Axios Re:Cap

The pandemic hit thousands of firms across the country, especially those in the service sector. Hertz filed for bankruptcy and Airbnb laid off a quarter of its employees. So how were these companies able to thrive after knocking on death’s door?Axios Re:Cap talks with Axios’ chief financial correspondent and author of the weekly Axios Capital newsletter Felix Salmon on the “lazarus” companies of the pandemic-era. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Indocin, an anti-inflammatory rectal suppository that treats arthritis, once cost $198 for a box of 30 in 2008. And, today -- that same box now costs more than $10,000. That’s 52 times higher over the span of 10 years! How does this even happen? Axios Re:Cap talks with Axios’ health care business reporter Bob Herman skyrocketing drug prices and why it matters. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Almost 50% of Latinos in the U.S. owned a home in 2020, according to a report from the group monitoring U.S. Hispanic wealth creation. But Latinos are still 2.3 times more likely to be in forbearance and 1.5 times more likely to be delinquent on payments than white borrowers. Axios Re:Cap talks with Axios’ race and justice reporter Russell Contreras on the uptick in Latino home ownership and the financial troubles Latinos are also experiencing. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The recent Financial Times reporting that China launched a possible nuclear-capable hypersonic missile this past summer is complicated. China says it was a routine spacecraft test, but the launch caught U.S. intelligence by surprise. Should we be thinking about this in terms of a new Cold War? Axios Re:Cap talks with Axios’ China reporter Bethany Allen-Ebrahimian on what all this means for U.S.-China relations. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today marks the beginning of a student journalism project that’s had students investigating the role American newspapers played in promoting lynchings and other racist violence from Reconstruction through the 1960s.  Axios Re:Cap talks with Washington Post writer and associate professor of journalism at the University of Maryland DeNeen Brown on working with the students and her reporting on the 1921 Tulsa massacre that inspired the project. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On our latest installment of our Hard Truths series, we look at how faulty technology is making its way into the U.S. immigration system. Guests: Chaz Arnett, law professor at the University of Maryland and Miguel. Credits: "Axios Today" is brought to you by Axios and Pushkin Industries. This episode was produced by Nuria Marquez Martinez and edited by Alexandra Botti. Jeanne Montalvo is our sound engineer. Dan Bobkoff is our executive producer. Special thanks to editor-in-chief Sara Kehaulani Goo, executive editor Aja Whitacker-Moore and managing editor for technology Scott Rosenberg. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The global energy crisis is becoming a bigger problem for the economy. The Consumer Price Index -- the best way to measure inflation in the U.S. -- jumped 5.4 percent in September compared to last year -- that’s according to new data released this week. How is the Federal Reserve and the Biden administration reacting to this latest data? Axios Re:Cap talks with Axios’ chief financial correspondent Felix Salmon who’s been reporting on the latest consumer price index data. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Last week Snapchat launched a new module -- called Run for Office Mini -- that helps young people run for local offices. And so far -- more than 2 million Snapchat users have engaged with the platform. Could this inspire the next generation of politicians? Axios Re:Cap talks with Axios’ political reporter Alexi McCammond about why Snapchat is entering this realm. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In 2020, the U.S. poverty rate declined as a result of stimulus checks and unemployment aid. What also helped in the decline? There was also an increase in cash programs from charities. Could “cash-in-hand” be a long-term solution to end poverty? Axios Re:Cap talks with Axios’ future correspondent Bryan Walsh on how philanthropic organizations are using cash assistance and what cash can’t fix. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Senators at the Facebook hearing last week used an analogy we’ve all heard before -- Big Tech is having a Big Tobacco moment. Are the harmful effects of social media sites like Facebook and Instagram that clear cut? Axios Re:Cap talks with Axios’ chief technology correspondent Ina Fried about how Big Tech compares to Big Tobacco. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Here’s a shocking statistic: Within five years of a heart attack, nearly half of women will die compared to 36% of men, that’s according to the American Heart Association. And now, researchers are discovering a strong link between psychological stress and heart disease, concerning cardiologists who see an increase in stress amongst women during the pandemic. Axios Re:Cap talks with Axios’ health care reporter Marisa Fernandez on how heart disease disproportionately impacts women AND how the pandemic has made things even worse. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

At least half a million people are known to be homeless in the U.S. -- and the pandemic complicated efforts around the country to keep people housed. But - cities are still trying to fix this. Washington D.C is doing something different -- a pilot program offering one-year leases to unhoused residents in the city. Axios Re:Cap talks with Axios’ D.C. reporter Chelsea Cirruzzo who’s been reporting on how the pilot program has gone this week. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

South Dakota has become a haven for an estimated $360 billion for the wealthy, according to the leaked financial documents in the Pandora Papers. Even though it’s one of the least populated states in the U.S., it now ranks as one of the top tax haven jurisdictions. Axios Re:Cap talks with Axios’ chief financial correspondent Felix Salmon, who’s been reporting on what the Pandora Papers revealed about South Dakota. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Energy prices are are going up around the world, as extreme weather becomes the norm and more people are on the move after long stretches of pandemic lockdown.China and India are facing an electricity crisis, while prices for oil and natural gas roughly doubled over the past year. In the U.S. gas prices are going up by 50%. Axios Re:Cap talks with Axios’ business editor Kate Marino who’s been reporting on the energy prices. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Facebook shares are down 15% from an all-time high on September 7th. That’s the biggest drop since the beginning of the pandemic. And yesterday, Facebook’s global outage may have prevented 54 billion Facebook messages from being sent and 3.75 billion fewer calling minutes on WhatsApp, according to marketing firm ABCD Agency. Axios Re:Cap talks with Axios’ media reporter Sara Fischer who’s been reporting on this, and how Facebook got to this moment. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices