Axios Re:Cap

 Silicon Valley venture capitalists are no longer content with investing in startups and then eventually handing them off. Instead, many are now forming SPACs, or blank check acquisition companies, to ride tech unicorns into the public markets themselves. Dan discusses this trend with the co-founders of one such tech SPAC: Reid Hoffman, co-founder of LinkedIn and partner with VC firm Greylock, and Mark Pincus, founder and former CEO of Zynga. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Around 70% of all immigration detention centers are run by private companies, including the one at the heart of a new whistleblower complaint that alleges systemic medical neglect and malpractice. Dan digs into the business of immigrant detention, including oversight and profit incentives, with New Yorker staff writer Jonathan Blitzer. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Before her death, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg was preparing to hear a case that could determine the availability of affordable health insurance for roughly 20 million Americans. Dan is joined by University of Michigan law professor and Supreme Court expert Nicholas Bagley to discuss the case and what could happen next. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

President Trump has just 48 hours left to either follow through on his threatened ban of TikTok, or accept a proposed tech partnership with Oracle. Dan and New York Times tech reporter Taylor Lorenz dig into how the TikTok user community has reacted to this political drama and what comes next. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Amazon today announced the first companies to receive money from a $2 billion venture capital fund it formed to help combat climate change. Dan digs into how Amazon hopes the fund will help it achieve its own goals of getting carbon neutral by 2040, and if it's more substance than spin with Matt Peterson, Amazon's director of new initiatives and corporate development. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dozens of celebrities, including Kim Kardashian West, aren't posting to their Facebook or Instagram feeds today, as part of the "Stop hate for profit" campaign. It’s a continuation of the July ad boycott of social media. To discuss what this temporary boycott means, and how the broader advertising market has changed in 2020, Dan is joined by Axios media reporter Sara Fischer and Rob Farinella, the CEO of advertising agency Blue Sky. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

By this time next week, we should know if TikTok will be allowed to continue operating in the U.S., in partnership with Oracle, or if it will be in the process of being banned by President Trump. To get the perspective from China, where TikTok's parent company is based, Dan is joined by CNBC Beijing bureau chief Eunice Yoon. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Around 37% of America’s public school students are beginning the year in some sort of in-person learning, which means millions of teachers have returned to classrooms. Dan is joined by American Federation of Teachers president Randi Weingarten to discuss what's working, what's still needed, and if teachers should be required to take a COVID-19 vaccine when one is available. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

California is on fire right now, and Silicon Valley is among the affected areas. But tech hasn't done much to help prevent or fight these sorts of blazes, as most companies prefer to build products for consumers or businesses, not governments. Dan discusses what tech could be doing more of, and why it isn't, with GoTenna CEO Daniela Perdomo, whose company makes a product that helps wildfire fighters communicate via cell phones even if there isn't available cellular service. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The NFL season kicks off tonight in Kansas City, but a whole lot has changed since the Chiefs hoisted their trophy in February. Dan is joined by ESPN NFL analyst Mina Kimes to discuss football’s new economics, experiences, and politics. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Yesterday news broke that AstraZeneca is pausing its clinical trials on a COVID-19 vaccine after a patient appeared to develop a serious neurological condition. It raised an unsettling question: What if a vaccine is further away than most of us have hoped? Dan unpacks the latest reporting and what it means with STAT News reporter Adam Feuerstein, who helped break the AstraZeneca news. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Most Americans agree on the need for a safe and effective COVID-19 vaccine, but President Trump's repeated hints at a pre-election approval has sparked debate that politics could get ahead of science. Dan is joined by Zeke Emanuel, a health policy official in the Obama administration, who discusses what he’ll look for if and when a vaccine gets approved. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The FEED Act was introduced in May and would help put restaurant kitchens to work feeding vulnerable Americans, including children who can’t return to school. It counts celebrity chef and founder of World Central Kitchen José Andrés among its champions — but it’s stalled along with the rest of a potential next stimulus package. World Central Kitchen CEO Nate Mook joins Dan to discuss what needs to happen to address food insecurity when Congress is back in session. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

America is unlikely to know the presidential winner on election night, due to the expected surge of mail-in votes. The nightmare scenario is that one candidate will appear to have won, based on initial results, but then the leader flips as more mail-in votes are counted. Dan discusses Election Day plans and concerns and why states don’t plan to just keep quiet until all of their votes are counted with New Mexico Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver, a Democrat and current president of the National Association of Secretaries of State. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Walmart yesterday announced a new subscription service that will compete directly with Amazon Prime, as America's two largest retailers continue to fight for supremacy. Dan is joined by Walmart chief customer officer Janey Whiteside and asks why Walmart Plus is launching in the middle of a pandemic, what kinds of additional services or perks the company intends to add to its program, and if drone delivery is in its future. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices