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2028

Axios 2028

First there was Robert Mueller. Then there was Anthony Fauci. Now some Democrats have begun to embrace a new folk hero and Trump foe: special counsel Jack Smith.

The big picture: Some e-commerce shops are filling up with Smith-themed merchandise — T-shirts, sweatshirts, mugs, stickers, and even a baby blanket —celebrating the prosecutor who's pressing the federal charges against former President Trump in the classified documents case.

Why it matters: It’s the latest example of how cults of personality form on both the left and right in this polarized era of American politics.

A similar phenomenon has long surrounded Trump himself. Sites backing him sell every sort of paraphernalia — even items with a fake mug shot of Trump that say "Not Guilty."  

Zoom in: For anti-Trumpers, the online shop Etsy now has more than 50 Smith-themed products, including:

“Somebody’s Going To Get Jacked Up” mugs

“Jack Smith Fan Club” stainless steel water bottles

“Jack-Hammer Smith” Copper Vacuum Insulated Bottles

The web store Zazzle also includes Smith-themed trucker hats, baby blankets, throw pillows, tote bags, and even aprons in a charming bright yellow.

Redbubble is selling stickers and iPhone cases with a painted portrait of Smith that is a tad impressionistic.

An Orlando-based merchant behind classifiedshirts.com told The Hill earlier this week that he had sold about 1,600 Smith-inspired items since Attorney General Merrick Garland appointed Smith last year.

A spokesperson for Smith declined to comment.

Zoom out: Smith is the latest government official to be embraced by Democrats for investigating or confronting Trump.

Mueller, the former special counsel who was charged with looking into the Trump campaign’s ties to Russia, similarly was feted by liberals with “It’s Mueller Time” merchandise and popular social media accounts such as “Mueller, She Wrote,” on Twitter.

After COVID broke out, Fauci also was embraced as he publicly and privately clashed with Trump over the then-president's handling of the pandemic.

Fauci-inspired merchandise included prayer candles and "In Fauci We Trust" stickers — but also prompted a wave of anti-Fauci merchandise peddled by Republicans.

That included the “Don’t Fauci My Florida” gear that Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' campaign sold in 2021 to criticize health officials' calls for shutdowns during the pandemic. 

What’s next: Trump could be indicted again soon; prosecutors in Georgia have been investigating him for allegedly trying to overturn that state's election results in 2020.

If he is, don’t be surprised to see more swag, this time featuring Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis.  

Jack Smith swag is hot as Dems embrace Trump foe

E-commerce shops are filling up with merchandise celebrating the Trump prosecutor.

Photo illustration of a pair of hands making the heart symbol over a photo of Special Counsel Jack Smith

Photo illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios. Photo: Tom Brenner for The Washington Post via Getty Images

Donald Trump

Politics & Policy

Indianapolis

Axios Indianapolis

A federal judge has temporarily blocked a large portion of Indiana's ban on gender-affirming care for minors, which was set to take effect July 1.

Why it matters: Indiana is now among a handful of states — including Alabama, Arkansas, Missouri and Florida — where gender-affirming care bans have been halted by the courts.

Driving the news: Judge James Patrick Hanlon issued the preliminary injunction Friday, blocking the part of the law that would prohibit puberty blockers and hormone therapy for transgender minors.

He also blocked the portion of the law that would prohibit doctors from communicating with physicians in other states about gender-affirming care for patients who are minors. 

But Hanlon's order allows the law's ban on gender-affirming surgeries to take effect. 

"Plaintiffs lack standing to challenge that ban because gender reassignment surgeries are not provided to minors in Indiana," he wrote. 

State of play: The lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana by the American Civil Liberties Union and the ACLU of Indiana on behalf of four transgender youth and their families, as well as medical provider Mosaic Health.

Transgender youth taking medication to transition would have had until Dec. 31 to stop.

Context: The Indiana General Assembly passed the law earlier this year as part of a nationwide wave of legislation targeting the transgender community. 

What they're saying: "We won’t rest until this unconstitutional law is struck down for good," Ken Falk, legal director of the ACLU of Indiana, said in a statement Friday.

"Today’s victory is a testament to the trans youth of Indiana, their families, and their allies, who never gave up the fight to protect access to gender-affirming care and who will continue to defend the right of all trans people to be their authentic selves, free from discrimination," Falk said.

Editor's note: This story has been updated with additional information throughout. 

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Federal court blocks most of Indiana's gender-affirming care ban

A judge issued a preliminary injunction that temporarily blocks much of the law from taking effect.

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Indiana

Closer

Axios Closer

Interest in revitalizing or redeveloping closed hotel properties has been on the rise for the last decade — but it's surged to new heights since the pandemic began.

Why it matters: Vacant sites are a scourge to local property values and pose challenges, such as safety issues, to law enforcement, lawmakers and residents.

By the numbers: 458 closed hotel properties were sold in 2022, marking at least the ninth straight year of increases, according to CoStar Group.

The number has nearly tripled in a decade, rising from 160 in 2013 and 234 in 2019, the last full year before the pandemic.

Between the lines: Shuttered hotels often still have "good bones" and thus make for excellent redevelopment opportunities, CoStar national director of hospitality analytics Jan Freitag tells Axios.

"You have individual bedrooms, bathrooms — you often have a gym, you often have a pool, you have food and beverage setup already," Freitag says. "It slots in theoretically quite nicely into eldercare facility, student housing or multifamily."

