Occupy Banksters & Crony Capitalism & GREED

Humanoid robots draw millions from Bezos, OpenAI and more
Axios | Jennifer A. Kingson | 02/29/24

Humanoid robot startup Figure has drawn a $675 million investment from Jeff Bezos, AI chipmaker Nvidia, ChatGPT-maker OpenAI and others.

Why it matters: Bipedal robots with dexterous hands are joining the labor force this year, a trend that's expected to gain steam.

Driving the news: The infusion of capital for Figure, a Silicon Valley startup founded by "flying taxi" pioneer Brett Adcock, gives it a valuation of $2.6 billion.

Investors include Microsoft, the OpenAI Startup Fund, Nvidia, the Amazon Industrial Innovation Fund and Jeff Bezos (through Bezos Expeditions). ... Read more

Humanoid robots are coming
Axios | Jennifer A. Kingson | 03/17/23

Human-shaped robots with dexterous hands will be staffing warehouses and retail stores, tending to the elderly and performing household chores within a decade or so, according to a Silicon Valley startup working toward that vision.

Why it matters: Demographic trends — such as a persistent labor shortage and the growing elder care crisis - make fully-functioning, AI-driven humanoid robots look tantalizingly appealing.

Companies such as Amazon are reportedly worried about running out of warehouse workers, whose jobs are physically and mentally demanding with high attrition.

Driving the news: A heavy-hitting startup called Figure, which just emerged from stealth mode, is building a prototype of a humanoid robot that the company says will eventually be able to walk, climb stairs, open doors, use tools and lift boxes — perhaps even make dinner. ... Read more

Texas farmers claim company sold them PFAS-contaminated sludge that killed livestock
TheGuardian | Tom Perkins | 02/29/24

A Texas county has launched a first-of-its-kind criminal investigation into waste management giant Synagro over PFAS-contaminated sewage sludge it is selling to Texas farmers as a cheap alternative to fertilizer.

The PFAS levels independent testing found on the farm were "shockingly high", said Kyla Bennett, policy director for the Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility nonprofit, which is assisting in the analyses. ... Read more

Wild weather threatens much of U.S. with snow, tornadoes, heat and fires
Axios | Rebecca Falconer | 02/28/24

Millions of Americans are facing extreme weather whiplash this week - notably in cities including Chicago and Dallas, which were forecast to swing from record highs to wintry lows.

The big picture: Ground stops were temporarily declared at Chicago Midway and O'Hare airports into early Wednesday amid multiple reports of tornadoes, powerful winds and "golf ball-size hail" in the area, as a supercell swept across parts of Illinois and into Ohio Valley.

A strong winter storm was continuing to impact much of the U.S. West, with heavy snow, gusty winds and rain, the NWS noted in its Tuesday night forecast discussion. ... Read more

Four big takeaways from Michigan's Democratic and GOP primaries
Axios | David Lindsey | 02/28/24

There wasn't much doubt that President Biden and former President Trump would romp to victories in the Michigan primaries Tuesday. But Biden's win in particular revealed his vulnerability in a crucial swing state that could decide the presidency in November.

Why it matters: Arab American and young voters - key to Biden winning Michigan in 2020 - turned out by the tens of thousands on Tuesday to vote ... not for Biden, but for "uncommitted" in the Democratic primary.

The protest vote, driven by anger over Biden's handling of the Israel-Hamas war, had drawn more than 100,000 supporters with 98.5% of the ballots counted - several times more than organizers expected.

That took some of the glow from a victory in which Biden got more than 80% of the vote, and confirmed that Biden has some serious persuading to do between now and November. ... Read more

How a $1 billion gift could transform a Bronx medical school
Axios | Felix Salmon | 02/28/24

Ruth Gottesman has donated $1 billion to the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in the Bronx. The money will be placed in an endowment, the income from which will fund free tuition for all students in perpetuity.

Why it matters: No one but Gottesman, a pediatrician who spent her whole career at Einstein, would have made this particular donation. But philanthropy by its nature is idiosyncratic, and this gift in particular has the potential to have some very welcome second- and even third-order effects.

