1 big thing

Yesterday, Facebook faced a major outage that knocked out all of its apps -- Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp -- for hours, across the globe. This came on the heels of revelations by whistleblower Francis Haugen, a former Facebook employee who leaked thousands of documents showing the way Facebook prioritizes profits over people. Plus, the scramble to contain one of the largest oil spills in California’s history. And, dating apps get political in Texas. Guests: Axios' Sara Fischer, Andrew Freedman, and Michael Mooney.Credits: Axios Today is produced in partnership with Pushkin Industries. The team includes Niala Boodhoo, Sara Kehaulani Goo, Dan Bobkoff, Alexandra Botti, Nuria Marquez Martinez, Sabeena Singhani, Lydia McMullen-Laird, David Toledo, Michael Hanf, and Alex Sugiura. 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: Facebook whistleblower's moment California oil spill may close beaches for months Texas-based dating apps get political

Axios’ Jonathan Swan spoke with Afghanistan's ambassador to the United States, Adela Raz, for the latest episode of “Axios on HBO.” It was her first TV interview since the fall of Kabul. Plus, the Supreme Court takes up some of our nation’s biggest issues. And, Mike Allen on the Pandora Papers. Guests: Jeffery Rosen, President and CEO of the National Constitution Center; Axios' Jonathan Swan and Mike Allen.Credits: Axios Today is produced in partnership with Pushkin Industries. The team includes Niala Boodhoo, Sara Kehaulani Goo, Dan Bobkoff, Alexandra Botti, Nuria Marquez Martinez, Sabeena Singhani, Michael Hanf, and Alex Sugiura. 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:Exclusive: Afghan ambassador decries country's "betrayal"

We started this week talking about the possibility of a government shutdown, raising the debt ceiling and passing an ambitious new economic agenda for President Biden. By late Thursday, a government shut down had been averted -- but pretty much everything else was still on the table. Plus, the pandemic backlog of cases. And, a historic arts performance in New York City. Guests: Axios' Margaret Talev, Alayna Treene, and Russell Contreras.Credits: Axios Today is produced in partnership with Pushkin Industries. The team includes Niala Boodhoo, Sara Kehaulani Goo, Dan Bobkoff, Alexandra Botti, Nuria Marquez Martinez, Sabeena Singhani, Alex Sugiura, and Ben O'Brien. 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: Congress passes short-term government funding bill, averting shutdown COVID-era criminals go free: Prosecutors dismiss cases as backlog mounts

YouTube announced yesterday that it’s cracking down on anti-vaccination information on the site, beyond content just related to the COVID vaccine. The platform has been a major source of misinformation about vaccines since well before the pandemic. Plus, Congressional reconciliation, explained. And, why President Biden rejected a meeting with the Palestinian president. Guests: Axios' Margaret Harding McGill, Alayna Treene, and Barak Ravid.Credits: Axios Today is produced in partnership with Pushkin Industries. The team includes Niala Boodhoo, Sara Kehaulani Goo, Dan Bobkoff, Alexandra Botti, Nuria Marquez Martinez, Sabeena Singhani, Alex Sugiura, 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.

Yesterday, 175 healthcare workers at a North Carolina hospital system were fired because they wouldn’t get the COVID vaccine. It’s one of the biggest mass firings because of vaccine mandates to date, in the U.S. But this is not just an issue playing out in healthcare. More and more companies are adding vaccine requirements to their job postings -- across industries. Plus, restaurant staff speak out about abuse they’re facing. And, the billions invested into anti-aging research. Guests: Axios' Erica Pandey and Bryan Walsh; Axios Today listenersCredits: Axios Today is produced in partnership with Pushkin Industries. The team includes Niala Boodhoo, Sara Kehaulani Goo, Dan Bobkoff, Alexandra Botti, Nuria Marquez Martinez, Sabeena Singhani, Alex Sugiura, 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.

Ford Motor Company is making a big bet on electric vehicles in Kentucky and Tennessee, through a new assembly plant and new battery factories. This comes as debate continues over President Biden's ambitious spending plan, which could transform the transportation sector when it comes to electric cars. Plus, why it took decades to convict R. Kelly. And, the debt ceiling, explained. Guests: Axios' Joann Muller and Alayna Treene; Jim DeRogatis, journalist and author of Soulless: The Case Against R. Kelly; Koa Beck, journalist and author of White Feminism.Credits: Axios Today is produced in partnership with Pushkin Industries. The team includes Niala Boodhoo, Sara Kehaulani Goo, Dan Bobkoff, Alexandra Botti, Nuria Marquez Martinez, Sabeena Singhani, Alex Sugiura, 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.

President Biden’s economic agenda will be put to the test this week as the Senate votes on their bipartisan $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill and tries to stitch together Biden’s larger $3.5 trillion spending package. It’s been weeks of back and forth negotiations, but behind all the political drama is legislation that will have an impact on our day-to-day lives. Plus, Germany -- and Europe -- without Angela Merkel. And, cautious optimism for the coming COVID winter. Guests: Axios' Margaret Talev, Zach Basu and Sam Baker.Credits: Axios Today is produced in partnership with Pushkin Industries. The team includes Niala Boodhoo, Sara Kehaulani Goo, Dan Bobkoff, Alexandra Botti, Nuria Marquez Martinez, Sabeena Singhani, Alex Sugiura, 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.

President Biden struck an optimistic note when addressing the UN this week, emphasizing that the America First doctrines of the Trump administration are in the past. But whether it's the Afghanistan withdrawal or a new nuclear deal with Australia and the UK, many Western allies are unhappy with the U.S. Plus, what’s behind Puerto Rico’s high vaccination rate. And, the crisis in daycares across the country. Guests: Governor of Puerto Rico Pedro Pierluisi, Axios' Margaret Talev and Katie Peralta Soloff.Credits: Axios Today is produced in partnership with Pushkin Industries. The team includes Niala Boodhoo, Sara Kehaulani Goo, Dan Bobkoff, Alexandra Botti, Nuria Marquez Martinez, Sabeena Singhani, Alex Sugiura, 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.

Thousands of Haitian migrants are living in a temporary encampment at the Southern border in Del Rio, Texas. A lot has happened this week since the Biden administration announced they were going to start deporting many of these people back to Haiti. Plus, AirBnB’s hopes of housing Afghan refugees. And, Democrats plan to tax the rich. Guests: U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, Axios' Stef Kight and Mike Allen.Credits: Axios Today is produced in partnership with Pushkin Industries. The team includes Niala Boodhoo, Sara Kehaulani Goo, Dan Bobkoff, Alexandra Botti, Nuria Marquez Martinez, Sabeena Singhani, and Alex Sugiura. 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.

On Monday, the Biden administration said it would lift travel restrictions starting in November, for travelers from 33 countries who are fully vaccinated. That means that the U.S. will let in people who have received vaccines that aren’t yet authorized here in the U.S. by the FDA, like the AstraZeneca vaccine. But for international students who are coming here to study, that may not be the case. Plus, a test of the global financial system from China. And, why vinyl record sales keep exploding. Guests: Reuters' Ahmed Aboulenein, The Johns Hopkins News-Letter's Michelle Limpe, Axios' Felix Salmon and Erica Pandey.Credits: Axios Today is produced in partnership with Pushkin Industries. The team includes Niala Boodhoo, Sara Kehaulani Goo, Dan Bobkoff, Alexandra Botti, Nuria Marquez Martinez, Sabeena Singhani, and Alex Sugiura. 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.