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Axios AM

By Mike Allen · Nov 19, 2023

🍳 It's Sunday! Erica Pandey is your weekend maestro. Drop her a line: erica@axios.com. Smart Brevity™ count: 1,292 words ... 5 mins. Edited by Donica Phifer. 🎂 President Biden turns 81 tomorrow.

1 big thing: America is Big Mad

Illustration: Annelise Capossela/Axios

Politicians, billionaires and average Americans are itching for a fight these days. Tech giants are suggesting cage matches, presidential candidates are embracing new frontiers in the use of force, and Americans are increasingly OK with political violence, Axios' Stef Kight writes. Last week was especially antagonistic in Congress: Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.) challenged Teamsters president Sean O'Brien to a brawl in the middle of a committee hearing, after reading tweets in which O'Brien had talked about wanting to fight. Mullin is now selling T-shirts that say: "ANYTIME, ANYPLACE."  House Oversight chair James Comer (R-Ky.) told Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-Fla.): "You look like a Smurf." Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) was accused of shoving Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.) in the hallways. 🥊 It wasn't so long ago that Elon Musk challenged Mark Zuckerberg to a cage fight. A match between two of the world's richest men was seriously discussed, with both billionaires coordinating with UFC president Dana White, the N.Y. Times reported. Threats of violence have also been front and center in the presidential race: Trump has called for shooting shoplifters, giving drug dealers the death penalty and executing human traffickers. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' campaign now sells "STONE COLD DEAD" T-shirts — a reference to his promise to "authorize the use of deadly force against the cartels." Zoom out: The Republic is also angry. Support for political violence has jumped, to nearly a quarter of Americans. More than half of Americans told Pew Research Center they feel "angry" always or often when they think about politics.  65% said they feel exhausted.  Share this story.

2. 🤖 Sam may return

Photo illustration: Rebecca Zisser/Axios

Sam Altman is already weighing a potential return to OpenAI after being ousted as CEO on Friday, Axios' Kia Kokalitcheva writes. Investors are hoping to get the company to bring him back, according to multiple reports. Altman's firing was not the result of "malfeasance or anything related to our financial, business, safety, or security/privacy practices" but rather a "breakdown in communications between Sam Altman and the board," according to an internal memo from chief operating officer Brad Lightcap seen by Axios' Ina Fried. 🧠 Reality check: Altman isn't sold yet on returning to OpenAI and is seeking changes in governance. He also is considering starting a new company with some former OpenAI employees — including chairman Greg Brockman, who was removed from the board and resigned alongside Altman. Via X Altman posted the above last night amid news stories about his potential return. 🔎 Between the lines: While huge questions linger about why Altman was fired and Brockman was removed, the two are winning the public narrative. If they start a new company, venture capitalists are likely to line up to write checks, Axios' Dan Primack reports. It's highly unusual for a successful tech startup to oust its founding CEO — and almost unheard of for it to do so absent malfeasance. Go deeper: The culture clash between scholars and venture capitalists that's behind Altman's ouster, by Axios managing editor Scott Rosenberg.

3. 🎬 Hollywood's next headaches

Data: ProdPro. Chart: Erin Davis/Axios Visuals The sense of hope for the film and TV industries at the conclusion of Hollywood's six-month labor stoppage is crashing into the grim reality that the industry faces a brutal road ahead. Why it matters: Hollywood's economic structure is being rewritten as studios make massive budget cuts to appease jittery investors, Axios Pro Media Deals co-author Tim Baysinger writes. 💰 By the numbers: Moody's Investors Service estimated the new guild contracts for Hollywood workers will cost studios between $450 million and $600 million per year. ✂️ Zoom in: Studios are cutting projects. The day after the strike ended, Warner Bros. Discovery shelvedJohn Cena's "Coyote vs. Acme" film, which completed filming last year. Netflix canceled five series, including "Shadow and Bone" and "Glamorous." 💡 Reality check: The cuts aren't new. The strikes gave studios cover to dramatically rein in spending that had ballooned over the past few years in an industry-wide effort to gain streaming subscribers. Conversations with multiple industry insiders in the days after the strike made it clear that most expect contraction throughout the next year. That means fewer TV series greenlighted, tighter budgets on TV and film productions, and a dramatic drop in eight and nine-figure production deals for creators. Go deeper ... Get Axios Pro

A MESSAGE FROM INSTAGRAM

New federal legislation will give parents a say in teen app downloads

Giving parents a say in which apps are right for their teens helps them support their teens in having a positive experience online. That’s why Instagram wants to work with Congress to require parental approval wherever teens under 16 download apps. Learn more.

