Research shows that 55% of Americans picked up a video game during the pandemic, and by December 2020, the global gaming industry was estimated to have generated $160 billion in revenue that year. In short, gaming has never been bigger and keeps growing — and that means the stakes of gaming as a digital economy and as a social ecosystem keep getting higher. Dan is joined by Axios Gaming newsletter writers Stephen Totilo and Megan Farokhmanesh to discuss the launch of their newsletter and why gam...
May 03, 2021•13 min•Transcript available on Metacast Smartphones, computers, cars and, increasingly, household appliances all run on silicon chips — but the global supply chain isn’t producing enough chips to satisfy demand, creating a shortage that could impact product availability. Dan digs into what caused the shortage, how it could impact consumers and how it can be alleviated with Axios chief technology correspondent Ina Fried and Intel’s executive vice president and general manager of its client computing group Gregory Bryant.
Apr 30, 2021•16 min•Transcript available on Metacast Endeavor, which does talent management, streaming, and also live events, went public today — and it could be an avatar for the broader in-person events industry, which is still struggling to rebound. Dan is joined by executive chairman Patrick Whitesell to discuss how Endeavor weathered the pandemic, how they’re approaching the future of in-person events and a recent decision to bring Elon Musk onto the company board.
Apr 29, 2021•14 min•Transcript available on Metacast President Biden tonight will address a joint session of Congress, during which he will try to sell legislators and the country on his third $1 trillion-plus plan since taking office just three months ago, the American Families Plan. Dan is joined by White House Council of Economic Advisers member Heather Boushey to dig into the plan, Biden’s speech and what a path through Congress could look like — including when tax changes could go into effect.
Apr 28, 2021•16 min•Transcript available on Metacast This week, California state officials announced that an effort to recall Governor Gavin Newsom had secured the number of signatures needed to qualify for the ballot this fall. Only two governors have ever been recalled, which includes California's in 2003 — when Gray Davis was booted and Arnold Schwarzenegger was elected. Dan digs into how California politics got to this point, if this effort has its own Schwarzenegger and what we can expect to see this fall with L.A. Times staff writer Phil Wil...
Apr 27, 2021•13 min•Transcript available on Metacast New data shows that around 8% of Americans who have gotten a first dose of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines have missed their second doses. That figure, compounded with data on vaccine hesitancy more broadly, doesn’t bode well for the U.S. reaching a vaccination threshold that allows for a return to normalcy some time soon. Dan digs into those numbers and what they tell us about vaccine hesitancy with health policy expert Dr. Zeke Emanuel, who advised President Obama and served on President-elect ...
Apr 26, 2021•16 min•Transcript available on Metacast President Biden’s virtual climate summit wrapped up this afternoon — and the big question is whether he managed to successfully convince the other world leaders in attendance that the U.S. can once again lead on climate change action. Dan is joined by Axios climate and energy reporter Andrew Freedman, who shares portions of his interview with Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg.
Apr 23, 2021•18 min•Transcript available on Metacast Just after midnight this past Sunday, 12 of the richest and best-known European soccer clubs announced an agreement to form what they called the Super League. By Wednesday morning, outcry from fans, politicians and other soccer organizations stopped the Super League in its tracks. Dan is joined by Financial Times sports editor Murad Ahmed to discuss the Super League’s very short roller coaster ride, why it struck such a nerve, and how the financial motivations behind the Super League could resha...
Apr 22, 2021•17 min•Transcript available on Metacast After Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin was found guilty on three counts in the murder of George Floyd, the question now is if the success of the prosecution’s case against Chauvin will impact future prosecutions for better or for worse. Dan is joined by Damon Hewitt, acting president of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, to discuss the prosecution’s case and whether this could mark a turning point in how other police brutality cases are handled.
Apr 21, 2021•18 min•Transcript available on Metacast Workers at Amazon’s warehouse in Bessemer, Alabama, rejected unionizing by more than a 2-1 margin earlier this month, despite a surge of national support for their efforts, including from President Biden. This followed a failed effort to get Uber, Lyft and DoorDash drivers recognized as employees and not contractors. Dan talks to two of the organizers involved about what went wrong, legislation in Congress that might bolster the power of unions, and where organized labor goes from here.
Apr 20, 2021•14 min•Transcript available on Metacast As of Monday, the prosecution and defense have made their cases in the trial of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, who is charged with murdering George Floyd 11 months ago. Now the verdict is up to the jury. Dan is joined by Axios Twin Cities reporter Nick Halter, who is on the ground, to discuss the highlights from the trial, the decision facing the jury and what could happen when a verdict is released.
Apr 19, 2021•15 min•Transcript available on Metacast We’re sharing the latest episode of the Hard Truths podcast series. In this episode, we try to answer one big question: Why do fewer Latinos have health insurance when compared to others in the U.S.? Guests: Samantha Artiga, director of the racial equity and health policy program at the Kaiser Family Foundation, and Catalina Sol, executive director of La Clinica del Pueblo Credits: Axios Today is produced in partnership with Pushkin Industries. The team includes Niala Boodhoo, Sara Kehaulani Goo...
Apr 17, 2021•12 min•Transcript available on Metacast Bernie Madoff, architect of the largest Ponzi scheme in American history, died on Wednesday in federal prison, 11 years into his 150-year sentence. Dan digs into Madoff’s crimes, what they revealed about our financial system and what changed after the scheme came crashing down with Diana B. Henriques, author of the Wizard of Lies: Bernie Madoff and the Death of Trust.
Apr 16, 2021•16 min•Transcript available on Metacast Georgia has become the center of America's politics, in an era where state issues and officials have taken on elevated national prominence. Axios Re:Cap speaks with Georgia state Sen. Jen Jordan, a Democrat running for attorney general, about her state's time under the microscope.
Apr 15, 2021•14 min•Transcript available on Metacast Bitcoin, the original cryptocurrency, began life as an academic exercise but went mainstream in part because of cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase, which launched nearly nine years ago. Today it goes public, at a moment when bitcoin is seen more as an investment than a practical currency. Dan is joined by Coinbase President and COO Emilie Choi to discuss how the company and bitcoin got to the present moment — and what happens next.
Apr 14, 2021•15 min•Transcript available on Metacast After the U.S. administered nearly 7 million doses of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine, the CDC and FDA this morning issued a recommendation to pause using that particular vaccine after six women developed blood clots following their vaccinations. Dan discusses how this recommendation was likely made, why and how to understand it with Julie Morita, executive vice president of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, who has served on the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, as co...
Apr 13, 2021•16 min•Transcript available on Metacast The U.S. secured so many COVID-19 vaccine doses through its Operation Warp Speed contracts that we may soon be sitting on a surplus, even if booster shots are needed. Dan and Vanity Fair contributing editor Katherine Eban discuss her recent reporting, which revealed exactly how those contracts were structured and how the U.S. ended up with a stockpile it cannot distribute abroad.
Apr 12, 2021•14 min•Transcript available on Metacast President Biden’s $2 trillion infrastructure plan includes spending on child care facilities and elder care — and now members of his administration and allies on the hill are arguing to expand the definition of infrastructure so that it encompasses more than roads and bridges. Dan speaks with Rep. Katie Porter (D-Calif.), who supports Biden’s plans, but calls the decision to split up family policies and jobs “a big mistake.”
Apr 09, 2021•18 min•Transcript available on Metacast Nearly one in five American adults is hesitant to get a COVID-19 vaccine, which could make it harder for the country to reach herd immunity. Meanwhile, the virus continues to mutate, with the CDC announcing today that the British variant is dominant in the U.S. Dan talks with Dr. Atul Gawande, author and advisor to the Biden administration, about what vaccine hesitancy means for the U.S. and the world.
