President Biden spoke yesterday afternoon to the American people, again defending his withdrawal from Afghanistan, and saying the exit could take longer than planned.

Plus, images out of Kabul are being put to political use.

And, a new push to make the outdoors safer for people of color.

Guests: Axios' Glen Johnson, Lachlan Markay, and Russell Contreras.
Credits: Axios Today is produced in partnership with Pushkin Industries. The team includes Niala Boodhoo, Sara Kehaulani Goo, Dan Bobkoff, Margaret Talev, Alexandra Botti, Nuria Marquez Martinez, Sabeena Singhani, and Michael Hanf. Music is composed by Evan Viola. You can reach us at podcasts@axios.com. You can text questions, comments and story ideas to Niala as a text or voice memo to 202-918-4893.
Go deeper:

Sources: No Biden firings

GOP ad-makers jump on Afghan footage

Making the outdoors safe for people of color


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Biden says the U.S. may still be in Afghanistan after August 31st

Axios podcast host Niala Boodhoo digs deep with leaders you know — or need to know — in business, politics and culture. Every week, all in under 20 minutes.

About Axios: Axios is a digital media company launched in 2017. Axios helps you become smarter, faster with news and information across politics, tech, business, media, science and the world. Subscribe to our newsletters at axios.com/newsletters and download our mobile app at axios.com/app. 

About Niala Boodhoo: Niala Boodhoo is the host of 1 big thing and previously hosted Axios Today She was the founding Host and Executive Producer of the award-winning news program The 21st. An alum of Reuters, The Miami Herald and WBEZ/Chicago, Niala was a 2019-2020 Knight-Wallace fellow.

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Retired WNBA legend Sue Bird knows just how far women's basketball has come. Arguably the greatest WNBA player in history, she was also part of negotiating a major collective bargaining agreement in 2019 that set the stage for big changes for players. "We've been trying to get people to pay attention, to see what we've all seen behind closed doors," she says, "and now it feels like society finally caught up with us."
Sue was one of the voices this week at TN50: The Business of Women's Sports Summit from Axios and Deep Blue Sports + Entertainment, and she spoke with Axios' Sara Fischer on the sidelines of the event about the momentum behind women's basketball and the work still ahead.
Guests: Sue Bird, WNBA player for 19 years with the Seattle Storm, and Partner & Chief Strategy Officer, Deep Blue Sports + Entertainment
Credits: 1 big thing is produced by Niala Boodhoo, Alexandra Botti, and Jay Cowit. Music is composed by Alex Sugiura and Jay Cowit. You can reach us at podcasts@axios.com. You can send questions, comments and story ideas as a text or voice memo to Niala at 202-918-4893.
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Sue Bird: "Society finally caught up" with women's basketball

Hospitals are supposed to be safe havens in a war. But Avril Benoît, the U.S. executive director for Doctors Without Borders (MSF) says that's not the case in places including Sudan, where this week marks a year since the start of a brutal civil war. More than 14,000 people there have been killed, 8 million have been displaced, and some 25 million are in dire need of humanitarian aid as the health system crumbles. But the world's eyes--and dollars--are elsewhere, leaving groups like MSF begging for international help. Benoît tells Niala how Sudan shows us the fragile state of humanitarian law in crisis zones today.
Guests: Avril Benoît, executive director for Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières in the United States
Credits: 1 big thing is produced by Niala Boodhoo, Alexandra Botti, and Jay Cowit. Music is composed by Alex Sugiura and Jay Cowit. You can reach us at podcasts@axios.com. You can send questions, comments and story ideas as a text or voice memo to Niala at 202-918-4893.
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Avril Benoît: Is ignoring humanitarian law the new norm?

The majority of U.S. school buses today are diesel, emitting pollutants harmful to the environment and to kids. Highland Electric Fleets is behind the largest electric school bus project in America, and its founder and CEO says the buses are healthier, quieter, and a cost savings over time. But upgrading is complicated and costly, and uptake is slow. How CEO Duncan McIntyre is trying to make school buses greener, and what's standing in the way.
Plus: Axios reporters Jael Holzman and Nathan Bomey provide context and a look at what's next.
Guests: Duncan McIntyre, CEO and founder at Highland Electric Fleets; Jael Holzman, Axios energy and climate reporter; Nathan Bomey, Axios business reporter
Credits: 1 big thing is produced by Niala Boodhoo, Alexandra Botti, and Jay Cowit. Music is composed by Alex Sugiura and Jay Cowit. You can reach us at podcasts@axios.com. You can send questions, comments and story ideas as a text or voice memo to Niala at 202-918-4893.
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Duncan McIntyre: Electrifying school bus fleets

Autonomous weapons are no longer science fiction - and they're becoming a top priority for major military powers. Anna Hehir of the Future of Life Institute says we need an international treaty to ban some of the most dangerous autonomous weapons, and that we have a unique window now to do just that.
Plus: Axios co-founder Mike Allen on how Washington is thinking about AI and weapons of war, behind the scenes.
Guests: Anna Hehir, autonomous weapons lead at the Future of Life Institute; Axios co-founder Mike Allen, author of Axios AM and Axios PM
Credits: 1 big thing is produced by Niala Boodhoo, Alexandra Botti, and Jay Cowit. Music is composed by Alex Sugiura and Jay Cowit. You can reach us at podcasts@axios.com. You can send questions, comments and story ideas as a text or voice memo to Niala at 202-918-4893.
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Anna Hehir: Banning the most dangerous autonomous weapons

Recent elections have shown us the power of bad actors using AI. But what about AI itself that's just...flawed? Dr. Alondra Nelson has investigated this, with surprising results. Nelson was involved in some of the government's earliest talks about how to thoughtfully manage AI and democracy during her tenure in the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy in the Biden administration. She spoke with Axios' Ina Fried at the Axios What's Next Summit in Washington D.C. last week about chatbots in the 2024 elections and more.
Plus: Niala talks to Gordon Crovitz of Newsguard about how major brands are unintentionally funding disinformation through advertising.
Guests: Dr. Alondra Nelson, former acting director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy in the Biden administration, professor at the Institute for Advanced Study; Gordon Crovitz, co-CEO and co-editor in chief of NewsGuard, former publisher of The Wall Street Journal.
Credits: 1 big thing is produced by Niala Boodhoo, Alexandra Botti, and Jay Cowit. Music is composed by Alex Sugiura and Jay Cowit. You can reach us at podcasts@axios.com. You can send questions, comments and story ideas as a text or voice memo to Niala at 202-918-4893.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Biden says the U.S. may still be in Afghanistan after August 31st

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