topics

politics-policy

epstein-files

donald-trump

2026-midterm-elections

immigration

behind-the-curtain

race-and-equity

technology

privacy-tech-regulation

automation-and-ai

tiktok-news

big-tech

social-media

cybersecurity

economy

social-security

inflation

tariffs

federal-reserve

jobs

transportation

business

stock-market-news

retail-news

crypto

media

elon-musk

dealmaking

health

rfk-jr

drug-prices

axios-explains-abortion

public-health

world

israel

axios-explains-ukraine

iran

russia

china

energy-climate

nuclear-energy

climate-energy-policy

climate-change

extreme-weather

alternative-energy

electric-vehicles

science

emerging-tech

biomedicine

newsletters

pittsburgh

atlanta

san-diego

charlotte

boulder

washington-dc

kansas-city

dallas

denver

detroit

des-moines

austin

boston

chicago

cleveland

columbus

houston

indianapolis

miami

nashville

new-orleans

nw-arkansas

philadelphia

phoenix

portland

richmond

salt-lake-city

san-antonio

san-francisco

seattle

tampa-bay

twin-cities

raleigh

huntsville

colorado-springs

axios-local

axios-pro

axios-live

the-axios-show

National

A CPAC 2020 attendee tested positive for the novel coronavirus in New Jersey on Saturday, the American Conservative Union confirmed, indicating that the attendee's exposure to the virus took place prior to the conference. 

Why it matters: CPAC speakers included President Trump, Vice President Mike Pence and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

Details: "This attendee had no interaction with the president or the vice president and never attended the events in the main hall," the ACU statement reads. "The Trump administration is aware of the situation, and we will continue regular communication with all appropriate government officials."

The attendee is currently under medical care in New Jersey and being quarantined.

CPAC was held at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center in Maryland.

At least two people in New Jersey have tested positive for COVID-19 as of Friday, per the New York Times.

Go deeper... Coronavirus updates: U.S. death toll hits 19

Editor's note: This story has been corrected to reflect that while HHS Secretary Alex Azar was scheduled to speak at CPAC, he was unable to due to meetings at the White House, according to a spokesperson.

CPAC attendee tested positive for coronavirus

The attendee reportedly did not interact with the president.

In this image, Trump stands next to a CPAC sign

Trump at the annual Conservative Political Action Conference, Feb. 29. Photo: Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images

Politics

Coronavirus

Health Care

Donald Trump

2024 will be an election year like no other, as President Biden seeks re-election amid economic uncertainty, two wars and questions about his age. His likely foe, former President Trump, faces felony charges and vows revenge on his political enemies. Meanwhile, Americans generally are dissatisfied with those choices and are divided over immigration, race, education and more.

Politics & Policy

The U.S. health system faces critical questions about cost, access and equity. Technological advances and new discoveries about diseases like cancer and Alzheimer’s are transforming patient care and reshaping public health.

Health

Designer looks captured the catwalks at Fashion Weeks around the world. But beyond the runways, recycled clothing, thrifting and renting apparel are growing in popularity and reshaping the market.

Why it matters: Fashion is a massive polluter. According to the United Nations, fashion produces 20% of the world's wastewater and 10% of the world's carbon emissions — calling the habit of quick closet-turnover into question. 

Green fashion is becoming increasingly mainstream.

Celebrities are ditching one-and-done fashion looks, opting to up-cycle or re-wear their looks at major events. 

Recycled brands took over the runways in January at Men's Fashion Week.

Consumer interest in sustainability is causing major brands to shift their business practices. 

Where it stands: Market niches that favor the trend are emerging in the clothing industry.

Some companies are producing apparel made from recycled materials ranging from water bottles to previously worn garments.

Rothy's, a popular shoe brand, makes flats, sneakers and loafers 100% from post-consumer water bottles.

Hanes, an undergarment staple, has increased the use of recycled cotton and polyester.

H&M, a prominent fast-fashion retailer, has committed to using 100% sustainable cotton this year and offers discounts to customers who recycle their old clothing with the company.

A number of companies offer subscriptions that allow shoppers to rent pieces, often of high quality, and return them for new stock.

Consumers cycle through a wear-and-return closet, rather than buy individual items. The industry produces less and, in turn, pollutes less. 

Some individual retailers — Urban Outfitters, American Eagle, Express — are creating their own rental services, while others offer an array of brands.