Apr 08, 2021•15 min•Transcript available on Metacast As U.S.-based companies have spoken out against Georgia’s new voting law, some politicians on the right have pointed out that these same companies have stayed quiet on human rights violations in China — and they are alleging hypocrisy. Dan is joined by Axios China author Bethany Allen-Ebrahimian to discuss what’s happening in China, what U.S. corporations have and haven’t said, and what to make of these allegations and the expectations they set.
Apr 07, 2021•16 min•Transcript available on Metacast Georgia businesses have come under boycott pressure from both sides of the aisle, following last week's passage of a controversial new voting bill. Atlanta also lost Major League Baseball's All-Star Game, which now will take place in Denver. Dan and Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms dig into the consequences of this law for Georgia voters and locally based businesses and what other states can learn from the situation.
Apr 06, 2021•17 min•Transcript available on Metacast The White House has pitched its $2 trillion infrastructure plan, and Republicans have taken a stance against using corporate tax increases to pay for it — leaving corporate America caught in the middle, especially titans of the energy industry. Dan digs into this dynamic with Barbara Humpton, president and CEO of Siemens USA, to get her thoughts on Biden’s proposal and what will come of it.
Apr 05, 2021•14 min•Transcript available on Metacast The Federal Reserve, over the past year, has been credited and criticized for the massive run up in asset values like housing and stocks — basically for how stocks could be going up if the economy has so many problems. Dan is joined by Courtenay Brown and Felix Salmon to discuss the Fed's mission and why it has become so central to America's economic recovery as part of a special Axios Deep Dive on America's central bank.
Apr 03, 2021•18 min•Transcript available on Metacast There are more than 18,000 unaccompanied minors in government custody, according to the latest figures. And over the past week, between 5,000 and 6,000 of them have been in border patrol facilities unfit for minors — a challenge further complicated by COVID-19. Dan is joined by Janet Napolitano, DHS secretary under Obama and former Arizona governor, to discuss the Biden administration’s response.
Apr 02, 2021•15 min•Transcript available on Metacast UnitedMasters, a music distribution platform that feels a little like Substack for singers, yesterday raised $50 million from investors like Apple — which almost never invests in startups. Dan talks with UnitedMasters CEO Steve Stoute, known for producing albums by artists like Nas and Mariah Carey, about his company, the uncertain future of record labels and why it's important for musicians to own their own music.
Apr 01, 2021•17 min•Transcript available on Metacast President Biden on Wednesday proposed a $2 trillion infrastructure package that could transform America's physical and economic landscape. Axios Re:Cap speaks with White House economic adviser Jared Bernstein about the plan and the politics.
Apr 01, 2021•14 min•Transcript available on Metacast This fall, the Inspiration4 mission, chartered from SpaceX, will take four people into space who are not trained astronauts — and as of today, the full crew has been announced. Producer Naomi Shavin and author of Axios Space Miriam Kramer discuss this unusual mission, which will carry the hopes of the entire space industry with it when it takes off in September.
Mar 30, 2021•17 min•Transcript available on Metacast Dominion Voting Systems on Friday filed a $1.6 billion defamation lawsuit against Fox News, its fourth following similar lawsuits filed against Sidney Powell, Rudy Giuliani and Mike Lindell. Dan discusses this latest lawsuit, Powell’s recent response in her lawsuit, and possible future suits with attorney for Dominion Voting Systems Tom Clare.
Mar 29, 2021•17 min•Transcript available on Metacast Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield have been mixing business and activism almost as long as Heath Bar and vanilla ice cream — more than 30 years. Now they're watching other companies follow their blueprint. Dan asks Ben and Jerry about their legacy, the rise of corporate social activism and its recent evolutions, and, of course, their favorite flavors.
Mar 25, 2021•17 min•Transcript available on Metacast The House of Representatives is holding its first Big Tech hearing of 2021 on Thursday with witnesses to include Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Google CEO Sundar Pichai and Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey. Dan is joined by Rep. Anna Eshoo (D-Calif.), who represents part of Silicon Valley, to discuss what she hopes to learn and why she's more interested in algorithms than moderators.
Mar 24, 2021•15 min•Transcript available on Metacast 
