Axios Re:Cap

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The push to legalize psychedelics for mental health May 17, 2021

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Clinical research treating mental illness with psychedelics has been ongoing for decades, but now there's a group of companies exclusively focused on using LSD and other psychedelics to treat mental health disorders.

Dan digs into the argument for legalizing prescription psychedelics, and the treacherous FDA approval path, with MindMed CEO JR Rahn, whose company recently listed on the Nasdaq.

Chipotle CEO Brian Niccol on why it's so hard to find workers May 14, 2021

Show notes

One of the most confounding parts of last week's abysmal jobs report was the disconnect between the unemployment and the help wanted signs plastered in the windows of almost every restaurant and retail store.

Axios Re:Cap goes deeper with Brian Niccol, CEO of Chipotle Mexican Grille, which just announced average starting wages of $15, to discuss pay, labor shortages and the CDC's new indoor masking guidance.

Beyond Bezos, with "Amazon Unbound" author Brad Stone May 13, 2021

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Amazon today announced plans to hire 75,000 more workers, most of whom will sign on after Jeff Bezos officially steps down as the tech giant's CEO.

Axios Re:Cap talks with Brad Stone, author of a new book called "Amazon Unbound," about how Amazon may change, what Bezos does next and how he found the woman who voices Alexa.

America's global fight against climate change May 12, 2021

Show notes

Jake Levine, an attorney and former Obama administration staffer, this week was named the first-ever "chief climate officer" at the Development Finance Corp., a U.S. government group that acts a bit like a venture capital firm focused on developing countries.

Axios Re:Cap speaks with Levine and Axios climate reporter Andrew Freedman about the significance of this new role, and how Levine will handle billions of dollars in financing to combat global warming.

On the ground in India with Karan Deep Singh May 11, 2021

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India is dealing with daily new COVID cases well above 300,000, and a new variant, first detected in India, has been declared a global concern by the World Health Organization. Political blowback and calls for a nationwide lockdown are proliferating, even after President Modi had critical Facebook posts removed.

Dan discusses the difficult and deadly situation in India, the political tensions that seem to just keep escalating, and the role of social media amid the crisis with New York Times reporter Karan Deep Singh, who is based in New Delhi.

America’s gas “jugular” gets attacked May 10, 2021

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The Colonial Pipeline provides around 45% of the fuel used between Florida and Maine, transporting over 100 million gallons per day. But over the weekend, a ransomware attack caused the entire pipeline to shut down.

Dan digs into what we know about this attack, what it tells us about U.S. energy vulnerability, and what it means for transportation in the short term with energy expert Amy Myers Jaffe.

Unpacking that abysmal jobs report May 07, 2021

Show notes

Economists had been expecting the economy to add nearly 1 million jobs last month but it only added 266,000. Now, this speed bump in the U.S. economic recovery could change the political debate over whether or not to spend trillions of dollars on infrastructure and social services.

Dan is joined by Axios chief financial correspondent Felix Salmon and Axios political reporter Sarah Mucha to dig into what the jobs report says about our economy and what it means for Biden’s plans.

Former FDA Head Scott Gottlieb on the proposed menthol ban May 06, 2021

Show notes

The idea of banning menthols was first floated in 2017 by then-FDA commissioner Scott Gottlieb, as nearly half of smokers between 12 and 17 smoke menthols. But around 85% of Black smokers prefer menthols, largely due to racially targeted marketing, and this has led to concerns about how enforcement of a ban could disproportionately impact Black Americans.

Dan digs into the history of this proposed ban, what enforcement could look like, and when it might go into effect with Scott Gottlieb.

Deep Dive: Inside Facebook’s Trump Ban May 05, 2021

Show notes

This morning, Facebook’s Oversight Board recommended that the social network maintain its suspension of former President Trump’s account, which has been in place since January 6. But it also said that Facebook must rethink the “indefinite” nature of Trump’s ban, throwing the ball back in Facebook’s court.

Dan digs into the ban, the decision from the board and what’s ahead for Facebook with New York Times technology correspondent Mike Isaac. Plus, how the decision was received by Trump and his associates with Axios national political correspondent Jonathan Swan.

The road ahead for COVID vaccines for kids May 04, 2021

Show notes

The FDA is expected to authorize the Pfizer vaccine for use in children 12-15 years old next week, a major milestone on the path to getting more Americans vaccinated.

Dan digs into how vaccine trials for children are different, what’s ahead this summer and whether young kids may be eligible for vaccinations before next school year with long-time drug discovery researcher and author of the blog In The Pipeline Derek Lowe.

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