate seat blue.

Why it matters: Hogan, a former governor, spent nearly a decade in the state honing his brand as a Republican figure who was independent of the national party, and he emerged as a top Trump critic.

The Trump and Biden campaigns have lit a fire under RFK Jr. and his supporters. They may regret it.

Why it matters: Kennedy might struggle to qualify for the June 27 CNN debate. But his campaign can now frame signing a ballot access petition — or mentioning his name to a pollster — as a way to stick it to former President Trump and President Biden.

The U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday temporarily allowed Louisiana to move forward with a congressional map that includes two majority-Black districts for the 2024 elections.

The big picture: The order comes after a lower court deemed in a ruling that the map contained racial gerrymandering.

Russia, China and Iran remain the country's most significant foreign election threats, though the U.S. has seen an "increasing" number of threats from other actors, Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines told the Senate Intelligence Committee on Wednesday.

The big picture: The most concerning threat to this year's election are those against election workers which often stem from false narratives about the 2020 election, Jen Easterly, director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CSIS) told lawmakers.

Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) said in an interview with MSNBC that President Biden should have pardoned former President Trump, because in part, "it's not going to get resolved before the election."

The big picture: Romney, a vocal Trump critic, has previously criticized the Manhattan district attorney's office for bringing the charges against Trump, saying last April the American voters "will ultimately render their own judgment on the former President's political future."

SAN FRANCISCO – AI, crypto and the 2024 U.S. presidential election were among the hot topics influential business leaders focused on at Axios' second annual BFD: San Francisco event.

Haun Ventures founder Katie Haun exclusively told Axios' Dan Primack on stage that her firm invested in crypto companies Fireblocks and Chainalysis.

Why it's the BFD: This announcement comes when crypto VCs have experienced icy markets since the collapse of FTX in 2022.

• What they're saying: "During the depths of the crypto winter, we had what we called a 'harpoon list.' We looked at our harpoon list, and we said, 'Let's get some meaningful ownership,'" said Haun.

When it comes to FTX, Haun, a former SEC federal prosecutor, did not invest in the company and cited the lack of traditional governance as one of her alarming concerns.

Meanwhile, HGGC chairman and former NFL player Steve Young said private equity investments in the NFL could "force better standards and financial rigor."

• His comment comes as PE investments into sports teams are growing.

The ex-49er also made an unusual statement: "Football is made for girls."

• Since coaching his daughters in football, Young said he had a "revelation." The plays are like choreographed dance steps, and girls understand it better than boys do.
• He predicted that a hundred million girls will be playing flag football by 2028.
• "I think it's going to explode in a way that no one can even realize," he said.

The world of AI is bursting with new products and innovation, which was showcased at BFD: San Francisco.

Google is looking at how generative AI can help address nurse burnout during shift change, Chief Health Officer Karen DeSalvo discussed with Axios' Ina Fried.

• For this project, Google partnered with HCA, the nation's largest health system.

Another AI health project Google is looking into is using LLMs to analyze data from wearable devices.

• "Not just how many steps I took, but what else was going on in my life that day when I took fewer steps...what were the patterns that the personal LLM is going to be able to see to help me," said DeSalvo.

Separately, Perplexity CEO and co-founder Aravind Srinivas took a jab at Google's newly announced plan to roll-out AI-summarized search results.

• What they're saying: "A year ago, it was called 'search generative experience.' Today it's called 'AI overview.' And I bet next year it'll be called something else. It's exactly the same story of them doing a new messaging app every year," Srinivas said.
• Srinivas went as far as to call Google the "biggest loser" when referring to their search engine.

Context: Srinivas once interned at Google's Deepmind and its headquarters.

Yahoo CEO Jim Lanzone shared with Axios' Kia Kokalitcheva that he was initially "scared" of news aggregation AI platform Artifact but ended up being a fan.

• Yahoo ended up purchasing the platform last month and is now building a new product with it. He also downplayed the idea of a Yahoo IPO.

With it being an election year, it was virtually impossible for the contentious U.S. presidential race to not be mentioned.

Craft Ventures co-founder and partner David Sacks said Silicon Valley needs to think twice before voting in November.

• He didn't endorse any candidate, but when discussing the idea of taxing unrealized gains– an idea the Biden administration proposed– he said, "I think it's a pretty good reason for Silicon Valley to think really hard about who it wants to vote for."

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In a View From the Top conversation, Latham and Watkins partner and chair of the firm's Technology Industry Group and Bay Area Corporate Department Rick Kline said the state of the market is in positive transitions and a lot of companies are looking at 2025 for even more growth.

• "I do think the dam will break, but I don't think it'll be this year," he said.

President Biden and former President Trump have agreed to participate in a June 27 presidential debate hosted by CNN.

Why it matters: The CNN debate sets up a televised confrontation before either candidate's nomination is formally complete and marks their first televised matchup since 2020.

In a whirlwind few hours, President Biden and former President Trump have upended the traditional presidential debates — and moved to box out RFK Jr.

Why it matters: Both Biden and Trump are genuinely convinced the country will side with them after seeing the two of them on stage together.

Some House Democrats are trying to get creative in the face of pressure from both pro-Israel groups and the Biden administration on a bill to force weapons shipments to Israel, Axios has learned.

Why it matters: Many moderate and Jewish Democrats are under enormous strain as they try to balance their loyalty to their party and president with their support for Israel.

Keys to homes connected to the mass displacement of Palestinians known as the Nakba, or "catastrophe," during the 1948 Arab-Israeli war are gaining more awareness as the war in Gaza and ongoing college protests continue.

The big picture: Palestinian Americans passed down the keys to their descendants in hopes of one day returning, and the last generation of Palestinians linked to the event is aging.

In a whirlwind few hours, President Biden and former President Trump have upended the traditional presidential debates — and moved to box out RFK Jr.

• Biden and Trump have accepted a CNN invite for a debate on June 27, the two candidates said this morning. That's before either party has its national convention to officially pick presidential nominees.
• RFK Jr. accused the two today of "colluding" against his campaign to "avoid discussion of their eight years of mutual failure."

Why it matters: Both Biden and Trump are genuinely convinced the country will side with them after seeing the two of them on stage together.

House Speaker Mike Johnson's (R-La.) appearance at former President Trump's criminal trial on Tuesday is dismaying the House Democrats who saved his job less than a week ago.

Why it matters: The trip is sending ripples through the Democratic ranks and is already being raised in leadership circles, multiple senior House Democrats told Axios.

The U.S. Army has received four drone-frying prototype weapons from defense contractor Epirus, as part of a $66 million deal through a rapid acquisition effort to boost defenses against unmanned aerial systems.

Why it matters: The Pentagon is increasingly concerned about the threat posed by UAS, particularly after seeing their use in Ukraine and their proliferation in the Greater Middle East, where three U.S. troops were killed in January.

The Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose 0.3% in April and the core measure that strips out food and energy increased by the same amount, the Labor Department said on Wednesday.

Why it matters: Inflation slowed for the first time this year, helping ease concerns that progress on moderating consumer prices had stalled out.

In primaries Tuesday, Republicans chose strong Senate nominees in Maryland and West Virginia — boosting the GOP's chance of knocking Democrats out of their 51-49 majority.

Why it matters: A GOP-controlled upper chamber would be vital to former President Trump's ability to enact his sweeping 2025 agenda should he win reelection this November.

House Democrats are venting fury at Republicans for holding a vote to force President Biden to unpause weapons shipments to Israel.

Why it matters: Some centrist Democrats — particularly Jewish ones — are sick of being forced to choose between their party and their support for Israel on what they see as little more than partisan messaging bills.

Startup nonprofit Brown's Promise wants to reignite a national conversation about school desegregation, using litigation and other means to redraw district lines and bring equitable school funding.

Why it matters: On the 70th anniversary of the Brown v. Board of Education ruling — this Friday — American schools are highly segregated and unequal.

A day after President Biden warned Israel that a major attack on Rafah would cross a "red line" for U.S. support, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu went on a rant during a meeting with his security cabinet.

• "We are not a vassal state of the United States!" he declared, according to three people with knowledge of his remarks, including one of Netanyahu's aides.

Why it matters: Netanyahu's hot reaction last Thursday reflected his combative mood at a time when Israel's war against Hamas in Gaza has strained its relationship with the U.S.

Prince George's county executive Angela Alsobrooks won Maryland's Senate Democratic primary on Tuesday, besting Rep. David Trone (D-Md.), AP projects.

Why it matters: Her victory comes in one of the only competitive Senate primaries this year and in the face of Trone spending more than $60 million of his own money on his bid.

The Department of Justice said Boeing breached its obligations under a 2021 agreement that allowed it to avoid criminal prosecution for two fatal 737 MAX crashes, according to a court filing Tuesday.

Why it matters: Under the agreement, Boeing paid more than $2.5 billion to settle criminal charges related to a conspiracy to defraud the Federal Aviation Administration allegations in connection with the FAA's investigation into the jet crashes that killed 346 people in 2018 and 2019.

Famed investor David Sacks stopped short of formally endorsing a 2024 candidate on Tuesday, but warned Silicon Valley should "think really hard about who it wants to vote for" given the policy stakes.

Why it matters: Sacks is an influential tech investor, podcaster and original member of the "PayPal Mafia."

Gov. Jim Justice won the West Virginia Republican Senate primary on Tuesday night, AP projects.

Why it matters: Republicans are poised to flip the seat currently held by Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.V.), bringing the party closer to control of the chamber.