The big picture: Gottesman was bequeathed her fortune by her husband, Sandy, an early investor in Berkshire Hathaway, who died in 2022 at the age of 96. ... Read more

Behind the Curtain: AI's doom or boom
Axios | Jim VandeHei,Mike Allen | 02/27/24

Not since the atomic bomb has so much money been spent in so little time on a technology its own creators admit could ... wipe out our entire species.

Why it matters: Most people ignore or dismiss the sentence above because it seems too ludicrous to be true. But as technological savants crank out new large-language-model wonders, it's worth pausing to hear their own warnings.

The big picture: Sometimes our world changes so fast, in so many head-spinning ways, that it's impossible to fully capture the wildness - and weirdness - of it all.

Dario Amodei, who has raised $7.3 billion for his AI start-up Anthropic after leaving OpenAI over concerns over ethics, says there's a 10% to 25% chance that AI technology could destroy humanity.

Geoffrey Hinton - known as "The Godfather of AI," and for 10 years one of Google's AI leaders - warns anyone who'll listen that we're creating a technology that in our lifetimes could control and obliterate us. ... Read more

Generative AI's next act: Autonomous agents
Axios | Ina Fried,Scott Rosenberg | 02/27/24

AI's key brain trusts are already looking beyond today's popular chatbots to a world in which AI agents act on your behalf.

Why it matters: As AI races from just saying things to doing things for us, its potential benefits and harms will multiply fast.

Driving the news: ChatGPT maker OpenAI is deep into development of AI agent systems, as the Information recently reported. ... Read more

War in Ukraine: Making Sense of a Senseless Conflict by Medea Benjamin

Yes, Russia's aggression was reckless and, ultimately, indefensible. But the West's reneging on promises to halt eastward expansion of NATO in the wake of the collapse of the Soviet Union played a major part in prompting Putin to act. So did the U.S. involvement in the 2014 Ukraine coup and Ukraine's failure to implement the Minsk peace agreements. The result is a conflict that is increasingly difficult to resolve, one that could conceivably escalate into all-out war between the United States and Russia?the world's two leading nuclear powers.

Skillfully bringing together the historical record and current analysis, War In Ukraine looks at the events leading up to the conflict, surveys the different parties involved, and weighs the risks of escalation and opportunities for peace. For anyone who wants to get beneath the heavily propagandized media coverage to an understanding of a war with consequences that could prove cataclysmic, reading this timely book will be an urgent necessity.

Economists see much stronger 2024 growth: NABE survey
Axios | Courtenay Brown | 02/26/24

An influential group of economists has "sharply revised upwards" America's 2024 growth expectations, in what could be another year that stuns forecasters.

Driving the news: As the U.S. economy continues to outperform, the National Association for Business Economics — which has conducted semi-regular survey of professional forecasters since 1965 - is the latest to say the economy won't see a sluggish year.

The median forecast for GDP is nearly a full percentage point higher than that expected just two months ago. It's now 2.2%, compared to the 1.3% expected in December.

That includes much stronger growth for the current quarter — an annualized 2%, not the 0.7% previously forecast. ... Read more

Palestinian prime minister resigns amid calls to reform Palestinian Authority
Axios | Barak Ravid | 02/26/24

Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh resigned on Monday amid growing pressure by the U.S. and Arab countries on President Mahmoud Abbas to conduct wide-ranging reforms, including injecting "new blood" into the Palestinian Authority's leadership.

Why it matters: Shtayyeh's resignation had been expected for weeks. U.S. and Arab countries want to see a "revitalized" Palestinian Authority that can stabilize itself in the occupied West Bank and play a role in the management of post-war Gaza.

Abbas and his aides are working with the U.S. and Arab countries on forming a new technocratic government.

