🎯 Axios PM: Rewriting the presidency

Plus: Turkish hair plugs | Wednesday, July 17, 2024

Open in app View in browser   Presented By PhRMA   Axios PM By Mike Allen · Jul 17, 2024 Good afternoon. Today's newsletter, edited by Sam Baker, is 669 words, a 2.5-min. read. Thanks to Sheryl Miller for copy editing. 🚨 Situational awareness: The Biden administration sent a warning to Iran last month over research and development activities that could be used for a nuclear weapon, Axios' Barak Ravid scoops.     1 big thing: The new presidency   Illustration: Natalie Peeples/Axios   Whoever wins in November, they'll have a nearly impossible time pursuing much of a domestic policy agenda through executive actions, Axios' Sam Baker reports. ⚖️ The big picture: The Supreme Court, in its most recent term, rewrote the rules of the presidency. Presidents, now immune from prosecution for acts that involve their official powers, are personally more powerful than ever before. But as policymakers, they're now much weaker. ✍️ The death of "Chevron deference" will make it exceptionally difficult for future administrations to make new domestic policy — whether that's environmental regulations, health policy or still-emerging areas like governing the use of AI — unless Congress passes new laws. And it's not just Chevron. The conservative court has clipped the executive branch's wings in other, sometimes bigger, ways. The court invoked the "major questions doctrine" to strike down the Biden administration's COVID-era eviction moratorium and workplace vaccine mandates. It ruled, in short, that the executive branch cannot do "major" things without explicit congressional approval. 🔎 The intrigue: In the court's ruling on presidential immunity, Chief Justice John Roberts wrote that presidents must be free from the threat of criminal charges for their official duties because otherwise the president would be unable to "boldly and fearlessly carry out his duties." When an exercise of presidential policymaking is particularly bold or fearless, though, the court often finds that it was illegal. Go deeper.     2. Poll: Most Dems want Biden to drop out   Data: AP-NORC poll; Chart: Rahul Mukherjee/Axios Democrats still have serious misgivings about President Biden as their nominee, even with his renomination rapidly approaching. 65% of Democrats in a new AP/NORC poll said Biden should withdraw from the race. 48% of Democrats said they're not confident Biden has the mental capacity to be an effective president; just 27% said they're highly confident in his mental capacity. Only 37% of Democrats believe Biden is more capable of winning the election than former President Trump. 💥 Rep. Adam Schiff of California today became the most senior elected Democrat to call on Biden to step aside. "I believe it is time for him to pass the torch," Schiff said, adding that doing so would allow Biden to "secure his legacy of leadership." Why it matters: Schiff is a big name, and he's also running for U.S. Senate. Democrats have been quieter about their Biden anxieties in the days following the assassination attempt on Trump, but they're clearly still on edge.     A message from PhRMA Middlemen make money, not medicines     Over half of every dollar spent on medicines goes to middlemen, like PBMs, insurers and big pharmacies, along with others. They control what medicines you can get and what you pay at the pharmacy. Middlemen are driving medicine costs, and you don't know the half of it.     3. Catch me up   Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo swims in the Seine today. Photo: Emmanuel Dunand/AFP via Getty Images 🏊 Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo took her long-promised swim in the River Seine today to demonstrate that the river is now clean enough to host Olympic swimming events when the Games begin next week. Go deeper. 📺 Americans spent 40.3% of their TV viewing time last month on streaming services, a record high. Go deeper. 🎤 Peter Navarro, a former Trump aide, is expected to speak at the RNC tonight following his release from prison earlier today. He served a four-month sentence for obstructing Congress' investigation into Jan. 6. Go deeper.     4. ✈️ Cosmetic tourism booms   Illustration: Maura Losch/Axios   A growing number of Americans are flocking overseas for cosmetic procedures. 💇 Zoom in: Turkey has become the prime destination for hair transplants, Axios' Ivana Saric reports, fueled by positive word of mouth and prices that are significantly lower than those in the U.S. The Dr. Serkan Aygin Clinic in Istanbul treated about 480 U.S. patients last year, according to Besiana Hoxha, the clinic's general manager for the U.S. market. Hoxha works at the clinic's Miami branch, which facilitates trip scheduling. 🌏 It's difficult to know how many Americans travel abroad for cosmetic procedures because many aren't going to accredited facilities. But the CDC says cosmetic tourism is "increasingly popular." The most popular procedures include breast augmentation, liposuction, face-lifts, tummy tucks, eyelid surgery and rhinoplasty, according to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons. Share this story.     A message from PhRMA Middlemen make money, not medicines     Over half of every dollar spent on medicines goes to middlemen, like PBMs, insurers and big pharmacies, along with others. They control what medicines you can get and what you pay at the pharmacy. Middlemen are driving medicine costs, and you don't know the half of it.   Are you a fan of this email format? Your essential communications — to staff, clients and other stakeholders — can have the same style. Axios HQ, a powerful platform, will help you do it.   Axios thanks our partners for supporting our newsletters. Sponsorship has no influence on editorial content. Advertise with us. 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