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National

The Republican National Committee loyalty pledge has a growing list of detractors among 2024 candidates, in the latest sign of Republican Party infighting and reluctance to coalesce around former President Trump if he is the eventual nominee.

Driving the news: Former Texas Rep. Will Hurd said this week that he would not sign the Republican National Committee pledge to support the eventual 2024 GOP nominee, making him the latest Trump critic to snub the idea. 

"I won't be signing any kinds of pledges and I don't think that parties should be trying to rig who should be on a debate stage," Hurd, who announced his 2024 bid on Thursday, told CNN.

"I am not in the business of lying to the American people in order to get a microphone," he said, adding that he would not support Trump if he's the eventual nominee. 

The big picture: The RNC said in February that any candidate who wants to participate in the first debate will have to sign a pledge to support the eventual nominee. 

RNC chair Ronna McDaniel called the requirement a "no-brainer" and added then that Republicans "want to see us come together." 

It's one of a number of requirements to qualify for the August debate, which also include polling and donor thresholds. 

Former President Trump is the front-runner in the crowded primary, recent polls show. 

Zoom out: The pledge has drawn criticism from some 2024 hopefuls, especially following the former president's historic criminal indictment over his handling of classified documents. 

GOP primary candidate and former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, a Trump critic, dismissed the pledge as a "useless idea" and said that in his life "we never had to have Republican primary candidates take a pledge." 

"It’s only the era of Donald Trump that you need somebody to sign something on a pledge,” Christie added. “So I think it’s a bad idea."

Former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson's campaign reportedly requested a meeting with RNC officials to discuss potentially changing the pledge in light of Trump's indictment, per Politico. 

Hutchinson told Politico that he would not vote for Trump if he is convicted in a criminal trial.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, widely considered Trump's most formidable Republican challenger, also would not say this week whether he would support the former president if he is the Republican nominee. 

Between the lines: Trump has previously refused to answer whether he would back the Republican nominee if it is not him. 

Meanwhile, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley slammed Trump and DeSantis for not committing to support the Republican nominee. 

"Absolutely irresponsible that Trump, DeSantis and others won't commit 100% to supporting the Republican nominee," she wrote in a tweet. 

"There’s no room for personal vendettas in this battle to save our country."

The RNC has doubled down on the loyalty pledge and maintains that it will stick around as a debate requirement.

"It's the Republican Party nomination and the pledge is staying and anybody who wants to seek the nomination of our party should pledge to support the voters," McDaniel said this week on "Fox News Tonight." 

"If you go through this process and you take time on the debate stage and you're going to be there, the No. 1 pledge should be 'beat Biden,'" she added. 

Go deeper ... Now on the 2024 ballot: Trump's freedom

GOP loyalty pledge draws heat from 2024 candidates

"I won't be signing any kinds of pledges and I don't think that parties should be trying to rig who should be on a debate stage."

Former US President Donald Trump speaks during an event at Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, New Jersey, US, on Tuesday, June 13, 2023

Former President Trump speaks during an event at Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, N.J., on June 13. Photo: Bing Guan/Bloomberg via Getty Images

2024 presidential election

Elections 2024

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 Biden administration notified Israel two weeks ago that it was reimposing a ban that prohibits U.S. taxpayer funding from being used in any research and development or scientific cooperation projects conducted in Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, according to three U.S. and Israeli officials.

Why it matters: The Biden administration’s decision reverses a Trump administration policy from late 2020 that allowed U.S. taxpayer funding to be used for science and technology projects in the settlements for the first time since 1967.

Flashback: The Trump administration rolled back the ban in late October 2020, just a few weeks before the U.S. presidential elections.

The ban had impacted three U.S.-Israeli scientific cooperation foundations, which were barred from conducting any projects in the settlements that received U.S. taxpayer funding. 

Since they were formed in the 1970s, the foundations invested about $1.5 billion in research and development institutions inside Israel.

Behind the scenes: The State Department decided to reverse the Trump-era policy not long after President Biden assumed office, but it didn't need to take any steps to implement the ban until recently, according to a source briefed on the issue.

After researchers from an institute in the settlements applied for a grant from one of the foundations, the State Department told other U.S. government agencies and the Israeli government that it was reverting to the pre-2020 policy of limiting U.S. support for the activities of the three foundations.