Abbas is expected to nominate his confidant and chair of the Palestinian Investment Fund, Mahammad Mustafa, to head the new government, according to two U.S. and Palestinian officials. ... Read more

State of the U.S.-China relationship as countries compete economically | 60 Minutes | 02/26/24 | 26:53

Erik Prince Calls for U.S. to Colonize Africa and Latin America
Axios | Jon Schwarz | 02/10/24

ERIK PRINCE HAS been many things in his 54 years on Earth: the wealthy heir to an auto supply company; a Navy SEAL; the founder of the mercenary firm Blackwater, which conducted a notorious 2007 massacre in the middle of Baghdad; the brother of Betsy DeVos, Donald Trump's secretary of education; a shadow adviser to Trump; and the plaintiff in a lawsuit against The Intercept.

Last November, Prince started a podcast called "Off Leash," which in its promotional copy says he "brings a unique and invaluable perspective to today's increasingly volatile world." On an episode last Tuesday, his unique and invaluable perspective turned out to be that the U.S. should "put the imperial hat back on" and take over and directly run huge swaths of the globe. ... Read more

Jon Stewart on Tucker Carlson’s Putin Interview & Trip to Russia | The Daily Show | 02/20/24 | 15:11

Supreme Court Ethics: Last Week Tonight | John Oliver | 02/22/24 | 30:20

Klepper Calls for Gun Control After KC Parade Shooting & Trump Might Get Off In GA | The Daily Show | 02/16/24 | 9:07

CNN's Dana Bash has book coming on America's "most violent election"
Axios | Mike Allen | 02/21/24

Dana Bash, CNN anchor and chief political correspondent, will be out Sept. 3 with "America's Deadliest Election," a book about the little-known 1872 Louisiana gubernatorial election.

Why it matters: The book, being published two months before our own contentious election, "is an eye-opening warning of what's at stake and what it takes to protect our democracy," the forthcoming announcement says.

Details: The election "led to hundreds of murders, warfare in the streets of New Orleans, [dueling] governors of Louisiana," the publisher, Hanover Square Press/HarperCollins, says.

"The entire country watched in grim fascination as the wounds of the Civil War were ripped open and the promise of President Grant's Reconstruction faltered in the face of violent resistance and the birth of the Ku Klux Klan." ... Read more

America's Deadliest Election: The Cautionary Tale of the Most Violent Election in American History Hardcover | Sept 3, 2024 | by Dana Bash & David Fisher

The Election of 1872 was the most contentious in American history. After both parties complained of corruption, neither candidate would concede, two governors claimed office and chaos erupted. Rival newspapers engaged in a bitter war of words, politicians plotted to overthrow the government, and their supporters fought in the streets and attempted assassinations. The entire country watched in grim fascination as the wounds of the Civil War were ripped open and the promise of President Grant’s Reconstruction faltered in the face of violent resistance and the birth of the Ku Klux Klan.

In this riveting book, Dana Bash and David Fisher tell the incredible, little-known story of the election that pushed democracy to the breaking point, and sparked historic events including:

1. The Colfax Massacre, in which at least 150 Black men were killed by white supremacists
2. The extraordinary train race from New York to New Orleans for control of the state government
3. The election of the first black Congressman from Louisiana in the face of violent resistance
4. The Supreme Court ruling that ended Reconstruction and became the foundation of Southern segregation, changing the American legal system for the next century

Readers will find eerie parallels to today's divided political landscape and leaders willing to seize power no matter the cost. An eye-opening warning of what's at stake and what it takes to protect our democracy, this is a must-read tale of America's deadliest election.

Inside a Chinese Ghost Town of Abandoned Mansions | WSJ | 02/20/24 | 5:13

How Wall Street banks fought to keep control of a profitable but secretive trading business
Axios | Matt Phillips | 02/20/24

Court documents reviewed by Axios show just how alarmed Wall Street banks were by efforts to regulate their derivatives trading desks after the 2008 financial crisis.

Why it matters: These emails, presentations and internal memos illuminate the financial sector's attempts to shape the rules and shield key profit centers - a technique alive and well today. They were produced during discovery in an ongoing litigation and later seen by Axios.

Flashback: When the Dodd-Frank financial overhaul became law in 2010, a major part of it directed agencies to write rules for the previously unregulated Wall Street derivatives trading business.

Depending on how they were written, these rules threatened to transform the banks' highly profitable interest rate swap business into a low-margin business akin to stock market-style exchange trading. ... ... Read more

The $160 trillion market for U.S.-dollar interest rate swaps — contractual bets on the direction of interest rates - is one of the largest markets in the world.

