🎯 Axios PM: Extending the honeymoon

Plus: Ford's new EV plans | Wednesday, August 21, 2024

Open in app View in browser   Presented By PhRMA   Axios PM By Mike Allen · Aug 21, 2024 Good afternoon. Today's newsletter, edited by Sam Baker, is 593 words, a 2-min. read. Thanks to Sheryl Miller for copy editing. 🗳️ Situational awareness: Robert F. Kennedy Jr. plans to drop out of the presidential race and endorse former President Trump, per ABC News' Jonathan Karl.     1 big thing: Extending the honeymoon   Vice President Harris during a campaign event in Milwaukee yesterday. Photo: Bing Guan/Bloomberg via Getty Images Vice President Harris' campaign brought in $204 million last month — four times more than the $48 million that former President Trump's campaign raised in the same span, Axios' Erin Doherty reports from new FEC filings. The DNC is running smoothly — sure, the speeches are running long, but they're energizing the party and telling the story the Harris campaign wants. There's no apparent friction among Democrats, and protests haven't caused any major disruptions inside the arena. Former President Trump hasn't shifted any significant attention away from Harris' honeymoon. Every living Democratic president — Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, Barack Obama and President Biden — has now endorsed her. And polls have shifted significantly in Democrats' favor since Harris became the nominee. ⚡️ What's next: Harris still hasn't done an interview or taken questions from voters, but she'll head back out to the trail after the convention with the wind at her back, boasting a major cash advantage, a fired-up base and a convention that, at least so far, is giving her campaign everything it hoped for. 📺 Tonight's speakers: Tim Walz, Bill Clinton, Nancy Pelosi, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Sen. Cory Booker (N.J.), Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (Nev.), Sen. Amy Klobuchar (Minn.) and Sen. Chris Murphy (Conn.)     2. 🔌 Ford recalibrates its EV plans   Illustration: Gabriella Turrisi/Axios   Ford is delaying a planned electric pickup truck by 18 months and killing plans for a three-row electric SUV, Axios' Joann Muller reports. After losing billions of dollars on electric vehicles in recent years, Ford now says it won't launch any EVs unless they can be profitable in the first 12 months. 🪫 Zoom out: Ford's electric F-150 was widely seen as a game-changer with the potential to help EVs catch on more widely, but the overall transition has slowed. As Ford rolls out its next generation of EVs, it now plans to lean into market segments where it already dominates: commercial vans and pickup trucks. In highly competitive segments like SUVs, Ford will offer a wider portfolio of electric, hybrid and gasoline vehicles. Go deeper.     A message from PhRMA Price setting may mean fewer medicines in your Medicare plan     As a result of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA): 89% of insurers have stated they expect to exclude more medicines from their Medicare prescription drug plans. 85% state they will likely use step therapy more often in the future. Learn more about how the IRA will impact patients.     3. Catch me up   An outdoor stage is encased with bulletproof glass as supporters arrive to hear former President Trump speak at a rally today in Asheboro, N.C. Photo: Julia Nikhinson/AP 🎤 Former President Trump held his first outdoor rally since surviving an assassination attempt last month. Go deeper. 🛒 Amazon is offering a new annual $99.99 grocery delivery plan as an optional add-on subscription for Prime members. Go deeper. 🏛️ Longtime Rep. Bill Pascrell (D-N.J.) died at age 87. A former state legislator and mayor, Pascrell was first elected to the House in 1996. He emerged in recent years as a strident Trump critic. Go deeper.     4. 🕺 DNC dance party   Rapper Lil Jon performs during the DNC roll call last night in Chicago. Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images If you didn't quite catch every state-specific song during the DNC's roll call vote last night — or if you just want to relieve one of the strangest DJ sets ever played — Axios has you covered. Here's a playlist of all the songs. The selections ranged from pretty straightforward — like the Alabama delegation choosing "Sweet Home Alabama" — to the inventive and surprising — most notably, Lil Jon performing a mashup of his songs "Turn Down for What" and "Get Low" on behalf of the Georgia delegation. ⏭️ What's next: John Legend is set to perform tonight, and Pink will take the stage tomorrow, per CNN. Go deeper: Watch a video of last night's roll call from Greg Bluestein of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.     A message from PhRMA The unintended consequences of government price setting in Medicare     If you depend on Medicare, the government price setting policies in the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) could mean: Fewer prescription drug plans to choose from. Fewer medicines covered. Higher out-of-pocket costs. More frustrating insurance denials. See how the IRA could impact patients.   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. Axios, PO Box 101060, Arlington VA 22201   You received this email because you signed up for newsletters from Axios. 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