Be smart: Many hotels closed when travel demand plummeted early in the pandemic, with some of them even restricted from accepting reservations from certain travelers.

That increased the pool of available properties for redevelopers.

"Some property owners decided to shut down the property because running it was more expensive than shutting it down," Freitag says.

Former full-service hotels and traditional roadside motels are especially popular targets for redevelopment purposes, he added.

Zoom in: Several high-profile deals for shuttered hotels have taken place in recent months, including:

The former New York Marriott East Side hotel on Lexington Avenue recently sold in a deal that could set the stage for a redevelopment into student housing, TheRealDeal reported.

The 12-story Dayton Grand Hotel in Dayton, Ohio, closed since 2016, recently sold to new investors after being marketed for reuse as a hotel or redevelopment into multifamily housing, the Dayton Daily News reported.

The Standard hotel on the Sunset Strip near Los Angeles — shuttered since early in the pandemic — sold for $112.5 million in what's expected to be a redevelopment for hospitality purposes, CoStar reported.

Redevelopers are pouncing on shuttered hotels

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Hotels

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

Data: McKinsey Center for Future Mobility; Chart: Axios Visuals

Privately owned vehicles will make up a smaller and smaller share of global transportation as autonomous vehicles become more feasible and cities fight overcrowding, according to new research by the McKinsey Center for Future Mobility.

By the numbers: Private cars will account for 29% of transportation in 2035, down from 45% in 2022, according to new estimates by McKinsey provided to Axios.

New modes of mobility — namely robotaxis — will increase from virtually zero today to 8% of global transportation in that same time span, McKinsey projected.

Micromobility services — such as scooters and bicycles — will rise from 16% of transportation in 2022 to 19% in 2035.

The big picture: As self-driving car technology becomes more viable, it will make robotaxis an increasingly legitimate option, says Timo Möller, co-leader of the McKinsey Center for Future Mobility.

Meanwhile, overcrowded cities, particularly in Europe, will make it more expensive and less feasible to own a vehicle in urban areas, Möller tells Axios.

Yes, but: For Americans, privately owned vehicles make up a much higher share of their transportation at about 80%, Möller says.

There's definitely a "high car reliance" in the U.S., Möller tells Axios. But "the direction will be similar in the U.S." with private car use declining as a share of overall transportation. 

Private car use will decline globally, researchers project

Privately owned vehicles will make up a smaller and smaller share of global transportation as autonomous vehicles become more feasible and cities fight overcrowding, according to new research.

Self-driving cars

The gunman who killed 11 people and injured 6 others during a mass shooting at a Pittsburgh synagogue in 2018 was found guilty of 63 criminal counts, including hate crimes resulting in death, by a Pennsylvania jury on Friday, AP reports.

The big picture: The shooting at the Tree of Life synagogue marked the deadliest attack on Jews in U.S. history, and Friday's verdict brings the harrowing case closer to a close.

“I am grateful to God for getting us to this day,” said Tree of Life Rabbi Jeffrey Myers, per the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “Today, I’m focused on being with my congregation and praying, singing and clapping in praise of God as we do each Shabbat.”

The jury will decide in the sentencing phase of the trial in the weeks ahead whether Robert Bowers, 50, will serve life in prison without parole or receive the death penalty.

Zoom in: Though the jury deliberated for roughly five hours over two days before coming to its verdict, Bowers' guilt was never disputed — even by his own attorneys.

Among his convictions were 11 counts of obstructing the exercise of religious beliefs resulting in death, 11 counts of willfully causing bodily injury because of actual or perceived religion resulting in death, as well as 11 counts of use of a firearm to commit murder in relation to a crime of violence, according to NBC News.

Bowers regularly spewed hatred of Jews on social media, even just minutes before the Oct. 27, 2018, shooting.

When he entered the synagogue armed with an AR-15 rifle and three handguns, he yelled "All Jews must die" before opening fire.

Zoom out: Antisemitism — and other hate crimes — have surged in the U.S. over recent years, with the Anti-Defamation League recording at least 3,697 antisemitic incidents in the country in 2022, a record level, Axios' Russell Contreras reports.

Mass killing events are also on the rise, with the country on pace this year to set a new record for incidents where four or more victims, not including the assailant, are killed.

The trend has been driven overwhelmingly by gun violence.

Go deeper: At least 57 killed, 133 injured in 38 U.S. mass shootings in May

At least 57 killed, 133 injured in 38 U.S. mass shootings in May

Pittsburgh synagogue gunman found guilty in worst antisemitic attack in U.S. history

The shooter, who opened fire in the Tree of Life synagogue in 2018, now faces life in prison or death row.

Axios

Saturday's top stories

Jack Smith swag is hot as Dems embrace Trump foe

Federal court blocks most of Indiana's gender-affirming care ban

Redevelopers are pouncing on shuttered hotels

Private car use will decline globally, researchers project

Pittsburgh synagogue gunman found guilty in worst antisemitic attack in U.S. history

BMI metric has caused "historical harm," American Medical Association says

Trump ally plans renewed push to censure Adam Schiff

The financial toll of right-wing backlash: At least $28B in market value

Michael Jordan selling majority stake in Charlotte Hornets

Department of Justice probe finds pattern of racist policing, excessive force in Minneapolis

Rodeo celebrates the legacy of Black cowboys