Watch Rachel Maddow Highlights: Feb. 19 | MSNBC | 02/20/24 | 20:23

Stephen's Public Service Announcement: "This Is F***ed Up" | The Late Show | 02/16/24 | 11:02

Storm-hit California faces fresh atmospheric river flood threat
Axios | Rebecca Falconer | 02/19/24

The U.S. West Coast faces a fresh round of heavy rainfall and snow this week, as another atmospheric river began slamming California on Sunday - bringing with it the threat of flooding, mudslides and possibly tornadoes.

The big picture: Flood watches stretched across much of California's coast, as rainfall began to hit northern coastal area Sunday afternoon and began spreading south by the evening. ... Read more

Tlaib calls to vote against Biden in Michigan primary
Axios | Andrew Solender | 02/19/24

Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) on Saturday urged Michigan Democrats to vote "uncommitted" in the state's Feb. 27 primary rather than for President Biden.

Why it matters: It marks an escalation in the rupture between Biden and his party's most left-wing members over his administration's support of Israel.

Driving the news: In a video posted to social media by Listen to Michigan, a campaign to get Michigan Democrats to vote "uncommitted," Tlaib said "it is important, as you all know, to not only march ... [but] to create a voting bloc."

"We don't want a country that supports war and bombs and destruction," the Palestinian-American congresswoman said. "This is the way you can raise our voices. Don't make us even more invisible." ... Read more

Why no one is winning the war in Ukraine | TheGuardian | 02/19/24 | 3:51

What the fall of Avdiivka means for Ukraine, Russia and the war | DW News | 02/19/24 | 5:30

Alexey Navalny and Putin's history of suspected poisonings and crackdowns | 60 Minutes | 02/18/24 | 54:00

Putin critic Alexei Navalny has died, Russia's prison service says
Axios | Dave Lawler | 02/16/24

Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny has died, according to a statement from Russia's prison service.

The big picture: Navalny, 47, was imprisoned after exposing rampant corruption in Vladimir Putin's inner circle and forming the most effective political movement opposing the Russian leader. His death, if confirmed, has happened in the custody of the Russian state that persecuted him relentlessly.

Driving the news: Vice President Harris said Friday ahead of a speech at the Munich Security Conference that the U.S. was working to confirm the "terrible news" that Navalny had died.

Navalny's wife Yulia told the conference in Munich that if it was true her husband was dead, "I want Putin, his entourage, Putin's friends and his government to know they will be held responsible for what they have done to our country, my family, and my husband." ... Read more

Kansas City Shooting Highlights Missouri's Pro-Gun Laws in "Pro-Life" State | DN | 02/16/24 | 12:16

How Gaza's 'safe' city Rafah came to be on the precipice of catastrophe - visualised
TheGUardian | Ashley Kirk, Harvey Symons, Paul Scruton and Elena Morresi | 02/16/24

Last October, following the Hamas attacks, Israel's military delivered evacuation orders for many of Gaza’s 2.3 million people, telling them to head south for their own safety.

Multiple evacuation orders ensued, and it is now estimated that more than 1.5 million Palestinians are taking refuge in and around the southern city of Rafah, vastly swelling its pre-war population of 280,000.

Many of those now in Rafah, which sits on Gaza's southern border with Egypt, are living in temporary accommodation. Satellite imagery from Planet Labs, dated from 13 October and 14 January, shows a significant increase in tents around the city. ... Read more

Russia's Gazprom - Corrupt politicians and the greed of the west | DW Documentary | 02/10/24 | 50:35

Why John Bolton Is Certain Trump Really Wants to Blow Up NATO
Axios | Kelly Garrity | 02/14/24

John Bolton doesn't really buy Donald Trump's story about telling an unnamed head of state he would encourage Russia to do "whatever the hell they want" to countries that didn't meet NATO's defense spending standards.

But he does think the former president's threats - and his desire to abandon the alliance - are chillingly real.

