Axios Re:Cap

August recess was supposed to start for Congress this week, but stimulus negotiations fell apart last week — prompting President Trump to circumvent Congress and attempt to extend programs put in place by the CARES Act via executive action. Now, it’s unclear if Congress is still negotiating, let alone if they’re any closer to a compromise. Axios Re:Cap producer Naomi Shavin is joined by Washington Post White House economics reporter Jeff Stein to find out more about the state of stimulus talks.

Every day that goes by without a new stimulus agreement is another day of worry for many in America's middle class, which was shrinking before the pandemic began. Dan digs into what the pandemic has done to the middle class and what policies are needed to bolster it with Jim Tankersley, a New York Times economics reporter and author of the new book, “The Riches of This Land.”

An early pandemic fear was that people would be unable to pay rent and that it would lead to a surge in homelessness. Lawmakers intervened, creating municipal, state-level and federal eviction moratoriums — but many of them have now expired, including the federal moratorium put in place by the CARES Act. Dan discusses the looming housing crisis and where it factors into current stimulus negotiations with Alieza Durana of the Eviction Lab at Princeton University.

As stimulus negotiations drag on, Democrats and Republicans seem unable to agree on whether to include coronavirus-related liability protections for businesses, health facilities and schools — a decision that could reset the cost-benefit analysis for businesses thinking about reopening and employees considering a return to work. Dan digs into this debate with U.S. Chamber of Commerce EVP and chief policy officer Neil Bradley.

President Trump relaxed his threat to ban the popular social media app TikTok, giving Microsoft room to negotiate an acquisition from Chinese tech giant ByteDance. Dan is joined by Peter Navarro, President Trump’s top trade adviser and a noted China hawk, to discuss the White House's current stance on TikTok, on Microsoft's operations in China, and on the deal.

We are on track for a more complicated voting process this fall than in any past election of our lifetimes. There are concerns around safety in the middle of a pandemic, security, logistics, access and more. Dan is joined by Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose, who explains why it could take weeks to know results from his state and why he remains confident in the process.

 Last year, nearly the entire editorial staff of media site Deadspin quit in protest over interference in their editorial decisions by management. Now, most of them have reunited to form a new company called Defector Media, which will rely on a paid subscription model and no outside investment. Dan discusses the Deadspin walkout, the new project and this new business model with Defector's Giri Nathan.

The chief executives of Apple, Amazon, Facebook and Google testified about antitrust issues in front of a House Judiciary subcommittee on Wednesday. It was the highest-profile showdown to date in the increasingly fraught relationship between Washington and Silicon Valley, which could culminate in efforts to break up one, or more, of the companies. Dan was joined by subcommittee chair Rep. David Cicilline (D-R.I.) after the hearing ended to discuss what the committee learned, why he wanted the four CEOs to testify together, and which companies he thinks should be broken up.

Live music venues were among the first businesses to close during the pandemic and will be among the last to reopen. In the meantime, many are facing financial ruin. Dan is joined by Sen. Amy Klobuchar, who is co-sponsoring a new bailout bill with Sen. John Cornyn aimed at helping independent venues.

The White House and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell this afternoon rolled out their proposal for the next federal stimulus. They have major disagreements with the Democrats who they'll need to get it passed — and it’s possible that no issue will be more contentious than unemployment benefits. The extra $600 per week payments allocated by the CARES Act are due to expire on Friday. Dan digs into the negotiations ahead with Wall Street Journal Congress reporter Andy Duehren.