
1 big thing
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.
Latest episodes

Jul 18, 2023 • 12min
Why life is about to get more expensive for millions of Americans
Life is about to get pricier for millions of families, with a triple whammy of pandemic-era safety net programs coming to an end around the same time this fall. How will this all pan out?
Plus, why your sex chromosomes and hormones could impact the effectiveness of your medications.
Antitrust regulators set their sights on private equity.
And, why lottery jackpots are growing bigger -- but harder to win.
Guests: Axios' Caitlin Owens, Alison Snyder and Dan Primack.Credits: Axios Today is produced by Margaret Talev, Alexandra Botti, Fonda Mwangi 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:
Life is about to get much more expensive for millions of families
Investigating the XY factor in disease
U.S. antitrust regulators eye private equity takeover
Lottery jackpots keep growing and getting harder to win

Jul 18, 2023 • 12min
U.S. urges Israel to uphold democratic values
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is pushing forward with his judicial overhaul plan, despite widespread opposition and a call from President Biden. What comes next for the U.S. and Israel?
Plus, making birth control pills more accessible in the U.S.
The first RSV vaccine for all infants is approved.
And, some of your summer reading recommendations.
Guests: Axios' Barak Ravid and Oriana González.Credits: Axios Today is produced by Niala Boodhoo, Alexandra Botti, Fonda Mwangi, Robin Linn 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:
Biden urges Bibi to uphold democratic values as judicial overhaul moves forward
Cost could limit demand for over-the-counter birth control pills
FDA approves 1st RSV immunization for all infants
What Russia's withdrawal from the grain deal means for the world

Jul 14, 2023 • 12min
The push for an independent ticket in 2024
A political group is trying to get real money behind an independent candidate for the 2024 presidential election. And President Biden had a big week overseas. It’s our weekly politics State of Play.
Plus, Hollywood actors walk out.
How too much heat can harm our bodies long term.
And, the first over-the-counter birth control pill.
Guests: Axios' Hans Nichols, Tina Reed and Tim Baysinger.Credits: Axios Today is produced by Niala Boodhoo, Alexandra Botti, Fonda Mwangi, Lydia McMullen-Laird 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:
Biden's blockbuster week
No Labels, no hesitation
Hollywood actors to strike for first time in 43 years
Too hot to handle: What the world's increasing heat does to our bodies

Jul 13, 2023 • 12min
Slowing inflation shows up in our daily lives
Wages are finally rising faster than inflation, according to new data from the Labor Department. And consumer prices in June had their smallest annual increase since March 2021. What does this mean for the power of our money?
Plus, wealthy nations grapple with the rise in global migration.
And, Ron DeSantis' Iowa ground game.
Guests: Axios' Courtenay Brown, Stef Kight and Sophia Cai.Credits: Axios Today is produced by Niala Boodhoo, Alexandra Botti, Fonda Mwangi, Lydia McMullen-Laird, Robin Linn 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:
"The fever is breaking" as inflation takes long-awaited tumble
Wages are finally rising faster than inflation
The big-money donors backing DeSantis — and RFK Jr.

Jul 12, 2023 • 12min
Northeast flooding puts the spotlight on rainfall data
Severe storms this week have caused historic flooding in the Northeast, especially Vermont. Data on this kind of flooding is critical, but the national data we rely on underestimates the risk.
Plus, the push for new treatments against superbugs.
The Biden administration takes another shot at affordable child care.
And, Meta's Threads reaches a milestone.
Guests: Axios’ Andrew Freedman, Adriel Bettelheim and Caitlin Owens.Credits: Axios Today is produced by Niala Boodhoo, Alexandra Botti, Fonda Mwangi, Lydia McMullen-Laird 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:
Vermont communities evacuated from historic flooding as storm slams Northeast
Biden administration takes another shot at affordable childcare
Threads is big, but no one knows where it's going

Jul 11, 2023 • 12min
A new chapter in Earth's history
Humans have changed the Earth in such profound ways that scientists are announcing that the Earth has entered a new chapter: The Anthropocene Epoch.
Plus, why corporate America is worried about the Supreme Court decision on affirmative action for universities.
And, why today is one of the biggest shopping days of the year.
Guests: Axios’ Alison Snyder, Emily Peck and Kelly Tyko.Credits: Axios Today is produced by Niala Boodhoo, Alexandra Botti, Fonda Mwangi, Robin Linn 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:
Scientists advance their case for defining a new chapter in Earth's history
Why companies should worry about the Supreme Court's affirmative action ruling
Why Tuesday is one of the biggest deal days of the year

Jul 10, 2023 • 12min
Biden's inside voice
Maybe you’ve noticed President Biden sometimes whispering in public settings - especially when answering questions from reporters. But behind closed doors he’s been known to take the volume up a notch.
Plus, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen’s important China visit.
And, CVS and Walgreens get into the clinical trials business.
Guests: Axios’ Alex Thompson and Tina Reed.Credits: Axios Today is produced by Niala Boodhoo, Alexandra Botti, Fonda Mwangi, Robin Linn 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:
Biden says Russia's war in Ukraine must end before Kyiv can join NATO
Yellen’s Beijing visit comes as U.S.-China economic ties fray
USPS increases stamp prices again starting Sunday

Jul 7, 2023 • 11min
The politics of social media
This week a federal judge temporarily restricted the Biden Administration’s communication with social media platforms like Facebook, YouTube and Twitter. The ruling is a response to a lawsuit filed by the Republican attorneys general of Missouri and Louisiana.
Plus, renewables help keep Texas electricity costs low.
Younger 2024 political candidates show off their athletic abilities
And, what next week’s NATO summit could mean for the war in Ukraine.
Guests: Axios’ Sara Fischer, Dave Lawler and Asher Price.Credits: Axios Today is produced by Niala Boodhoo, Alexandra Botti, Fonda Mwangi, Lydia McMullen-Laird, Robin Linn 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:
Biden admin to appeal order limiting contact with social media firms
Younger 2024 candidates highlight athletic prowess
What NATO leaders will decide at the Vilnius summit
Renewables help tame Texas electricity costs as heat wave swamps state

Jul 6, 2023 • 11min
How witnessing daily gun violence affects kids
This Fourth of July long weekend saw about 17 mass shootings in the U.S., according to the Gun Violence Archive. At least 18 people were killed and more than 100 injured, many of them children and teens. But direct involvement in shootings is not the only way gun violence harms U.S. kids.
Plus, Meta tries to edge out Twitter.
And, some fun mystery summer reading.
Guests: Axios’ Ina Fried, The Guardian's Abené Clayton and Bentley University's Dr. Traci Abbott.Credits: Axios Today is produced by Niala Boodhoo, Alexandra Botti, Fonda Mwangi, Lydia McMullen-Laird 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:
‘Just putting a bandage on it’: one American classroom’s struggle with daily gun violence
Meta's Twitter competitor for "friendly" conversation launches early
Meta gears up for Threads amid Twitter stumbles
Vera Kelly series

Jul 5, 2023 • 11min
How Americans are feeling about abortion
We've just passed the one year mark of the U.S. living in a post-Roe world, and 69% of Americans say abortion should be generally legal in the first three months of pregnancy, a record high according to Gallup.
Plus, how climate change is affecting summer travel plans.
And, the “wet bulb temperature” explained.
Credits: Axios Today is produced by Niala Boodhoo, Alexandra Botti, Fonda Mwangi, Lydia McMullen-Laird 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:
Broader Support for Abortion Rights Continues Post-Dobbs
Climate change upends summer travel
WetBulb Globe Temperature