"Look, I was there when he almost withdrew, and he's not negotiating," said Bolton, who served as Trump's national security adviser. "His goal here is not to strengthen NATO, it's to lay the groundwork to get out."

Bolton, one of the loudest critics to emerge from the Trump White House, has long expressed dismay at Trump’s tenure. In his post-mortem book, "The Room Where it Happened," he portrayed Trump as unfamiliar with basic facts and driven, above all, by a desire to win another term. In Bolton's telling, it's no different with Trump's recent comments about NATO. ... Read more

Trump's billion-dollar man: Chris LaCivita will steer spending by campaign, RNC
Axios | Sophia Cai,Alex Thompson | 02/15/24

Chris LaCivita, a Trump campaign senior adviser, is in line to take over a GOP operation expected to spend $1 billion on the '24 race - effectively merging Donald Trump's campaign with the Republican National Committee, and enhancing his already tight grip on the party.

Why it matters: Trump's move to have LaCivita, one of his campaign's top two officials, also serve as the RNC's chief operating officer will make the two entities "a distinction without a difference," one senior Trump adviser told Axios. ... Read more

Trump crosses NATO's red line with threat to "encourage" Russian attack
Axios | Zachary Basu | 02/13/24

Former President Trump's incendiary comments about NATO this weekend represent the most belligerent public posture he's taken against the Western alliance in his eight years as a politician.

Why it matters: In Europe, where the war in Ukraine is approaching its second anniversary, Trump's remarks supercharged the existing angst among NATO leaders who fear his potential return to the White House.

At a rally in South Carolina on Saturday, Trump claimed he told the president of an unidentified NATO member that he would "encourage" Russia "to do whatever the hell they want" to that NATO nation if it were behind on its defense obligations. ... Read more

How the push to limit Chinese biotech could threaten U.S. edge
Axios | Alison Snyder | 02/12/23

Efforts in Congress to restrict U.S. market access for Chinese biotech companies and investors face a central dilemma: They could disrupt key relationships and supply chains U.S. life sciences companies rely on.

Why it matters: Bipartisan consensus for action is growing amid deteriorated U.S.-China relations, but it's running into the reality that they'll have to balance moves to address U.S. national security concerns with the risk of setting back companies that underpin the country's competitive edge.

The "geopolitics and trade and investment parts of the U.S.-China relationship are on totally different planes," says Scott Michael Moore, director of China Programs and Strategic Initiatives at the University of Pennsylvania. ... Read more

Chris Wallace DESTROYS former colleague Tucker Carlson | btc | 02/11/24 | 8:22

Vladimir Putin-Tucker Carlson's Most Scandalous Interview | Shocking Confessions Rock the World |TOI | 02/10/24 | 2:05:51

Trump faces potentially crippling week of legal penalties | MSNBC | 02/10/24 | 8:38

Supreme Court hears Trump ballot eligibility case | Special Report | CBS | 02/09/24 | 2:49:36

Trump to attend N.Y. criminal trial hearing on Thursday
Axios | Erin Doherty | 02/13/24

Former President Trump is expected to be in New York on Thursday for a hearing in his criminal trial over a 2016 hush money payment to adult film actress Stormy Daniels, his attorney Steve Sadow said.

Why it matters: The plan means that Trump will not attend a hearing on the same day in Fulton County over misconduct allegations against the prosecutors overseeing his Georgia 2020 election case. ... Read more

Biden: "I am an elderly man ... I know what the hell I'm doing"
Axios | Alex Thompson,Hans Nichols | 02/09/24

For years now, President Biden's advisers have carefully choreographed his every move to avoid what exploded into view over six hours Thursday: a vivid display of an elderly, irritable man struggling on a public stage.

Why it matters: Days after repeatedly referencing talks with dead world leaders, Biden, 81, went before cameras to bash a just-released special counsel's report that portrayed him as feeble and forgetful - and then confused Egypt's president with Mexico's.

