⏰ Axios PM: Biden's big punt

Plus: Robot warriors | Thursday, July 11, 2024

Open in app View in browser   Presented By Amazon   Axios PM By Mike Allen · Jul 11, 2024 Good afternoon. Today's newsletter, edited by Sam Baker, is 571 words, a 2-min. read. Thanks to Sheryl Miller for copy editing.     1 big thing: Just wait until...   Illustration: Eniola Odetunde/Axios. Photos: Frederic J. Brown/Getty Images   The Biden campaign has consistently argued that upcoming inflection points would change the course of the race — only for those events to come and go without notably improving President Biden's standing in the polls, Axios' Neal Rothschild writes. 📊 Facing ominous polling dating back to early in the Republican primary, the Biden campaign maintained that the race would move in Biden's favor once Trump was nominated and a binary choice emerged for voters. 🎤 The debate was also supposed to help Biden by illuminating the contrasts with Trump. The New York Times reported beforehand that the Biden campaign thought it had "already won a major victory" by moving the first debate to June. 📺 Biden's post-debate cleanup — campaign rallies, an interview with George Stephanopoulos, and a call-in on MSNBC's "Morning Joe" — have failed to reset the narrative, at least so far. 👀 What's next: Some campaign officials believe the Republican National Convention next week will change the news cycle and redirect attention toward Trump's extremism. Yes, but: The Biden campaign's effort to woo a group of never-Trump Nikki Haley voters did not go well, and a slew of congressional Democrats may soon call for Biden to leave the race, on top of the 12 who already have. Share this story.     2. 🦾 Robots could be 1/3 of military   Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios   Robots and other smart machinery will comprise up to one-third of the U.S. military in the next 10–15 years, retired Army Gen. Mark Milley, a former chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said at an Axios event today. "It'll be a fundamental change, and I would argue that other nations' militaries are going to be similarly designed," Milley said. The number of human troops, he added, "will probably be reduced as you move toward robotic systems." 💡 Our thought bubble: A crew-less tank or pilotless fighter jet paired with ultrafast decision-making software stokes fears of killer robots, Axios Future of Defense author Colin Demarest writes. But safeguards are in place. U.S. policy requires a human to pull the trigger. And robotics have wider applications — schlepping supplies far from the front lines, for example, or hauling injured fighters off the battlefield. Go deeper ... Sign up for Axios Future of Defense     A message from Amazon Amazon helps small businesses save time and money     Tamika started her family business out of her living room in Madison, Alabama. When it took off, she turned to Amazon to help with shipping and logistics. An example: Fulfillment by Amazon costs 70% less on average than comparable two-day shipping options. See more.     3. Catch me up   Smoke rises from the Vista Fire, as seen from a flight into Los Angeles International Airport on Tuesday. Photo: Corinne Chin/AP 🥵 The record-shattering heat plaguing much of the East and West shows no signs of ebbing — and may spread farther over the next week. Go deeper. 💰 Consumer prices fell last month for the first time since May 2020, reviving confidence that America's inflation problem is truly receding. Go deeper. 🏀 The NBA has agreed to a record 11-year, $76 billion media deal. In addition to ABC and ESPN, some games will now air on NBC and Amazon Prime. Go deeper.     4. 🪐 Redefining the planets   Illustration: Annelise Capossela/Axios   A group of astronomers wants to change the definition of a planet, Axios' Jacob Knutson reports. Their new proposal wouldn't bring Pluto back into the planetary fold, but it could reclassify thousands of celestial bodies across the universe. 🔭 How it works: The International Astronomical Union's current definition of a planet includes only celestial bodies that are nearly round, gravitationally dominant and orbit our Sun. This Sun-centric definition is vague, not quantitative and unnecessarily exclusionary of planets that orbit other stars, the proponents of a new definition argue in a forthcoming paper. Planets should instead be classified based on their mass, they argue.     A message from Amazon NOOMA uses Amazon to reach customers nationally     Cleveland-based energy drink company NOOMA turned to Amazon when it was looking to grow. NOOMA uses Amazon tools like Fulfillment by Amazon to help with shipping products. Even better: Fulfillment by Amazon costs 70% less on average than comparable two-day shipping options. See the impact.   Are you a fan of this email format? 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