May 15, 2017

Report: NATO altering meeting to fit Trump attention span

Associated Press

The NATO meeting coming up May 25 is getting a Trump makeover, per Foreign Policy. As Robbie Gramer put it:

"NATO is scrambling to tailor its upcoming meeting to avoid taxing President Donald Trump's notoriously short attention span. The alliance is telling heads of state to limit talks to two to four minutes at a time during the discussion,"

As Trump told Axios in January, he has an affinity for quick takes (like bullet points) and a distaste for detailed and long briefings.

Why it matters: NATO has already accommodated Trump's administration by changing the date of an earlier NATO meeting to get Secretary of State Rex Tillerson to attend, even after Trump called NATO obsolete and flip-flopped on that. The effort to appear interesting and relevant to Trump by using his preferred method for digesting information shows NATO might still be trying to win Trump over.

Go deeper

Sara Fischer, Kim Hart

Coronavirus pushes traditional businesses into the digital age

Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios

A slew of old-line industries that once hesitated to embrace digital technologies are now being forced to do so for the sake of survival.

Why it matters: Once consumers get used to accessing services digitally — from older restaurants finally embracing online ordering, or newspapers finally going all-digital — these industries may find it hard to go back to traditional operations.

Go deeper24 mins ago - Economy & Business

Caitlin Owens

America's grimmest month

Trump gives his Sunday press briefing in the Rose Garden. Photo: Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images

President Trump asked Americans to continue social distancing until April 30, officials warned that tens or even hundreds of thousands of Americans could die — and that's the least depressing scenario.

Why it matters: April is going to be very hard. But public health officials are in agreement that hunkering down — in our own homes — and weathering one of the darkest months in American history is the only way to prevent millions of American deaths.

Go deeper1 hour ago - Health

Amy Harder

Exclusive: Civil rights leaders oppose swift move off natural gas

Photo Illustration: Eniola Odetunde/Axios

Top American civil-rights activists are opposing an abrupt move away from natural gas, putting them at odds with environmentalists and progressive Democrats who want to ban fracking.

Driving the news: In recent interviews, Revs. Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson and National Urban League President Marc Morial said energy costs are hitting people of color unfairly hard. These concerns, expressed before the coronavirus pandemic, are poised to expand as paychecks shrink across America.

Go deeper1 hour ago - Energy & Environment