What they are saying: “The Department of State recently circulated foreign policy guidance to relevant agencies advising that engaging in bilateral scientific and technological cooperation with Israel" in the occupied West Bank, East Jerusalem and the Golan Heights “is inconsistent with U.S. foreign policy,” a State Department spokesperson told Axios.

The spokesperson said that the U.S. "strongly values scientific and technological cooperation" with Israel and such cooperation continues.

"This guidance is simply reflective of the longstanding U.S. position ... that the ultimate disposition of the geographic areas which came under the administration of Israel after June 5, 1967 is a final status matter and that we are working towards a negotiated two-state solution in which Israel lives in peace and security alongside a viable Palestinian state," the spokesperson added.

The Israeli embassy in Washington declined to comment.

The big picture: Consecutive Israeli governments have approved new building in the settlements, despite U.S. and other international pressure not to do so.

The Israeli government committee that approves new planning and building in the settlements is expected to convene on Monday to approve about 4,500 new housing units in the settlements in the West Bank.

Much of the international community considers Israeli settlements in the West Bank illegal under international law.

Biden admin reverses Trump policy that allowed funding to research in Israeli settlements

U.S. taxpayer money cannot be used in scientific research projects conducted in the Israeli settlements.

Biden and Netanyahu at a press conference in Jerusalem in March 2016. Photo: Debbie Hill/AFP via Getty Images

Israeli-Palestinian conflict

Israel

Conflicts, policies and powers are intersecting and shaping the world. Breaking news and analysis of national security, foreign policy and global crises.

World

2028

Axios 2028

Hill Leaders

Axios Hill Leaders

President Biden is betting that 2024 voters will prefer continuity over Republican disruption, so he'll ask for a second term by emphasizing what he did in his first — and campaigning on largely the same proposals he ran on in 2020.

Why it matters: His approach is in stark contrast to former President Trump, the leading GOP candidate, who has published a sweeping far-right agenda that would dramatically increase his own power. 

Biden's campaign website does not include an issues page for his second-term agenda. He's expected to offer more details about his plans as the general election approaches.  

For now Biden's team is focusing on Republican policies, blasting the GOP's "extreme MAGA agenda." 

Front and center in their effort: highlighting GOP-led bans on abortion and general Republican opposition to assault weapons bans. 

The big picture: Biden's decision to run on his past legislative victories such as the bipartisan infrastructure law and his climate and health care bill — rather than make big promises for new policies — reflects his top advisers' confidence that the country is heading in the right direction.

But that approach — which the campaign has framed as “finish the job” — has risks.

Two-thirds of Americans believe the country is on the “wrong track,” more than on Election Day in 2020. Biden's approval rating is stuck in the low 40's — better than Trump's, but not by much. If the economy slips into a recession, Biden's numbers could dip. 

Driving the news: On Monday, Biden will launch another “Invest in America” tour. Cabinet officials will hit the road to talk up his infrastructure and manufacturing investments, and economic accomplishments.

Zoom out: Biden's message to fundraisers and supporters — and the outlines of his second-term agenda — essentially are the same proposals he ran on in 2020.

Asked what Biden would do with a second term, his campaign pointed to the president’s policy proposals in this year's State of the Union.

In that speech he called for closing tax loopholes for the wealthy, improving access to pre-school and community college, and ensuring paid family medical leave — ideas he ran on last time.

He's again calling for an assault weapons ban and the need to codify abortion rights in federal legislation.

Biden has not embraced some of the recent proposals from more liberal Democrats, such as a gun-control constitutional amendment popularized by California Gov. Gavin Newsom, or a $17-an-hour minimum wage, which is being pushed by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.). 

Zoom in: Biden's campaign aides say they aren't overly concerned about his low poll numbers, in part because the team faced dismal numbers before the 2022 midterms, when Democrats performed better than expected. 

Asked last November what he planned to do differently in 2023 and 2024, Biden replied: "Nothing, because they're just finding out what we're doing…the more they know about what we're doing, the more support there is."

Biden frequently mentions his $280 billion Chips and Science Act, which was designed to counter China by investing in America's technology industry. 