Rent the Runway, one of the leaders in rentable apparel, was valued at $1 billion last March, according to Business Insider.

Thrifting has made a comeback, with digital outlets offering re-sellers a new avenue for profit.

Social media has allowed thrift stores to market their content online and offer shipping services, vastly expanding access to customers.

Self-selling apps like Poshmark and Mercari have also allowed individuals to start listing pieces in their own closets for secondhand sale.

Thrifting reduces the production of new clothing and the amount of used apparel stuffed into the back of closets and trash bags.

The bottom line: There's innately something less sexy about renting or reusing clothes. However, there's also something particularly unattractive about a polluted, warming planet for the sake of a stylish fit, making the former worthy of consideration.

Go deeper: More people are into fashion, but fewer inspired by legacy outlets

Fashionably late: The apparel industry's shift toward sustainability

An illustration of a hanger shaped like a recycling sign.

Business

Fashion

Climate change

Retail

Top stories & latest news on the Federal Reserve, real-time data, plus the biggest shifts happening in the U.S. and global economy.

Economy

After a record economic expansion, the coronavirus pandemic sent the U.S. economy into a recession as unemployment soared to staggering heights. The country now faces urgent questions about how much stimulus is needed for reeling consumers and businesses, and what a recovery might look like.

Economy & Business

Breaking climate science and policy coverage as extreme weather events reshape communities. Keep tabs on the race to a low carbon economy, which may be bumpy as governments, climate tech startups and major oil and gas companies race to find their niche amid the changing energy landscape.

Energy & Climate

Future

Axios Future

If the growing novel coronavirus outbreak becomes a lasting pandemic, it could accelerate fundamental changes in the economy, politics and the workplace.

The big picture: A truly global infectious disease event like COVID-19 can be every bit as transformative for the future as a global war or economic depression.  

The impacts of major pandemics can be felt well beyond the sheer death toll.

The Black Death, which killed as much as a third of Europe's population during the 14th century, led to severe labor scarcity. The resulting higher wages helped erode feudalism and encouraged the innovation of labor-saving technologies.

More recently the 2003 SARS outbreak helped jumpstart China's nascent e-commerce sector. 

What to watch: How lasting the changes created by COVID-19 will be depends on the extent of the virus's spread and its ultimate severity, neither of which can be known yet. But the longer the outbreak endures, the more likely it is that coping responses will remain with us. 

1. Going remote: Videoconferencing and remote work have exploded as the virus has spread.

According to Kentik, a global provider of network analytics, videoconferencing traffic in North America and Asia has doubled since the outbreak began.

Led by tech firms like Twitter and Facebook, companies are encouraging and even requiring their employees to work from home, both to slow the spread of the disease now and prepare for the worst should offices be closed in a quarantine.

Many experts believe business leaders will come to see that central offices and face-to-face meetings are less vital than they thought. "We're going to see that work can be tied to productivity anywhere rather than putting time in an office," said Peter Jackson, CEO of the digital collaboration company Bluescape.

2. The big decoupling: After the travel industry, the companies that have suffered most from COVID-19 are those with just-in-time supply chains highly dependent on China.

As a result, the coronavirus has already "prompted a re-examination of the world's central reliance on China as ground zero for manufacturing," as Peter Goodman wrote in the New York Times.

If the outbreak worsens, "we'll definitely see accelerated decoupling of manufacturing out of China," said Ian Bremmer, president of Eurasia Group. "Changes that may have been delayed until the next recession will happen right now."

3. Nastier politics: The ideal reaction to a global outbreak would be a globally unified response. Don't bet on it.

Far-right leaders in countries like France, Italy and Spain have already taken advantage of the outbreak to call for tightening borders. As a result, wrote Pawell Zerka of the European Council on Foreign Relations, "populism could flourish as the coronavirus spreads."

COVID-19 has already become politicized in the U.S. According to one online survey, nearly 70% of Republicans believe the nation is prepared for the outbreak, compared to just 35% of Democrats.

While China badly mismanaged the start of the outbreak, more recently the country has tried to spin its apparent success in containing the virus as a triumph of its autocratic system. Expect that argument to gain force if the U.S. bungles its response.

4. Faster science: While governments have struggled to respond to COVID-19, scientists are making the most of new tools to track and potentially counter the virus.

Rapid analyses of the genetic makeup of the virus in Washington state indicated the outbreak there was likely underway well before the first official cases were confirmed in late January.

