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Trump signs $692 billion defense bill

President Donald Trump shakes hands with Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis after signing the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2018. Photo: Evan Vucci / AP

President Trump signed the almost-$700 billion National Defense Authorization Act on Tuesday, saying it invests in "our military's greatest weapon of all, its warriors."

Why it matters: The bill is expectd to go towards a 2.4% pay increase for soldiers, the Hill reports, as well as additional active duty and reserve troops, increased Afghanistan operations, missile defense, and equipment.

Go deeper

Neal Rothschild, Sara Fischer
2 hours ago - Politics & Policy

The week the Trump show ended

Data: NewsWhip; Chart: Andrew Witherspoon/Axios

Donald Trump was eclipsed in media attention last week by President Biden for the first time since Trump took office, according to viewership data on the internet, on social media and on cable news.

Why it matters: After Trump crowded out nearly every other news figure and topic for five years, momentum of the new administration took hold last week and the former president retreated, partly by choice and partly by being forced off the big platforms.

Go deeper (2 min. read)Arrow
Sara Fischer, author of Media Trends
2 hours ago - Economy & Business

Pay TV's bleak post-pandemic outlook

Data: eMarketer; Chart: Axios Visuals

The pandemic has taken a huge toll on the Pay-TV industry, and with the near-term future of live sports in question, there are no signs of it getting better in 2021.

Why it matters: The fraught Pay-TV landscape is forcing some smaller, niche cable channels out of business altogether.

Go deeper (2 min. read)Arrow
Bethany Allen-Ebrahimian, author of China
2 hours ago - World

Biden sets his sights on China

Photo illustration: Eniola Odetunde/Axios. Photo: Frederic J. Brown/Getty Images  

The new administration's first few moves and statements on China suggest that President Biden may continue some of the Trump era's most assertive policies.

Why it matters: China's severe domestic repression, its dramatic rise as a technological superpower, and its increasingly aggressive actions around the globe mean that the world expects the American president to take action.

Go deeper (3 min. read)Arrow