Biden's hastily arranged nighttime remarks came after the special counsel's report said he wouldn't be charged for having classified documents, but blistered him as "an elderly man with a poor memory" - a political indictment sure to resonate through the 2024 campaign. ... Read more

Netanyahu's War on the Truth
The Intercept | Jeremy Scahill | 02/07/24

Israel's Ruthless Propaganda Campaign to Dehumanize Palestinians

TWO WEEKS BEFORE Hamas commandos led a series of raids into Israel on October 7, Benjamin Netanyahu stood before an empty chamberOpens in a new tab at the United Nations headquarters in New York City. The Israeli prime minister brandished a map of what he promised could be the "New Middle East." It depicted a state of Israel that stretched continuously from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea. On this map, Gaza and the West Bank were erased. Palestinians did not exist.

"What a historic change for my country! You see, the land of Israel is situated on the crossroads between Africa, Asia, and Europe," Netanyahu bellowedOpens in a new tab at a handful of spectators in the large hall, nearly all of whom were his loyalists or underlings. "For centuries, my country was repeatedly invaded by empires passing through it in their campaigns of plunder and conquest elsewhere. But today, as we tear down walls of enmity, Israel can become a bridge of peace and prosperity between these continents." ... Read more

The Anti-Trump Republicans: A Data Breakdown | WSJ | 02/03/24 | 5:01

Special counsel report questions Biden's memory
Axios | Erin Doherty, Alex Thompson | 02/08/24

Special counsel Robert Hur is not bringing charges following his investigation into President Biden's handling of classified documents, but wrote in a report released Thursday that Biden's actions presented "serious risks to national security."

Why it matters: The report ends a year-long and sprawling investigation but also concluded that Biden "willfully retained and disclosed classified materials after his vice presidency when he was a private citizen."

The Trump team will likely try to use the report's findings to try to minimize the felony charges he faces over his post-presidency handling of classified documents. ... Read more

Does Justice Brett Kavanaugh Think Trump Can Be Prosecuted?
MotherJones | Stephanie Mencimer | 02/08/24

The Supreme Court on Thursday heard oral arguments in a case brought by voters in Colorado seeking to bounce former President Donald Trump from the state ballot on the grounds that he engaged in insurrection. The justices—including most of the court’s liberals—seemed generally hostile to Colorado voters’ arguments and largely unwilling to permit the Colorado Supreme Court to deprive Americans the chance to elect the candidate of their choosing.

... Justice Brett Kavanaugh suggested that there was another, less complicated way to keep someone with Trump's record off the ballot. "If the concern you have is that insurrectionists should not be able to hold federal office," Kavanaugh said, "there is a tool to ensure that that does not happen, namely, federal prosecution of insurrectionists. And if convicted, Congress made clear you are automatically barred from holding a federal office."

In August, in a case brought by special counsel Jack Smith, a federal grand jury indicted Trump on four charges related to the events of January 6. In response, Trump has claimed that, because he was president at the time, he is immune to criminal prosecution. On Tuesday, the DC Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that Trump is absolutely not immune from criminal prosecution for attempting to overturn the results of the 2020 election. Trump has until February 12 to ask the Supreme Court to hear the case if he wants to try to halt his criminal trial from moving forward. ... Read more

Donald Trump and His Boomer Base
The Intercept | James Risen | 02/05/24

WHEN THE OBITUARY of the baby-boom generation is finally written, they'll have to mention Donald Trump in the very first paragraph to explain how a cohort that began with such idealism and promise turned so toxic.

The generation that took to the streets in anti-war protests and civil rights demonstrations in the 1960s and championed the environmental and women's movements in the 1970s has now retreated to right-wing retirement enclaves in Florida, where Fox News is always on in the background. ... Read more

"Maddening": Epic double debacle stings House GOP
Axios | Andrew Solender & Juliegrace Brufke | 02/07/24

It's 10 minutes of humiliation that will live in House lore. Even in an era of ousted speakers and wild, daily internal disarray, Tuesday night's back-to-back defeats for House Republicans were epic.

1. Speaker Mike Johnson lost by one vote - a Republican vote! - the first impeachment of a Cabinet official in 148 years.
2. The Israel vote was an important House GOP counter-measure as the Senate struggles to pass a bill to fund Israel, Ukraine, Taiwan and border security. The final Israel vote was 250 for and 180 against, which fell short of the two-thirds majority needed for passage. 14 Republicans joined Democrats in voting against the bill. 46 Democrats voted for the bill.

Middle East crisis live: Hamas peace proposal is 135-day ceasefire, return of all hostages and full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, reports say
TheGuardian | | 02/07/24

Hamas has proposed a ceasefire of four-and-a-half months, during which all hostages would go free, Israel would withdraw its troops from the Gaza Strip and an agreement would be reached on an end to the war, according to a document seen by Reuters.

The group's proposal is a response to an offer sent last week by Qatari and Egyptian mediators.

The Hamas offer, in a document seen by Reuters and confirmed by sources, appears to include Hamas's longstanding demand for a full end to the war as a pre-condition before releasing hostages it seized on 7 October.

A second source said Hamas still wanted guarantees from Qatar, Egypt and other states that the ceasefire would be upheld and not collapse as soon as hostages go free. ... Read more

Biden admin officials push pharmacy execs on Paxlovid costs
Axios | Tina Reed | 02/07/24

Biden administration officials this week pushed executives from leading pharmacy chains to make sure frontline staff are providing patients with accurate information about costs of the COVID-19 treatment Paxlovid, officials told Axios first.

Why it matters: Uptake of the Pfizer antiviral has remained stubbornly low since it transitioned to the commercial market in the fall, in part because of patients sometimes being charged up to the full list price of $1,400. ... Read more

Appeals court rejects Trump's presidential immunity claim in Jan. 6 case
Axios | Erin Doherty | 02/06/24

A federal appeals court said Tuesday that former President Trump is not immune from prosecution in his federal 2020 election trial.

Why it matters: The decision is a setback for the former president, who has argued that he is immune from prosecution over his alleged efforts to subvert the 2020 election results.

Driving the news: "For the purpose of this criminal case, former President Trump has become citizen Trump, with all of the defenses of any other criminal defendant," the three-judge panel wrote in a Tuesday filing.

"But any executive immunity that may have protected him while he served as president no longer protects him against this prosecution." ... Read more

What to know about Trump's immunity claims in the 2020 election cases
Axios | Jacob Knutson | 02/06/24

A federal appeals court has rejected former President Trump's claims of "absolute immunity" from charges that he plotted to overturn the 2020 election.

Why it matters: The precedent set by his case will have bearing on executive power and how presidents may be held accountable for abusing it.

He is the first former president to have been denied immunity from criminal charges, though that's primarily because no other sitting or former president has been charged with a crime.

The Supreme Court previously rejected special counsel Jack Smith's request to quickly rule on Trump's immunity claims, forcing the immunity question to go through normal federal judicial proceedings. ... Read more

"Dangerous" atmospheric river threatens Southern California
Axios | Andrew Freedman | 02/02/24

As California begins to dry out from its latest atmospheric river event, residents are preparing for a much stronger storm beginning late Saturday, lasting into Wednesday.

Threat level: Confidence is growing in for a high-impact, extremely dangerous storm that could hit Southern California the hardest. The National Weather Service's Los Angeles office warned Thursday night the storm could have "life-threatening impacts."

Depending on the storm's track and intensity, it may bring a swath of at least 4-to-8-inch rainfall totals, with locally heavier amounts, to areas from Monterey, California southward to San Diego. ... Read more

Behind the Curtain: Trump's conviction scenario
Axios | Mike Allen & Jim VandeHei | 02/02/24

Former President Trump is breezing to the GOP nomination - but, in private, is bracing for the genuine possibility that he'll be the first convicted felon in U.S. history to represent a major party.

Why it matters: Sources tell us Trump believes he'd likely be convicted if the Jan. 6 case comes to trial later this spring in Washington. If that's delayed, he could face a guilty verdict in the Manhattan hush-money case.

State of play: U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan, who is presiding over the Jan. 6 case, has been tough on Capitol rioters tried in her court, and has signaled she'll cut Trump no breaks. Jurors will be drawn from D.C., which is overwhelmingly Democratic.

nation's cartoonists on the week in politics on Politico
Politico | 02/02/24