🥁 Axios PM: Car crash crisis

Plus: Wisdom from Tom | Tuesday, February 01, 2022

Open in app View in browser   Presented By Circle   Axios PM By Mike Allen ·Feb 01, 2022 Good afternoon: Today's PM — edited by Justin Green — is 480 words, a 1.5-minute read. ⚡ Bulletin: More than a dozen historically Black colleges and universities closed campus or canceled classes today due to bomb threats on the first day of Black History Month. Get the latest. 🏈 New lawsuit: Brian Flores, fired last month as head coach of the Miami Dolphins, has sued the National Football League and each of its franchises for racial discrimination. Go deeper.     1 big thing: National car crash crisis Police investigate a six-vehicle crash involving a FedEx truck in Cerritos, Calif., on Jan. 5. Photo: Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images   The U.S. recorded its highest spike in traffic deaths since at least 1975, reports Axios' Jacob Knutson. An estimated 31,720 people died in motor vehicle traffic crashes in the stretch between January and September 2021, up 12% from 2020. Fatalities increased in 38 states, the Transportation Department projected. 🚨 "This is a national crisis," Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said. "We cannot and must not accept these deaths as an inevitable part of everyday life." The U.S. released its first-ever National Roadway Safety Strategy last week, calling for better safety standards in vehicles. That includes automatic emergency braking and pedestrian automatic emergency braking. The bottom line: Developments in vehicle automation and assisted driving may be years if not decades away, Axios' Joann Muller reports. Go deeper: Read the five-page report.     2. Tom retires: "I leave the field to the next generation" Tom Brady hands his hat to a fan after beating the Philadelphia Eagles, 31-15, in an NFC Wild Card playoff game in Tampa on Jan. 16 — his second to last game, and final victory. Photo: Nathan Ray Seebeck/USA Today Sports via Reuters The 🐐 retires: Tom Brady, 44, officially called it quits today, ending his 22-year career with NFL records for the most career passing attempts, completions, touchdowns and wins as a quarterback. He won seven Super Bowls, including four after the age of 37, CBS Sports notes. Brady said: "My teammates, coaches, fellow competitors, and fans deserve 100% of me, but right now, it's best I leave the field of play to the next generation of dedicated and committed athletes." A nugget of wisdom from his retirement announcement: "I have always believed the sport of football is an 'all-in' proposition — if a 100% competitive commitment isn't there, you won't succeed, and success is what I love so much about our game." Go deeper: NFL reacts.     A message from Circle Why a centralized digital dollar poses risks     A Fed CBDC could put the U.S. behind in the digital currency race while eroding privacy and putting taxpayers on the hook. On the other hand: Dollar digital currencies like USD Coin can help make the U.S. dollar the de facto standard for digital payments and trade. Learn more.     3. Surging Black immigrant population Reproduced from Pew Research. Cartogram: Axios Visuals The number of Black immigrants in the U.S. has soared 475% over the last 40 years, Axios' Russell Contreras writes from a new Pew report. Why it matters: The report highlights the oft-overlooked diversity of the nation's Black population. By 2060, around one-third of the U.S. Black population will be foreign-born if current trends continue. Africa accounts for the fastest growth in the U.S. Black immigrant population. The Caribbean remains the largest origin region. Don't forget: The number of U.S. Latinos identifying as multiracial skyrocketed during the last decade, according to the latest census. The dramatic shift in racial identity among Latinos came after the census offered more options in 2020, giving Latinos the opportunity to officially embrace Indigenous and Black backgrounds. Share this graphic.     4. 📷 Parting shot Photo: Thomas Samson/AFP via Getty Images During today's first stage of the cross-desert Saudi Tour cycling race, the peloton passes ancient carved tombs of the Hegra Archaeological Site.     A message from Circle USD Coin is leading the way for dollar digital currencies     USDC is growing rapidly, with over $50 billion in circulation and more than $1.6 trillion transacted globally. The benefits: USDC can reduce friction and costs while offering transparency and security — with fewer risks than Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs). Learn more.   Like this email style and format? Bring the strength of Smart Brevity® to your team — more effective communications, powered by Axios HQ.   Axios thanks our partners for supporting our newsletters. 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