Scientists at Stanford University developed a diagnostic test for the novel coronavirus that can deliver tests in as little as 12 hours, much faster than current models. 

The bottom line: The year is less than three months old, but we have every reason to believe that COVID-19 will be one of the most significant events of the decade — if not beyond. 

How the coronavirus will shape the future

The reactions to the coronavirus are set to last well beyond the eventual end of the outbreak.

Illustration of arm in a hazmat suit holding a briefcase.

World

While a growing number of white collar companies are asking employees to work from home, gig economy companies seem to be doing little to protect workers in the face of coronavirus — though pressure is mounting for them to do more.

Why it matters: While engineers and business managers at companies like Uber and Lyft can bring their laptops home and access corporate health resources, the independent contractors who ferry passengers, hot meals and groceries, cannot. This highlights painful differences between corporate "haves" and "have-nots." 

Driving the news: On Friday, Sen. Mark Warner sent letters to the CEOs of Uber, Lyft, DoorDash, GrubHub, Instacart and Postmates, urging them to set up health funds to compensate drivers who have to cut back their hours  — and thus, earnings — out of coronavirus concerns. 

Late Friday evening, Uber announced it will compensate drivers for up to 14 days if they're diagnosed with COVID-19 or put under quarantine by health authorities. Lyft will do the same for an unspecified duration.  

Instacart says that some of its "shoppers," who pick groceries, qualify for sick pay. 

So far, the companies have mainly distributed guidelines to drivers about keeping cars clean, washing their hands, and staying home if they feel sick. 

Between the lines: One obstacle for these on-demand delivery companies is that providing sick leave and compensatory pay could make it harder to deny that their workers are employees — not just independent contractors. 

Some of these companies are fighting a new California law that makes it harder to classify their workers as contractors.

Meanwhile, Instacart and Postmates are rolling out “no-contact” delivery options in an effort to minimize concerns among customers and drivers.

DoorDash is emphasizing that customers can put instructions in the app for drivers to leave orders at their door.

Demand for gig delivery services seems to be growing as the virus spreads. Instacart said Thursday that its sales this past week were 10 times higher than the prior week — and 20 times higher in states like California and Washington, where the largest numbers of cases have been reported. 

Yes, but: Only 46% of service workers in 2017 received sick-leave benefits, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, in contrast with 93% of workers in management, business and finance, per the Washington Post. 

A bright spot: Microsoft — quickly followed by Google, Twitter, Facebook, and Amazon — said Thursday they would pay hourly workers their regular wages  — even as they encourage many employees to work from home, reducing the need for on-site staffing.  

Editor's note: The story has been corrected to show that Lyft has not specified for how long it will compensate drivers. 

Virus spread emphasizes precariousness of gig economy work

Gig economy companies seem to be doing little to protect workers in the face of coronavirus.

Technology

Gig economy

U.S. News

From the Valley to D.C., Big Tech players like Facebook, Google and Amazon are under more scrutiny than ever as new technology develops and privacy and antitrust concerns grow in lockstep with companies’ ambitions.

Finish Line

Axios Finish Line

Macro

Axios Macro

The American Dream is moving further and further out of reach for millions in the U.S.

Why it matters: That promise is essential to American identity — and its erosion will affect how we live, work and vote for decades to come.

What's happening: It's increasingly unaffordable to buy a home or pay for college — and millennials, many of whom entered the job market at the height of the recession, are feeling the crunch.

The cost of higher education is ballooning. From 1978 to 2017, the Consumer Price Index grew fourfold, but the price of college increased 14-fold, according to research by Ana Hernández Kent, a policy analyst at the St. Louis Fed.

The price of homes is rising much faster than incomes. Per a study by real estate company Clever that looked at census data from 1960 to 2017, U.S. housing prices have skyrocketed 121%, but incomes have increased just 29%.

The receding American Dream

Its erosion will affect how we live, work and vote.

Axios

Saturday's top stories

CPAC attendee tested positive for coronavirus

Fashionably late: The apparel industry's shift toward sustainability

How the coronavirus will shape the future

Virus spread emphasizes precariousness of gig economy work

The receding American Dream

“Axios on HBO” interviews Billie Jean King

China's domestic violence epidemic

Virus-driven shift to online classes brings home the digital divide

Behind the scenes on Trump's chief of staff switch

Trump names Mark Meadows as White House chief of staff