Flashback: In July 2020, Biden gave a series of meaty speeches to lay out his "Build Back Better" agenda, which called for more than $2.7 trillion for American manufacturing, clean energy technology and infrastructure.

He also proposed spending an additional $775 billion for working parents and caregivers.

Faced with a 50-50 Senate in his first two years, he had those ambitions trimmed to a $1.1 trillion infrastructure bill and a $740 billion climate and health care bill.

Both were significant accomplishments, but smaller than Biden had imagined.

Bottom line: Instead of dwelling on what he didn't accomplish — such as paid family leave or increasing the corporate tax rate — Biden will take a victory lap to remind Americans what he's done.

Biden’s 2024 vision: Play 2020 again

The president is betting that 2024 voters will prefer continuity over Republican disruption.

President Biden speaks with American flags behind him.

President Biden speaks during an event with abortion-rights groups in Washington on Friday. Photo: Ting Shen/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Joe Biden

Singles are partying like it’s 1999: They’re speed dating and joining social clubs.

What’s happening: With pandemic isolation happily behind them, people looking for love are meeting IRL and embracing more ways to make physical connections.

By the numbers: Attendance at Eventbrite events that mentioned "dating" or "singles" rose 62% in the early months of this year, compared to the same time last year, according to Eventbrite data.

And the number of those events increased by 20%, the ticketing site said.

Eventbrite's Chief Marketing Officer, Tamara Mendelsohn, told Axios she’s seen a surge in nostalgic events on the service, including "traditional crafts like pottery and the rise of themed parties that celebrate past decades." 

What they’re saying: “I've been on [dating] apps for years, and I go back and forth… deleting, downloading — having a great experience, having a not-so-great experience,” said Stephanie Scheele, who started with the apps nine years ago.

Single and feeling “separated from people" because of the pandemic, she and a friend started a Los Angeles singles club so they could plan face-to-face meetups for people open to dating. They plan to add speed dating soon.

It sounded more appealing than going to a bar, where “maybe you see a cute guy, but he’s married,” Scheele said. 

Instead of relying on a combo of Facebook Events and clunky group texts, some singles party planners now use Eventbrite or Partiful, which launched in spring 2021.

Partiful’s aesthetic, meme-friendly platform offers something many millennials and Gen-Zers want — inclusivity and chill vibes, a far cry from once-stigmatized singles events.

Shreya Murthy, Partiful's co-founder and CEO, told Axios that going to a singles event now is less about sending the message that you're looking to date, and more about seeing the party as one of many in your broader social life.

Here are a few new companies catering to in-person connections.

The exclusive social club Ambyr, one of a few new New York City speed-dating groups, says it exists “because you can’t feel someone’s energy through a dating app.”

So-called social experiment Pear sells a membership and a turquoise middle-finger ring for those wanting to send the PSA that they’re single.

The “offline dating app" Thursday hosts IRL New York City and London events and allows users to connect with potential daters only one night a week.

A welcome side effect for singles joining new hangouts: Even if they don't immediately find love, participants are making new friends, Scheele said. 

Speed dating is making a comeback

Over dating apps and distancing themselves from pandemic isolation, singles are partying like it’s 1999. Speed dating and social clubs are hot right now.

Illustration of an hourglass with the sand shaped like a heart. 

Hub Stories - All

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

Space

Axios Space

The catastrophic implosion of a submersible near the wreckage of the Titanic is a sobering moment for another extreme and risky tourism industry: private human spaceflight.

Why it matters: It's not a matter of if, but when a deadly accident will rock the commercial human spaceflight industry, experts say. 

"It's sort of an easy parallel to make," space lawyer Michelle Hanlon tells Axios. "You're in a capsule with a window that is its weakest point, and you're going into an environment that is deadly."

Titanic sub tragedy stokes fears for space tourism

Risky tourism industries are being spotlighted.

Axios

Sunday's top stories

GOP loyalty pledge draws heat from 2024 candidates

Biden admin reverses Trump policy that allowed funding to research in Israeli settlements

Biden’s 2024 vision: Play 2020 again

Speed dating is making a comeback

Titanic sub tragedy stokes fears for space tourism

Kremlin drops charges against Wagner boss who led uprising

Abortions are down 3% one year after the end of Roe v. Wade