Axios Re:Cap

Research shows that 55% of Americans picked up a video game during the pandemic, and by December 2020, the global gaming industry was estimated to have generated $160 billion in revenue that year. In short, gaming has never been bigger and keeps growing — and that means the stakes of gaming as a digital economy and as a social ecosystem keep getting higher.

Dan is joined by Axios Gaming newsletter writers Stephen Totilo and Megan Farokhmanesh to discuss the launch of their newsletter and why gaming matters now more than ever.

Smartphones, computers, cars and, increasingly, household appliances all run on silicon chips — but the global supply chain isn’t producing enough chips to satisfy demand, creating a shortage that could impact product availability. 

Dan digs into what caused the shortage, how it could impact consumers and how it can be alleviated with Axios chief technology correspondent Ina Fried and Intel’s executive vice president and general manager of its client computing group Gregory Bryant.

Endeavor, which does talent management, streaming, and also live events, went public today — and it could be an avatar for the broader in-person events industry, which is still struggling to rebound. 

Dan is joined by executive chairman Patrick Whitesell to discuss how Endeavor weathered the pandemic, how they’re approaching the future of in-person events and a recent decision to bring Elon Musk onto the company board.

President Biden tonight will address a joint session of Congress, during which he will try to sell legislators and the country on his third $1 trillion-plus plan since taking office just three months ago, the American Families Plan. 

Dan is joined by White House Council of Economic Advisers member Heather Boushey to dig into the plan, Biden’s speech and what a path through Congress could look like — including when tax changes could go into effect.

This week, California state officials announced that an effort to recall Governor Gavin Newsom had secured the number of signatures needed to qualify for the ballot this fall. Only two governors have ever been recalled, which includes California's in 2003 — when Gray Davis was booted and Arnold Schwarzenegger was elected.

Dan digs into how California politics got to this point, if this effort has its own Schwarzenegger and what we can expect to see this fall with L.A. Times staff writer Phil Willon.

New data shows that around 8% of Americans who have gotten a first dose of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines have missed their second doses. That figure, compounded with data on vaccine hesitancy more broadly, doesn’t bode well for the U.S. reaching a vaccination threshold that allows for a return to normalcy some time soon. 

Dan digs into those numbers and what they tell us about vaccine hesitancy with health policy expert Dr. Zeke Emanuel, who advised President Obama and served on President-elect Biden’s COVID-19 task-force.

President Biden’s virtual climate summit wrapped up this afternoon — and the big question is whether he managed to successfully convince the other world leaders in attendance that the U.S. can once again lead on climate change action. 

Dan is joined by Axios climate and energy reporter Andrew Freedman, who shares portions of his interview with Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg.

Just after midnight this past Sunday, 12 of the richest and best-known European soccer clubs announced an agreement to form what they called the Super League. By Wednesday morning, outcry from fans, politicians and other soccer organizations stopped the Super League in its tracks. 

Dan is joined by Financial Times sports editor Murad Ahmed to discuss the Super League’s very short roller coaster ride, why it struck such a nerve, and how the financial motivations behind the Super League could reshape soccer even if the Super League is never revived.

After Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin was found guilty on three counts in the murder of George Floyd, the question now is if the success of the prosecution’s case against Chauvin will impact future prosecutions for better or for worse. 

Dan is joined by Damon Hewitt, acting president of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, to discuss the prosecution’s case and whether this could mark a turning point in how other police brutality cases are handled.

Workers at Amazon’s warehouse in Bessemer, Alabama, rejected unionizing by more than a 2-1 margin earlier this month, despite a surge of national support for their efforts, including from President Biden. This followed a failed effort to get Uber, Lyft and DoorDash drivers recognized as employees and not contractors. 

Dan talks to two of the organizers involved about what went wrong, legislation in Congress that might bolster the power of unions, and where organized labor goes from here.