4. 🚀 Pic du jour

Starship launches from Boca Chica, Texas, yesterday. Photo: Timothy A. Clary/AFP via Getty Images SpaceX's mega rocket Starship had a successful liftoff, but lost both the booster and the spacecraft in a pair of explosions minutes into yesterday's test flight. Yesterday's demo lasted eight minutes — twice the length of the first test. Go deeper.

5. 🇮🇳 Indian enrollment boom

Illustration: Natalie Peeples/Axios

International students flocked to the U.S. in record numbers last year, including a 35% increase in those coming from India, Axios' Sareen Habeshian writes. Why it matters: Booming demand from India for American education is offsetting a decline in the number of students from China, which fell for a third straight year. 📈 By the numbers: More than 1 million international students were studying in the U.S. during the 2022-2023 academic year.  That's a 12% increase over the previous year and the fastest growth rate in over four decades, according to a new Open Doors report. Go deeper.

6. Biden administration says hostage deal close

Thousands of marchers, led by the families of hostages held in Gaza, arrive in Jerusalem yesterday at the end of a five-day trek from Tel Aviv. Photo: Christopher Furlong/Getty Images Jon Finer, deputy national security adviser, told Kristen Welker on "Meet the Press" today that a U.S.-brokered deal is "closer than in some time" for a pause in fighting between Israel and Hamas to allow some hostages to be freed. He was responding to a Washington Post report that a "five-day pause in fighting, monitored by aerial surveillance, could see dozens of women and children freed." Finer said a temporary cease-fire would allow more humanitarian assistance to be dispatched to Gaza. He said such sensitive negotiations can fall apart and repeated the mantra: "Nothing is agreed until everything is agreed." When asked how many hostages might be released, Finer said "considerably more than 12." Thousands of Yemenis join a pro-Palestinian protest in Sana'a, the capital of Yemen, yesterday. Photo: Mohammed Hamoud/Getty Images President Biden wrote in a Washington Post op-ed published yesterday that after the war ends, "Gaza and the West Bank should be reunited under a single governance structure, ultimately under a revitalized Palestinian Authority, as we all work toward a two-state solution." Biden also stressed that the U.S. is prepared to impose sanctions on Israeli settlers who are involved in attacks against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank. Why it matters: It's the first time the U.S. has publicly said it was considering individual sanctions against Israeli settlers, Axios' Barak Ravid writes. It also signals that the Biden administration is concerned that the Israeli government may not be seriously attempting to stop and prevent the violence. Keep reading.

7. 🌡️ Taylor Swift postpones Rio show

Rio show on Friday. Photo by Buda Mendes/TAS23/Getty Images for TAS Rights Management  Taylor Swift postponed a sold-out show in Rio de Janeiro yesterday after the death of a 23-year-old fan during Friday's sweltering show. "The safety and well-being of my fans, fellow performers, and crew has to, and always will, come first," Swift wrote on Instagram, two hours before last night's show was scheduled to begin. Rio's world-famous Christ the Redeemer statue was lit with a projected "Welcome to Brazil" T-shirt to greet Taylor Swift. Photo: Bruna Prado/AP Rio's heat index — the "feels like" temperature — was nearly 139 degrees Fahrenheit on Friday. Swift stopped the show multiple times and threw bottles of water into the crowd.

8. 🏎️ F1 exceeds Vegas expectations

Sparks fly behind Max Verstappen of the Netherlands on the Strip last night. Photo: Clive Mason/Formula 1 via Getty Images 300,000+ spectators — including Brad Pitt, Rihanna and Shaq — descended on Sin City to watch last night's Formula 1 Las Vegas Grand Prix, which returned to the city after more than 40 years. The new track is one of the fastest in the sport, with top speeds hitting 215 mph and wraps around the Vegas Sphere, the L.A. Times notes. The winner was Max Verstappen, the Belgian and Dutch three-time F1 world champion. The Sphere during qualifying last night. Photo: Mike Blake/Reuters Dates for next year's Las Vegas Grand Prix are already set: Nov. 21–23, 2024.

A MESSAGE FROM INSTAGRAM

Parents should be able to decide which apps are right for their teens

Apps can teach teens skills or ignite their creativity. But with access to so many apps, parents should have a say in which ones their teens download. That’s why Instagram wants to work with Congress to require parental approval wherever teens under 16 download apps.