Axios PM: The VIP boycott

Plus: The next Neil Armstrongs | Monday, December 06, 2021

Open in app View in browser   Presented By Morgan Stanley   Axios PM By Mike Allen ·Dec 06, 2021 Today's PM — edited by Justin Green — is 464 words, a 2-minute read. 🗞 Situational awareness: Fred Hiatt, 66 — editorial page editor of The Washington Post and a 40-year veteran of the paper — died in a New York hospital today, following cardiac arrest while visiting his daughter for Thanksgiving. For two decades, he wrote or edited nearly every unsigned Post editorial — 1,000+ a year. Read about his life.     1 big thing: The VIP boycott Ulrich Wohlgenannt of Austria competes in a 2022 Beijing Winter Olympic Games test event on Sunday in China. Photo: Mu Yu/Xinhua via Getty Images   America's political VIPs are staying home from the Beijing Olympics, citing China's "ongoing genocide and crimes against humanity." "[W]e will not be contributing to the fanfare of the games," White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters. U.S. athletes will participate with "full support" from the White House, Psaki said. The Winter Games begin Feb. 4. Why it matters: The diplomatic rebuke avoids the confrontation of a full boycott. Back in 1980, President Carter kept U.S. Olympians home from the Moscow games to protest the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. The U.S. declared earlier this year that Chinese Communist Party actions against Muslim minorities in Xinjiang constitute "genocide" and "crimes against humanity," notes Axios' Jacob Knutson. Between the lines: Nearly half of Americans are against China hosting the Games, according to an Axios/Momentive poll completed in August.     2. Smollett takes the stand Photo: Kamil Krzaczynski/AFP via Getty Images Jussie Smollett took the stand at his trial in Chicago today to rebut last week's damaging testimony by two brothers, AP reports. Smollett said he met one of the brothers, Abimbola Osundairo, at a club in 2017 and that Osundairo's brother "kind of freaked me out." Smollett's lawyers have suggested a third person may have been involved in the attack. A security guard testified today that he saw a person on the ground at the end of the block and two men running, one of whom was white. That guard signed a statement that said the person was "possibly" a Black man, but said today he felt "pressure and threatened to put something out there that I didn't see."     A message from Morgan Stanley A data-driven way to align your investments and values     Investing according to your values just became that much easier. Two innovative new tools from Morgan Stanley can help measure how much an asset manager prioritizes diversity and positive environmental outcomes. Learn how you can make more of an impact with your investments.     3. Catch up quick The "Christmas Cab," a taxi replica made of lights, is parked on a Fifth Avenue sidewalk. Photo: Eduardo Munoz/Reuters New York Mayor Bill de Blasio announced a vaccine mandate for all private companies, with no weekly testing option. Go deeper. The Justice Department is suing Texas, saying redistricting plans adopted by state Republicans "deny or abridge the rights of Latino and Black voters to vote on account of their race or color." The Lower 48 states have seen record-shattering warmth so far this December, with temperatures running as high as 35°F above average. Go deeper.     4. 1 smile to go: The next Neil Armstrongs The new astronauts. Photo: NASA The new class of 10 NASA astronaut candidates was whittled down from 12,000 applications, reports Axios Space author Miriam Kramer. That's an acceptance rate of .083%. Why it matters: One of these 10 names may be the first person on Mars. Nichole Ayers Marcos Berríos Christina Birch Deniz Burnham Luke Delaney Andre Douglas Jack Hathaway Anil Menon Christopher Williams Jessica Wittner     A message from Morgan Stanley A data-driven way to align your investments and values     Investing according to your values just became that much easier. Two innovative new tools from Morgan Stanley can help measure how much an asset manager prioritizes diversity and positive environmental outcomes. Learn how you can make more of an impact with your investments.   Like this email style and format? Learn more about Axios HQ. It'll help you deliver employee communications more effectively.   Axios thanks our partners for supporting our newsletters. If you're interested in advertising, learn more here. Sponsorship has no influence on editorial content. Axios, 3100 Clarendon B‌lvd, Suite 1300, Arlington VA 22201   You received this email because you signed up for newsletters from Axios. Change your preferences or unsubscribe here.   Was this email forwarded to you? Sign up now to get Axios in your inbox.   Follow Axios on social media: